HEMEXPO sustainability spotlight: PSYCTOTHERM
HEMEXPO - Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers & Exporters
World class maritime equipment and services from the world's leading shipping nation
As part of the HEMEXPO sustainability spotlight series for association members, we speak to Vaios Gerodimos , Technical Sales Engineer, PSYCTOTHERM about how the company is supporting the shipping industry’s green transition.
Please can you share what your company is doing to support shipping’s green transition?
We have developed a range of products and services to support shipping’s green transition:
New Innovative products
Among the products are our Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system and High Temperature Heat Pumps (HTHP). Both of these solutions use the principles of thermo-dynamic cycles, phase change and refrigeration to unlock energy from waste heat recovery in ways that have not previously considered possible. They are excellent candidates to be core ship technologies for decades to come.
The Psyctotherm ORC system can recover waste heat from a marine engine’s jacket water, from excess steam or even from exhaust gasses. However, where a typical Rankine Cycle unit uses water-steam evaporation in heat recovery, the ORC system uses refrigerant, and therefore starts generating energy at lower temperatures.
Using the same process as conventional systems, waste heat causes the refrigerant to evaporate, with vapour routed to the expander, which rotates to produce electricity. Fed through a condenser, the vapour returns to its liquid state, with the whole process repeated in a closed loop. The ORC system is type-approved by an IACS society and formally acknowledged as an energy saving device. It has been installed on board with very positive results, running on an automated and unmanned basis.
High Temperature Heat Pumps are a highly specialised technology which are offered by a limited number of marine equipment manufacturers worldwide. While their principle of operation is similar to conventional Heat Pumps, units are adapted for temperatures up to 120°C, for applications not previously consider possible. Using the Psyctotherm HTHP, the efficiency of onboard heating is therefore enhanced, with steam consumption minimized and flexibility maximized.
Projects and services
We are specialized in providing sustainable solutions for marine HVAC & Refrigeration, including:
·?????? Equipment conversions for low GWP refrigerants.
·?????? HVAC/R systems with CO? and NH3.
·?????? Runaround coil systems, for energy recovery on air handling units.
·?????? Fan upgrades to include EC motors for air handling units.
How do these solutions help to improve a ship’s sustainability credentials???
Both Organic Rankine Cycle systems and High Temperature Heat Pumps bring energy savings that allow owners to cut fuel consumption and emissions. We always aim to deliver solutions which target the use of low GWP refrigerants and provide enhanced energy efficiency on board. Replacing refrigerants with liquids that have a lower GWP has a direct reduction on greenhouse gas emissions, while carbon footprint is lowered drastically when owners select higher efficiency runaround coil systems to recover energy on air handling unit or upgrade to EC fans.
Please outline the energy savings that can be achieved when this solution is installed.
Using ORC technology achieves energy savings of between 1% and 4% in its own right. Where the other solutions are concerned, gains depend on the application and the other equipment on board.
Are you involved in any partnerships or research projects that are focused on decarbonization?
We are involved in more than 10 initiatives with a value of around €10m – more details on our research projects can be found on our website.
Has your company taken steps to ‘green’ its own supply chain?
We operate a comprehensive recycling programme and work hard to optimize our logistics solutions.
Visit the Psyctotherm website to learn more.