The Rolls-Royce of energy management systems

The Energy Management System offers customers a more data-driven performance management and decision making approach. This will give an enhanced ability to monitor the performance of an individual vessel or a fleet. It can also increase crew awareness of individual ship performance and encourage healthy vessel-to-vessel benchmarking and competition, improving the performance of a specific vessel through the propagation of best operating practices.

The system can be easily retrofitted and is also customisable to meet specific customer needs. It is suitable for a wide range of vessels, particularly those using large quantities of fuel.

The Energy Management System collects and processes data from a multitude of sensors on the vessel. Data sources include the engines, propulsion system, automation, deck machinery and other equipment. The data collected from frequent sampling is available on board and is securely encrypted before being transmitted via link on to a secure Rolls-Royce-hosted web portal, where much more detailed analysis and comparisons can be carried out.

A cloud-based portal enables fleet operators to compare real-time and historical performance indicators and baseline analysis. Selected information is displayed graphically to make it as accessible and easy to use as possible.

For example, fuel consumption and fuel consumption per nautical mile can be displayed, showing current levels against a baseline of historical data. Operators can quickly and easily see whether consumption is higher than needed for the conditions, and whether the number of engines running should be changed to bring the operating engines into the load range with the lowest specific fuel consumption. This allows the crew to minimise fuel use and cut emissions.

Per Ivar Fagervoll, CEO Golden Energy Offshore, one of Rolls-Royce’s Energy Management System’s pilot customers who have had two vessels in their fleet of ten vessels equipped with a trial Energy Management System since early 2015, said: “For us, as a vessel operator, it is important to maintain a high focus on energy efficiency through our management system – which among other standards includes fully certified ISO 50001 (Energy Management) – and meeting the high goal we set on Energy Performance indicators.”

“Through the Rolls-Royce Energy Management System, we are able to optimise the energy use on board by adjusting our switchboard configurations, with efficient use of the generators for standby sailing and when in DP mode. Accurate fuel consumption measured at an early stage also gives us the opportunity to adjust the vessels’ speed and trim to save fuel. By Jake Frith