Managing the complexity of machinery systems

Rising fuel costs, environmental concerns, upcoming emissions regulations and anticipated climate change impose a pressure on ships to operate in a more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. This has significant impact on the entire machinery system of a ship.

In this new position paper from DNV Research and Innovation we look at how computer-aided methodologies can successfully address the increasing complexity of integrated marine machinery systems.

The computer platform, DNV COSSMOS, has been used to develop several model-based studies on marine systems. DNV COSSMOS is an enabling framework to analyse complex phenomena at both the system and individual component levels. It can serve as a test-bed for conducting low-cost virtual “experiments”. Tools such as DNV COSSMOS are expected to become essential in analysing and optimizing ship machinery systems under realistic operational profiles.

The potential advantages of using DNV COSSMOS is highlighted via two illustrative cases in the paper: the techno-economic optimization of waste heat recovery systems, and the dynamic simulation of marine boilers.