Last night, Marijn Hage's Volume Estimation Tool (VET) beat Joan den Akker's research into the combination of capturing CO2 on board and LNG propulsion and won the Maritime Designer Award 2017.

The Maritime Designer Award was presented during the Maritime Awards Gala, which took place last night (6 November) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Volume Estimation Tool

Every submarine design is a delicate balance between different technical and operational aspects. Seeking this balance, in combination with the high level of system integration inherent to submarines, makes the creation of a new submarine design a complex iterative process.

Hage's Volume Estimation Tool (VET) is capable of determining a realistic starting point for the design of a diesel-electric submarine. The tool provides the submerged volume, main dimensions and subsection dimensions of the starting point design.

The tool can also be used to objectively compare different designs to each other and help develop further knowledge of submarine design.

Modular Nature

Due to the tool’s modular nature, it can be expanded with new modules and functions. This will allow the VET to continue to be developed to keep up with advances in submarine technology. Although the tool has been developed for submarine design, the tool also has the potential, if adapted, to be used in the design of other ship types.

Watch the Maritime Designer Award (and the Maritime Innovation Award) being presented at the Maritime Awards Gala:

Joan den Akker

Although he did not win, Den Akker's research may lead to promising results as he found that by combining carbon capture with LNG as a fuel, far-reaching heat integration is enabled. The system is very energy efficient and does not require any external heat. As the captured CO2 is of very high quality, it can be used for other purposes, such as “feeding” greenhouses.