A recent study by GF Piping Systems highlights how plastic piping systems in HVAC applications can make passenger ships more efficient and sustainable
Pre-insulated polyethylene pipes in an HVAC system cut fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs, according to a whitepaper published by GF Piping Systems.
GF Piping Systems head of business development marine Roberto Chiesa tells Marine Propulsion: “We decided to do this study because our company is focused on sustainability, and we want to keep on developing our R&D but also show customers the real benefits of this type of solution.”
GF Piping Systems teamed up with external engineering company Foreship to complete the study at the start of this year. Mr Chiesa explains that they wanted an external company to verify the results.
The whitepaper is based on the comparison between a standard post-insulated steel piping system and pre-insulated polyethylene pipes in an air conditioning chilled-water system on a medium-large cruise ship.
Mr Chiesa singles out that the two most important takeaways from the study are: the use of plastic piping leads to 11% less energy being used from the pump; and a reduction of 30% in terms of temperature.
Homing in on the 11% savings, Mr Chiesa says that this translates to an annual operational saving consisting of 80 to 120 tonnes of fuel a year, which could total 3.8M savings over 25 years.
By taking all of the standard metal piping in a medium-large cruise ship and converting them to plastic, a saving of 4.8M CO2 equivalent could be made a year, Mr Chiesa added.
“A pre-insulated pipe on an HVAC application is a relatively new concept”
Another benefit of plastic piping is that it is long lasting, versus steel pipes where insulation can get damaged over time. Mr Chiesa says: “We propose a pre-insulated pipe, which on an HVAC application is a relatively new concept. People can step on a pipe without damaging it and it stays with the same efficiency from the factory floor until the end of life.”
Plastic piping also avoids the labour intensity seen with steel piping. “There’s a necessity to have systems that are easier and that take away some labour. We use a jointing technology whereby rather than welding you connect the jointing to a machine which checks environmental temperature, adjusted time and so forth and which tries to simplify the process,” Mr Chiesa says.
GF Piping Systems also prefabricates offsite, allowing for ease of installation at the shipyard with “plug-and-play” connections.
The company has launched several new products recently, including a new butterfly valve that is 60% lighter than a standard metal butterfly valve.
The company also launched the HEAT-FIT Jacket System, its fire-retardant solution, earlier this year, which means that plastic piping systems can be used in essential applications like engine cooling and ballast water systems, allowing operators to take advantage of this non-corroding solution.
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