New battery technology underpins carbon reduction from offshore operations

Called Blue Marlin, the energy storage system (ESS) is an outgrowth of a product development deal between the two companies that began in 2017. Corvus Energy is licensing its lithium-ion capacitor (LiC) technology to KHI.

“Corvus Energy has been an outstanding development partner for the LiC technology,” said KHI managing executive officer Takeshi Ohata. “Their battery engineering experience and marine market leadership gives Corvus Energy expertise unlike any other. Their knowhow around thermal management inside battery modules is critical to ensuring safe and reliable operation.”

Corvus Energy executive vice president strategy and business planning Sean Puchalski said, “The new cutting-edge LiC technology provides the best of both worlds – current-handling performance nearing a super-capacitor with improved energy density. It will enable our offshore customers to cost-effectively improve efficiency through energy recapture from heave compensation, drilling draw works and payload lowering applications with a lightweight, space-saving footprint.”

The LiC incorporates lithium-ion capacitor cells into an ESS with high-efficiency liquid cooling that maintains an optimal temperature range at very high RMS currents and charge/discharge rates. The LiC will safely sustain charge/discharge rates of 600 C peak and 300 C continuous, enabling both energy recapture/storage and fast discharge for high-power load handling.

Corvus Energy’s battery offerings to the offshore market also include Orca and Dolphin ESSs and Moray subsea ESS.

“Corvus offers a timely solution to an urgent problem,” said Corvus Energy chief executive Geir Bjørkeli. “Offshore producers are increasingly committed to investing in solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of their operations. We are thrilled that the progressive leadership at Corvus shareholders Equinor and Shell – whose offshore operations are the largest in the world – will help speed adoption of Corvus’ energy efficiency solutions in the offshore segment.”

IOCs are also pushing OSV owners to refit their vessels with battery-hybrid propulsion solutions and shore power connections to reduce CO₂ emissions and cut fuel consumption.

Since 2011, Equinor has reduced CO₂ emissions from its logistical operations for the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) by 600,000 tonnes. Equinor’s ambition is to halve emissions in its supply NCS chain by 2030.

With battery-hybrid applications on the rise, Corvus Energy has opened an automated ESS manufacturing facility in Bergen, Norway to be closer to its customer base in Europe. Corvus also manufactures battery systems in Vancouver, Canada.