Case study of an Organic Ranine Cycle for waste heat recovery on a cruise ship

With increasingly strict requirements for emission reductions in the cruise shipping industry there is a need for improved utilisation of on‐board waste heat, either directly or in the production of electrical power. The performance and subsequent optimal choice of technologies and solutions for this purpose will depend highly on the individual ships, particularly their propulsion systems, their dynamic heat production and usage as well as ambient conditions on their route. Based on real ship operation data, this work evaluates an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for heat‐to‐power production on a large cruise ship, using butane as the working fluid. Dynamic simulations have been performed, considering the varying behaviour of heat sources and heat sinks during a 7‐day cruise. The results suggest a production potential close to 6 % of the electrical need of onboard hotel services, and highlights the challenges of using heat sources of low temperature or with high intermittency.