Refrigerated cargo units (reefers) are an integral part of sea-borne transport, but at the same time, reefer electrical faults are also a common cause of fires. Fires on ro-ro ships pose significant dangers and extinguishing them may often be difficult. Consequently, monitoring ship connected reefers could be an effective approach to fire prevention. MoRe will develop a solution for reefer monitoring, including both hardware and a proposed human-machine interface for the engine control room. This work is a continuation of studies performed in the LASH FIRE project. The finished solution will be installed and evaluated for performance on the Stena Scandinavica. The project group brings together a mix of expertise in engineering, human-centered design and ship/cargo operations, catering for end-results with a high level of practical applicability. These results will be communicated in ways that maximize the chances for industry uptake.

Hydrogen has high potential as alternative fuel and chemical feedstock. In 2022 the low-emission hydrogen production was less than 1 percent of the global hydrogen production, whereas the major part of hydrogen was being produced from fossil fuels. Many projects on green hydrogen production by electrolysis are in their development phase with a goal to reach 38Mt of low-emission hydrogen production per year by 2030. 

Electrolysis, which is an electrochemical splitting of water to hydrogen and oxygen, requires water of ultra high purity to avoid quick degradation of electrolyser components, which makes the whole process expensive. Instead, it would be more profitable to use seawater which represents 96 percent of the global water supply.

SWEETHY is a new European project which will study this possibility, the development of advanced technology for seawater electrolysis. Besides production of hydrogen, the project will also study oxygen production as well as the formation of other byproducts, and will couple the electrolysis to renewable energy sources, such as wind and photovoltaics. SWEETHY will focus on three main directions: development and optimisation of electrolyser materials (and components), development of a new type of electrolyser stack architecture for the anion-exchange membrane water electrolyser (AEMWE) with hydraulic cell compression, and sustainability analysis studies for the electrolyser system and its integration into renewable-power systems.

RISE coordinates this European project and also leads a work package on electrolyser configuration. This is an intermediate stage between the ready component development and the beginning of prototype development of the new electrolyser architecture. SWEETHY gathers nine partners from seven countries in Europe: Sweden, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Norway and Netherlands. 

Till de utmaningar som svenska hamnar ställs inför hör osäkra planer för vindkraftsprojekt, oklar lönsamhet för hamnen, utvecklingsrisker samt konkurrens med den affärsverksamhet som redan bedrivs i hamnen. 

Projektets syfte är att utveckla en innovativ metodik och identifiera hur en affärsmodell kan sättas upp utifrån de nya behov som vindkraftsindustrin som kundsegment har. Potentiella styrmedel och finansiella instrument kommer också att utvärderas och föreslås. 

Projektet ska hjälpa att etablera  samarbete mellan hamnar, rederier och vindkraftsindustrin med fokus på kunskapsutbyte och fördelning av risktagande utifrån potentiella affärsmöjligheter.

Projektpartner hamnar är Trelleborg hamn, Göteborgs hamn, Gävle hamn, Smålandshamnar, Stockholms hamnar, Söderhamns Stuveri & Hamn, Wallhamn, Ystad hamn, Kålvik hamn, Falkenbergs terminal & hamn, Hallands Hamnar samt Grenå hamn.

Vindindustrins deltagare inkluderar Vattenfall, Zephyr, Eolus Vind, RWE, OX2, Freja Offshore, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Northern Offshore Services och Jan de Nul. Ytterligare några tillkommer. Sveriges Hamnar (Transportföretagen) och nordiska partners (Norwegian Offshore Wind och Energy Cluster Denmark) ingår i en referensgrupp för att stötta projektet med expertis och industrinätverk. 

Projektet drivs av RISE i samarbete med  Göteborgs Universitet.

The textile industry accounts for nearly 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions which is more than the combined emissions from maritime shipping and international flights. Two thirds of the textile fibre feedstock are still fossil-based. The main biobased feedstock, cotton, is characterised by energy-intensive production processes. 

Seaweed is a blue biobased feedstock with great potential for textile manufacturing. The production of algae involves an ecosystem benefit with carbon dioxide fixation and uptake of nutrients (counteracts eutrophication).

 In the KELPTEX project, alginate-rich fractions – extracted using novel energy-efficient biorefinery methods - will be wet-spun into textile filaments, at both lab and pilot scale. Moreover, a resource-efficient spray technique will be investigtated to dye the textiles using an algae-based pigment The goal is to create a sustainable and circular alternative to traditional fossil and bio-based fibers.

The project is coordinated by Chalmers Industriteknik with RISE being responsible for the main technological development (alginate-based textile fiber manufacturing), in close collaboration with Manatee Biomaterials (alginate extraction) and Mounid (textile dyeing).  

The project is a CETP (Clean Energy Transition Partnership) project, the Swedish part is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency. Involved in the project, in addition to RISE, are eight organisations/companies from Europe.

All materials used for offshore energy are affected by the harsh environment. Wave movements and the tough electrolyte affect the durability of various components, which are at risk of bending, abrasion and corroding. Marine fouling creates extra difficulties in maintaining the technical lifespan. All these loads also create synergy effects that can further accelerate degradation. Therefore, new test methods are required that can capture these synergy risks, and test/validate materials and surface protection for the right degradation mechanisms.

The new test method that is being developed creates a significant improvement compared to the current incomplete process for material selection and validation. The work is done together with research and innovation partners, technology developers and actors in the supply chain and validation from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Italy.

MORE's methodology integrates the functionality from small-scale tests all the way up to full-scale devices. This strategy is expected to directly contribute to solving the challenges in the Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE) sector and make a significant change in the reliability, performance, predictability of service life and longevity of their equipment.

The project is a CETP (Clean Energy Transition) project, the Swedish part is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency. Participating in the project, in addition to RISE's Corrosion and Smart Hardware departments, are eleven organizations/companies from Europe.

The project further develops dynamic cables for offshore energy. Inside the cables, fiber optic sensors are used to detect how the cable moves in the harsh environment out at sea. With the help of modelling, the movement and its impact on the cable's service life can be predicted.

The project is developing a method that makes it possible to paint the cables out at sea, at a speed of 20 m/min. The cable is painted with an environmentally friendly paint system that is robust and does not contain toxins, but still prevents fouling. The project will also develop a robot with the appearance of a bracelet, in order to be able to remove the fouling that still remains.

The cables used in the project are recycled using a new developed method.

The developed methods and products will be tested on a smaller scale in labs and nearshore testing outside Kristineberg in Sweden and in the Mediterranean Sea, and finally launched in an ocean demonstration in the Mediterranean.

RISE's role in the project

The Circular synergies between land and sea project is coordinated by RISE. We are also carrying out tests on sludge from sea and land-based fish farms using hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) to carbonise the sludge, which will then be tested through plant cultivation trials at Torsta in Krokom and Val skoler in Rörvik. Together with the High Coast Innovation Park site in Örnsköldsvik and the potential sites Kråköga in Rörvik and Alby in Ånge, we are carrying out techno-economic and life-cycle analyses for the exchange of knowledge and experience between Swedish and Norwegian industrial parks for industrial symbiosis.

Funding

EU funding for Sweden: EUR 264,832
Region Västernorrland: EUR 101,196
Umeå University: EUR 26,528
RISE Processum AB: EUR 4,257
Torsta AB: EUR 10,622

Norwegian IR funding: EUR 110,000
Namdal Regional Council: EUR 13,548
Trøndelag County Council: EUR 30,000
Municipalities in the Regional Council (Flatanger, Grong, Høylandet, Leka, Lierne, Namsos, Namsskogan, Overhalla, Nærøy and Røyrvik): EUR 17, 920 EUR EUR

Private funding in kind 
Businesses and business associations (Sinkaberg, Aquaressurs AS, Kråkøya Eiendom AS, Valskoler, Namdalskysten Næringsforening, Trøndelag Farmers’ Association): EUR 100,520

The Mistra Co-creating Better Blue (C2B2) research program covers a broad spectrum where academia, business, authorities and civil society are involved. Within C2B2, different stakeholders will jointly formulate what a sustainable marine environment that benefits everyone can look like – and where the result depends on each being able to put aside a more narrow-minded focus on their own advantages

The work is based on relevant research and is carried out interdisciplinary in a number of work packages: 1) ecosystems and climate, 2) data-driven innovation and new technology, and 3) governance and adaptive management.

In addition, there are three LivingLabs, focusing on the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea Proper and the Kattegat-Skagerrak. Those with interests in the Swedish sea basins who choose to participate in LivingLabs, do it to share their different perspectives on a sustainable blue economy in discussions and workshops.

C2B2 also runs its own communications activities with both internal and external focus. The work in the different packages takes place closely together with eleven different partners who all contribute expertise in research and technology.

In addition, there are the stakeholders, more than 20 organizations from different sectors, who all have at least one foot in the blue economy.

The research program lasts four years and has funding of SEK 50 million from the Mistra research foundation.

The EMERGE project aims to improve emergency preparedness on autonomous passenger ferries and remote operation centres, namely man overboard, evacuation and loss of communication, from three main perspectives: the ROC perspective, the on-board perspective and the rescue network perspective. This is crucial to ensure the safe operation and acceptance of autonomous vessels (MASS) monitored from remote operations centres (ROC). The goal is to map current emergency procedures, define safety challenges and adapt procedures for autonomous ferries and for interactions between the MASS/ROC system. The project will contribute recommendations for specific training, design of onboard and ROC systems, and rescue organisations, and develop and test prototypes for safety solutions. User-centred design (UCD) will be used to explore requirements and solutions for information sharing, usability and training. The results will improve safety and guide future research.

RISE coordinates the project and is a research partner. Ship operator Torghatten contributes with its concepts and demonstrators. A reference group also contributes to the project.