Led by the University of Patras (UPAT), SAFeCRAFT Task 5.4 is progressing fast toward its finalisation, with the submission of Deliverable D5.4 planned for the end of November. As part of this work, the UPAT team has developed two complementary simulation models for the bunkering and onboard fuel supply processes.
A multiphysics model has been developed in Siemens Amesim to simulate bunkering and fuel consumption processes, using a water-air mixture as the working fluid. The model integrates specifications from real-world equipment, including the MC4 system and the composite tanks from the NH3CRAFT project, currently installed at the University of Patras laboratory. This framework serves a dual purpose: it operates independently as a virtual monitoring system capable of simulating and detecting various fault scenarios, and it lays the groundwork to function as a full digital twin of the physical lab setup once fully implemented.
A second model, developed in MATLAB/Simulink, simulates the ammonia fuel supply system onboard a vessel. It represents the process from ammonia storage to its delivery to the engine, including fuel transfer, pressurisation and temperature conditioning. It also incorporates control and monitoring functions, allowing the evaluation of system performance and ammonia thermodynamic behaviour at different stages of the process under various operating conditions.
Through this work, Task 5.4 is providing a virtual environment for simulating fault scenarios and evaluating the performance of ammonia fuel supply systems under various operating conditions.
