Member Article

Cramlington's Avid to lead £3.6m marine industry project

Cramlington-based AVID Technology is leading a £3.6m project to improve environmental standards in the marine industry.

Launched by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), the project aims to develop and demonstrate a waste heat recovery system that could deliver reduced emissions and fuel efficiency savings of at least eight per cent across all types of ship.

AVID Technology will lead the 26 month project with support from fellow North East businesses RED Engineering Limited of Hexham and Newcastle-based Royston Power along with France’s Enogia S.A.S.

On completion of the development stage, the project could see a waste heat recovery system installed on an offshore support vessel by the end of 2018 ahead of a further six months of testing.

Ryan Maughan, founder and managing director of AVID Technology, which specialises in the design and manufacture of electrically powered systems for low emission vehicles said: “Unlike other forms of transport, the marine industry has yet to establish a credible alternative to fossil fuels so the immediate priority is to achieve substantial carbon dioxide reductions by reducing fuel consumption.

“The technology solution we’re targeting with our partners is based on improving fuel efficiency by recovering heat energy from the exhaust stream therefore reducing the electrical load provided by the ship’s generators and by lowering the temperature of the exhaust gas by converting heat to electricity.

“AVID Technology is already leading the global industry in providing such solutions to road and off-road vehicles so it’s a natural evolution for us to turn our expertise to the marine sector.”