Optimized selection of air emission controls for vessels

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the selection of air emission controls for a vessel, where the term air emission control is defined as any effort done to reduce the amount of harmful emission to air. Some controls may be interacting with each other in terms of both costs and emission reduction potentials, while others may not be mutually compatible and therefore cannot be used simultaneously. We propose an optimization model for selecting air emission controls for a given vessel, while taking these interaction effects into account. The model's objective is to minimize costs while complying with the given emission reduction targets defined by regulations, which are strengthened over time. We use the model to solve a real-life case study with and without taking interactions into account, which demonstrate the importance of these interaction effects on the optimal solution.