The basic functionality of MESO has been verified using various application examples, at the same time it is being continuously developed in three main areas:
Expansion of Functionality
Various functions in and around MESO are currently under development. At present, MESO relies on the provision of representative load profiles, which means that rapid concept studies for ship classes that have not yet been investigated, for example, cannot be carried out without further ado. To this end, a methodology for generating load profiles based on rudimentary information about a ship and typical route data is being developed.
Within MESO, the operation of the system is being optimized, but such operation cannot be applied in real ships, as knowledge of the entire load profile is always required. For this reason, a methodology is to be developed with which control strategies can be derived from the optimized operation.
Generalization
MESO is implemented in a modular fashion, but changes to the basic boundary conditions, such as the permitted components or options for the energy system, such as specified components, always require manual changes. Current efforts are therefore being made to generalize the method. The aim of this generalization is to enable MESO to be applied to new problems with minimal effort. To this end, it should be possible to freely parameterize energy systems, connections, components (fixed and to be optimized), and consumers via clearly defined interfaces. Application to a wide variety of systems will result in a collection of components and parameterizations, which in turn will accelerate and facilitate future investigations.
Validation
In addition to verification, which in the case of MESO is carried out using various application examples, the development of a methodology also includes validation. Both relevant partners in industry and more specific physical simulation models will play a role in verifying the results. The aim of validation is to confirm the applicability and accuracy of MESO.
