The MARPOWER project, funded by the European Union, is developing a cutting-edge gas turbine-based energy conversion system for power generation and cogeneration on marine vessels. This next-generation solution is designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and facilitate the adoption of multiple sustainable and alternative fuels. The project unites a consortium of 11 expert partners with competencies spanning turbomachinery, combustion, energy systems, digital twins, heat recovery, and shipbuilding.
Among these partners, Politecnico di Milano (Polimi) – Italy’s largest engineering university and a leader in technical innovation – plays a pivotal role in driving the design and development of key components within the system.
Excellence in thermo-fluid dynamics and energy research
Founded in 1863, Politecnico di Milano is a public scientific and technological university with over 48,000 students, including more than 8,800 international students from across the globe. Beyond teaching, Polimi is internationally recognized for the quality and impact of its research, ranking among the top European universities in engineering, architecture, and design, and fostering strong collaborations with industry and institutions worldwide.
Its Department of Energy is internationally recognized for expertise in converting primary energy sources into electricity, heat, and synthetic fuels across both mobile and stationary platforms. The department works in close cooperation with industry, offering robust contributions to technological innovation and sustainable development.
The Laboratory of Fluid Machines (LFM), housed within the Department of Energy, will lead Polimi’s contributions to MARPOWER. With years of experience in turbomachinery design and performance optimisation, gained through EU-funded projects such as CO2OLHEAT, ISOP, SCO2OP-TES, and TRAINING4PHASE, as well as numerous industrial collaborations, the LFM is exceptionally equipped to deliver high-performance solutions for the maritime sector.
Advanced design for high-performance turbomachinery
Polimi is responsible for the aero-thermal design of all the turbomachinery, namely compressors and expanders of the gas turbine system. These components must operate efficiently under a wide range of conditions and with different low-emission fuels such as green methane, hydrogen, and methanol.
The high-pressure turbine, in particular, will be conceived and aero-thermally optimized by applying machine-learning tools to withstand turbine inlet temperatures of at least 1,250°C. To ensure durability and performance at these temperatures, it will feature advanced internal cooling systems. The low-pressure turbine, despite not needing cooling, will be designed using a similar systematic optimisation approach.
A central innovation of the MARPOWER project is the development of fuel-flexible turbines, capable of transitioning between green methane, hydrogen, and methanol with minimal loss of performance. Each fuel has different combustion characteristics, which affect how energy is distributed in the system. For instance, hydrogen combustion leads to different thermal and aerodynamic behaviours, such as increased flow rates and pressure losses. These features are a source of variability that needs to be accounted for in the design and optimisation strategies, to ensure robust and efficient performance across all fuel types.
To support these efforts, the Laboratory of Fluid Machines will leverage a hierarchy of proprietary design tools developed in-house. These include computational fluid dynamics models based on engineering simulation software, preliminary design codes for axial turbines and centrifugal compressors, and a shape-optimization tool for turbomachinery.
A new robust optimisation methodology designed specifically for the MARPOWER project will be applied to ensure that the turbine components maintain high performance across a wide range of operating conditions and fuels.
Beyond turbomachinery, Polimi is deeply involved in several other key aspects of the MARPOWER project, including:
- System-level design and modelling,
- Critical component prototyping,
- Waste-heat recovery system development,
- Integration of data streams within the Digital Twin framework.
Leading experts in turbomachinery and energy systems
The MARPOWER activities at Polimi are coordinated by Professor Giacomo Persico, Full Professor at the Laboratory of Fluid Machines, who holds a PhD in Energy. He is supported by Associate Professor Andrea Spinelli and Assistant Professor Alessandro Romei, who both hold a PhD in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology, and by the PhD student Giuseppe Messina.
The Laboratory of Fluid Machines conducts advanced research in thermo-fluid dynamic modelling, experimental analysis, and optimisation of turbomachinery for clean energy applications. Its work spans from wind turbines (including floating offshore technologies) to novel turbomachinery for organic fluids, supercritical CO₂, and other innovative working fluids. The lab’s integrated approach, combining simulation and experimentation, aims to deliver high-efficiency technologies with low environmental impact.
A commitment to sustainable maritime innovation
With its depth of experience and a multidisciplinary team, Politecnico di Milano plays a central role in advancing MARPOWER’s goals. By developing cutting-edge turbine technologies and contributing to system-wide optimisation, Polimi is helping to shape the future of maritime energy, ensuring cleaner, more efficient propulsion systems and a reduced environmental footprint for vessels navigating tomorrow’s seas.