The dawn of the age of the scrubber

2014-08-06

With the 1 January 2015 deadline for use of 0.1% sulphur fuel or equivalent abatement technology in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) looming, it could be said that we are entering the age of the scrubber, at least for those companies choosing the abatement route rather than switching to burn more expensive low-sulphur fuel.

Several news stories have appeared in recent weeks about the testing and planned certification of new systems - such as Maersk’s trial of a new marine system produced by BELCO, a subsidiary of US chemicals giant DuPont that has some 20 years’ experience of emissions abatement technology in land-based industries.

The BELCO Marine Scrubber system was retrofitted on the 8,112 teu Maersk Tukang containership during drydocking in Qingdao earlier this year. It recently underwent successful testing in open-loop configuration off Algieciras, Spain where it was found to be 100% in compliance with Marpol Annex VI regulations for all emissions and washwater discharge, the company reports. Closed-loop testing will now follow, after which it is hoped the system will receive certification by ABS before year end.

Another system produced by DeltaLangh, a jv between Finnish design house Deltamarin and shipowner Oy Langh Ship, has already been in operation for a year aboard Langh’s 6,500 dwt cargo ship Laura, as a result of which it has already received certification from Germanischer Lloyd.

Using caustic soda to clean exhaust gas, the system has been operated in closed-loop configuration (open-loop is also possible) all year round and consistently produced results that are equivalent or better than fuel with 0.1% sulphur content, reports the company, even during Baltic winter and ice conditions.

DeltaLangh md Robert Segercrantz tells Seatrade Global that a typical installation for a 6MW engine is a scrubbing cylinder measuring about 2.5 m in diameter by 9 m in height, attached to the smokestack (pictured), as well as several tank, pumps and heat exchangers located within the engine room that could be squeezed into a 20ft container.

Equipment cost for such a system is around EUR1.5 to EUR1.7m, ($2m - $2.3m) he says, while installation cost can vary between around EUR1m and EUR1.5m –meaning an overall outlay of ”around EUR3m”.

Asked by Seatrade Global about the payback time, he replies “This is the most common question, but difficult to answer.” At today’s different coast between HFO and MDO, and assuming 100% operation within an ECA, a payback time of “about two years” can be achieved, he says, but obviously longer if the vessel operates some of the time outside ECAs.

Source from : Seatrade Global

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