Low sulphur fuels cause major pump deterioration
(Sep 24 2010)
A warning has been given by a leading pump manufacturer about high wear in
pumps on vessels switching fuels.
Due to new regulations, the shipping community is faced with new challenges,
especially those ships that operate both inside and outside environmental
zones. This means switching from one fuel to another.
For a long time the traditional approach to heavy fuel oils (HFO) operation has
been `pier-to-pier'. This is all going to change, said German pump manufacturer
Allweiler.
When global ship operator BW Gas overhauled a low-performing fuel service pump,
it discovered high wear on pump elements. BW Gas concluded that a contributing
factor to the increased wear rate on the pump could be the 0.1% sulphur marine
gas oil used in EU ports. However it was also clear that other factors played a
significant role.
"As a global LNG manager, we set high standards for environmentally-friendly
operation. And we continually monitor the pump performance of our 11 steam
turbine-driven LNGC fleet when in LSMGO operation," said Johan Christian Øwre,
superintendent, BW Fleet Management.
The BW Gas fleet utilises to a large extent the boil-off gas from the cargo as
fuel for propulsion and consequently leaves a very small sulphur emission
footprint.
"Compared to the majority of the world's fleet, we operate a very green fleet.
We have managed the current emission regulations very well and proactively
overhaul any pump showing signs of deteriorating performance," said Øwre.
"Today we have a lot more knowledge about the effects of low sulphur content
diesel fuels," explained Christian Martin, business development & marketing,
Allweiler.
The majority of pump problems occur on vessels in global operation. When
approaching an environmental zone like an ECA (English Channel, North Sea and
the Baltic Sea and other European harbours), the vessels must switch from HFO
to diesel oil to comply, for example with the EU directives, which limit the
sulphur content of marine fuel oils down to 0.1%.
"Some vessels, depending on areas of operation, are more affected than others.
When two different fuels are mixed there is a risk of incompatibility, which
may cause clogging of fuel filters and separator, sticking of fuel injection
pumps and considerable pump deterioration," he said.
Allweiler confirmed that several major shipowners operating deepsea are facing
major overhauls or full pump replacements. And the main concern is low
viscosity levels when operating with low sulphur diesel fuels.
Martin explained: "When switching from HFO to diesel, oil temperatures must
drop from 150 deg to 40 deg C. This process is extremely difficult to manage,
due to the resulting low viscosity of diesel caused by too high temperatures.
Or the very high viscosity HFO levels caused by too low temperatures."
============ fm tanker operator =============
------------------------------------
Moderator tdk bertanggung jawab atas kebenaran isi dan/atau identitas asli
pengirim berita. ATTACHMENT akan dibanned, krmkan ke pelaut-owner atau upload
ke FILE. Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pelaut/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pelaut/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
