Smart investments in fuel saving technologies can help shipowners to overcome the
difficult times and even gain profit, argues the EFS provider Blue Ocean Solutions
With ease of implementation, high payoff as well as reliable and safe operation, Blue Ocean Solutions (BOS) Emulsified Fuel System[ds_preview] (EFS) offers a compelling solution for shipowners to reduce costs and improve their bottom line. Tested by an engine manufacturer and with results also verified by a classification society, BOS EFS ensures fuel savings of 2–5 % and even more at part loads. Accompanying the benefits of fuel savings, there is also the well established NOx reduction. The references include container ships, cruise ships, bulk carriers, ro-ro ferries and tug vessels. With consistent results and reliable performance, the system is gaining its served trust among shipowners.
Emulsified fuel for fuel savings
Emulsified fuel has been around for a long time, yet mainly the research has been focused on NOx reduction, which is more straight forward and easy to achieve; water cools the combustion and thus reduces the emission. The focus of BOS EFS, on the other hand, is on fuel savings. The system works by producing stable water-in-fuel emulsion to improve injector fuel atomization and combustion efficiency. It is known that smaller fuel droplets will achieve better fuel-air mixture as more fuel-air surface will be available for combustion. Therefore, the key to achieve better fuel combustion is to create a secondary atomization effect by adding water into the fuel. The secondary atomization effect creates even finer fuel mist after injection as the water particles in each fuel droplet boil explosively and break the fuel droplets into even smaller droplets.
There are several types of emulsifiers in the market: homogenizer, cavitation and ultrasonic type emulsifiers. The main problem with the above emulsifiers is fast wear and tear in the engine room environment. There is a need for frequent maintenance and the performance deteriorates very fast.
The key innovation of BOS EFS is the patented emulsifier that is a more reliable and advanced option compared to older devices as it has no moving, cavitating or vibrating parts. The performance is more reliable and consistent. Importantly, the emulsifier is designed to produce the optimal emulsions on demand for best fuel savings. Through extensive research the optimum is established at 10 % (v/v) water content and water in fuel particle sizes of 2 to 8 microns. To achieve fuel savings, it is crucial to have the right characteristics of the emulsion.
The problem with older devices is that they produce water-in-fuel particle sizes that are either too small (due to repeated re-emulsification) or too big (due to fast wear and tear). This is the key reason why BOS EFS works while others do not, when decades of comprehensive R & D and proven laboratory tests were applied to actual ship board implementations.
Results from reference installations
BOS EFS is suitable for all engines using HFO, MDO and MGO. There is no use of chemical additives. The tests results in Fig. 1 show a clear reduction in fuel consumption. Wärtsilä tested the system under the project Hercules. The chart below clearly shows significant fuel savings since all the SFOC (Specific Fuel Oil Consumption) curves are below the red baseline curve when emulsified fuel is used.
When water is added to the engine, the main concern of shipowners is the condition of the engine. After years of operation, BOS EFS has proven not to cause any deterioration. In fact, the engine parts have been cleaner and the soot has been softer.
The engine manufacturers do accept water-in-fuel emulsion as an alternative fuel. They have also specified the characteristics of water that can be used.
Contact: Kaisa Honkanen
Country Manager, Blue Ocean Solutions Finland
kaisa.honkanen@blueoceansoln.com
Kaisa Honkanen
