The Finnish engineering group Valmet has tested a first-of-a-kind scrubber and wet electrostatic precipitator combination and cut exhaust gas emissions in a marine diesel engine by up to 99%. The solution could allow shipping companies to lower their particle matter and black carbon emission levels, tackle global warming and comply with tightening regulation. The pilot testing and configuration project was carried out together with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT).
Valmet has tested a first-of-a-kind scrubber and wet electrostatic precipitator combination and cut exhaust gas emissions in a marine diesel engine by up to 99%. The solution could allow shipping companies to lower their particle matter and black carbon emission levels, tackle global warming and comply with tightening regulation. The pilot testing and configuration project was carried out together with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT).
Up to date, International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) regulations on air pollution have addressed mainly SOx and NOx emissions but the awareness of particle matter and black carbon emissions is growing due to their negative impact on global warming and human health. Whereas SOx scrubbers can reduce particulate matter and black carbon emissions with limited efficiency, a combination of a wet scrubber and a wet electrostatic precipitator could capture these emissions almost completely from a ship’s exhaust gas.
“At VTT, we had already studied the emissions of ships that have a marine scrubber installed. This way we had experience of the challenging measurement conditions related to scrubbers and also comparable data on the emission reduction potential of the new setup,” says VTT’s Senior Scientist Kati Lehtoranta.
Additionally, VTT had a medium-speed diesel engine that runs on heavy fuel oil, the equipment for demanding pilot tests, top experts and the scientific know-how to publish the test results.
“The solution we tested brings so many benefits that we believe it has great potential. Emission regulations are bound to tighten in the upcoming years. Valmet now has a solution that can be installed both on newbuilds and already operating vessels that still use conventional fuels. That enables shipping companies to significantly reduce particle emissions, while continuing their operation normally,” says Juha Jokiluoma, Product Manager at Valmet.
