Technology and History
Technology
The use of fuel in a marine engine produces waste products additional to those found in the ambient air. These waste products can be sumarised as:
SOx – oxides of sulphur mainly SO2 with around 5% SO3
Particulates – carbon, fuel and lubricant ash, hydrocarbons, sulphates
NOx –oxides of nitrogen mainly NO but some NO2 and higher oxides
CO2 – carbon dioxide from combustion of carbon in the fuel
H2O – water from combustion of hydrogen in the fuel
A sea water scrubber is designed to remove the first two waste products of SOx and particulates. In the process a small amount of the NOx, CO2 and H2O are also absorbed but that is not the primary purpose of the scrubbing system.
So what is the basic concept?
SOx – sea water and indeed hard river water also contains alkali mainly calcium based salts. In the scrubber, SO2 is absorbed from the exhaust gas. The SO2 reacts with and is neutralized by these alkaline salts. Once all the salts are reacted then the pH of the water falls and SO2 is held in solution. Further sea water may be added after the scrubber to provide additional alkali to react the remainder of the SO2 in solution.
Particulates – the scrubber drops the temperature of the exhaust to near ambient. This causes any hydrocarbons to condense on soot particles in the exhaust. Water and extreme mixing causes them to stick together and become trapped in the water spray. Particulates then pass out of the scrubber suspended in the drain water. An efficient wash water cleaning system then removes nearly all solid mater before the water returns to the sea. In this way the scrubber system traps the hydrocarbons, fuel ash and any harbour sediment for safe disposal ashore.
Monitoring
The Krystallon design is approved under Method B of the IMO Sea Water Scrubbing Guidelines. What does this mean? Method B allows for continuous monitoring of both the exhaust outlet and water outlet to verify and record that the scrubber is working at its full operational efficiency. For this application, we have developed leading technology laser based monitoring equipment unique to Krystallon. The scrubber performance is verified in a continuous basis providing peace of mind throughout the life of the ship.
License to operate
Krystallon have 4 years of independent Environmental Impact Assessment studies to back the technology. Our systems are unique in their proven ability to operate with No Harm to the environment either air or marine.
History
Sea Water scrubbing has been an accepted technology used in land based power plant since the 1930’s. The first operational system was used on hard brackish river water at Battersea on the Thames in London, the latest we know of was commissioned at Vassilicos in 2006 on a steam turbine boiler plant operated on the coast of Cyprus. Sea water scrubbers have been used at sea since the 1960’s; they are called Inert Gas generators!
Krystallon JV partner BP began their investigation of scrubbing technology in 2002 with a project jointly funded by BP Marine and P&O Ferries on mv Pride of Kent. The project was to prove that sea water scrubbing could be adapted for use on an operating marine diesel engine. The first Krystallon system was commissioned in 2005 with a larger system fitted as replacement for the first experimental unit on Pride of Kent in 2006. That system has now operated for over 10,000 hours scrubbing over 98% of all SOx from a 1MW engine with no major operational problems.
2006 saw commissioning of the first operational water treatment plant. In 2007 the technology was developed with a further 2 installations in the first half of the year and a design envelope now extended from 0.5 through 10MW engine capacity. 2007 also saw type approval for both the monitoring system and the sea water scrubbing technology under Method B of the IMO Sea Water Scrubbing guidelines.
In June 2007 the hard work of Krystallon supported by BP Marine and P&O Ferries was recognized by the marine industry with a prestigious Sea Trade Award for the Protection of the Marine and Atmospheric Environment.