Wärtsilä and Furetank test methane slip technology
Finnish marine technology group Wärtsilä and Swedish tanker owner Furetank are co-developing and testing two technologies aimed at halving methane slip on board LNG fuelled ships.
Running vessels on LNG/LBG brings many benefits, compared to conventional fuel oil, reducing emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx and harmful particles. But a downside is methane slip - the release of unburned gas fuel, not fully combusted in the engines.
Although the combustion rate is generally high and the methane slip accounts for a very small fraction of the fuel used, methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. Thus, methane slip is the most critical technical challenge to overcome with gas-fuelled vessels, the companies explained.
Two technical solutions have been tested in Furetank’s ‘Vinga’ class of intermediate product/chemical tankers.
One is a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction package, developed by Wärtsilä for dual fuel engines. This package actively controls the engine, while working in demanding conditions, such as manoeuvring, harsh sea conditions or varying fuel quality.
By using this method, engine combustion is optimised and unburned gas emissions minimised.
The second solution is the low load optimisation package, which reduces the methane slip at low engine loads, for example during harbour operations, such as loading and unloading.
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