Intertek ShipCare Launches New Flagship Investigative Service Focused on New "Non-Traditional" ECA Fuels

by Michael Green, Global Technical Manager - Bunker Fuel Testing, Intertek Lintec, ShipCare Services
Friday August 12, 2016

In recent years marine operators have been presented with continued challenges in relation to the progressive development of emission legislation.

In order to comply with requirements for the use of fuels with reduced sulphur levels, owners / operators have been forced to consider a more diverse range of "non-traditional" fuels to solve their regulatory problems.

The use of "new" refinery streams and the increased blending of higher sulphur fuels to create a compliant product has brought with it new challenges and impacted upon the way vessels are having to handle / treat fuel on-board.

Past experiences, particularly with the 1.00% sulphur grade fuels, have shown that large scale blending to achieve regulatory compliance can impact upon the overall stability of the final product, which might then lead to difficulties with asphaltene drop out and sludge formation when the fuel is used.

Such problems can be exacerbated further by mixing of different products on board due to limited storage capacity or during fuel change over to meet ECA (Emission Control Area) requirements.

In addition, the use of newer ULSFOs has been questioned by many owners due to concerns over storage and public scrutiny based on assertions of incompatibility with other fuels. 

However, in an attempt to offer a solution, the new Intertek ShipCare PT5 Organic Deposition initiative is designed to assist vessel owners / operators in identifying potential issues with the stability and compatibility of all marine fuels.

Existing Asphaltene Methodology

The PT5 test scheme goes beyond the existing optical deposition methods to identify specific interactions between fuels that are not considered within the test scope of the existing methodologies. Existing methods can provide an indication of the inherent stability of a single fuel but do not always provide an overview of the interaction between fuels when they are blended.

As fuel is a colloidal system, which changes during blending, it is important to consider the chemical change and interaction when fuels are mixed, which is not fully explained by optical density at a single wavelength.

Intertek PT5 Organic Deposition Programme

The organic deposition programme assesses fuels and fuel blends using Near Infrared (NIR) and Intertek proprietary technology (PT5). This provides instability constraints that take account of interactions between fuel oils. Organic deposition is validated by microscopy, while PT5 NIR examines chemical composition and physical properties to generate stability and instability constraints.

The programme also takes account of the effects of time on the deposition of organic material. This data can assist operators in making processing decisions about the storage of different fuels in a tank.

Different types of fuels have different types of spectra. PT5 uses aggregates to group fuels of the same type. These tend to have similar properties, shown on the aggregate plot. Within PT5 technology the NIR spectra of different fuel oils, chemical composition (i.e. aromatic and paraffinic differences) and organic deposition properties, are visualised and validated by microscopy.

The stability of blends is determined from experimental data and by calculation utilising our blending algorithm, with PT5 aggregate plots used to visualise the instability and stability regions.

Blend Evaluation Reports

For each fuel blend an assessment is made based on NIR spectra, typical blend properties and operational issues experienced. The results and calculations from the evaluation are used to generate a set of reports for target fuel blends. The blend evaluation reports include blend ratios that meet maritime sulphur constraints, a summary of neat fuel properties, calculated blend properties, the percentage range of fuels blended and minimum, maximum, average and span percentages.

About Michael Green

Michael Green, Global Technical Manager - Bunker Fuel Testing, Intertek Lintec, ShipCare Services.

Michael graduated from the University of Northumbria with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry and in November 2004 joined Lintec Testing Services as an Analytical Chemist, working between the UK head office in the Customer Services Department and the Dutch Office and laboratory in Rotterdam.

In January 2006 Michael took on a permanent role in the Customer Services Department at Lintec. The main focuses of the job were issuing analysis reports to clients, providing technical advice and support as well as planning and overseeing Bunker Quantity Surveys in ports world wide.

In December 2007 Michael was appointed Customer Services Manager, overseeing the day to day running of the department and taking a more proactive role in client relations.

In October 2009 Michael took up his current role as Intertek Lintec's Global Technical Manager. Within this role Michael is responsible for planning and overseeing investigative analysis and providing technical advice and support to clients. Michael is also tasked with the technical development of the Intertek Lintec ShipCare bunker fuel testing programme and promotion of new initiatives relating to analytical techniques and test methods.

As part of this progression Intertek Lintec is now represented on a number of technical committees, such as the CIMAC Working Group (WG 7) and the Intertanko Bunker Sub-committee. Michael is also a regular contributor at industry conferences and events.

In February 2014 Michael was elected to the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Board of Directors.

Intertek Lintec, ShipCare Services.

About Intertek Shipcare

Intertek ShipCare is a proven global marine services partner, providing ship owners and operators with value added technical services key to damage prevention and the operational excellence of their vessels and fleets.

For more than 125 years companies around the world have depended on Intertek to assist in ensuring the quality and safety of key aspects of their marine business. Our range of quality and quantity measurement services were further enhanced in 2005 following the acquisition of one of the world's leading marine fuel testing companies, Lintec Testing Services Ltd. Our aim is to provide Ship owners and managers with a comprehensive range of easily-accessible services, combined under our ShipCare initiative.

By participating in ShipCare's dedicated fuel and lubricant sampling and testing program the risk of damage to expensive ship engines and powertrains from off-specification fuels and ageing lubricants is mitigated, while the potential danger of regulatory non-compliance is reduced. Similarly our global bunker quantity survey service, to ensure correct fuel delivery, can reduce physical shortages, demurrages and protests, which potentially add to overall operational costs.

To contact the editor responsible for this story email us at editor@shipandbunker.com