Combustion Conditioning to Reduce Black Carbon Emissions

Marc Sima is CEO of FUELSAVE. Image Credit: FUELSAVE

Typically, we think of switching to distillates or LNG as the way to reduce black carbon emissions in the Arctic, but there are other options that offer significant and immediate benefits. Advanced combustion conditioning, for example, facilitates a cleaner and more thorough combustion, which reduces levels of particulate matter and black carbon, and can be combined with other measures to optimise combustion engines.

It is never too soon for air pollution reduction measures. The health of our environment and our people depend on them. Thankfully, the shipping industry is already well underway with its efforts to reduce SOx and NOx pollutants, and black carbon is next.

When emitted and deposited on Arctic snow or ice, the climate heating effect of black carbon is up to five times more than when emitted at lower latitudes. As the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) reminds us, in addition to its climate impacts, black carbon aggravates the respiratory system and contributes to heart and lung disease.

Yet, black carbon is a short-lived pollutant, staying in the atmosphere for only a few days or weeks, and this means that reducing black carbon emissions brings immediate climate and health benefits.

A call to action

The shipping industry is already responding to the issue. At the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75) in November 2020, delegates approved draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI to introduce a prohibition on the use of HFO and its carriage for use as fuel by ships in Arctic waters on and after July 1, 2024.

At MEPC 75 they also adopted a resolution which urged Member States and ship operators to voluntarily use distillate or other cleaner alternative fuels or methods of propulsion that could contribute to the reduction of black carbon emissions when operating ships in or near the Arctic.

This call for voluntary action is important. Exceptions and waivers in the IMO's 2020 resolution mean that most ships can continue to carry HFO until July 2029, and some environmental groups have claimed that, as proposed, the Arctic HFO ban would allow 74% of the HFO-fuelled fleet to continue using it. Only 30% of HFO carriage and 16% of HFO use would actually be banned, reducing black carbon emissions by just around 5%.

Fuel and combustion choices

Burning clean(er) fuel alternatives in general reduces black carbon emissions, but these fuels are not always readily available and come at a premium price when they are. The status of diesel fuels is less clear-cut. As the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) points out, for HSFO, VLSFO and MGO the type of engine and engine load are significant factors in determining the amount of black carbon emissions produced.

This highlights that ship operators supporting voluntary measures to reduce black carbon have a range of possible choices to consider – something the resolution calling for voluntary action recognised by proposing "cleaner alternative fuels or methods of propulsion" – setting a goal-based ambition rather than a prescriptive one.

Ship operators could also consider making quick, positive change by retrofitting an advanced combustion conditioning system. FUELSAVE's FS MARINE+ reduces particulate matter by up to 40% and black carbon by up to 33% - addressing the problem directly, at combustion level. The intelligently-controlled hydrogen syngas generator optimises combustion through the dynamic injection of hydrogen, oxygen, water and methanol. This increases combustion efficiency, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Engine wear and tear, as well as lube oil costs, are also reduced. Furthermore, the gaseous and liquid injections can also reduce methane slip when burning LNG, representing a potential solution to current challenges around this alternative fuel.

An ideal combination

Let's imagine how proactive operators might combine technologies to reduce emissions while containing costs and maintaining the highest degree of operational efficiency: their ships would employ the latest engine technology and exhaust after-treatment systems. They would be able to burn a variety of cleaner fuels and incorporate various efficiency enhancements.

These solutions are already available, and adding FS MARINE+ brings further significant CO2, methane, black carbon, particulate matter and NOx / N2O emissions reductions, while reducing thermal stress on heat-bearing components. Critically, the technology pays for itself through OPEX savings - all within the standard warranty period. This makes the solution more practical for some ship owners and operators than switching to cleaner fuels that come at considerable extra cost to the fuel bill payer.

The solution recently obtained accreditation by AVL - the world's largest independent company for
development, design, simulation and testing of engines, confirming that it causes no harm or safety concern to an operating engine, underlining the positive effects reported by third parties and the laboratory (FVTR).

Additionally, passing AVL's comprehensive general Risk Assessment (RA) and Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA) paves the way for FUELSAVE to deploy the technology on a wide range of 4-stroke engines from all major OEMs.

The Arctic and beyond

The advantages of solutions such as FS MARINE+, and indeed any other fuel optimisation strategies, are available to ships currently operating in and beyond the Arctic. As the industry's approach to black carbon emissions reductions matures over time, we can expect the IMO's focus to broaden in scope to lower latitudes. Ports, charterers and shippers may also introduce their own mandates to take responsibility towards the public and their stakeholders.

In the meantime, the Arctic continues to warm at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. So, let's heed the stark warning the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued in August 2021: our climate is changing in unprecedented and often irreversible ways. There is an urgent need to act now.