Authors of this publication are Gunnar Åström of Alfa Laval, Adrian Daniels
of BP Marine and Kjeld Aabo of MAN B&W Diesel, whose collaborative efforts
have been key in establishing a new standard for separation performance.
All three companies, together with others, have been driving the marine
industry towards a standard for separation performance through their work
to establish and gain approval for a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA).
Summary ..................................................................................................... 2
Conclusion ................................................................................................ 34
Summary
In general, marine diesel engines burn residual fuel oils. The
quality of the fuel oils varies widely, depending on the grade
and processing of the fuels. Some may contain higher levels of
contaminants, such as water and abrasive solids, than others.
The leading cleaning method used on board ships today is centrifugal separa-
tion. For years engine builders, ship owners and classification societies have
been missing reliable performance criteria to be able to compare how one
manufacturer’s centrifuge performs against that of another manufacturer with
regard to the removal of hard abrasive particles such as catalytic fines from
marine residual fuels. If unchecked, these catalytic fines can endanger ship
safety by causing engine wear and damage.
According to the ISO 8217 Fuel Standard for Specifications of Marine Fuels,
the maximum allowable content of catalytic fines in bunkered fuel, expressed
as the total content of aluminium and silicon, is 80 mg/kg (ppm). However,
engine builders generally anticipate that this amount will be reduced by the
fuel cleaning system onboard to a maximum of 15 ppm before the fuel oil is
injected into the engine.
The CEN Workshop finalised an agreement, called CWA, in August 2005 that
effectively established a new industry standard that defines the performance
2
of centrifuges installed on board ships. This standard is based on controlled
artificial particles, which however are still considered as reliable performance
criteria, which establish a fuel oil centrifuge’s ability to remove solid, abrasive
particles from marine residual fuels to safe operational levels.
3
Marine residual fuel
Marine residual fuel, also called bunker fuel, heavy fuel oil or
residual fuel oil, is the name given to the primary energy source
used in the marine industry.
This fuel is consumed on board the vessel both by the main engine, which
transports the vessel through the water, and by the auxiliary engines, which
provide all the electrical energy for onboard systems, such as lighting, heating
and engine auxiliary equipment.
If the reduction in residual fuel oil production continues to decline at the same
rate of about 4.6 percent every decade, then in approximately 30 years there
will be no residual fuel oil. Clearly at some point in time between now and 2035
the demand for residual fuel oil will outstrip the capability to supply it, causing
residual fuel oil to lose its current exclusive status as a cheap source of energy.
Refining processes
This section describes the basic refining processes, which are applicable to
the production of residual fuels. Typically the source of all fuels is derived from
crude oils. Some of the refinery processes are described below.
4
1400
1200
1000
Tonnage (million tonnes)
800
600
400
200
0
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
21
20
% of fuel oil consumer / Total oil products
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
Figure 2. Residual fuel oil as a percentage of all oil products (excluding the former Soviet Union).
Source: BP Statistical Review, 2004 www.bp.com/centres/energy
5
Crude oil
Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons that must be processed to
provide both the products and the quantity of each product required to fulfil
worldwide demand.
No two crude oils are alike; there are significant variations in density, viscosity,
sulphur content, vanadium content and in the yield of each product that can
be produced by a refinery.
These two simple distillation processes however do not produce the amount
of distillate oil products that is consistent with the increasing worldwide
demand. Therefore subsequent and more complex refinery processes,
known as secondary conversion processes, are required.
Atmospheric distillation
The first step in the refining process is the separation of crude oil into various
fractions by distillation. Distillation is carried out as a continuous process in a
fractionating tower, which is fitted with perforated trays. The crude is heated
to approximately 350°C and pumped into a section near the base of the
tower, see Figure 3. The temperature is restricted so as not to induce thermal
decomposition of the crude oil.
As the crude oil enters the tower all except the heaviest hydrocarbons
evaporate and rise through the tower as vapours. The process takes advan-
tage of the fact that the crude contains a complex mixture of hydro-carbons,
which have different boiling points. When crude oil is heated, the lightest and
most volatile hydro-carbons boil off as vapours first and the heaviest and least
volatile last. If the vapours are cooled they condense back into liquids in the
reverse order, the heaviest first and the lightest last.
6
Further
processing
Petroleum gas
(LPG)
• Camping gas
gas
Vapours rise Further • Industrial gas
processing
Gasoline
• Petrol
Further
processing
Naptha
• Chemical feedstock
Further
processing
Kerosene
• Aviation fuel
• Domestic heating oil
Further • Industrial heating oil
processing
Gas oil
• Diesel oil
Further
processing
Lubricants
Liquids fall and waxes
• Lubricating oil
Preheated • Wax
crude oil
Further
processing
Residue
• Fuel oil
• Bitumen
7
As the vapours rise through the tower, some of the vapour condenses due to
the reduction of temperature caused by the cooler liquid in the trays. At the
same time the heat of the vapour causes some of the condensed liquid to
re-evaporate thus steadily enriching each fraction with its correct components.
At successively higher points in the tower, various fractions are drawn off for
further processing.
Those components with the lowest boiling points collect at the top of the
tower and those with the highest boiling points are collected at the base of
the tower. Boiling points vary from approximately 60°C at the top to over
300°C at the base.
All of the crude oil, however, is not fractionated into distillate products. Some
of the vapours flow out of the top of the tower as gases. Fractions of crude
that have a boiling temperature above 300°C fall to the base of the tower; this
product is known as atmospheric residue which can become a component of
a residual fuel oil.
Vacuum distillation
Vacuum distillation is another refinery process that is similar to atmospheric
distillation but takes place under vacuum conditions. Since liquids in a
vacuum boil at lower temperatures, the atmospheric residue evaporates
thus enabling more of the light distillate fractions to be drawn off without
exceeding the temperature at which thermal cracking will take place.
8
vacuum distillation as another means to refine crude oil by means of
physical separation, worldwide demand for light distillate fuel still outstrips
the supply.
Thermal cracking
Thermal cracking uses temperature, pressure and time to provoke a chemical
reaction that alters the structure of the oil. Thermal cracking can be carried
out on both distillate fuels and on residual fuels. Typical thermal cracking
processes include visbreaking which significantly lowers the viscosity of a
heavy residue to enable blending with other fuel oils and coking which
destroys the fuel oil, producing only distillate fuel and coke which is a form
of carbon.
Catalytic cracking
Catalytic cracking processes also alter the chemical composition of residual
fuel oil. They use a catalyst rather than high pressure to break down com-
plex hydrocarbons into simpler molecules. The catalyst is a substance that
assists the process of the chemical reaction, but does not change its
own properties.
The most common process is fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), which can con-
vert gas oil and residual oil into high-octane gasoline and diesel fuel. Here the
catalyst in the form of fine particles that are approximately 20 to 100 microns
in diameter circulates between a reactor and a regenerator in a fluidised bed
process (Figure 4). Large catalytic crackers will contain about 500 metric tons
of expensive catalyst.
9
Gases
Reactor
Catalyst Fractionator
Decant oil
The hot catalyst from the regenerator mixes with the feedstock and then
enters the reactor. Upon contact with the catalyst the feedstock vaporizes
and the vapours in turn react, breaking the chemical bonds to achieve the
desired product quality. The reaction causes some carbon to be deposited
onto the catalyst. The catalyst and the vapours are separated in the reactor.
The vapours rise and flow into a fractionating tower for further processing.
The catalyst flows back into the regenerator, which heats the catalyst to burn
off the carbon prior to mixing it with the feedstock and passing it back into
the reactor.
The continual recycling of the catalyst causes the catalyst structure to break
up primarily due to attrition and some of these small particles are carried over
into the fractionator. Although refiners attempt to minimise the loss of catalyst
from the catalytic cracking process some carryover of the expensive catalytic
fines from the unit is inevitable.
The product drawn off the bottom of the fractionator is called slurry oil, which
is also known as decant oil or FCC bottoms. Highly aromatic, the slurry oil
has a high density, generally about 1000 kg/m3 at 15°C and a low viscosity
of approximately 30 to 60 cSt at 50°C. It is an ideal blending component for
residual fuels due to its high aromaticity, which confers stability to the finished
fuel. It is from this refinery source that catalytic fines enter residual fuel.
10
Catalytic fines
The composition of catalytic fines varies depending on the type of feedstock
and on whether the main unit of the cracker is intended to optimise gasoline
(light) grades or diesel (heavier) grades. Exact catalyst compositions are never
quoted today but all of them contain some form of synthetic crystalline zeolite
material.
In the mid 1990s, Det Norske Veritas (DNV) determined that the annual world-
wide average ratio of silicon to aluminium was 1.64:1 based on analyses of
fuel oil samples. Recent analyses indicate that the worldwide average ratio is
currently about 1.2:1 and that this ratio is likely to fall because modern cata-
lysts tend to contain a higher concentration of aluminium.
Catalytic fines are formed through the break up, primarily due to attrition, of
the catalyst, as it is recycled through the cat cracker plant. Catalytic fines are
variable in size with a range from sub-micron to approximately 30 microns and
occasionally up to 100 microns. Whilst they are considered to be spherical
particles this is not necessarily the case.
A typical particle size distribution of catalytic fines in heavy fuel oil is shown in
Figure 5.
BP investigation
11
ISO 8217 Fuel Standard
ISO 8217:2005 is the current international standard for specifications for
petroleum products for marine diesel engines and boilers. These specifications
define the limit for catalytic fines in fuel oils, expressed as Al + Si (aluminium
plus silicon), at 80 ppm.
Al + Si (mg/kg) % of deliveries
>80 0.3
>60, <=80 1.7
>20, <=60 19
< 20 79
Source: Det Norske Veritas, “Fuel Quality Statistics”, Volume 24, Number 3, September 2004.
12
Measuring catalytic fines content
Several methods for directly measuring catalytic fines in the fuel have been
developed, tried and discarded. The current and approved method, ISO
10478, measures catalytic fines using an indirect method whereby a weighed
quantity of a homogenised fuel oil sample is heated in a platinum crucible and
the combustible material is removed by burning. The residue and crucible are
then transferred to a muffle furnace held at 550 ±25°C to reduce the carbon
residue and provide the ash. The ash is then fused with a lithium tetraborate/
lithium fluoride flux and the fused mixture is dissolved in a mixture of tartaric
acid and hydrochloric acid and diluted with water to achieve the desired
volume.
13
Marine diesel engines
Two-stroke marine diesel engines today are able to operate within
the ISO 8217 fuel standard and the CIMAC recommendations
regarding fuel requirements for diesel engines, version 21.
The condition is that the fuel is properly cleaned in the centrifuge. Both
ISO 8217 and CIMAC fuel recommendation specify that the content of
catalytic fines in the fuel oil delivered on board may not exceed a maximum
of 80 ppm, an abbreviation for parts per million which is expressed as a
weight-to-weight ratio.
To clean the fuel oil of catalytic fines and other impurities before injection
into the engine, fuel cleaning systems are required on board. Engine builders
generally anticipate that the maximum level of 80 ppm catalytic fines will be
reduced by the fuel cleaning system on board to a maximum of 15 ppm
before the fuel oil is injected into the engine. As the level of catalytic fines in
the bunkered fuel is lowered, the engine builders expect a related reduction
in the amount of catalytic fines in the fuel entering the engine.
The design of the fuel cleaning system to be used on board is the critical
factor for optimal reduction of catalytic fines content in fuel oil from 80 ppm
upon delivery to the ship to 15 ppm before injection into the engine. This is
to ensure safe operation and optimal engine performance.
Figure 6. Reduction of the catalytic fines by the fuel cleaning system on board.
14
Catalytic fines and engine performance
Catalytic fines are small particles of spent catalyst, that remain in the fuel after
employing catalytic cracking processes to refine crude oil into more valuable
fractions, leaving residual fuel oil as a bottom phase, enriched in contaminants.
These particles vary in size anywhere from submicron to tenths of microns,
ranging from a speck of dust or pollen to the width of a strand of coarse
human hair. Though virtually invisible to the human eye, catalytic fines are
very hard and capable of severely scratching, if not cutting, metal.
All catalytic fines, that remain in the fuel oil after centrifugal separation have
the potential to cause abrasive wear and damage to the engine, which in turn
can lead to potentially unsafe operating conditions. That is why the level of
catalytic fines must be reduced as much as feasibly possible by the fuel
cleaning system. Catalytic fines smaller than five microns are considered to
be less harmful than larger cat fines.
The higher the amount of catalytic fines is, the greater the risk for unsafe
operating conditions due to engine wear and breakdown. Under such oper-
ating conditions, there is an increased risk for breakdown and it is likely that
the engine will require more frequent maintenance than what has been
recommended by the engine manufacturer.
To ensure safe operation, a heavy fuel oil that meets ISO 8217 and the
CIMAC fuel recommendations should be cleaned by an onboard fuel cleaning
system that satisfies these conditions:
15
• Preheating the fuel oil to the correct temperature before the centrifuges;
Centrifuges
If properly operated, a centrifuge has the capability to remove nearly 100 per-
cent of all catalytic fines that are larger than 10 microns. However, the majority
of catalytic fines smaller than five microns will not be removed due to small
size and their relative light weight.
Homogenisers
Some fuel cleaning systems use homogenisers, which split any water present
in the fuel into small uniform droplets. Positioning homogenisers upstream
from the centrifuges, however, is not currently recommended. This is because
16
catalytic fines are hydrophilic, which means that they are attracted to any
water present in the fuel oil. It is therefore expected that it will be difficult for
the centrifuge to remove the small homogenised water droplets, which include
any salt water and attached catalytic fines.
Filters
Filters are installed as extra protective measures to prevent large particles
such as rust flakes from entering the fuel system. Large particles with low
densities may pass through the separator but will be removed by filters.
The fuel pump consists of a plunger that slides back and forth within the fuel
pump barrel. There are relatively small tolerances between the components.
Any catalytic fines that approximate the size of these clearances will be forced
between the plunger and barrel and may become embedded in the material of
the plunger and/or the barrel (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Fuel pump spindle guide with scuffing and excessive wear.
17
Excessive wear of the plunger or the barrel affects the injection pressure and
thereby performance. If abrasive wear to the fuel pump has occurred, it is
impossible to maintain the correct compression pressure for the individual
cylinder units.
Catalytic fines that manage to pass through the fuel pump will reach the fuel
injectors, where excessive wear can change the size and shape of the injector
holes. Any change in the size and shape of the holes alters the injector pattern
of the fuel oil, which in turn can decrease combustion efficiency. Changes in
the fuel injection pattern also result in fouling of combustion chamber compo-
nents and increase the amount of unburned hydrocarbons (HC) emissions in
the exhaust gas.
Combustion chamber
When the fuel is ignited, the catalytic fines become trapped in between the
various working components of the combustion chamber – between the piston
ring and ring groove or between the piston ring and liner. This creates a
potentially high-risk situation in the combustion chamber. Any catalytic fines
that are not taken out by the exhaust gas or drained to the bottom of the
cylinder unit can become embedded in the softer material of the piston rings.
This quickly creates wear on both the liner and the chrome-plated piston ring
or piston ring grooves (Figure 8).
18
Case study: Land-based power plant
The quality of fuel delivered to a land-based power plant varied widely in the
levels of catalytic fines. At various times and with various fuels, the amount of
catalytic fines contained in the fuels was measured at up to 125 ppm.
Moreover, the fuel quality after cleaning was not acceptable due to compli-
cations relating to the operation of the fuel cleaning equipment. Good main-
tenance practices are critical to the proper operation of auxiliary machinery; it
is virtually impossible for engine designers to predict the mean time between
overhauls (MTBO) if the engines and fuel cleaning system are not properly
maintained and the fuel oil specifications are not followed.
The high level of catalytic fines resulted in heavy wear and scuffing on the
cylinder liners and pistons. Catalytic fines became embedded in the piston
ring surface, causing excessive wear on the cylinder (see Figures 8 and 9).
Before determining that catalytic fines were the root cause of engine mal-
function, several possible reasons for excessive wear were investigated.
The situation for this plant could have been avoided if the fuel had been in
accordance with ISO 8217 and CIMAC recommendations and the fuel
cleaning system had been functioning properly.
19
Fuel cleaning systems
As mentioned earlier, the efficient cleaning of heavy fuel oil is
mandatory for the reliable and cost-effective operation of marine
diesel engines.
Fuel from the storage tank is fed into a vessel’s settling tank where the force
of gravity causes contaminants (water and coarse solid particles) to sink to the
bottom of the tank. However, in order to achieve complete separation of the
contaminants from fuel oil, fuel cleaning is required.
A fuel cleaning system that includes a settling tank and/or a service tank,
centrifuges and protection filter(s) is the general practice of the marine industry.
However, the new separation performance standard CWA 15375 which was
defined in August 2005 now enables buyers, on a given separation perform-
ance level, to compare the capacity and price of different centrifuges before
making their purchasing decision. This modern approach will be explained in
the “New Standard for Separation Performance”.
20
Stokes’ Law
The operating principles of centrifugal separation are based on Stokes’ Law.
The general formula for Stokes’ Law is:
The rate of settling (V) for a given capacity is determined by Stokes’ Law.
This expression takes into account the particle size, the difference between
density of the particles and the medium, which in this case is fuel, and the
viscosity of the medium.
Particle size is another important factor. The settling velocity increases rapidly
with particle size. This means that the smaller the particle, the more challenging
the separation task. In a centrifuge, the term (g) represents the centrifugal
force, which is several thousand times greater than the acceleration due to
gravitational force. Centrifugal force enables the efficient separation of particles
that are only a few microns in size.
Operating parameters
Various operating parameters affect separation efficiency. These include
temperature, which controls both fuel viscosity and density, flow rate and
maintenance.
21
100
Capacity for same separation (%)
90
80
70
88 90 92 94 96 98 100
cSt at 50°C
In order to ensure that the centrifugal forces separate the heavy contami-
nants in the relatively limited time that they are present in the centrifuge, the
centrifuge should always be operated with an inlet temperature of 98°C
for HFO.
22
Because the throughput is normally controlled by a constant flow pump,
it is not possible to reduce the flow of fuel to the centrifuges if the pre-
heating temperature is reduced below 98°C. Maintaining an inlet tempera-
ture of 98°C for fuels above 180 cSt (at 50°C) is therefore of critical
importance.
Flow rate
It is known that separation efficiency is a function of the centrifuge's flow
rate. The higher the flow rate, the more particles are left in the oil and there-
fore the lower the separation efficiency. The flow rate is usually constant and
based on the highest viscosity. As the flow rate is reduced, the efficiency
with which particles are removed increases and cleaning efficiency thus
improves. It is, however, essential to know at what capacity adequate
separation efficiency is reached in the typical case.
Up until now, there has not been any common practice among the suppliers
of centrifuges for sizing equipment. The new separation performance stan-
dard establishes a uniform method to find the capacity at which a particular
level of performance is achieved. See the “New Separation Performance
Standard”.
Maintenance
Proper maintenance is an important, but often overlooked, operating para-
meter that is difficult to quantify. If the bowl is not cleaned in time, deposits
will form on the bowl discs, the free channel height will be reduced, and flow
velocity increases. This in turn tends to drag particles with the liquid flow
towards the bowl’s centre. This decreases separation efficiency.
Characteristics that differ between fuel oils and affect separation efficiency
include:
23
Polarity
This defines how the molecules of the oil are arranged according to the posi-
tive and negative charges of the molecules. Polarity is critical in determining
how susceptible the fuel oil is to the formation of hard-to-handle emulsions as
well as the degree of surface tension of water droplets, which is an important
factor for water splitting and emulsions.
Heavily cracked fuels are typically more difficult to treat than the straight-run
fuel oils from less sophisticated refining methods.
Stability
This is the ability of a fuel oil to remain in a constant state despite conditions
that may cause the structure of the fuel oil to break down. When a fuel oil is
unstable, it contains precipitated asphaltenes that can be separated when the
particles created have amassed to a sufficient size.
Impurities
In addition to catalytic fines, which have to be removed to a great extent,
there are contaminants like water and insoluble residues, such as sand, dirt
and rust scale that taint fuel quality. These small particles are not derived from
processing fuel but come from other sources, such as the storage tank or
pipes used to transfer of the fuel oil, and may contribute to the creation of
stable emulsions, which make the separation process difficult.
Fuel cleaning systems typically consist of centrifuges that are sufficiently large
enough to handle the flow of fuel that will be burned. Stand-by centrifuges are
also part of a typical installation.
24
More than 20 years ago when centrifuges with gravity discs were common,
the standard industry practice was to operate purifiers as stand-alone units.
To achieve optimum separation results using purifiers with gravity discs, the
interphase level has to be positioned just outside the disc stack, close to the
edge of the top disc. Any fluctuation in the operating parameters will cause
the interphase level to shift.
To compensate for this effect and to best utilize the centrifuges installed, the
recommendation in the 1980s was to start up the stand-by centrifuge and
operate it as a clarifier in series after the purifier.
25
New standard for separation
performance
Purchasers of fuel cleaning systems will now have access to
an industry standard for separation performance, which makes
it possible to verify that a new type of centrifuge operates with
an agreed efficiency at a flow rate, which is specific for the
centrifuge in question. This enables more accurate dimensioning
and the fair comparison of different centrifuges from different
suppliers.
The separation performance standard will contribute to the safety of the ship
by safeguarding the engine from excessive wear. It is scheduled for distribu-
26
tion by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) in August 2005.
The intention is to advance the new European standard into a full international
standard recognised by the International Organization for Standardization.
The test method is known as the Dyno Test Method due to the spherical
plastic dynosphere particles that are dispersed in a particle-free synthetic oil of
defined viscosity. Identically sized, these five-micron particles simulate harmful
catalytic fines (Figure 11).
The five-micron particles also help discriminate between good separation and
poor separation at those capacities recommended by centrifuge suppliers.
27
Cin Cout
Separator
Feed Reception
tank tank
Figure 12. Simplified schematic sketch of the test rig for measuring certified flow rate.
All centrifuges are capable of cleaning particles that are larger than 10 micron,
while particles less than 2.5 micron prove too difficult to separate at the
capacities of interest.
During laboratory tests principally shown in Figure 12, the mixture of synthetic
oil and plastic particles is heated to a temperature that provides the same
viscosity as fuel oils (380 cSt and 700 cSt at 50°C), when heated to the
normal separation temperature of 98°C. The mixture is then fed through the
centrifuge at different feed rates, and samples are taken at defined intervals
after a discharge.
28
Correlation to actual operating conditions
It is impossible to create a standard based on the evaluation of tests using
real catalytic fines in real heavy fuel oil. Fuel oils also vary in terms of chemical
characteristics and in terms of physical characteristics, such as density and
viscosity.
While the model test method has little to do with real bunkers and contami-
nants, it is by far more realistic than any theoretical calculations and simulates
the particles, including catalytic fines, found in heavy fuel oil.
Therefore ranking centrifuges according to the results using the model test
method provides a good indication of how the centrifuge will perform under
real operating conditions and that any differences between centrifuges under
test conditions will most likely be the differences that will be experienced
under real operating conditions.
29
Best case Worst case
80 ppm 80 ppm
0 ppm 80 ppm
In reality, the particle size distribution in heavy fuel oil falls somewhere
between these two extremes. Given the specified limit of 80 ppm of catalytic
fines for fuel oil and the maximum value of 15 ppm that is generally accepted
by engine builders, fuel cleaning systems therefore must deliver a separation
efficiency of a minimum of 81 percent. This indicates why a reliable model
test method that simulates actual operating conditions is required to compare
the performance of different centrifuges.
Type approval
So far, six classification societies have granted type approval for certified flow
rate. Det Norske Veritas is one of these classification societies and has in
addition defined a new voluntary Class Notation Fuel, which includes Type
Approval (CFR). The other five classification societies are:
Alfa Laval is the first supplier to receive type approval (CFR). This concerns its
complete range of new SPS-separators.
30
Economical aspects
It is impossible to calculate what economic benefits may be realised by using
certified flow rate (CFR) to dimension centrifuges for marine fuel cleaning
systems rather than manufacturers’ maximum recommended capacity (MRC)
tables. This is due both to the various process parameters that cannot be
controlled and to the variable quality of the fuel.
Because the capacities specified in MRC tables are higher than those of
CFR tables, a centrifuge installation based on CFR tables will therefore
typically consist of larger and more expensive centrifuges than the same
installation based on MRC tables.
Currently, there is not any objective data to compare the actual impact of
using CFR tables rather than MRC tables. However, rough calculations for
pay-off time as a function of assumptions about the reduction in engine wear
are indicated below.
The investment in a fuel cleaning system is typically between 0.5 and 1.5
percent of the total costs for annual fuel consumption. This indicates that it
would be wise to invest in an amply dimensioned fuel cleaning system. This
one-time investment would then enable cheaper fuel oil to be purchased over
the long run.
31
Dimensioning of fuel
cleaning systems
Sizing of centrifuges
Correct sizing of the centrifuges is of utmost importance. When specifying
the total required flow rate of the fuel cleaning system, the fuel consumption
of auxiliary engines and boilers, if any, must be taken into account. Currently,
the appropriate centrifuge is selected from the capacity tables issued by the
centrifuge suppliers and engine manufacturers.
P · b · 24
Q = (l/h)
ρ·T
b = Specific fuel oil consumption (kg/kWh or kg/HPh) specified by the engine supplier
T = Daily net operating time (Number of operating hours per 24-hour day)
Tests for finding specific fuel oil consumption are normally conducted using
distillate fuel, and the results may have to be adjusted by a factor for so-called
non-ISO conditions. It is assumed that the engine supplier includes this value
in the factor b above.
32
Certified Flow Rate
A centrifuge’s certified flow rate (CFR) is measured according to the separa-
tion performance standard. Using CFR to specify centrifuges ensures the
selection of the correct centrifuge size for the performance required and
thereby ensures safe engine operation.
For example, dimensioning a centrifuge using the conditions below will result
in a far higher given requirement for separator size than is actually needed.
33
Conclusion
The levels of catalytic fines in bunkered fuels are controlled by the ISO 8217
marine fuel standards and CIMAC fuel recommendation. However it is impor-
tant that bunkered fuels are cleaned on board all vessels to ensure that the
fuel is suitable for use in the engine. High levels of catalytic fines entering the
engine have catastrophic effects.
34
www.fotoskrift.se
Alfa Laval AB
SE-147 80 Tumba
Sweden
+46 (0) 8 530 650 00
www.alfalaval.com/marine
BP Marine Ltd
Chertsey Road
Sunbury-on-Thames
Middlesex
TW16 7LN
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1932 762000
www.bpmarine.com