Research from FuelTrust shows how different batches of the same grade of marine fuel (such as VLSFO or HFO) can have radically different degrees of energy intensity.
The analysis of different fuel batches was carried out using FuelTrust’s AI-powered Digital Chemist, which simulates combustion on a molecular level to identify differences in fuel properties such as fuel quality, energy, and emissions profiles.
Based on analysis of 14m barrels of VLSFO fuel across 28 batches, FuelTrust found that different batches of fuels could essentially provide higher energy.
This isn’t like saying there’s a difference between gas stations – it’s more like there being a huge difference in the fuel you could buy at different pumps
explains Jonathan Arneault, CEO of FuelTrust.
This energy intensity delta could be operationally difficult as regulations on fuels tighten, and particularly if zero carbon fuels such as methanol become widely used.
Furthermore, Dr. Ram Vis, founder and director at the Viswa Group and advisor to FuelTrust, emphasised how energy density will become a major concern for fuel purchasers;
If, as expected, you need twice the amount of methanol to do the same work as a tonne of HFO, buyers are going to have to pay a lot more attention to the BTUs that they are buying, as they’ll have to squeeze every drop of energy out of their fuel
FuelTrust’s research sldo indicates that differences in energy intensity will be matched by differences in emissions. With the proposed introduction of carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes, this could lead to thousands of dollars in taxes saved or lost, purely based on which batch of a fuel ends up in a vessel.
