Wärtsilä and Furetank are co-developing and testing a technology that reportedly has been showing the potential to halve methane slip.
The Low Load Optimisation package by Wärtsilä is a potential solution aimed at mitigating methane slip during low engine loads, particularly in harbour operations such as loading and unloading. According to Furetank, the tests performed, both in the laboratory and at sea, show very promising results. The methane slip was reduced by 45-50%.
Do you know what methane slip is?
Equipment that uses natural gas as a fuel is generally designed to have at least 98% combustion efficiency – which means at least 98% of the gas to be burned. This also means that the other 2% of methane is released as unburned gas. This is known as methane slip. Methane is 80 times worse a greenhouse gas than CO2, which makes the attention on its reduction vital.
This package has been designed to actively balance the loading of every engine cylinder. By doing so, it achieves the remarkable feat of optimising the overall total engine efficiency, even when operating at low engine loads.
These are great results, far exceeding what we had expected or technically believed. The tests show a significant impact in absolute terms. We believe many shipping companies will be interested in these solutions. And this is not the end of the road, there is more to be done
… said Göran Österdahl, sales director of marine power at Wärtsilä.
Furthermore, Wärtsilä has also recently unveiled a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction package designed specifically for dual fuel engines. The solution aims to address the pressing issue of GHG emissions and offers a promising step towards a more sustainable future.
There is an ongoing chase for new engine solutions which will only intensify with the EU ETS system and stricter IMO regulations. We are happy to have this fast track to developers and manufacturers of advanced engine technology
… added Clas Gustafsson, Technical Manager at Furetank.
The GHG package is designed to effectively manage the engine’s performance in challenging situations such as manoeuvring, rough sea conditions, and fluctuating fuel quality.
