Raporty IChTJ. Seria B nr 2/2018
(Aspekty inżynierii procesowej w oczyszczaniu spalin z silników Diesla)
Małgorzata Siwek, Andrzej G. Chmielewski
The purpose of this study was to investigate the currently available methods of maritime diesel engine off gases removing systems. The major cargo transportation mode is maritime transport, which is also responsible for approximately 90% of world trade by volume. Furthermore, travelling by sea has increased considerably in recent years – from 2003 to 2016 this touristic sector has expanded from 12.0 to 22.0 million travellers. Accordingly, worldwide emission from shipping has grown significantly, which contributes directly to the global anthropogenic emissions and it poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and public health.
Exhausts from marine engines may contain nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour as well as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), carbon monoxide (CO), various hydrocarbons (HC) and complex particulate matter (PM). The maritime transport usually uses heavy fuel oil (HFO) with a high content of sulphur, which naturally leads to the three main pollutants derived from shipping: nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matters. Around 15% of global NOx and 5-8% of SOx emissions are attributable to ocean-going ships. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission as a smog component is a precursor to acid rains and it can have a negative influence on plant life as well as on wider ecosystems. The two primary nitrogen oxides present in pollution streams are nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The molecular nitrogen in the combustion air or in the fuel is oxidized, forming NOx. Nitrogen dioxide is a brown gas with a ripe smell whereas NO is colourless and essentially odourless as well as insoluble and non-reactive. Both of them can be contributors to acid rain or precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog component), which causes respiratory problems and damage to vegetation.
To address the adverse impacts of sulphur and nitrogen oxides from shipping emission, the maritime sector is required to find highly efficient and low-cost methods of gaseous pollutants removal. According to the International Maritime Organization regulations (MARPOL Annex VI), there are two sets of emission and fuel quality requirements: global (progressive reduction in global emissions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter) and more restrictive requirements dedicated to ships in deliberately established zones – emission control areas (ECA). Inside the ECA it is expected to use 0.10% sulphur fuel and to achieve above 90% of NOx removal.
Outgoing methods are applied to remove NOx or SO2 separately. These technologies are divided into NOx-reducing devices and SOx scrubbers and this work are focused on process engineering aspects of such systems, including designing of apparatus, main dimensions, advantages/disadvantages as well as processes economy and cost analysis.
To accomplished major reductions in SOx and NOx emissions, a new onboard installation of exhaust emission control are required and one of them may be an electron beam flue gas treatment (EBFGT) process, which is one of the most effective methods of removing SO2 and NOx from industrial flue gases.
In this study, the exhaust gas was first irradiated with the electron beam (EB) technology to reduce the NO, in the dose range of 10-12 kGy with a temperature of the exhaust gas not exceeding 90oC and then followed by a wet scrubber method with appropriately prepared process water, with an addition of the strong oxidant NaClO2. The NOx removal was above 90% and it is expected to use this method for simultaneous removal of NOx and SO2 in the future.