Measurements of particle number and mass concentrations and number size distribution of particles from a ship running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) were made on-board a ship with dual-fuel engines ...installed. Today there is a large interest in LNG as a marine fuel, as a means to comply with sulfur and NO X regulations. Particles were studied in a wide size range together with measurements of other exhaust gases under different engine loads and different mixtures of LNG and marine gas oil. Results from these measurements show that emissions of particles, NO X , and CO2 are considerably lower for LNG compared to present marine fuel oils. Emitted particles were mainly of volatile character and mainly had diameters below 50 nm. Number size distribution for LNG showed a distinct peak at 9–10 nm and a part of a peak at diameter 6 nm and below. Emissions of total hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are higher for LNG compared to present marine fuel oils, which points to the importance of considering the methane slip from combustion of LNG.
Particle emissions from a marine diesel engine operating at low loads with four different fuels were characterized with respect to particle number (PN) and particle mass (PM), size distribution, ...volatility and chemical composition. The four different fuels used were Swedish Environmental class 1 (MK1) and class 3 diesel (MK3), heavy fuel oil (HFO, 0.12 wt% S) and marine diesel oil (MDO, 0.52 wt% S). The measurements were performed for a marine diesel engine in a test-bed engine lab and the particle emissions were measured with an Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer and a Dust Monitor, giving the number concentrations in the size range of 5.6–560 nm and 300 nm to 20 μm, respectively. To quantify the amount of solid particles a thermodenuder was used. Additionally, filter samples were taken for gravimetric, black carbon (BC) and elemental analysis. The particle emissions showed a bimodal size distribution by number and the number concentrations were dominated by nanoparticles (diameter (Dp) < 50 nm). The nanoparticles measured were both primary and secondary particles, depending on fuel and engine load, while the particles with Dp > 50 nm generally were solid primary particles. Combustion of HFO resulted in the highest PN and PM concentrations. Emission factors (EFs) for PM and PN for both the total particle emissions and the fraction of primary, solid particles are presented for different fuels and loads. EFs for nitrogen oxides (NOx), BC and some elements (Ca, Fe, V, Ni, Zn) are presented as well. This study contributes to understanding particle emissions from potential future fuels as well as emissions in ports and coastal areas where lower engine loads are common.
•Measurements of particle emissions from low sulfur marine fuels.•Measurements conducted on a test-bed engine operating at low engine loads.•Nanoparticles (Dp < 50 nm) were the dominating fraction of total particle number.•Particle formation is not only related to the sulfur content of the fuel.
Since the last fifteen years, Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) plants based on seawater scrubbing found an interesting application in the maritime transportation, as an answer to the stringent ...regulations imposed by International Maritime Organization (IMO) on sulphur emissions. This work reports the experimental results on desulphurization in a pilot seawater scrubber (DN 400) from a marine Diesel engine (80 kW) operated under different loads (10, 25 and 50%). The pilot scrubber was fed with a gas velocity 0.15 m/s and a liquid to gas mass ratio 1-3 kg/kg. The scrubbing liquid was available at different alkalinity and salinity levels representing the ion speciation of marine water in different geographic areas. The experiments evaluate the SO2 removal efficiency of the scrubber as a function of seawater alkalinity and pH. Finally, the paper reports a correlation to assess the seawater flow rate required to comply with the current IMO restrictions. This correlation allows tuning the seawater flow rate during the ship navigation based on the registered marine alkalinities and to the operating conditions of the engine. The model can be integrated in the scrubber control system to identify optimal operating conditions and reduce pumping costs, helping to reduce the EEDI and the SEEMP ships energy indexes.
The Multiple Chamber Aerosol Chemical Aging Study (MUCHACHAS) tested the hypothesis that hydroxyl radical (OH) aging significantly increases the concentration of first-generation biogenic secondary ...organic aerosol (SOA). OH is the dominant atmospheric oxidant, and MUCHACHAS employed environmental chambers of very different designs, using multiple OH sources to explore a range of chemical conditions and potential sources of systematic error. We isolated the effect of OH aging, confirming our hypothesis while observing corresponding changes in SOA properties. The mass increases are consistent with an existing gap between global SOA sources and those predicted in models, and can be described by a mechanism suitable for implementation in those models.
Maritime shipping is a strategic sector with a strong international vocation and management. The need to define regulations valid for many different countries without generating disparities of ...treatment slowed down the formulation of environmental regulations, especially for atmospheric emissions. In particular, regulations pertaining to the reduction of sulphur compounds allowed two distinct approaches: the use of low-sulphur fuels or exhaust gas cleaning systems, the so-called Scrubbers. The actual implementation of these solutions presents specific concerns either related to the toxicity of atmospheric by-products and to the fuel cost or to the generation of polluting washwaters that may need treatment before discharge. In this paper we analyzed the potential environmental benefit deriving from the use of a distillate fuel, not compliant with current IMO Sulphur Regulations, together with a Scrubber. The pilot-scale experimental results indicated that a limited amount of water and/or scrubber volume is needed to reduce sulphur emissions below regulations on maritime shipping, especially with the addition of NaOH reaching a water-saving between 25%-33% compared to the use of pure seawater. Experiments indicated that scrubber washwater PAHs emissions are within the available water quality standards indicated by EU and USA guidelines. A bottom-up analysis on heavy metals concentration shed light on the prominent role of metal-parts corrosion on the washwater emissions. Taking into account for corrosion phenomena, the actual heavy metals concentration in the washwater deriving from scrubbing was normally below the water quality standards.
The fuel sulfur content in marine fuels has been regulated in Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) since January 2015. However, other fuel characteristics are also believed to have an impact on ...particle emissions, particularly on the number of particles emitted. This study investigates the impact of the content of aromatics in fuel. To achieve fuel blends with concentrations of aromatics similar to those found in marine fuel oils, i.e. 20%–30% by volume (%vol.), normal diesel oil (4%–5% vol. aromatics) is doped with a mixture of aromatics. Emission measurements are conducted in test-bed engine facilities and particle emissions over a wide size range are analyzed. Results show a decreased number of particles emitted (or not change) with an increase in the aromatic concentration in fuel. This is because there is a reduction in the cetane number of the fuel with an increased aromatic content, which effects the combustion process and results in decreased particle formation. However, when ignition improver is used to increase the cetane number, particle emissions remain at a lower level than for normal diesel oil; thereby emphasizing the presence of other factors in the formation of particles.
Maritime transport remains a large source of airborne pollutants, including exhaust particles that can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). While primary diesel engine exhaust particles are ...generally considered hydrophobic, international regulations targeting a reduction of particulate emissions from ships may have secondary effects, and therefore influence how exhaust interacts within the atmosphere. The effect of international fuel sulfur content (FSC) regulations on the cloud forming abilities of exhaust particles was investigated using a marine test engine operating on compliant low FSC fuels, non-compliant high FSC distillate fuels and in conjunction with a marine wet scrubber (fresh- and seawater). Particle sizing and liquid droplet activation measurements reveal that compliance measures can have opposing effects on the CCN activity of exhaust particles. For a non-compliant, high FSC fuel, wet scrubbing leads to an increase in CCN activity but not to significant increases in CCN emission factors. However, switching to low FSC fuels resulted in emissions of highly hydrophobic particles, causing a significant reduction in CCN activity resulting in smaller CCN emission factors by at least one order of magnitude. Our observations are supported by chemical analysis of exhaust particles using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (STXM/NEXAFS) spectra. Potential implications of effects on ship exhaust particles for cloud and climate interactions due to different compliance measures are discussed.
Maritime transport remains a large source of airborne pollutants, including exhaust particles that can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).
Limonene has a strong tendency to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere and in indoor environments. Initial oxidation occurs mainly via ozone or OH radical chemistry. We studied the ...effect of O3 concentrations with or without a OH radical scavenger (2-butanol) on the SOA mass and thermal characteristics using the Gothenburg Flow Reactor for Oxidation Studies at Low Temperatures and a volatility tandem differential mobility analyzer. The SOA mass using 15 ppb limonene was strongly dependent on O3 concentrations and the presence of a scavenger. The SOA volatility in the presence of a scavenger decreased with increasing levels of O3, whereas without a scavenger, there was no significant change. A chemical kinetic model was developed to simulate the observations using vapor pressure estimates for compounds that potentially contributed to SOA. The model showed that the product distribution was affected by changes in both OH and ozone concentrations, which partly explained the observed changes in volatility, but was strongly dependent on accurate vapor pressure estimation methods. The model–experiment comparison indicated a need to consider organic peroxides as important SOA constituents. The experimental findings could be explained by secondary condensed-phase ozone chemistry, which competes with OH radicals for the oxidation of primary unsaturated products.
An extended suspect screening approach for the comprehensive chemical characterization of scrubber discharge waters from exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs), used to reduce atmospheric shipping ...emissions of sulphur oxides, was developed. The suspect screening was based on gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and focused on the identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated derivatives (alkyl-PAHs), which are among the most frequent and potentially toxic organic contaminants detected in these matrices. Although alkyl-PAHs can be even more abundant than parent compounds, information regarding their occurrence in scrubber waters is scarce. For compound identification, an in-house compound database was built, with 26 suspect groups, including 25 parent PAHs and 23 alkyl-PAH homologues. With this approach, 7 PAHs and 12 clusters of alkyl-PAHs were tentatively identified, whose occurrence was finally confirmed by target analysis using GC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Finally, a retrospective analysis was performed to identify other relevant (poly)cyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) of potential concern in scrubber waters. According to it, 18 suspect groups were tentatively identified, including biphenyls, dibenzofurans, dibenzothiophenes and oxygenated PAHs derivatives. All these compounds could be used as relevant markers of scrubber water contamination in heavy traffic marine areas and be considered as potential stressors when evaluating scrubber water toxicity.
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•Exhaustive suspect screening for contaminants identification was applied.•Higher level of compound identification was achieved by GC-MS/MS.•Naphthalene, Phenanthrene and alkyl homologues are the most frequent in scrubbers.•Retrospective analysis was used to identify other polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs).•PAHs, alkyl-PAHs, and PACs are relevant markers of scrubber water contamination.
Emission factors of SO2, NOx and size-distributed particle numbers were measured for approximately 300 different ships in the Gulf of Finland and Neva Bay area during two campaigns in ...August/September 2011 and June/July 2012. The measurements were carried out from a harbor vessel and from an Mi-8 helicopter downwind of passing ships. Other measurements were carried out from shore sites near the island of Kronstadt and along the Neva River in the urban area of Saint Petersburg. Most ships were running at reduced speed (10 kn), i.e., not at their optimal load. Vessels for domestic and international shipping were monitored. It was seen that the distribution of the SO2 emission factors is bi-modal, with averages of 4.6 and 18.2 gSO(2) kg(fuel)(-1) for the lower and the higher mode, respectively. The emission factors show compliance with the 1% fuel sulfur content Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECA) limit for 90% of the vessels in 2011 and 97% in 2012. The distribution of the NOx emission factor is mono-modal, with an average of 58 gNO(x) kg(fuel)(-1). The corresponding emission related to the generated power yields an average of 12.1 gNO(x) kWh(-1). The distribution of the emission factors for particulate number shows that nearly 90% of all particles in the 5.6 nm to 10 mu m size range were below 70 nm in diameter. The distribution of the corresponding emission factors for the mass indicates two separated main modes, one for particles between 30 and 300 nm and the other for above 2 mu m. The average particle emission factors were found to be in the range from 0.7 to 2.7 x 10(16) particles kg(fuel)(-1) and 0.2 to 3.4 gPM kg(fuel)(-1), respectively. The NOx and particulate emissions are comparable with other studies. The measured emission factors were compared, for individual ships, to modeled ones using the Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model (STEAM) of the Finnish Meteorological Institute. A reasonably good agreement for gaseous sulfur and nitrogen emissions can be seen for ships in international traffic, but significant deviations are found for inland vessels. Regarding particulate mass, the values of the modeled data are about 2-3 times higher than the measured results, which probably reflects the assumptions made in the modeled fuel sulfur content. The sulfur contents in the fuel retrieved from the measurements were lower than the previously used assumptions by the City of Saint Petersburg when carrying out atmospheric modeling, and using these measurements it was possible to better assess the impact of shipping on air quality.
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