Methane Slip Measurement of Marine Diesels
8th March 2021 | Technology
2020 has seen a massive increase in LNG bunkering infrastructure to cope with the rapid expansion of LNG as a marine fuel. However, there is growing concern regarding its environmental benefits given methane’s properties as an aggressive greenhouse gas.
LNG fuel is being promoted as an environmentally friendly ‘green’ option, but the methane lost during supply, production, and inefficient combustion is a pollution problem that could cancel out the fuel’s initial environmental ‘friendliness’. A significant number of oil majors and charterers are demanding monthly emissions inventories, including totalised methane, to include with their CSR data. Measuring methane slip has never been more important.
It is therefore critical that shipowners using LNG as their primary fuel have the tools they need to measure Methane Slip. Although currently unregulated by the IMO, methane slip is certain to become in the spotlight given the widespread uptake of LNG fuelled vessels.
Why Emsys?
• Methane is measured instantaneously in ppm (parts per million), readings can be referenced against the engines performance data and alarms sounded when thresholds are exceeded
• Emsys utilises a highly accurate laser sensor which reacts far quicker than traditional CEMs type instruments, this rapid speed allows multiple engines to be monitored from a single Emsys system
• Emsys records the mass of methane (kg/tons) produced on an hourly, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, and generates PDF reports
• In some rare occasions, methane slip can be so bad that a build up of unburned methane can be in the exhaust uptakes, Emsys can provide alarms which alert operators to the potential safety / fire hazard
• The Emsys-iS is extremely compact and can be retrofitted easily to any vessel and any engine type (2-stroke or 4-stroke)
• Measuring the unburned hydrocarbons in an engine exhaust may alert operators to resolve any technical issues when engine performance limits are exceeded. Rapid resolutions of faults help prevent significant increased costs in fuel consumption
Talk to the team at Emsys Maritime for further information
