Detailed fuel analysis for the shipping industry. Mobile measurement of oil quality on board (on board NMR)
The global shipping market is growing rapidly and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) constitutes the largest post on the running costs of ocean going vessels. The quality of HFO used in the shipping industry is, however, decreasing as refineries continually improve their refinery processes and extract more valuable oils like petrol and diesel from the crude oil. HFO is the waste" left from these processes. New method for oil analysis OnBoardNMR oil analysis is used for real time mapping of the quality/stability of the HFO. The information can be used to verify that the oil matches the quality requirements specified for the oil delivery. Furthermore, it can be used to measure parameters that are not included in today's quality requirements - but which are very important for the handling of the oil (e.g. stability). In the long run, the analysis system is expected to be able to reduce the number of expensive breakdowns of the ships' propelling systems. It is also expected to decrease ill effects on the environment caused by the burning of oil containing unwanted particles
A high content of zeolites, water and metal in bunker fuel oil causes corrosion in ships' engines, and in-line documentation for good quality can help reduce operating costs. The project has clarified that on-ship measurement of zeolite and water in the oil is the most important quality parameter. Hardness of zeolites is only surpassed by diamonds, and zeolites are used in industrial abrasive paste. Therefore, zeolites in oil wear out the piston and cylinder in the engine. During the project, an independent, cheap low-field NMR system was developed for on-ship measurement of zeolites in oil, and the project group expects to be able to put the system into production by the end of 2011. (Energy 11)
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Participants
| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
|---|---|---|
| Aarhus Universitet |
