Uni-Tankers vessel fitted with first of its kind soot particle emissions sensor

Photo: Green Instruments

Danish tanker operator Uni-Tankers has fitted its 2006-built, 6,882 dwt oil and chemica; tanker M/T Falstria Swanwith an advanced flue gas sensor that can measure soot particle emissions in real time. The first of its kind installation has been achieved in a collaboration between the Danish Technological Institute, Uni-Tankers and Green Instruments, which developed the sensor.

This type of equipment will be of increasing importance to the shipping industry as new requirements are introduced to reduce emissions of soot particles – also known as black carbon.

Also involved in the project are the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, Danish Maritime, and Danish Shipping and the company Green Instruments, which produces the flue gas sensor. They are all part of Project Cleanship, which is being supported with DKK 18 million from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency over a three-year period.

”With the installation on the ship, we are now a big step closer to reducing black carbon emissions, the second largest maritime source of global warming after CO2,” says Sonny Baekdahl Trudslev, development manager at Green Instruments. “This is the first time ever that it is possible to accurately measure black carbon emissions in real time and under realistic conditions on a ship. This means that we have a much better understanding of how emissions in shipping can be reduced.”

Facts – black carbon:

Formed by incomplete combustion in ship engines, among other things.
In terms of the impact of shipping on the climate, black carbon is a significant risk after CO2.
Absorbs sunlight and contributes to global warming.
Carcinogenic and causes a number of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recommended a 35% reduction in global black carbon emissions.

The IMO and the EU, among others, are expected to adopt requirements for the shipping industry to reduce emissions of soot particles – including black carbon – in the coming years. This is not least because black carbon accounts for around 20%of the CO2-equivalent emissions from international shipping.

“Without precise measurements, shipping companies navigate blindly, but now they will be able to see where they need to take action to reduce emissions of very harmful particles, and they can document their emissions,” says Baekdahl Trudslev. “We can clearly see that there is a growing interest in this type of equipment, and we have already received several specific enquiries from shipping companies who want to hear more about the flue gas sensor.”

Focus on energy saving and new fuels

In additiob to emissions of black carbon, Project Cleanship is also focused on the effect of energy-saving measures and new fuel types to provide the maritime industry with more knowledge that can influence future investments in cleaner technology. The aim of the cross-industry collaboration is to provide greater insight into where action can be taken to minimize the climate impact of shipping, which has set a target to be climate neutral by 2050.

“There is no doubt that a data-driven approach to the issue of emissions from shipping is the way forward, and we are now getting accurate data that can certainly help us understand what the maritime industry can do to reduce emissions of a number of harmful particles,” says Baekdahl Trudslev. “At the same time, we will gain valuable knowledge about the effect of various measures on board ships For example, the effect of technologies and operational interventions such as optimizing engine load and speed management must be documented.”

To get a detailed overview of emissions of different types of greenhouse gases, Green Instruments has delivered a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) system that documents the concentrations of greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, N2O and others. In addition, Green Instruments has also delivered a GreenView Emissions Insight system that can convert the measurements into key figures in mass emissions such as CO2/kWh or CO2/fuel. These ratios are expected to play a major role in emissions reporting for ETS and Fuel EU in the coming years.