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Fuels & Lubes International Quarter Two 2016
达成在ECA(排放控制区)内硫
含量限值时,如何理解硫含量分
析结果。”
获得正确的结果,并对结果有
正确的理解不仅仅是因为学术
上的原因。如果不能达到规格要
求,就会面临监管法规方面的后
果。排放控制区曾一度允许使用
硫含量为1%的燃料,但现在,从
2015年1月1日起,这个标准降
低为0.1%。
按常规是由供应商对燃料进
行测试。有些船只也会自己进行
测试,并认为同样的燃料,那么
一个样品就足以代表所有燃料。
但燃料存在一些差异,而且如
果在不同的实验室进行测试,那
么结果也会有所不同。因此,这
就需要有一个指南,来防止一个
燃料是否符合超低硫要求的不
确定性。
对燃料质量的担心并不仅
限于燃料供应商和船舶经营
者。例如,加州空气资源委员会
(CARB)就曾报告,在其辖区
内使用超低硫燃料的船只中,
大部分并没有达到强制的硫含
量要求。这就是为什么CARB
把适用于距加州海岸24海里内
的严格的州法规有效期延长了
两年。
这就要求所使用的燃料必须
满足船用瓦斯油或船用柴油规
格。法规规定,不允许使用洗涤
器来去除污染物,或采用混合后
可以满足硫含量要求而不能满
足规格中其他要求的混合燃料。
对于船运商,这种不确定的燃
料环境会带来问题。船用瓦斯油
和船用柴油均比传统的船用重
油贵。去年,船用重油的价格跟
随原油价格下跌了40%。
根据加州法案,在一些情况下
不可以使用未经处理的船用重
油。事实上,ECA内大部分地区
都是如此。由于燃料成本占总支
出中相当的比例,船运商总是希
望能使用成本最低的燃料,只有
必须时才换用更贵的方案。
要满足更苛刻的排放标准,
船运商正在转向使用替代燃
料和新技术。在4月份,MAN
Diesel & Turbo宣布三条可以
使用甲醇燃料的船交船,这就是
一种超低硫燃料的替代方案。甲
醇有多种来源,包括天然气或生
物废料,它也是一种绿色燃料。
发动机推广经理René
Laursen称,至少根据现有的
历史记录看,甲醇有一些显著
的优势。
目前,甲醇比船用瓦斯油贵,
但“我们已经看到在过去的五年
中,其价格已经下降,显著低于
船用瓦斯油,”Laursen说。有时
候,它甚至比船用重油更便宜。
由于燃料价格的波动,在不
同燃料之间经常进行切换很重
要。Laursen说,采用新的发动
机,可以比较方便地实现这一
点。它们对于为使用船用重油而
经过优化的发动机来说,不需要
什么改变。区别在于需要增加一
套新的燃料喷射系统,使得发动
机可以在甲醇、船用瓦斯油和船
用重油之间方便地进行切换。
与有些常温下为气体的低硫
替代燃料不同,那种需要冷却、
加压或同时需要冷却和加压才
能使用。甲醇在常规条件下是
液体。这样,贮存和运输就不会
很贵。这也意味着对于船只和
港口来说,额外的成本也不高,
使之成为一种更有吸引力的替
代燃料。
Laursen 说:“我们看到对这
种燃料的兴趣普遍较高。”
今年6月份在赫尔辛基举办的
CIMAC大会上,双燃料船用发动
机技术将是讨论的议题之一。
the use of scrubbers to
remove pollutants or a
hybrid fuel that meets the
sulphur requirement but
not the other parts of the
specification.
For shippers, this un-
settled fuel environment
presents problems. Both
marine gas oil and marine
diesel oil are more expen-
sive than heavy bunker
fuel, the traditional fuel of
choice. Bunker fuel prices
have fallen about 40% in
the last year, in tandem
with the decline in crude
oil prices.
Unmodified bunker fuel
is not an option in some
locales, as illustrated
by California’s action.
Indeed, that is true for
the most part anywhere
within an ECA. With fuel
costs representing a
significant expense, ship-
pers would ideally like
to use the least expen-
sive fuel, switching to a
costlier option only when
necessary.
To satisfy the need to
meet tighter emission
standards, shippers are
turning to alternative
fuels and new technolo-
gy. In April, MAN Diesel &
Turbo announced the de-
livery of three ships that
are capable of running on
methanol fuel, which is
an alternative ultra-low
sulphur option. Since
methanol can come from
a number of sources,
including natural gas or
bio-waste, it could also
be a green fuel.
René Laursen, pro-
motion manager for the
engine line, noted that
methanol offers some sig-
nificant benefits, at least
based on recent history.
Currently, methanol
costs more than marine
gas oil, but “we have
seen, over the last five
years, that methanol has
been cheaper, significant-
ly cheaper, than marine
gas oil,” Laursen said.
There have also been
cases where methanol
has been less expensive
than heavy bunker fuels,
although that has not
often been true.
Because of the variabil-
ity in relative fuel pric-
es, the ability to switch
back and forth between
fuels is important.
Laursen said that can
be done easily with the
new engines. They are
unchanged from those
optimised to run on bun-
ker fuel. The difference
is the addition of a new
fuel injection system,
enabling the engines to
switch between metha-
nol, marine gas oil and
bunker fuel easily.
Unlike some low-sul-
phur alternative fuels
that are gasses at room
temperature and thus
must be cooled, pres-
surised or both for han-
dling, methanol is a liquid
under normal conditions.
That makes storage and
transportation inexpen-
sive. It also means that
there is little additional
cost to the ship or ports
to handle the fuel, mak-
ing it a more attractive
alternative.
“We see a general high
interest in this type of fuel,”
Laursen said.
Dual-fuel marine engine
technology is one of the
topics that will be discussed
at the CIMAC Congress in
Helsinki this June.
René Laursen