Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) says it will install a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on all three power generators of an MOL-operated oceangoing freighter for a demonstration test to ensure compliance with nitrogen oxides emissions rules.
MOL, Yanmar and Namura Shipbuilding jointly developed the SCR system. This test will demonstrate NOx denitration under the actual operation of the freighter to meet the Tier III NOx regulations set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), MOL says.
The SCR system received a statement of fact from ship classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai on July 1, verifying that it meets the NOx Tier III emission limit. According to the regulations, diesel engines used on vessels built after 2016 will be required to reduce NOx emissions by more than 80 percent from the Tier I NOx emission standards in the Emission Control Areas, including North America.
MOL says the SCR system will give it a head start in meeting these environmental rules and shows it commitments to preventing air pollution.
As part of the demonstration test, MOL will install a catalytic reactor that includes a bypass system onboard to save engine room space and allow greater flexibility in design. The SCR system also reduces space needed for peripheral equipment by integrating control of three units.
The test operation on the vessel is scheduled to last about two years, during which MOL will observe operability and refilling of aqueous urea. The test is intended to ensure that all three SCR systems function properly under normal power generator operating conditions and long-term performance of the system can be maintained even if the engines use Bunker C and other fuels that contain high levels of impurities.
Teijin Engineering has also developed a SCR denitration device for midsized ship engines to ensure compliance with the Tier III NOx emissions rule. In May, the company announced that ship tests have demonstrated that the device can reduce NOx emissions by 80 percent.
Last month, GE Marine said it successfully completed an emissions-testing program for the first 12V250 marine diesel engine that meets EPA Tier 4i and IMO Tier III in-engine emission compliance. The company says its engine technology eliminates the need for an SCR system and storing or using urea aboard a vessel, thereby preserving cargo and tank space.
