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Why the internal combustion engine is essential in shipping’s decarbonisation mission

Shipping has been thrust into the spotlight as the world grapples with decarbonisation. In the past, the sector has operated with minimal visibility to the worldwide population, all while transporting around 90% of its goods. However, its low-profile existence is coming to an abrupt end.

IMO 2030, committing the industry to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions, is just around the corner while IMO 2050, pursuing efforts towards 70%, is realistically only one ship’s lifetime away. Meanwhile, the inclusion of shipping in the EU ETS scheme will have profound consequences for a considerable portion of the sector and drive Co2 and Co2-e reduction efforts.

The recently unveiled IMO Fourth Greenhouse Gas study is a stark warning for those in the sector willing to bide their time to wait for a perfect solution to emerge. For instance, GHG emissions could rise by 50% by 2050 without urgent measures. This would be an unmitigated disaster for the sector as a whole.

With emissions climbing and targets looming, shipping hasn’t got the opportunity to wait. The sector needs to make progress now and must explore short-term solutions that can make an immediate difference.

Marc Sima, CEO and president of FUELSAVE

Waiting is not an option

In an ideal world, shipping’s decarbonisation dilemma would be resolved by waiting for the current fleet to reach the end of its life, before replacing it with a new highly efficient vessels.

However, with targets looming large on the horizon, we can’t afford to wait. Short term measures to address emissions reductions from the current fleet can provide a crucial impact to decarbonise shipping.

To achieve the targets set by IMO among others, will require a combination of design and technical measures, operational measures, and rapid innovation in alternative propulsion technologies plus the establishment of a worldwide bunker infrastructure for viable clean-fuel alternatives – for usage in internal combustion engines (ICEs) as the dominant energy converter until 2050 and far beyond.

According to the non-executive President of Clarkson Research, Martin Stopford, as a priority, the sector needs to make existing vessels more efficient by systematic retrofitting. But how do you retrofit a vessel with technology such as alternative marine power sources which are not yet established?

The shipping sector cannot overlook established solutions such as ICEs, which when used in combination with clean drop-in fuel alternatives and can be easily retrofitted and are invaluable with regards to their immediate impact on Co2 reduction.

The science backs this up. The University of Manchester study “Shipping and the Paris climate agreement: a focus on committed emissions” highlights the potential benefits of using the existing fleet as a vehicle to achieve decarbonisation targets, as opposed to delaying until new more sustainable ships come online.

There is no doubt that the ICE is the first port of call for the sector to reach its emissions targets, thanks to its flexibility to accommodate future-fuels, its prevalence within shipping, and its ability to be further improved thanks to combustion conditioning.

Tackling methane and black carbon

While shipping makes progress tackling its GHG emissions, it must not fail to address other damaging pollutants. One such pollutant, which is currently unregulated, is black carbon. As highlighted in the IMO’s 4th GHG study, from 2012 – 2018, black carbon emissions from shipping increased by approximately 12%.

Black carbon (BC) may only stay in the atmosphere for a few days or weeks, but it can trap 3200-times more heat in the atmosphere than Co2 with 1kg of BC equivalent to 3200kg Co2 over a twenty-year period. Furthermore, due to shipping’s arctic routes, it is responsible for directly depositing black carbon onto the arctic ice, accelerating snow and ice melt.

To tackle air pollutants and GHG emissions such as black carbon, which increase due to inefficiencies in the combustion process and continue to climb with immediate, long-lasting consequences, we can implement advanced combustion conditioning solutions that can significantly influence and optimize the combustion process now.

By achieving a leaner and cleaner combustion at higher thermal and volumetric efficiency of an engine at lower combustion temperature, shipping can enjoy not only fuel savings, but significant reductions in NOX (GWP 289) by up to 80% and black carbon (GWP 3200) by up to 33% depending on the engine load with solutions such as FS MARINE+, being compatible with other efficiency enhancement and emission reduction measures while providing flexibility to be used with current and future fuels coming online throughout the clean-fuel transition.

Which future fuel will emerge atop the podium?

There are many roadmaps available in the shipping industry today that explore the sector’s future fuel options, each with its unique positives and challenges. Ammonia is perceived as a front-runner by many – it is a zero-carbon fuel and is more energy-dense than hydrogen. It can also be used in an internal combustion engine, including blends and with pilot fuels like hydrogen & diesel.

In a recent study by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), green ammonia was named one of the most promising low-emission fuels, with the report predicting that its use for shipping will reach 130 million tonnes by 2070, almost twice as much as was used worldwide for fertiliser production in 2019.

As opposed to waiting for an alternative form of propulsion to emerge, we have the technology at our disposal now that enables those future fuels, including ammonia and liquified synthetic methane, to enjoy further benefits in their combustion process. The ICE will enable these fuels to be implemented in the coming years with MAN having announced the first Ammonia based ICE to be released in 2024. The combustion process can be further controlled and optimised thanks to advanced combustion conditioning enabling stable and robust combustion at high efficiency while controlling combustion temperatures and reducing NOX emissions significantly.

However, a major barrier to the adoption of ammonia lies in its costs. In particular, according to a recent study by the Energy Transitions Commission, first movers would face green ammonia costs around five times the cost of HFO, with a similar cost increase also applicable for green methanol. As a result, cost savings remains the primary objective for ship owners and operators.

Modern Dual Fuel engines allow Shipowners to adapt and retrofit compatibility with these future fuels, thus saving on costs of replacing them with alternative propulsion. Additionally, advanced combustion conditioning is helping operators to reduce costs and addressing remaining performance deficits on combustion & emission side.

By being able to help Ammonia to ignite better and combust more stable in, low and high loads, while at the same time significantly addressing the NOX emissions and reducing therefore associated CAPEX and OPEX required to run the SCR, solutions like FS MARINE+ for advanced combustion conditioning are delivering a unique value add, helping operators to save costs while optimising emissions and reducing maintenance due to a cleaner combustion with less soot & deposit and lower lube oil contamination, reducing the engine wear & tear with an HW based retrofit technology that can be integrated effectively and with even lower CAPEX in new-builds in the future.

The goal is clear

Shipping, as the IMO’s Fourth Greenhouse Gas (GHG) study reminds us, needs to make considerable short-term progress to tackle the rising Co2-e emissions and it seems logical to use a great vehicle in moving the dial forward: the internal combustion engine.

With its simplicity, capability, and flexibility to be used with renewable drop-in fuels and future clean-fuel alternatives in combination with advanced combustion conditioning, i.e., using hydrogen & methanol, making the use of renewable fuels more competitive while further optimizing the remaining emissions and overall engine efficiency, it has the potential to truly propel shipping’s decarbonisation mission being more viable, starting today.
Source: By Marc Sima, CEO and president of FUELSAVE

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