Successful marine trial for dry scrubber

What is said to be the first marine application of a dry scrubber for the desulphurisation of engine exhaust gases has been installed on a German cellulose freighter, Timbus.

The Couple Systems DryEGCS scrubber was observed on a voyage from Bremerhaven to Gothenburg in November 2009. The system, previously used in land-based applications, has undergone a two-year research and development to adapt it to the marine environment.

Shipyard Motorenwerke Bremerhaven (MWB AG) was able to install the system in less than one week, on the ship’s MaK 8M32, 3.6 MW main engine, with the full cooperation and encouragement of owner Reederei Braren of Kollmar.

Test readings showed that more than 99% of the sulphur oxides were extracted from the exhaust gases, with high levels of reduction of other pollutants also noted.

The system was further observed and measured by Germanischer Lloyd surveyors in December 2009 with a view towards certification of the system. GL’s measurements indicated that the sulphur content of 2% in the HFO was reduced to the equivalent of less than 0.1% by the DryEGCS, thus fulfilling Marpol Annex VI requirements with regards to separation of sulphur.

Couple Systems thus claims to provide a technical solution, which it says is proven and readily available to shipping, enabling continued use of HFO. The company claims a return on investment when purchasing a DryEGCS is possible in one year in the light of current bunker prices for ships that mainly navigate in the ECA areas, such as the North and Baltic Seas.