Page 198 - CW E-Magazine (14-5-2024)

Special Report Special Report

Reducing emissions in shipping: Liquid ammonia Solutions also anticipates a rapid conveyed without any problems. As expand its industrial pump business.
increase in the fuel to around 40% of the the diaphragm pumps are dry-run safe As a research and production-oriented
requires fail-safe and hermetically tight pum ps total fuel mix for dual-fuel two-stroke to an unlimited degree, costly failures company, LEWA develops techno-
engines by 2030. Given these promising cannot occur even if other faults occur logies and solutions for the vast array of
n total, around 11 billion tonnes 2030 and by a total THOMAS BÖKENBRINK forecasts, it is hardly surprising that the in the FGSS. In addition, the systems applications among its customers. The
of freight were transported by sea of 70% by 2050. In Lead Product Manager Pumps order for the fi rst ammonia cargo ships are designed in such a way that they can products are mainly used in the chemi-
Iworldwide in 2021 – which corres- addition to the Emis- LEWA GmbH has already been placed, even though be maintained and repaired by the crew cal, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and bio-
ponds to almost 90% of all trade goods(1). sion Control Areas Email: lewa@lewa.de the marine engines for this application directly on board using simple means. technology industries, in the food and
Producing more than 1 million tonnes of (ECAs) defi ned in the lewa.de are still under development. Compared beverage segment and in energy utilities.
greenhouse gases, the shipping industry MARPOL agreement, to LPG or LNG, NH poses its own The patented sandwich diaphragm They also play a role in the manufac-
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causes around 3% of global carbon di- which are to be further expanded in the First used as an alternative fuel challenges as a fuel: Even in very small with integrated monitoring system ture of plastics, detergents and cleaning
oxide emissions per year(2). And there future, the Energy Effi ciency Design in 1943 due to a diesel shortage, quantities, the odorous gas is highly toxic ensures that the LEWA triplex diaphragm agents. Other applications are in refi ner-
are other pollutants, such as sulphur Index for New Ships (EEDI) and the Ship ammonia (NH ) does not emit particulate to humans and animals, and it reacts with pumps remain hermetically tight even ies and the petrochemical industry, the
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oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic Energy Effi ciency Management Plan matter, nitrogen oxides or CO during other air pollutants to form unwanted if the diaphragm is damaged. This oil and gas industry, and the fi eld of gas
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compounds (VOCs) and ozone-depleting (SEEMP) regulate the energy effi ciency combustion and has no ozone depletion particulate matter in the atmosphere. guarantees that no dangerous NH can odorization. LEWA currently employs
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substances (ODS). In coastal areas and CO emissions of newly built ships. potential. Until now, it has been obtained escape, even under extreme operating around 1,200 people and owns 14 sub-
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defi ned by the MARPOL Convention as Older models with more than 400 GT, from nitrogen (N ) and hydrogen (H ) Fail-safe, hermetically tight pump conditions. Integrated overpressure sidiaries around the world, as well as 80
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Emission Control Areas (ECAs), these on the other hand, have had to comply using the Haber-Bosch process, which technology is therefore required to move protection and optional pump monitor- representatives and sales offi ces in more
pollutants are subject to increasingly with the new regulations of the Energy requires a great deal of energy. The pro- NH safely and reliably within the ship ing by LEWA Smart Monitoring supple- than 80 countries.
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stringent limits. Ammonia (NH3) is cur- Effi ciency Design Index for Existing duction of hydrogen is particularly criti- and inject it precisely into the engine. ment the high standards of operational Image material:
rently coming to the fore in the search for Ships (EEXI) since 2023. cal from an environmental point of view, The challenge: Conventional plunger safety. Intelligent monitoring systems
clean alternative fuels to the heavy fuel as H2 has so far been split off from fossil pumps, which are usually used for these will generally become more relevant
oil that has been predominantly used to Liquid ammonia as a sustainable methane gas. However, with the develop- kinds of high-pressure applications, have in the shipping industry over the next
date. Unlike LPG and LNG, it does not marine fuel ment of processes for the sustainable a natural leakage at the plunger seal due few years, as digitalization is also
emit any CO during combustion. How- With the aim of reducing emissions production of H via electrolysis using to their design. For the fuel gas supply being advanced in this fi eld. Often,
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ever, the gas is both toxic to humans and fuel consumption while increas- renewable energies on an industrial systems (FGSS) in dual-fuel ship pro- newly built freighters are already being
and animals, as well as highly harmful ing performance and ensuring cost- scale, NH is now becoming an attrac- pulsion systems with NH , only high- made “smarter”. As NH is a clean and Fig. 1: For the fuel gas supply systems (FGSS)
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to the environment. The technology effi cient operation, dual-fuel variants tive fuel for clean and sustainable ship pressure diaphragm pumps designed sustainable marine fuel in the long term, of dual-fuel ship propulsion systems using NH ,
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only high-pressure diaphragm pumps designed
employed to use liquid ammonia as a fuel of two-stroke marine diesel engines propulsion systems. This also provides a without dynamic seals can therefore be corresponding drives could also play a without dynamic seals can be considered.
must therefore be hermetically tight and have been conquering the market for positive answer to the important well-to- considered. This creates a hermetically role in the development of autonomous Source: Hanwha Ocean
guarantee maximum operational safety. several years now. They enable a high wake (WTW) question: When consider- tight working chamber that rules out the smart ships in the coming decades.
LEWA’s high-pressure diaphragm pumps degree of fl exibility with regard to the ing new fuels, it is crucial to take into possibility of emissions.
meet these requirements. Their standard fuels used, from pure marine diesel account not only the combustion process About LEWA GmbH
safety mechanisms make them suitable or heavy fuel oil operation to gas in the ship’s engine, but also the entire LEWA triplex diaphragm pumps for LEWA GmbH was founded as a family
for hazardous, toxic and environmentally operation. On the gas side, LNG and LPG balance of fuel production. Thanks to FGSS company by Herbert Ott and Rudolf
harmful fl uids such as NH3, even under (propane/butane), which are particu- the new processes, NH can also be an Thanks to their robust design with Schestag in 1952. Today it is the
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extreme operating conditions. larly suitable for liquefi ed gas tankers, attractive option. At the end of 2023, the maximum operational reliability, the world’s leading manufacturer of metering
have mainly been used to date. How- world’s fi rst ammonia project for bulk low-pulsation LEWA triplex diaphragm pumps and process diaphragm pumps,
In 2018 alone, the shipping industry ever, these are fossil gases, and while carriers was launched. In a four-party pumps have so far proven themselves as well as complete metering packages
caused a total of 1,076-mt of greenhouse they release fewer pollutants overall agreement, the Belgian bulk carrier as fuel pumps in FGSS, primarily for for process engineering. The company, Fig. 2: The LEWA triplex process diaphragm
gas emissions, including 1,056-mt of during combustion, they still release operator CMB.TECH appointed the LPG – but nothing stands in the way headquartered in Leonberg, Germany, pumps are designed in such a way that they
CO (3). Compared to 2008, this represents a considerable amount of CO . LNG engine manufacturer, WinGD, as well of their use with NH . The required developed into an international group in can be maintained and repaired directly on
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an increase of around 90%. If the indus- also consists predominantly of methane as CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding pressures of approx. 85 bar can be just a few decades. Since 2022, the com- board by the crew using simple means.
try does not change, levels are expected (CH ), which is around 25 times more (QBS) and CSSC Engine Co (CSE) to realized very easily with LEWA triplex pany has been part of the Atlas Copco Source: LEWA
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to rise to up to 130% of those from 2008 harmful to the climate than CO and, in produce the fi rst eight 210,000 DWT diaphragm pumps. For the pump heads Group, a globally leading Swedish REFERENCES
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over the next 25 years(4). To improve two-stroke marine diesel engines, small bulk carriers powered by NH . These are of the M900 series, which have been industrial corporation for compressed 1. Statista.
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these forecasts, the International Mari- amounts inevitably escape – a phenom- to be delivered over the next three years. proven in the fi eld for many years, air and vacuum solutions, energy solu- 2. Fourth IMO GHG Study 2020,
time Organization (IMO) developed a enon called methane slip. For this rea- this value is even in the lower range tions, dewatering and industrial pumps, International Maritime Organization,
greenhouse gas strategy in 2018 that son, LNG and LPG are merely bridging Hermetically tight pump technology of the possible performance spectrum, industrial power tools and assembly and 2021.
aims to reduce the shipping industry’s technologies on the way to completely in NH dual-fuel drives which extends up to 500 bar. Particles machine vision solutions. Together with 3. Ibid.
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carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by carbon-free ship propulsion. Engine manufacturer MAN Energy or oil residues in the fuel can also be Atlas Copco Group, LEWA will further 4. Ibid.
198 Chemical Weekly May 14, 2024 Chemical Weekly May 14, 2024 199

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