In-hull Dual Fuel Engine Conversion an Industry First

The actual project saw the re-fit of a marine diesel motor to dual fuel procedure in the hull of a deliver without altering the vessel’s structure, limiting any on-ship operations or requiring the actual ship to dock. Fuel shipping company Anthony Veder partnered with a team associated with Dutch partners, including Kitty dealer Bolier, to accomplish this industry-first feat - all inside less than five weeks.

The particular conversion took place aboard the particular Coral Anthelia, a service provider vessel that transports ethylene as well as liquid natural gas (LNG) mainly in northwestern Europe. These days, the Coral Anthelia’s Mirielle 46 DF engine may run on LNG, marine diesel powered oil and heavy energy oil - reaching if you are an00 of efficiency in fuel mode, according to Cat Sea. Furthermore, Cat said utilizing LNG eliminates the release of sulfur and particulate matter and reduces emissions of NOx and CARBON DIOXIDE by 90 percent and also 20 percent, respectively.

“LNG like a cargo creates a natural boil-off gas, ” said Frans Juhrend, customer support project professional at Bolier. “Anthony Veder wanted to find a solution to consume this particular gas and not release this into the environment. They chose to adapt the engine to be able to consume the boil-off gasoline - hence the transformation to run on gas because fuel. ”

Anthony Veder wanted to install a dual gas engine at the time of the ship’s construction, but the technology had not been quite ready. When it do become available, the company conducted an investigation and development project in order to in-hull and outside-the-hull retrofits, with the in-hull process growing as the clear winner.

Transforming the Coral Anthelia’s MaKTM M 43 C diesel-powered engine to a six-cylinder Meters 46 DF (dual fuel) platform, with each canister offering 900 kW regarding rated power, required cautious planning and collaboration among Anthony Veder and its spouses.

“The deadline was set, because commercial operation from the vessel in her brand new trade was set, ” Juhrend said. “Meeting the period of time was only possible as a result of very efficient preparation stage. ”

Key steps in which phase included predetermining all of the transport openings through which needed components could be transferred, along with laying out 90 percent of most necessary cabling on board typically the vessel before arrival in the shipyard. That allowed often the conversion team to begin removing, then rebuilding, the powerplant immediately.

Overall planning along with operation were performed through Anthony Veder in near cooperation with partners through Bolier, Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam (Van Brink shipyard), Croon Elektrotechniek (electrical contractor), Leemberg (piping contractor) and Eekels (ship automation contractor). Regardless of the complexity, the team managed to perform the retrofit in less than 5 weeks. It helped that will Caterpillar had strategically designed the M 46 DF to allow for the retrofitting involving current M 43 D engines. Synergies between the 2 platforms meant the in-hull conversion could occur without having moving the engine prevent or performing extensive machining.

And according to Caterpillar, the actual retrofitting process saved Anthony Veder considerable time and cash.

“Docking a vessel is actually costly, so not needing the Coral Anthelia to look into dry dock was obviously a significant cost saving, ” Juhrend said. “The suggestions from the customer has been really positive both on the conversions and on the new technology. ”

While the Coral Anthelia’s re-fit was the marine industry’s initially its kind, Juhrend does not believe it will be the last.

“The conversion from an existing diesel engine engine to dual gasoline is mostly driven by possibly environmental, legislative or monetary reasons, ” he stated. “For customers transporting LNG as cargo, such a conversion process results in a win-win scenario in all three areas. ”

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