For more than 10 years the Viking cruise ferry MV Mariella has been successfully operating her four S.E.M.T. Pielstick 12VPC2.6.diesel engines with Humid Air Motor technology. This year the, Norwegian owned, purse seiner/trawler and factory vessel MV Kvannøy built in 2002, was converted to Humid Air Motor operation. NOx emissions were reduced by 61.3 per cent, a saving of 50 ton annually. The HAM system operates by saturating the incoming turbocharger charge air with sea water vapor before it enters the air box and then the combustion chambers. The result is a lower peak temperature in the combustion process thereby reducing NOx formation. The economic benefits of the change gives a theoretical payback time for the HAM retrofit of approx. 3 years.
For more than 10 years the Viking cruise ferry
MV Mariella has been successfully operating her four S.E.M.T. Pielstick 12VPC2.6.diesel engines with Humid Air Motor
technology.
This year the, Norwegian owned, purse seiner/trawler and factory vessel
MV Kvannøy built in 2002, was converted to Humid Air Motor operation. At the recent commissioning test and sea trials,
MV Kvannøy’s exhaust gas NOx emissions from
the original MAN 16V28/32A propulsion engine rated 3,920 kW at 775 r/min, were reduced by 61.3 per cent compared to the emission of the main engine before the conversion running without HAM. The total NOx emissions saved by HAM will total 50 ton annually, the actual NOx level is only 1.2 g/kWh above the IMO Tier III limit.
The HAM system operates by saturating the incoming turbocharger charge air with sea water vapor before it enters the air box and then the combustion chambers. The result is a lower peak temperature in the combustion process thereby reducing NOx formation.
Good performance at full and part load, very low operational costs, reduced fuel consumption and no requirements for low sulfur fuels are the benefits of HAM operation: in addition the engine remains cleaner and TBOs are extended. It is an environmentally sound method using only sea water with no NOx-reducing agents required. The system being relatively uncomplicated enjoys low maintenance requirements
The economic benefits of the change amount to annual savings of approximately $140,000 due to reduced NOx taxes for operation within Norwegian waters. This gives a theoretical payback time for the HAM retrofit of approx. 3 years.
The HAM system design and installation on board
MV Kvannøy was carried out together with the DNV classification society, who additionally made the final emission analysis, including verifying the NOx measurements.