Maritime Classification Society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted Alfa Laval the first classification society approval to use methanol to operate boilers. Alfa Laval was based on extensive solution testing conducted at the Alfa Laval Testing and Training Center and was approved in principle (AIP) on November 4, 2021.

Marine boilers generate steam for auxiliary machinery that serves various ships, or in some cases, are used for main propulsion. Alfa Laval provides a series of oil and oil exhaust gas boilers for ships. The company's Aalborg OL high-capacity boiler is ready to be used for any marine fuel under discussion, including liquefied natural gas and methanol.

Aalborg OL uses top combustion and offers two different design pressures. It is a vertical two-drum cylindrical boiler. The straight pipe is directly connected to the steam drum and the steam drum to ensure a safe circulation without the risk of overheating and subsequent pipeline burning. Source: Alfa Laval.

Methanol is liquid at ambient temperature and is carbon-neutral if it is produced from green sources. It is likely to be the next fuel step for marine industry decarbonization. Although methanol can be found on a few ships and is planned for more ships, its use so far has been limited to the main engine. In the future, the methanol business will need to expand to boilers.

Alfa Laval is studying all the effects of methanol on ships. The most natural choice for boilers is to burn with the main fuel of ships, but the low flash point characteristics of methanol and the difference in energy density require new methods for the burner and fuel supply system. It is important for us to develop this method, and we are proud to pass the ABS verification. —Lars Skytte Jørgensen, Vice President, Energy System Technology Development, Alfa Laval Marine Division

Since the beginning of 2021, Alfa Laval has been operating with a methanol test boiler at the Alfa Laval Testing and Training Center, which is also conducting methanol engine combustion tests. The pressure atomized MultiFlame burner was tested on the Alfa Laval Aalborg OS-TCi boiler and the Alfa Laval-designed methanol valve unit (MVU) to meet the ABS grade requirements.

The fuel oil Aalborg OS-TCi is provided as a pre-assembled boiler unit with an integrated pressure atomizing burner (KBM burner), which is controlled and monitored by the Aalborg Laval Touch Control system. Source: Alfa Laval

Preliminary results obtained using pure methanol and methanol-water mixtures indicate that, as expected, methanol is easily ignited and emissions are very low. Therefore, the focus is on using methanol to ensure the same steam output-despite its lower calorific value-as in the case of using oil or natural gas as fuel. After several adjustments, a solution was reached to ensure that a boiler of a given size can produce the same amount of steam, regardless of the fuel used. This means that development can quickly shift to optimizing fuel supply systems and cooperating with ABS to develop methanol AIP.

With AIP, Alfa Laval's next step will be a pilot installation on an ocean-going vessel. The results of the field test are critical to fine-tuning the methanol boiler solution and realizing the commercial design.

At the same time, Alfa Laval is seeking wider optimization possibilities to compensate for the lower energy density and higher price of methanol. One of them is the combination of the Alfa Laval Aalborg Mini Economizer and OS-TCi. By absorbing waste heat from boiler exhaust gas, Aalborg Micro will recover valuable energy and reduce boiler-related fuel consumption by approximately 10%.

The switch to methanol requires many changes, especially in energy management. Aalborg Micro is a multi-purpose energy efficiency improvement product suitable for boilers and other places. Together with other Alfa Laval solutions under development, it will help ships meet energy needs while minimizing the methanol they consume. -Lars Jørgensen

Published on December 13, 2021 in Market Background, Methanol, Ports and Oceans | Permalink | Comments (0)

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