AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Particulate Matter and Other Criteria Pollutants Reduced by Algae Fuel in Marine Vessels
M. Yusuf Khan, William A. Welch, Robert L. Russell, David R. Cocker III, MARYAM HAJBABAEI, UC Riverside
Abstract Number: 534 Working Group: Combustion
Abstract Particulate matter (PM2.5) and other criteria pollutants from harbor craft significantly affect air quality in populated regions near ports and inland waterways. In an effort to reduce Particulate matter and dependency on fossil fuels, this study examined the use of Algae fuel in marine vessel. Emissions were measured from a 4-stroke, 600 kW Caterpillar D398 diesel generator used for propulsion in a Stalwart class (T-AGOS) ocean surveillance ship operated in the lake of Michigan. Base emissions were measured when ship operated on ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel following ISO 8178-4 D2 certification test cycle. Subsequently, fuel was switched to 50/50 blend of ULSD and Algae fuel (B50) to compare its emission profile with base fuel (ULSD).
Significant reduction (up to 35%) in PM2.5 was observed at 50% engine load and below on consuming B50. At higher loads (75% and 100%), PM2.5 was reduced by 6% and 7%, respectively. Overall a reduction of 25% was found for PM2.5. PM2.5 collected on quartz filter was speciated into Elemental carbon (EC) and Organic carbon (OC). PM2.5 was dominated by OC (77-94%) for both fuels. Substantial reduction (30-34%) in EC was observed across all loads except at 10% engine load where reduction dropped down to 6%. Overall a reduction of 30% in EC and 20% in OC was obtained on consuming B50 fuel. Other criteria pollutants such as Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Carbon monoxide (CO) were reduced by 10% and 18%, respectively. The consumption of 50/50 blend also resulted in better fuel economy.
Impact of fuel properties on PM2.5 and other criteria pollutants will be discussed in the presentation.