Report
Document Access
Citation
APA
RIS
TI - Local Air Benefits by Switching from Diesel Fuel to LNG on a Marine Vessel
AU - Miller, W
AB - Current environmental regulations require cleaner fuels and lower emissions for all maritime operations. Natural gas is a fuel that has been shown to meet the cleaner fuel requirements for maritime applications, despite data on natural gas in this capacity being quite limited. It is unknown what the future of maritime regulations will require or if natural gas can meet those requirements. This project provided an opportunity to directly compare the emissions from a modern duel-fuel marine engine running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) with emissions from diesel fuel. The University of California, Riverside (UCR) teamed with the National Research Council -Canada (NRCC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) to measure a wide range of chemical and physical properties of emissions from LNG and diesel fuels at loads specified in the engine certification cycle. Using standard methods, UCR measured the emissions of criteria and toxic air pollutants, as well as other contaminants that impact climate change such as black carbon (BC) and methane. Additionally, UCR generated activity profiles for the vessel operating within the Strait of Georgia to calculate real-world emission factors. Finally, a deeper analysis of the emission data was carried out to gauge the health and climate change impacts associated with the fuel change. The overall emission factors for both LNG and diesel fuels were below the certification levels. Especially notable was the reduction of 93% in particulate matter (PM) and 92% in NOx that was observed after switching from diesel to LNG. The ISO weighted NOx emission factor for LNG was 0.63 g/kWhr (8.94 g/kWhr for diesel). This value offers a mitigation strategy for port communities where high NOx levels drive ozone levels above the federal standards. The health hazard for PM outweighed formaldehyde toxicity over both the long and short term exposure. An analysis of global warming potential (GWP) impacts is complex, especially when considering the energy usage for both the fuel cycle and the vessel operation. This analysis considered energy usage solely for vessel operation. For snow and ice areas, the 97% reduction in black carbon will slow ice melting. However, the unburned methane dominates the GWP for both short and long term exposure.
DA - 2020/01//
PY - 2020
SP - 28
UR - https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/MARAD%20Final%20Report%20UCR%20v01%20Gerner%20Maersk.pdf
LA - English
KW - Unspecified Feedstock
KW - Methane (Natural Gas)
KW - Marine Diesel Oil (MDO)
KW - Unspecified Pathway
KW - Engine Testing and Performance
KW - Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) and Air Emissions
KW - Safety, Risk and Hazard Analysis
KW - Ocean-going Vessels
ER -
Abstract
Current environmental regulations require cleaner fuels and lower emissions for all maritime operations. Natural gas is a fuel that has been shown to meet the cleaner fuel requirements for maritime applications, despite data on natural gas in this capacity being quite limited. It is unknown what the future of maritime regulations will require or if natural gas can meet those requirements. This project provided an opportunity to directly compare the emissions from a modern duel-fuel marine engine running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) with emissions from diesel fuel. The University of California, Riverside (UCR) teamed with the National Research Council -Canada (NRCC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) to measure a wide range of chemical and physical properties of emissions from LNG and diesel fuels at loads specified in the engine certification cycle. Using standard methods, UCR measured the emissions of criteria and toxic air pollutants, as well as other contaminants that impact climate change such as black carbon (BC) and methane. Additionally, UCR generated activity profiles for the vessel operating within the Strait of Georgia to calculate real-world emission factors. Finally, a deeper analysis of the emission data was carried out to gauge the health and climate change impacts associated with the fuel change. The overall emission factors for both LNG and diesel fuels were below the certification levels. Especially notable was the reduction of 93% in particulate matter (PM) and 92% in NOx that was observed after switching from diesel to LNG. The ISO weighted NOx emission factor for LNG was 0.63 g/kWhr (8.94 g/kWhr for diesel). This value offers a mitigation strategy for port communities where high NOx levels drive ozone levels above the federal standards. The health hazard for PM outweighed formaldehyde toxicity over both the long and short term exposure. An analysis of global warming potential (GWP) impacts is complex, especially when considering the energy usage for both the fuel cycle and the vessel operation. This analysis considered energy usage solely for vessel operation. For snow and ice areas, the 97% reduction in black carbon will slow ice melting. However, the unburned methane dominates the GWP for both short and long term exposure.