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APL Project
Retrofitting of WiFE on Demand on M/V APL Singapore
In 2006, Sea to Sky Pollution Solutions received funding through the Carl Moyer Program for a high-profile project that involved the retrofitting, demonstration and testing of Sea to Sky's proprietary water in fuel emulsion technology called WiFE on Demand's ability to reduce emissions on container vessel M/V APL Singapore. The installation of Sea to Sky's WiFE on Demand on the demonstration vessel was completed in early 2007 and final emissions testing will begin in October 2007, with another round of testing May - June 2008.
The initial research and development of Sea to Sky's WiFE on Demand technology was funded by an earlier project completed in 2006 on SeaSpan Ship Management's vessel M/V Jakarta Express through the Port of Los Angeles' Air Quality Mitigation Incentive Program (PAQMIP).
Demonstration Vessel M/V APL Singapore
The demonstration vessel M/V APL Singapore is owned by APL Maritime and currently operates on APL's Asia to North America route. The vessel is a 863 foot post-Panamax container ship built in 1995. APL is one of the world's leading shipping companies and played a pivotal role supporting and facilitating the project.
Sea to Sky's WiFE on Demand Technology
M/V APL Singapore was retrofitted with Sea to Sky's emissions mitigation technology called "WiFE on Demand", which stands for "water in fuel emulsion on demand". Water in fuel emulsion is the process of emulsifying fuel and water before injection into the engine's combustion cylinder, thereby reducing the maximum peak combustion temperature which in turn reduces nitrous oxides (NOx). At the same time, when the water droplets vaporize, they produce "micro-explosions" inside the surrounding fuel droplets, and these micro-explosions expose more of the fuel's surface area to the air, which increases combustion. The micro-explosions also release the water's two elements - hydrogen and oxygen - and the additional oxygen inhibits the formation of the compound called PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), thereby reducing particulate matter (PM). Emissions reductions anticipated are in the order of 1:1 for NOx and 1:2 to 1:3 for PM based on water percentage (i.e. 30% water reduces NOx by 30% and PM by 60-90%). The in-cylinder evaporation of the water also improves the atomization of the fuel causing it to burn more completely. Unlike previous water in fuel emulsion technologies, Sea to Sky's WiFE on Demand provides the flexibility of being "on demand" so that a vessel's needs for both emission reduction and engine power can be met simultaneously. The technology has been specifically designed so that it can be suspended when more power and torque are required, such as in docking situations.
Project Partners
A number of critical government agencies and industry stakeholders participated with Sea to Sky in the APL Project including: California Air Districts (Bay Area AQMD, Ventura County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, Santa Barbara County APCD), the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, industry leader MAN B&W Diesel, University of California Riverside (Center for Environmental Research & Technology (C-CERT)), Danica Diesel and vessel operator APL Maritime.
Man B&W Diesel, the world's leading manufacturer of marine diesel engines worked closely with Sea to Sky to ensure the safe retrofitting of our technology on the demonstration vessel's engine, and was also instrumental in the development and patenting of the WiFE on Demand AutoPurge safety system.
University of California Riverside's Center for Environmental Research & Technology (C-CERT) was responsible for baseline emissions testing and will conduct the post-retrofit emissions testing in June 2007. Emissions testing is an essential part of the APL Project in order to determine the level of air pollution benefits achieved by WiFE on Demand. The project will test different concentrations of water to determine the emulsion level that best reduces emissions.
APL Project Media Event
On December 4, 2006 a press conference and media event was held in Los Angeles onboard M/V APL Singapore to announce the APL Project and the demonstration of Sea to Sky's WiFE on Demand technology as a retrofit pollution abatement solution.
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Upcoming Emissions Testing of WiFE on Demand October 2007 and May - June 2008
In June 2007 Sea to Sky Pollution Solutions received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for the operation of WiFE on Demand as a marine pollution mitigation technology so that final emissions testing of the system could be conducted on M/V APL Singapore. Testing is being conducted by emissions experts at the University of California in three phases from August to October 2007, with a subsequent round of testing May - June 2008.
The first phase was completed between August 3rd and August 8th with the purpose of testing the emulsification capability of the WiFE system and to verify that the emulsified fuel would clean the soot from the exhaust system. This test has been successfully completed and while final results are still pending, initial assessments indicate the combustion efficiency post-test has been improved over pre-test combustion efficiency because the soot emissions seem to have been effectively cleaned from the exhaust even though the maximum water content used during the test was 7%. The second phase is currently ongoing and consists of the extended use of the emulsifier (i.e. homogenizer) at 0% water content. The third phase was the formal emission testing in mid October. A subsequent round of emissions verification testing will then be conducted during May - June 2008.
Watch our website and marine news sources for the results of the University of California Riverside’s emissions testing of WiFE on Demand on M/V APL Singapore after June 2008.
For Your Interest
The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program is going into its eighth year of providing grants to reduce emissions on heavy-duty engines and is administered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in partnership with the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
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