With just few days to go before the  1  January  2010  start-date for  the European Union  (EU) rule  mandating  consumption  of  0.1% sulphur  content marine  gasoil  (MGO) in  port,  shipowners  are  investigating all  options  to  ensure  that  auxiliary diesel  engines  and  boilers  will  safely accommodate the new fuel.

Fortunately, the EU mandate is only for vessels at berth. For vessels calling on California ports, the California  Air Resources Board (CARB) now mandates that vessels must operate on a 0.5% sulphur distillate fuel no less than 24 nautical miles (nm) from port, a standard that requires a transition for main engines operating on heavy fuel to the new low sulphur distillate fuel.

To what extent are shipowners ready?

Are the precautions and procedures issued to date from engine makers and pump manufacturers suff icient for safe and trouble-free operation?

And for vessels that are already consuming the 0.1% sulphur fuel, what problems, if any, have developed?

In this article we will look at these questions and investigate low sulphur MGO, and why the ref ining process used
to produce it, can create serious def iciencies with adverse consequences affecting vessel operation.

We will also review widespread misconceptions about the impact of these fuels on proper fuel pump lubrication, and
the available remedies. Finally, we will discuss the successful use of low sulphur distillates in the United States the past 20
years, where shipowners and fuel suppliers have been using a proven additive technology for lubricity and performance benef its.

The primary concerns about low sulphur MGO have focused on four areas:

viscosity: low sulphur distillates have relatively low viscosity, ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 centistokes (cst).
Fuel pumps depend upon an appropriate viscosity to meet required volumetric capacity, an especially important consideration in
maintaining proper feed rates to boilers lubricity:  the 0.1 % sulphur MGO has greatly reduced lubricating value for
fuel delivery systems. The naturally occurring lubricating components in heavy fuels, and in 1.5% sulphur
distillate fuels, simply do not exist in.....................

More info Download: www.infomarine.gr/downloads/bunkers/Power-2009_Bunkerspot_LowSulfurMGOLubricityIssues.pdf

Ralph Lewis looks at the
issues surrounding low
sulphur fuels and lubricity

Ralph Lewis is the Vice President of Houston-based
Power Research Inc. Lubricity and stability test data is
available on the PRI Internet site.

Contact:
Ralph Lewis
Power Research Inc.
Tel: +1 713 490 1100
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web: www.priproducts.com