SPECIAL | GREEN SHIPPING

IMO TIER 3:
Strategies and challenges
EMISSIONS The reduction of the permissible sulphur concentrations coming into force in emission
protected areas (ECAs) in 2015 will immediately be followed by the introduction of IMO Tier 3
emission stage in 2016. This stage requires a reduction of the NOx limit by 80% compared with the
present level (IMO Tier 1). A number of different engine plant approaches are being studied with a
view to complying with the future IMO Tier 3 NOx-limits and with the reduced SOx emission targets.
Bert Buchholz, Horst Harndorf, Christian Fink

T
he IMO Tier 3 limits require far- control systems and control strategies based may also present a disadvantage depending
reaching changes in the technology on maps and physical models. on the ship concept.
of large engines. New basic solutions Figure 1 shows the basic elements of an effi-
and coordinated overall strategies are nec- cient and low-emission engines operation. Exhaust gas recirculation strategies
essary to achieve these considerable NOx A vital aspect is how to derive meaningful to comply with IMO Tier 3
reductions without causing significant dis- overall concepts from this wide range of A strategy for a marked reduction of NOx
advantages concerning efficiency and con- individual measures in order to achieve an emissions which is new to the marine die-
sumption. efficient and IMO Tier 3 compliant engine sel engine industry is the high-load EGR.
Measures for engine internal emission re- operation. As has been learned from the Heavy Duty
duction can be subdivided into the main Truck engine industry, using EGR can help
areas of air path and fuel path. In addition, The conventional approach: Use of to force the NOx raw emissions below the
exhaust gas after treatment measures may SCR catalysts limit of 2 g/kWh. In connection with the
be applied to force the remaining emissions The installation of SCR catalysts on board operation on low-sulphur fuels inside the
below the limits. A coordinated, load and ships has been promoted by the introduc- ECAs, an introduction of EGR in marine
operation condition depending control of tion of emission-depending port dues in diesel engines can become operational for
these measures will in future be indispensi- Sweden and the NOx tax in Norway. Opera- the first time.
ble to comply with the limits and guarantee tion even below the limits set for IMO 3 can An EGR-based IMO Tier 3 strategy within
safe and efficient engine operation simulta- be achieved by the use of SCR catalysts. the ECAs will require the installation of an
neously. This will require complex engine In order to stick to the emission limits valid EGR system at the engine. The sulphur ox-
inside the ECAs from 2016, it will be neces- ide emissions will be limited by the use of
sary to switch to a low-sulphur fuel in addi- low-sulphur fuels which are also binding for
tion to operation of the SCR catalyst. Outside a successful EGR operation.
the ECA areas, engines can be operated as Outside the ECAs, the EGR path can be closed
normal IMO Tier 2 engines using sulphur- and the engine can be operated on heavy fuel
ous heavy fuel. As additional NOx reduction as a standard IMO Tier 2 engine.
is not necessary outside the ECAs, the SCR The advantages of an EGR-based strategy are
can be bypassed. comparatively low investment costs despite
Fuel injection systems and air charge groups the higher costs for engine and charge air
can stay on the technological level of the system. The additional space required is not
IMO Tier 2 strategies, meaning basically a to be neglected, but comparatively low. Ad-
Common-Rail-System with single injection ditional operating costs are caused by the use
(main injection) and a 1-stage charging of low-sulphur distillate fuels when sailing
with highly efficient TC. The advantages of in the ECAs.
SCR-based IMO Tier 3 strategies are the use On the other hand, there are a number of
of established engine and exhaust gas af- challenges. As the amount of recirculated
ter treatment technologies. Engine internal exhaust gas forms a considerable part of the
NOx reduction can be dispensed with due cylinder fresh load, a significant increase of
to the high NOx conversion rates of the SCR the charging air pressure will be required.
catalyst. This requires the installation of complex
The obvious advantages of an SCR-based 2-stage turbo-charging systems with cor-
concept need to be compared with the in- responding charge air coolers and control
vestment and operating costs for the SCR measures. The EGR mass flow has to be
catalyst and the urea solution. Using low-sul- cooled and controlled, too. The high EGR
phur distillate fuels within the ECAs also has rates required to obtain the IMO Tier 3 lim-
Figure 1: Basic elements of an efficient
and low-emission engine operation a negative impact on the overall operating its cause a marked increase in particle emis-
(above), coordination of possible emis- costs. The space required for the SCR catalyst sions, which will place increased demands
sion reduction measures and the bunkering of the reduction means on the injection system. Compared to

76 Ship & Offshore | 2010 | No 4

present large diesel engine Common-Rail-
Systems, the injection pressures will have to
be increased and multiple injection strate-
gies will have to be considered (especially
combinations of main and post injection).
Outside the ECAs, the injection system will
have to continue providing a normal IMO
Tier 2 operation with heavy fuel while EGR
is switched off. The complete system re-
quires complex engine control units.
There is still a large demand for research and
development before these technologies can
be put into series production. Figure 2: Layout principle of a SCR-based IMO Tier 3 strategy

The Cleaner: Complex exhaust

gas after treatment
As an alternative to the use of low-sulphur
fuel in the ECAs, the IMO also allows the use
rg
/ H 55
bu
of sulphuric fuels when due to suitable meas-
Metawell
10 7.3
am

ures the sulphuric oxide emissions have been

20 l B

reduced so that they correspond to an engine

M Hal

operation with low-sulphur fuel (maximal

0.1% sulphur). This has led to a newly in- Sandwich Panels
SM

creased discussion of and research on the

possibilities of using scrubbers to eliminate
sulphur dioxides from the exhaust stream.
llow weight, rigidity
A complex exhaust gas after treatment strat-
egy for IMO Tier 3 compliance can be based
and eveness
a
on a combination of SCR catalysts (NOx-
reduction) and SOx-scrubbers. When operat-
ing ships within the ECAs, this will keep the
NOx and the sulphur dioxide emissions be-
low the limits, even when using conventional
sulphuric heavy fuels. Outside the ECAs, the
engine exhaust gases can bypass the exhaust
after treatment system under continuous en-
gine operation on heavy fuel.
Apart from the low fuel costs, another
advantage of the strategy will be the pos-
sibility to present extremely low emission
levels. The engine technology can be car-
ried out comparatively simple (IMO Tier 2
level). With an optimal design and opera-
tion of the exhaust after treatment plant,
the emission levels can be kept below the
IMO Tier 3 levels.
These very important advantages are, how- Metawell panels allow a wide range of
ever, confronted by some challenges. So
the space required for the exhaust after surface finishes such as paint, coatings,
treatment system is considerable: apart
from the SCR catalyst and the urea bunker, laminates and foils. Ideal for ceilings,
a bulky exhaust gas scruber and large stores cooling ceilings, linings, floors and
for new and used scrubbing material (wet
or dry) have to be provided. In addition to furniture in cruise vessels, fast ferries
the considerable investment costs, the op-
erating costs have to be taken into account, and mega yachts.
because the SCR as well as the scrubber
Metawell GmbH
require consumables for their operation. metal sandwich technology
Current analyses show that, due to the
continuous heavy fuel operation, relatively P. O. Box 1880
short amortisation times may be reached. D-86623 Neuburg/Donau
Tel. +49 8431 6715-725
However, this requires a correct adaptation Fax +49 8431 6715-792
of the complex exhaust after treatment sys- [email protected] Fire Approval: Material meeting MED 96/98/EC requirements Fire testing standards:
tems to the engine plant, the engine opera- www.metawell.com IMO Resolution A653(16), IMO Resolution MSC61(67), Annex 1, Parts 2 and 5, Annex 2

tion profile and an optimal system control.

A sensible integration of all exhaust 
Anz_120x188mm_SMM_02.indd 1 25.06.10 10:55
Ship & Offshore | 2010 | No 4 77
SPECIAL | GREEN SHIPPING

shows various features that have to be taken

into account when developing new engines.
Looking at the injection rates of a main
and a post injection measured at a mod-
ern heavy-fuel common-rail system of a
research engine, an influence of the main
injection on the following post injection
can be noticed. This is caused by the pres-
sure waves generated by the main injection.
These form especially between the injector
and the high pressure rail. As can be seen
Figure 3: Basic layout of an EGR-based IMO Tier 3 strategy in Figure 6, there are sharp differences in
the injection rates depending on the posi-
tion of the post injection in relation to the
main injection. Whereas the main injec-
tion is not influenced, the rates of the post
injection clearly vary depending on dwell
times; a fact that has to be taken into ac-
count when developing and analysing new
injection strategies.

Research work at LKV (Chair for Piston

Engines and Internal Combustion Ma-
chines) of the University of Rostock
The Professorship for Piston Engines and
Internal Combustion Machines at the Uni-
Figure 4: Basic layout of a IMO Tier 3 strategy based completely on complex exhaust
gas after treatment versity of Rostock (LKV) has traditionally
been actively working in the field of ma-
rine diesel engines.
The subject of the joint projects EMI-MINI
I and II was a systematic research into fuel
sprays in large, needle-controlled Common-
Rail injectors using distillate and heavy fuels.
To allow optical measurements of the fuel
sprays under engine-relevant conditions,
the CR injectors are mounted at an optically
accessible high-pressure, high-temperature
chamber specifically built for this purpose.
Figure 7 presents an example of an injection
sequence of an evaporating injection spray
Figure 5: Basic layout of a gas-operation based IMO Tier 3 strategy that is visualised by means of a Combined
Schlieren Scatter Light procedure. The re-
search carried out yielded important funda-
after treatment elements into the engine Latest Common-Rail injection tech-
room seems to be feasible only with new- nology and complex engine control:
building projects. challenges and keys to success
In all the strategies presented above, fuel in-
Alternative solution: Gas operation jection and mixture formation play a funda-
An interesting and technologically proven mental part in complying with IMO Tier 3
alternative is the conversion of the engine limits. The various strategies described show
plant to gas operation. a number of challenges for the development
Using natural gas as fuel, at least in the of new injection systems and their control.
ECAs, would help to fulfil all IMO require- Thus, CR injection systems will form an es-
ments set for 2016. As natural gas is sul- tablished part of marine diesel engines in the
phur-free the exhaust gas will be so, too. next years.
An additional positive effect is the drastic Especially in the EGR-based strategies, high
reduction of particle emissions. Apart from EGR rates will lead to increasing fuel con-
these advantages, this strategy will make sumption and growing particle and soot
the exhaust gas after treatment obsolete. emissions. Experience gained from large
Designing the engine for dual fuel opera- high-speed engines, however, show that a no-
tion will permit the conversion to heavy ticeable reduction in particle and soot emis-
fuel operation outside the ECAs. sions can be obtained by increased injection
Difficulties may be caused by placing the vo- pressures or by multiple injection strategies,
luminous gas tank. Furthermore, infra-struc- consisting of main and attached post injec- Figure 6: Injection rates and line pres-
tural conditions have to be created allowing tion. In the latter case, the application of sure at injector inlet for main and post
the bunkering of LNG in normal port areas. injection strategies at common-rail systems injections depending on dwell times

78 Ship & Offshore | 2010 | No 4

mental findings for making full use of the
potential of modern common-rail systems.
Engine internal particle emission reductions
obtainable by the use of CR-systems provide
additional space for NOx-reduction meas-
ures, such as the Miller process or EGR.
The heavy-fuel one-cylinder research engine
used at LKV is equipped with a modern CR
injection system and a freely-programmable
engine control unit. In addition, the engine
was fitted with relatively large optical win-
dows to allow the analysis of injection, igni-
tion and combustion processes at real engine
conditions. The object of these analyses to in-
crease understanding of the emission forma-
tion processes inside the engine, especially
against the background of extremely varying
fuel properties. Apart from the examination
of emission-reducing measures, research at
LKV focuses especially on developing new
engine control strategies. Figure 7: Analysis of fuel sprays by means of a combined Schlieren/scatter light bypass meth-
Furthermore, in cooperation with the od, simultaneous recording of liquid and gaseous fuel phases at a common-rail injection spray
start-up enterprise FVTR GmbH, a number
of catalyst test stands are being operated.
They allow detailed analyses of the catalyt- gine-internal NOx reduction. The strategy The marine diesel engine, this uniquely
ic reaction processes in all relevant catalyst based on extensive exhaust gas after treat- reliable and efficient source of propul-
and scrubber designs. In addition to a di- ment and the use of SCR and SOx-scrub- sion and onboard energy has by no means
rect optimisation of the catalysts analysed, bers will allow extremely low emissions reached the end of its development. It has
combined physical and chemical model- even when using low-cost heavy fuel. the potential for rigorously reduced emis-
ling approaches can be developed. All strategies discussed here have in com- sions at continued high efficiency.
mon that engines and plants have to be op-
Summary erated at rather different modes within and
Depending on the type of ship, the trade route outside the ECAs. Combined with this fact, The authors:
and the strategies of the ship operators, the the demands for improved engine control Dr.-Ing. Bert Buchholz,
principle-based advantages and disadvantag- will increase sharply. Most strategies in- Forschungszentrum Verbrennungs-
es of the different strategies may be evaluated clude a frequent change in fuels consumed, motoren und Thermodynamik
differently. Therefore, it is quite likely that in which renders this task even more difficult. Rostock GmbH, Rostock, Germany
the remaining time span until 2016 different It will make the introduction of new en- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst Harndorf,
strategies may appear on the market. gine control strategies indispensible, but it Dipl.-Ing. Christian Fink,
A successful introduction of the EGR-based will also require the development of com- Universität Rostock, Lehrstuhl für
strategy on the basis of low-sulphur fuels pletely new control systems adapted to the Kolbenmaschinen und Verbren-
may set free an immense potential for en- operation of marine engines. nungsmotoren, Rostock, Germany

at
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rg, 07.09. – 10
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Ship & Offshore | 2010 | No 4 79