The estimation of the pollutant emissions on-board vessels by means of numerical methods

Abstract

Protection of the environment, especially within the most recent years, has become a constant problem considered by the states and the governments of the world, which are more and more concerned about the serious problems caused by the continuous deterioration of the environment. The long term effects of pollution on the environment generated by the lack of penalty regulations, have directed the attention of statesmen upon the necessity of the elaboration of normative acts meant to be effective in the continuous fight with it. Maritime transportation generates approximately 4% of the total of the CO2 emissions produced by human activities. This paper is intended to present two methods of estimation of the gases emissions on-board a vessel, methods that are very useful for the crews which are exploiting them. For the determination and the validation of these methods we are going to use the determinations from the tank ship. This ship has as a main propulsion engine Wärtsilä DU Sulzer RT Flex 50 - 6 cylinders that develops a maximal power of 9720 kW and has a permanent monitoring system of the pollutant emissions. The methods we develop here are using the values of the polluting elements from the exhaust gases that are determined at the exit of the vessel from the ship yard, in the framework of the acceptance tests. These values have been introduced within the framework of a matrix in the MATHCAD program. This matrix represents the starting point of the two mentioned methods: the analytical method and the graphical method. During the study we are going to evaluate the development and validation of an analytical tool to be used to determine the standard of emissions aimed at thermal machines on ships. One of the main objectives of this article represents an objective assessment of the expediency of using non-fuels for internal combustion engines in vessels.