By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International has ordered four PureSOx gas exhaust cleaning systems (scrubbers) from Alfa Laval.
To be retrofitted on four ships in summer 2015, the PureSOx systems Paja Manual Porno will enable Royal Caribbean to comply with environmental regulations and sail in emissions control areas. The cruise line has worked closely with Alfa Laval over the past year to outline the technical requirements of each individual ship and choose the most appropriate scrubbers.
“There is immense complexity in a retrofit of this size aboard a cruise ship,” said Kevin Douglas, vice president of Technical Projects and Newbuild at Royal Caribbean. “Alfa Laval has worked closely and vigorously with us to merge its system knowledge with our expertise in cruise ship installations. As a result, we have confidence the strong partnership will deliver results.”
Three of the line’s Freedom-class ships – Independence of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas – will be retrofitted with the standard U-shaped configuration of the PureSOx 2.0 scrubbers, which have multiple inlets.
“This is a flexible configuration that reduces installation cost by allowing multiple engines to be connected,” said René Diks, manager of marketing and sales for Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval. “Space for the Esposa Porno scrubber itself was found behind the existing funnel, in front of the rock-climbing wall. The water cleaning unit and circulation tanks, which are necessary for hybrid operation, will be located high up and on the same deck, which will avoid the need for an additional booster pump.”
Although the ships will use seawater in an open-loop mode when feasible, the scrubbers also allow them to operate in closed-loop mode when sailing in US coastal waters where they are subject to strict discharge criteria under US VGP legislation.
Meanwhile, Adventure of the Seas will feature Alfa Laval’s first inline version of the PureSOx scrubber, which has been under development at the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre in Aalborg, Denmark. Also a hybrid system, the inline PureSOx scrubber was chosen due to space and vessel stability concerns.
“Inline scrubber configurations will be attractive or even necessary for many cruise ships and ro-pax vessels, which is why inline development has been a high priority for Alfa Laval,” said Jens Peter Hansen, Alfa Laval’s R&D manager. “The analysis and trials at our new test centre have focused on ensuring a safe water trap and minimising material stresses in the inline design, because the scrubber is cooled and heated with every start and stop. We were pleased to Abuela Porno involve Royal Caribbean, whose valuable insights and installation expertise have contributed to the final design, and we look forward to following up on this first inline installation.”
Alfa Laval now has orders for eight PureSOx scrubbers and expects to receive more over the coming year, particularly when the inline version is officially launched.