Everything You Need to Know About Marine Fuel Oils

If you’re planning on cruising the seas, you should understand the complexities of marine fuel oils. Learn about Catalytic fines and sulfur content and their characteristics and sources. Then, choose the best fuel oil for your boat. Ultimately, the right fuel oil can mean the difference between safe and deadly. Read on to learn more. Listed below are some key things to keep in mind.

1: Marine fuel oils can contain catalytic fines. These particles are hard, abrasive compounds consisting of silicon and aluminum oxide. The size of the particles varies from 20 to 150 microns, with seventy percent of the total particles sized greater than 25 microns. Although cat fines are a small part of marine fuel oil, they can damage the fuel injection equipment and combustion chamber components if they are present in excessive concentrations.

2: There is a global limit for the sulfur content of marine fuel oils that must be used in ships. This cap is based on the average sulfur content of today’s heavy fuel oil bunkers – which is 3.50%. After 2020, only vessels fitted with scrubbers will be allowed to use their current bunkers. According to recent surveys, about 19% of ship-owners will be using compliant bunker fuel by 2020.

3: Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) is a primary marine fuel in global shipping. It is composed of residuals of oil refineries and cutter stock. HFO contains large numbers of hydrocarbons, making it complex to model by conventional thermodynamics. This article describes the vaporization characteristics of HFO and summarizes the results of previous studies based on chemical kinetics and continuous thermodynamics models. It also discusses the effects of soot burnout on marine fuel oils.

4: There are various sources of marine fuel oils. HFO, also known as heavy fuel oil, is used on large ships. It is thick in consistency and contains numerous impurities. Sulfur in HFO helps lubricate engines, but it transforms into sulfur oxide when burned. This is one of the contaminants formed from incomplete combustion. Shipping is responsible for approximately 13% of the world’s sulfur oxide emissions. The air pollutants released from ships cause serious ecological and health damage.

5: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulates the sulfur content of marine fuel oils. These regulations contain a variety of subjective requirements that a ship must meet. They also require that fuel oil contain no hazardous substances or chemicals or impair the machinery.