New Alfa Laval centre focuses on alternative fuels

It is not only propulsion and auxiliary engines that Alfa Laval expects to use alternative fuels in the future, but other systems including steam boilers. Speaking on 1 March at the inauguration of the new facility, which extends the testing space to five times the original centre, Peter Leifland, president of the marine division, said: “Tightening emissions legislation is driving many customers from residual fuels towards LNG and other alternatives. As a comprehensive marine supplier, we must be at the cutting edge in supporting our customers, no matter what fuel they choose.”

The expanded centre will focus on combustion technologies for gas and other fuel alternatives for burner systems, inert gas systems, heat exchangers and the Alfa Laval Gas Combustion Unit (GCU), a full scale example of which is installed at Aalborg. The GCU provides a means of combusting surplus boil off gas from gas carriers, preventing escape of methane into the atmosphere.

“Our investment in the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre reflects the extraordinary changes we see in the marine industry,” said Leifland.

The costs of investing in the centre, however, are far outweighed by the benefits according to Leifland. “After just three years of operation, we can point to many areas where the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre has accelerated our R&D and improved its quality,” he says. “Exhaust gas cleaning, where our Alfa Laval PureSOx platform is fully ready for the 2020 global sulphur cap, is just one example.”