Classification society and business services organisation
Lloyd's Register (LR) has signed an agreement with
SulNOx Fuel Fusions Plc. (SulNOx), a producer and supplier of fuel emulsion technology, that will see LR provide verification, testing, technical support and consultancy services throughout the process of
SulNOxEco Fuels' commercial deployment.
The agreement will see LR carry out a technical assessment of SulNOxEco Fuels, verifying its operational suitability for users of hydrocarbon fuels and providing recommendations on the most effective application of the technology to secure optimum fuel and environmental savings.
To increase uptake of the technology, LR will also work with SulNOx to secure a third party commercial vessel of a significant shipping line on which sea trials of the SulNOx's technology will be undertaken. The LR accredited results will aim to foster confidence in the safety, performance and anti-pollution benefits of SulNOxEco Fuels, particularly in the shipping industry, one of SulNOx's key target markets.
In a statement released today, SulNOx said: "SulNOx supports all users of hydrocarbon fuels (fossil and synthetic) in reducing pollution from exhaust emissions, with the company's immediate focus on the international shipping as well as the mining, rail and power generation sectors.
"SulNOxEco Fuels technology permanently homogenises any standard fuel and water, which results in very important positive effects, on both exhaust emission pollutants and fuel economy.
"This is achieved by providing significant increases in the efficiency and speed of the fuel burn, thereby drastically cutting the production of particulate matter (PM) by up to 90%, which then helps to achieve up to an 8% improvement in energy efficiency (reduced fuel usage). Also by lowering the maximum flame temperatures in combustion engines, it substantially inhibits the creation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by up to 60%."
The agreement with Lloyd's Register comes weeks after SulNOx signed a two-year agreement with the University of Cambridge's Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology department to better understand the processes behind SulNOxEco Fuels' results.
Stephen Bamford, chairman, SulNOx Fuel Fusions Plc, remarked: "SulNOxEco Fuels qualities are well known, presenting quantifiable savings of fuel and fuel costs as well as significantly reducing harmful emissions, including smoke and soot (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). With Cambridge University's technical knowledge and experience matched with the global reach of Lloyd's Register, we will be able to ensure, through robust testing, the highest standards of assurance confirming SulNOxEco Fuels' remarkable results, with the potential to develop the product's impact even further.
"Moreover, while our initial cooperation shall pertain mainly to the maritime market and the deployment of SulNOxEco Fuels for thorough sea trial testing on commercial vessels, we anticipate that our cooperation will grow and prosper as we develop SulNOx's reach into other sectors such as mining, rail and power generation."
Tim Wilson, from Lloyd's Register, added: "Our principal role is to verify performance. The results SulNOx have already achieved through practical applications of its technology are extremely encouraging but, as with any new solution to market, technical and operational performance must be assured to help the market make the best, informed, decisions. This is particularly true of the shipping industry where ship owners and operators are cautious or in some cases skeptical of the performance of new and unfamiliar eco efficiency technologies."