---

Press Release:

Pacific Petroleum Lubricity Improver for LS MGO

Following the European Union (EU) rule mandating consumption of 0.1% sulphur content marine gasoil (MGO) in port, shipowners are investigating all options to ensure that auxiliary diesel engines and boilers will safely accommodate the new fuel.

The EU mandate is only for vessels at berth. For vessels calling at California ports, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) now mandates that vessels must operate on a 0.5% sulphur distillate fuel no less than 24 nautical miles (nm) from port, a standard that requires a transition for main engines operating on heavy fuel to the new low sulphur distillate fuel.

To what extent are shipowners ready? Are the precautions and procedures issued to date from engine makers and pump manufacturers sufficient for safe and trouble-free operation? And for vessels that are already consuming the 0.1% sulphur fuel what problems, if any, have developed?

In this information we will look at these questions and investigate low sulphur MGO, and why the refining process used to produce it, can create serious deficiencies with adverse consequences affecting vessel operation. We will also review widespread misconceptions about the impact of these fuels on proper fuel pump lubrication, and the available remedies. The primary concerns about low sulphur MGO have focused on four areas:

Viscosity: Low sulphur distillates have relatively low viscosity, ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 centistoke (cst). Fuel pumps depend upon an appropriate viscosity to meet the required volumetric capacity, an especially important consideration in maintaining proper feed rates to boilers.

Lubricity: 0.1 % sulphur MGO has greatly reduced the lubricating value for fuel delivery systems. The naturally occurring lubricating components in heavy fuels, and in 1.5% sulphur distillate fuels, simply do not exist in 0.1 % sulphur MGO fuels – exposing pumping systems to damage and potential catastrophic failure.

Lubricating oil: Engines operating on heavy fuels require a higher total base number (TBN) lubricant to address high sulphur content. Unless the lubricant is changed to a lower TBN, engines operating for extended periods on 0.1% MGO still using a high TBN lubricant run the risk of accumulating excessive calcium salt deposits in the combustion chamber, among other damages.

Boiler operation: For vessels with auxiliary boilers, considerable modification to these units must be made, including changes in burners, atomization, and installation of additional fuel pumping and storage equipment.

Our focus here is strictly with the first two issues: Viscosity and lubricity. While engine and fuel pump manufacturers still continue to evaluate these areas, most have now issued minimum standards for fuel viscosity and specific recommendations for the process of changing from heavy fuels to MGO during vessel operations.

But many questions remain, and in some discussions, assumptions are still being widely circulated that may possibly put vessels at risk. One common assumption is that it is sulphur, and sulphur only, that is responsible for providing fuel lubricity. A second assumption is that cooling a fuel to elevate viscosity will provide a thicker, oily film on moving parts that will protect fuel pumps and injection equipment from excessive wear.

In the United States, for example, low sulphur diesel fuels have been mandated for automotive use for nearly 20 years, first with a 500 parts per million (ppm) – or 0.05% – sulphur fuel, and now, with a 15 ppm fuel known as ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD). While low sulphur fuels may be new to international shipping, the operational experience on both high and medium speed diesel engines on these fuels in the US is longstanding.

After the 1990 introduction of 500 ppm sulphur fuel in California, serious problems immediately developed. Some fuel injection pumps suffered catastrophic failure. Others experienced excessive wear and severe leakage, with seals shrinking owing to the reduced aromatic content of the fuel.

The Pacific Petroleum Lubricity Improver (PP-LI), additive for LS Fuel oil and MGO will provide the lubrication properties to the fuel for trouble free performance. The additive is to be added directly into the service tank with the dose 1 liters per 1000 liters MGO during the first weeks of use. Thereafter the dose can be reduced to 1 liters per 2000 – 4000 liters MGO.

Specifications:

Appearance/Odor: Medium brown/slight alcohol smell.
Specific Gravity: Range 1.067 – 1.095 @ 75F
Percent volatile by volume: (%) – 10.0
Solubility in water: Insoluble
Composition: Extreme pressure lubricant.
Blending agents. Corrosion inhibitor.
Viscosity: 39,1 = 4@ 75F. (Brookfield Viscometer – Model LVF)
Ash: 0,93% = 0,1%@ 77C
Boiling point: (F) 397
Vapor Pressure: (mm Hg) 0,4 mm @ 20C.
Vapor Density: (Air = 1) 5,0.

Packing and Shipping Information:

55 US Gallon Steel Barrel. (208 lit.)
Labels: NON HAZARDOUS NON FLAMMABLE.

Take the opportunity to become a distributor for this additive to your bunker customers, they will all need it to protect their injection pumps in their auxiliary engines and boilers when their vessels call in Europe and SECA area.