Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2014)

42 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • FEBRUARY 2014

WATER TECHNOLOGY

W hen Gustaf de Laval read in 1877 an article in the German periodical ”Milchzeitung” (Milk

News Paper) about centrifugal separa- tors, he certainly did not expect that it would lead to his founding of a global acting company with around 16,400 em- ployees nearly 140 years later. His fi rst continuous separator, with a capacity of 130 liters per hour, was demonstrated 1879 in Stockholm; and four years later, in 1883, he and his partner, Oscar Lamm, established the company AB Separator.

And again 80 years later, in 1963, the company changes its name from AB

Separator to the now well-known Alfa

Laval AB. The name “Alfa” derives from the alpha discs (a separator tech- nique) and “Laval” from the founder of the company. Today the company is listed on NASDAQ OMX, and, in 2012, posted annual sales of about $4.8B.

Today, the company focuses on energy optimization, environmental protection and food production through technologi- cal leadership in heat transfer, separation and fl uid handling in the widest range.

The company’s activities in respect of the international shipping market is of great importance. As the company says, “...the marine market is changing with ever-increasing speed, especially when it comes to new demands concerning en- ergy effi ciency and environmental pro- tection.”

In accordance to this its product port- folio covers all necessary components that are designed to make shipping reli- able, environmentally friendly and effi - cient. Whether you talk about environ- mental protection, oil treatment, cooling and heating, steam and heat generation, waste heat recovery, tank cleaning, safe- ty and desalination – the products from

Alfa Laval for the global, green shipping industry are future oriented and innova- tive.

New Test & Training Center

To improve and testify its ability to de- liver top quality product and service, the company recently opened a ship simula- tion facility – touted by the company as the largest and most advanced in the ma- rine industry – which adds considerable strength to the company’s research and development efforts. With this, the com- pany said, it is no longer needed to make expensive tests on board a vessel for the relevant Alfa Laval marine products, as they can now be tested and certifi ed in a 500 hours test procedure in this new test facility.

The 250 sq. m. testing area is built around a 2-MW MAN medium-speed four-stroke marine engine of type 9L28/32. The engine drives an AvK- generator and generates 1,880 kW at 750 rpm. For the city of Aalborg, the start of operations at the center has meant an im- mediate energy bonus. The power gener- ated by its 2 MW engine is fed into the local grid, while the facility’s excess heat is made available for district heating.

The engine can operate on diesel and

HFO 380 cst with high sulfur in order to test the scrubber under practical and worst conditions.

The new testing facility comprises commercial and prototype equipments from all of Alfa Laval’s marine product portfolio. A dedicated control room and a training complex are connected to the test system. Located close to the Limf- jord, the test center is supplied with sea- water via an 800m-long pipeline.

The process lines are full size and or- ganized as they would be on an actual vessel at sea, though connected to a unifi ed control system. They comprise a fuel line, an integrated water line, a steam line and an exhaust line, as well as the heat exchangers and other auxiliaries needed to support them.

Green Tech

According to the company, the initial reason for building the facility was the advancement of the company’s exhaust gas cleaning technology PureSOx.

Apart from further developing the scrubber, which has recently seen repeat orders from both DFDS and Spliethoff, the center will be working with NOx re- duction in association with the company

Haldor Topsøe. The project will focus on selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which is a technical alternative to ex- haust gas recirculation (EGR), a pro- cess already supported by Alfa Laval’s

PureNOx, a water treatment system that uses a centrifugal separator to clean the wash water in the wet scrubber.

In other areas, the Alfa Laval Test &

Training Center will be working to com- bine greener methods of operation with fi nancial benefi t. Energy effi ciency will be explored at the facility, as a means of both saving money on operating costs

Alfa Laval Green & Effi cient Shipping

Overview of the new test & training facility in the city of Aalborg, Denmark

By Peter Pospiech

MR #2 (42-49).indd 42 2/4/2014 4:38:05 PM