ET Marine has launched its own air quality monitor to measure sulphur dioxide (SO2) emitted by ships’ engines ahead of a new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) technical code for the emission of sulphurous gases.
The SeaSox analyser uses the
Ultra Violet Florescence method to continuously measure emissions using a dilution extractive probe.
It follows the launch of ET Marine’s SeaNox and SeaNox2 analysers, which use chemiluminescence to monitor the emission of oxides of nitrogen –as laid down in the IMO Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 ruling, which came into force on 19 May 2005.
Like the SeaNox analysers, SeaSox is a tough compact piece of equipment which only requires compressed air for start up.
Sample gas from
the ship exhaust is
diluted with dry,
clean instrument-grade compressed air and transported back to the analyser using up to 40m of unheated sample line.
The probeprovides
the dilution of the sample gas via two temperature controlled critical orifices. A low maintenance pump mprovides a vacuum.
In its most simplistic set up 4-20mA outputs are provided for the connection into the ship’s DCS/PLC/SCADA system.
A range of options
are available, including
a tamper-proof data logging and reporting system giving current
and historical data to enable ship owners to fully comply with MARPOL legislation.
ET Marine’s Sales Director Duncan Mounsor said: “The SeaSox analyser has a proven track record in the maritime environment. It is tough, compact and able to withstand the high temperatures in the ship’s engine room.
“It is very user-friendly and easy to install. Combined with the reporting software, shipping companies can get up to the minute data anywhere in
the world where there are satellite communications –even in the middle of the Pacific.”
The new Annex VI of MARPOL
73/78 legislation came into force following a study submitted to the
IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) which revealed
that nitrogen oxide emissions from
ships contributed seven per cent
of total global emissions leading to
acid rain and health problems in
harbour areas.
Sulphur emissions from ship’s exhausts also causes four per cent of total global emissions, causing environmental problems on certain busy routes, such as the English Chanel, South China Sea and Strait of Malacca.
Annex VI and the new technical code for oxides of sulphur aim to drastically reduce pollution caused by the maritime industry.
ET Marine is now looking from
agents to distribute its SeaSox and SeaNox products.
