Go green and save money with FWE

exomission, a small business located near Bonn in Germany, claims to have proven that such investments are economically profitable for the operator.

The 2,322 tonne double-hull tanker TMS Rudolf Deymann, which is 110m long and 11.45m wide, was put into service in March 2013 equipped with the environmentally friendly Fuel Water Emulsion technology (FWE) from exomission.

Test stand tests proved that the formation of soot in the engine can be reduced down to the traceability limit (100%) with FWE. This is in combination with a reduction of nitrogen oxides of up to 30%.

Owners of inland waterway vessels receive a state grant of approximately 30% to 50% towards the investment costs for the FWE. The inland waterway vessel can earn the remaining roughly 50% to 70% itself by using the FWE system.

An extensive series of measurements on the TMS Rudolf Deymann have shown that, depending on the speed of the vessel and the engine speed, the FWE technology reduces this ship’s diesel consumption by 4% to 9% in practical operation. This corresponds to an average advantage in consumption of more than 8 litres of diesel per hour in this case. For a large inland waterway vessel with 4,000 annual operating hours, this corresponds to fuel savings of around 32,000 litres per year, or roughly €22,500. Incidentally, this also results in a reduction of CO2 emissions of around 85,000kg per year.

Taking all operating costs, maintenance costs and state funding into account, an FWE system can pay for itself completely within two to three years. Depending on the subsidy level, the FWE can generate a sum of €35,000 to €50,000 just five years after its installation.

“Needless to say, this innovative system can also be used in stationary engines, such as combined heat and power units, and, with the appropriate adjustments, also in maritime shipping,” Dipl.-Ing. Uwe Israel explained. Uwe Israel and Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Fischer are the managing directors of exomission Umwelttechnik GmbH.