<p>Under vårt sista år var vi intresserade av att ta reda på de problem som vi kan stöta på i våra yrkesroller som fartygsingenjörer. Arbetet tar upp de tekniska problem som uppstår p.g.a. de allt strängare kraven på minskade svavelutsläpp från fartyg. De tekniska problemen härstammar från de olika bränslekvaliteternas vitt skilda egenskaper. Som svar på dessa problem har det utvecklats tekniska lösningar varav två stycken har tagits upp i detta arbete.</p><p>För att ta reda på vilka tekniska problem som kan uppstå tog vi del av den berörda utrustningens tillverkares erfarenheter enligt empirisk modell. Enligt samma modell har vi även utfört en kvalitativ intervju med en teknisk chef för att ta del av dennes erfarenheter.</p><p>Miljölagarna rörande luftföroreningar från fartyg kommer med tiden stramas åt allt mer, varpå de kommer få en än mer betydande inverkan på fartygsdriften i framtiden. Bränsleövergångar ombord kommer att bli ett mer frekvent inslag då destillatbränslen krävs för att följa vissa områdens utsläppsregler men samtidigt nyttja tjockolja i så stor utsträckning som möjligt av ekonomiska skäl.</p> / <p>During our final year, we developed an interest in the difficulties we may encounter as marine engineers. This diploma thesis concerns the technical issues that occur due to new regulations concerning the sulphur emissions from merchant vessels. These technical issues are a consequence of the vast property differences between fuel qualities. As a result of these problems, technical solutions have been developed as a countermeasure, of which two have been presented in this comprehensive report.</p><p>In order to identify the difficulties that may arise we analysed the manufacturers experiences in an empirical method. Using the same method we conducted an in-depth interview with a chief engineer in order to take part of his experiences.</p><p>The environmental legislation concerning air pollution from merchant vessels will in a near future be even stricter, thus they will have an increasing impact on the ships operation. Fuel change-overs will be a more frequent event as in some areas distillate fuels are required to meet the demands on low sulphur emissions. At the same time the economical advantages of heavy fuel oil makes it preferable to use in other areas.</p>

Under vårt sista år var vi intresserade av att ta reda på de problem som vi kan stöta på i våra yrkesroller som fartygsingenjörer. Arbetet tar upp de tekniska problem som uppstår p.g.a. de allt strängare kraven på minskade svavelutsläpp från fartyg. De tekniska problemen härstammar från de olika bränslekvaliteternas vitt skilda egenskaper. Som svar på dessa problem har det utvecklats tekniska lösningar varav två stycken har tagits upp i detta arbete. För att ta reda på vilka tekniska problem som kan uppstå tog vi del av den berörda utrustningens tillverkares erfarenheter enligt empirisk modell. Enligt samma modell har vi även utfört en kvalitativ intervju med en teknisk chef för att ta del av dennes erfarenheter. Miljölagarna rörande luftföroreningar från fartyg kommer med tiden stramas åt allt mer, varpå de kommer få en än mer betydande inverkan på fartygsdriften i framtiden. Bränsleövergångar ombord kommer att bli ett mer frekvent inslag då destillatbränslen krävs för att följa vissa områdens utsläppsregler men samtidigt nyttja tjockolja i så stor utsträckning som möjligt av ekonomiska skäl. / During our final year, we developed an interest in the difficulties we may encounter as marine engineers. This diploma thesis concerns the technical issues that occur due to new regulations concerning the sulphur emissions from merchant vessels. These technical issues are a consequence of the vast property differences between fuel qualities. As a result of these problems, technical solutions have been developed as a countermeasure, of which two have been presented in this comprehensive report. In order to identify the difficulties that may arise we analysed the manufacturers experiences in an empirical method. Using the same method we conducted an in-depth interview with a chief engineer in order to take part of his experiences. The environmental legislation concerning air pollution from merchant vessels will in a near future be even stricter, thus they will have an increasing impact on the ships operation. Fuel change-overs will be a more frequent event as in some areas distillate fuels are required to meet the demands on low sulphur emissions. At the same time the economical advantages of heavy fuel oil makes it preferable to use in other areas.

Demand for liquid fuels (i.e., petroleum products) has burdened the U.S. with major challenges, including national security and economic concerns stemming from rising petroleum imports; impacts of global climate change from rising emissions of CO2; and continued public health concerns from criteria and hazardous (i.e., toxic) air pollutants. Over the last decade or so, biofuels have been touted as a supply-side solution to several of these problems. Biofuels can be produced from domestic biomass feedstocks (e.g., corn, soybeans), they have the potential to reduce GHG emissions when compared to petroleum products on a lifecycle basis, and some biofuels have been shown to reduce criteria air pollutants. Today, there are numerous policy incentives—existing and proposed—aimed at supporting the biofuels industry in the U.S. However, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program stands as perhaps the most significant mandate imposed to date to promote the use of biofuels. Overall, the RFS stands as the key driver in a transition to biofuels in the near term. By mandating annual consumption of biofuels, increasing to 36 bgy by 2022, the program has the potential to significantly alter the state of the U.S. liquid fuels sector. Fuel transitions in the transportation sector are the focus of this thesis. More specifically, the increasing consumption of biofuels in the transportation sector, as mandated by the RFS, is examined. With a well-developed, efficient, and expensive, petroleum-based infrastructure in place, many barriers must be overcome for biofuels to play a significant role in the transportation sector. Identifying and understanding the barriers to a biofuels transition is the objective of this thesis. Although fuel transitions may seem daunting and unfamiliar, the U.S. transportation sector has undergone numerous transitions in the past. Chapter 2 reviews major fuel transitions that have occurred in the U.S. liquid fuels sector over the last half century, including the phasing out of lead additives in gasoline, the transition from MTBE to ethanol as the predominant oxygenate additive in gasoline, and the recent introduction of ULSD. These historical transitions represent the uncertainty and diversity of fuel transition pathways, and illustrate the range of impacts that can occur across the fuel supply chain infrastructure. Many pertinent lessons can be derived from these historical transitions and used to identify and assess barriers facing the adoption of alternative fuels (i.e., biofuels) and to understand how such a transition might unfold. Computer models can also help to explore the implications of fuel transitions. In order to better understand the barriers associated with fuel transitions, and to identify options for overcoming these barriers, many recent research efforts have used sophisticated modeling techniques to analyze energy transitions. Chapter 3 reviews a number of these recent modeling efforts with a focus on understanding how these methodologies have been applied, or may be adapted, to analyzing a transition to biofuels. Four general categories of models are reviewed: system dynamics, complex adaptive systems, infrastructure optimization, and economic models. In chapter 4, scenarios created from a high-level model of the liquid fuels sector (the Liquid Fuels Transition model) are presented to explore potential pathways and barriers to a biofuels transition. The scenarios illustrate different pathways to meeting the requirements of the RFS mandate, and differ based on the overall demand of liquid fuels, how the biofuels mandate is met (i.e., the mix of biofuels), and the status of the ethanol blend limit in the motor gasoline sector. The scenarios are used to evaluate the infrastructure implications associated with a biofuels transition, and illustrate the uncertainty that exists in assessing such a transition. / text