Wärtsilä Launches Inline Scrubber System

Wärtsilä said its new inline scrubber system is designed to offer notable benefits over conventional exhaust gas cleaning systems, and its compact form saves considerable space, which is particularly important in smaller vessels and when being retrofitted, while the lower cost structure of the new design offers CAPEX advantages. With just one scrubber system per engine, installation is faster and easier, Wärtsilä said, which consequently reduces the out-of-service time for the vessel. Operational flexibility is also improved.

The inline scrubber system operates as a conventional Wärtsilä open loop scrubber system, but has three water inlets in the main body of the scrubber, as opposed to two in the conventional system. The exhaust flows enter from the bottom and exits at the top, with water being sprayed in three stages in a counter flow to the exhaust. A Wärtsilä designed water trap prevents the scrubbing water from entering the engine. The inline configuration can be offered on the hybrid scrubber system as well.

“Space availability is a challenge that makes it difficult for many vessels to have exhaust gas cleaning systems installed, which is why the new Wärtsilä inline system is attracting a lot of attention from owners and operators. We have tremendous technical know-how in this field, and can work closely with customers to provide the right system for their needs, while at the same time making the cost proposition attractive,” said Sigurd Jenssen, Director, Exhaust Gas Cleaning, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

The first vessel to utilize the new Wärtsilä inline scrubber system will be Color Line’s SuperSpeed 2. The contract was signed in June 2013 and the installation will take place in March 2014 at FaYard in Denmark. This high speed ferry sails twice a day between Larvik in Norway and Hirtshals in Denmark and has limitations on the available space in the funnel. The inline system thus offers a practical solution for overcoming this restriction. In September 2013 contracts were signed for the fitting of the Wärtsilä inline scrubber system to three other Color Line vessels.

wartsila.com