Efficiently removing cat fines

Cat fines remain the biggest threat to your engine, even when using new fuels. Due to cutting and blending at the refinery, some new fuels may have an even higher cat fine content than HFO. Fortunately, there are opportunities to enhance cat fine removal – and energy efficiency along with it.

ALCAP® means smart protection

Setting a separator’s oil/water interface with a gravity disc is ineffective for multi-fuel operations and the varying density of new fuels, because the interface constantly changes. By using Alfa Laval S separators with ALCAP technology, you achieve uninterrupted separation performance. ALCAP technology automatically adjusts the separator to the nature of the oil, which minimizes fuel losses and maximizes the removal cat fines and other damaging particles.

With the latest-generation Alfa Laval disc stack, S separators can provide even greater separation efficiency.

ALCAP® technology

By monitoring water content in the clean oil outlet, ALCAP technology automatically adjusts separator operation to the nature of your fuel.

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Alfa Laval S separators

Compact and flexible, Alfa Laval S separators protect your engine and fuel economy by means of ALCAP technology and more.

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Separation Efficiency Upgrade

Upgrading your existing S separator with the latest-generation Alfa Laval disc stack can boost separation efficiency by up to 30%.

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Synchronizing separation with engine load

Existing fuel lines were designed for operation at full engine load. In today’s era of slow steaming, however, full load is the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, an overflow of cleaned fuel is returned to the settling tank.

By using Alfa Laval FlowSync and variable frequency drives on your pumps, you can turn the situation to your advantage. The solution matches the separator feed to your engine’s fuel consumption, which eliminates excess pumping and provides more time in the separator bowl. The result is even better removal of cat fines – and less energy used.

 

Alfa Laval FlowSync

Alfa Laval FlowSync is an automatic separator feed pump control system. By determining the flow to the separators based on actual engine load, it enhances both engine protection and energy efficiency.

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A final line of defence

High-speed separators do the primary job of removing cat fines from fuel. However, a filter is needed as a last protective barrier before the engine. Engine makers today recommend filters that remove particles down to 10 microns in size. In addition, effective filter backflushing is needed due to the high asphaltene content in new fuels, which increases the risk of filter clogging.

Alfa Laval fuel oil filters

Robust Alfa Laval fuel oil filters come in fine filtration grades, including filtration down to 10 microns. A space-saving design makes them easy to retrofit, while their effective backflushing reduces maintenance.

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