Installing a SOx scrubber system is a major undertaking, with inflexible shipyard slots and the need to minimize downtime. PureSOx Project Manager Mark Aarbodem explains how Alfa Laval safeguards the process.
“Alfa Laval has worked with engineering companies and shipyards in many PureSOx projects. Few suppliers approach our experience, whether in the number of scrubber installations or the variety of vessel types and installation challenges met. Each new project begins with a kick-off phase, where the customer and our dedicated project team meet to align the goals and the way forward.
Our project team includes engineers from all disciplines, which ensures engineering work of the highest quality. The team is coordinated by a dedicated Project Manager, who is a single point of contact for everything concerning the order. The Project Manager makes sure the design, installation, commissioning and service go as smoothly as possible.
“Over the years, we’ve developed well-documented procedures to facilitate installation and class approval. PureSOx is delivered as prefabricated components and modules, with every aspect of its installation planned well in advance. We can save time by doing preparation while the vessel is operating, and the final commissioning can also be handled en route.
“In most cases, through strong cooperation and planning, your vessel’s total downtime can be limited to 2–4 weeks.”
Mark Aarbodem
PureSOx Project Manager
Installing a SOx scrubber is more challenging on an existing vessel, where there is no planning for it in the original design. Alfa Laval has the insights and experience to make PureSOx retrofits successful.
In a decade of working with PureSOx, Alfa Laval’s record of completed scrubber retrofit projects has reached into the hundreds, with more undertaken each and every week. These have been carried out at all major shipyards worldwide, and the experience from each one has refined our processes and routines.
Because the time for a retrofit is limited, we do everything possible to prepare in advance and maximize the use of the shipyard slot. Many preparations can be made while the vessel is sailing, and time at the shipyard is saved by prefabricating components and modules. In some cases, PureSOx can be built into a new funnel on the shipyard quay, which can then be lifted on board and connected.
Above all, we cooperate closely with you, the shipyard and any engineering company involved. This is the most important aspect of reducing downtime, overcoming obstacles and ensuring success. Even in a retrofit project, we can usually have a vessel back in business within 2–4 weeks.
Alfa Laval is ready to meet the needs ahead. Our resources worldwide ensure that PureSOx scrubber systems will be available for both newbuilds and retrofits.
Alfa Laval has a strong global infrastructure for the production of PureSOx scrubber systems. The scrubber bodies themselves are manufactured at Alfa Laval factories in Aalborg, Denmark and Qingdao, China. At the Qingdao facility alone, our flexible production space offers thousands of square metres for stainless steel work, which provides ample room for future ramp-up.
All of the key equipment associated with PureSOx is based on Alfa Laval core technologies, which means it is produced with high quality at Alfa Laval production sites around the world. The high-speed separator used in closed-loop operation, for example, is produced at our site in Pune, India and incorporated into the water cleaning unit (WCU) by our module experts in Monza, Italy.
