Capture and Control System for Oil Tankers Project
Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Projects
South Coast Air Quality Management District
May 2021 – December 2023
Project Details:
This project is to design, develop, safely demonstrate the capture and control system that reduces NOx, PM2.5, ROG, TACs, and DPM from both the auxiliary engines and boilers of oil tankers. The project includes an innovative barge-based capture and control system design, including a self-propelled spud-barge platform, an exhaust capture system, purification units, carbon-capture, solar, fuel cell, battery, and hydrogen storage. The fuel used to power the barge and the capture and control system will be either renewable or zero-carbon fuel, which mitigates greenhouse gas emissions from this operation. The capture and control system will be deployed at the Port of Long Beach, a disadvantaged community. It is expected to provide emission reduction benefits to the disadvantaged communities surrounding the San Pedro Bay Ports in the South Coast Air Basin.
This project is expected to showcase innovative solutions to address the unique safety requirements of oil tanker vessels and obtain a CARB Executive Order as an alternative control technology under the Control Measure for Ocean-Going Vessels at Berth. In addition, a carbon capture system will be installed on the barge and connect to the purified output of the treatment system and demonstrate the CO2 removal efficiency.
(Photo courtesy of the Port of Long Beach)
Grantee:
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Partners:
STAX Engineering, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Bay Area AQMD, Center for Environmental Research and Technology (UC Riverside), Tesoro Logistics Operations LLC, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp., Coalition for Clean Air, Montrose Environmental, Q Corporation, Carbon America, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and ABB Inc.
Grant Amount
| CARB Contribution | $10,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Matching Funds | $3,349,000 |
| Project Total | $13,349,000 |
Vehicles/Equipment Funded
The project is a self-propelled barge-based exhaust capture and control system that is equipped with spuds for anchoring the barge into position. The system includes a low greenhouse gas hybrid power systems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, including on-board solar, battery storage, hydrogen fuel cell, an exhaust capture system, and two STAX purification units. The STAX purification units comprise a selective catalytic reduction system, a diesel particulate filter, and a reactive organic gas elimination system.
Lessons Learned
Eliminating non-essential complicating factors from the initial safety study optimized the effectiveness of the first workshop. Safety studies should begin with the fundamental concepts prior to moving on to more granular concepts that may or may not require incorporation into subsequent studies.
Status Updates
- The project kickoff meeting was held.
- A Preliminary Tanker Safety Study conducted by the American Bureau of Shipping which concluded there were no unresolvable or unmitigable risks identified that would prevent further development of the barge with emissions control system.
- A Preliminary Test Plan was submitted to CARB as part of the process to obtain the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approval as a CARB Approved Emissions Control System (CAECS) for use as an At-Berth regulation compliance option. The CAECS comprises of the STAXbox™ “A” emissions purification system and the Xcap™ exhaust capture system. The preliminary plan describes the proposed vessel testing to demonstrate emission reduction performance, system durability, and periodic testing requirements to ensure on-going performance, ultimately leading to a CARB Executive Order.
