Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 326 JULY 2016 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES W hen it comes to diesel combustion, one thing remains a constant. Soot. Until we achieve perfect fuel combustion, there will always be unburned fuel that passes through the exhaust. That’s the black smoke we see and although moderately acceptable in bulldozers, it’s not very appealing when it rains down on your mashed potatoes. The passenger vessel industry is unique in that we provide a luxurious dining and picturesque cruising ex- perience while massive diesel power plants labor beneath our dinner parties and harbor ex- cursions. The corporate awards dinner, gradua- tion, or wedding party attendees will not and should not concern themselves with the combustion beneath their polished shoes as they glide across the floor on the night they’ve been dreaming of for months. In short, we provide the floating ambiance for their specific celebration and as the lights of the city dance across the evening sea, the deep cleansing breath at the railing best not contain high concentrations of diesel particulate matter. Talk about ruining the moment! As we wait for the Jetsons to introduce internal com- bustion engines powered by sea water and moonlight, San Diego’s Hornblower Cruises and Events and Flagship Cruises, San Diego, CA, along with some sportfishing and tug boats in San Diego, have determined to employ the latest available fuel catalyst technology to reduce emissions in the diesel fuel which powers their daily “real world” operations. Hornblower, winner of the 2015 San Diego Environmental Award, took the lead back in 2014 when Port Engineer Javier Lewels accepted the challenge issued by PVA Associate member Ultra Green Fuel Technologies, Inc (UGFT), Coldwater, MI, to treat the iconic Admiral Hornblower with DPF Remedy, an organic fuel catalyst designed to reduce fuel consumption through greater combustion efficiency. With fuel savings already measuring over 15 percent, Javier postu- lated that the combustion efficiency should yield significant reductions in soot levels. Visible reductions in exhaust and engine room soot were already observed over the treatment period. “Could this hypothesized reduction in diesel particulate Soot Happens By John Andrews, Ultra Green Fuel Technologies matter be measured?” Javier asked. Enter Diesel Pollution Solutions (DPS) of San Marcos, CA, a leading California Air Resource Board-certified diesel emissions and diesel particulate filter retrofitter with the mobile testing capa- bilities required to test 150-foot ships. DPS founder Tom C o m e a u m e t w i t h UGFT and Hornblower personnel at the harbor to conduct the test. Two ships, High Spirits and Admiral, powered with identical 2007 438 hp Scania engines were tested in a side-by-side comparison. Admiral’s fuel had been treated for several months while High Spirits had yet to be treated. The results were stunning. Admiral measured 86.6 percent less particulate matter than High Spirits. Javier ’s theory was confirmed—there was measurably less particulate matter in the exhaust.As a result, Hornblower is now treating the entire San Diego fleet, which has been the testing ground before introducing it to the rest of Hornblower’s operations on the West and East Coasts. “It has worked really well for us,” Javier said. “Not only have we scientifically proven that our engines are emitting less soot, we are pleased that our fuel consumption is markedly reduced as well.” After DPF Remedy’s formal introduction to PVA members at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2016 in Washington D.C., Brad Engel of Flagship Cruises & Events, San Diego, CA, accepted the soot challenge for his fleet. On Feb 11, 2016, Diesel Pollution Solutions assumed their now-familiar role as harbor smoke testing experts and conducted a “before” test on the whale watching boat Marietta. Six weeks later on a sunny San Diego morning, Marietta’s “after” test measured a significant 58 percent less particulate matter reading than just six short weeks prior. Fuel consumption had also dropped as the combustion ef- ficiency improved. Flagship immediately began treating two more of their San Diego fleet, the workhorse Cabrillo and the exciting turbo jet boat, Patriot. Alan Bernstein of BB Riverboats, Newport, KY, was next to step up and as he put it, “take the leap of faith” with the “sounds too good to be true” technology. The Belle of Cincinnati, another floating icon of our industry had been The white paint on Waterways Cruises and Events’ Emerald Star is cleaner than ever thanks to reduced soot particulate matter.