Solution to Environment and Economy

LUBRICON A-112M
Fuel Oil Treatment
For Marine Diesel Engines

1. Why need Lubricon A-112M, and Why now?

Ship owners today are being challenged with 3 DIFFERENT

REQUIEMENTS, each one of them contradicts the other to resolve, and they
are seemingly impossible to achieve by just one countermeasure.
They are…

1) Demands for cleaner environment, required by MARPOL Annex-I (Oil

pollution to water), Annex-VI (Air pollution), and other stricter local
regulations,
2) To cope with decreasing bunker quality, and increasing viscosity
(380cst and higher) – they are hard to burn, and generate more air
pollutants and waste oil/sludge,
3) To accept higher bunker price, which demands higher efficiency of
engines and the cost saving effort, but impossible to achieve by lower
grade fuels.

At present, above conflicting demands are creating below headaches to

owners and engineers;
 Need extra equipment and cost to reduce the air pollutant and waste
oil,
 Detention of vessels for alleged air/water pollution,
  Claim from shippers for soot covered precious cargoes, such as cars,
for extra cleaning cost on arrival port,
 Extra works to keep the engine, and whole connecting system, clean
and functional,
 More frequent maintenance intervals of engines and other
equipment, i.e., more man-hours and spare parts consumption,
 More maintenance stoppage means less service hours, and more off-
hire time,
 And, of course, bunker cost is the biggest headache to all
owners/operators.

In other words, if you can find a countermeasure which meets the “Three
Problems”, the result would be;
 Less operation cost (bunker)
 Less pollution
 Less maintenance, and less spare parts consumption
 Longer service hours, and more revenue

2. What makes A-112M difference with other fuel additives?

History of fuel additives are long, every one of them claims similar result. But, odd
thing is, very few marine engineers are putting faith in their effectiveness. However…

What differentiates A-112M from others are;

1) A majority of conventional dispersing agent was relying on its

characteristic as a surfactant, utilizing its osmotic pressure and
dispersion forces to break down long chain of asphaltene into finer
molecules.
The A-112M, on the other hand, is an organic enzyme based agent which
works in completely different concept with the surfactant type.
2) A shortcoming of the surfactant type additives is that there have been
many trouble reports of engine and fuel systems caused by emulsified
fuel. Most engine manufactures, thus, do not formally approve using any
fuel additives on their engines, even though some limited advantages are
obvious, leaving the usage at owners’ discretion. A-112M does not work
as a surfactant, not as emulsifier or emulsion- breaker, but reacts directly
 on fuel molecule.
3) The conventional type additives had many categories, separated in
different but limited designated role, such as “pre-combustion treatment”,
“combustion-improver”, and “post-combustion care”. A-112M’s function is
“fundamental” and its effect is comprehensive.
4) The conventional type additives need special care to ensure their well-
even-mixture with fuel, sometimes require extra mechanical means such
as blender or injector to achieve the complete mixture. A-112M does not
require the extra measure. Just putting in tank before receiving bunker,
using its turbulence, is enough to achieve satisfactory result, or even
after bunkering, in-tank sloshing movement can achieve enough mixture
in 48 hours.

3. How A-112M works?

The A-112 is Bromelain-enzyme, known as “protein-digesting enzyme” when first
discovered, having chlorophyll a/b as the main component. The enzyme has atom-
absorbing ligand within its chemical structure, being electrically charged in both
plus(+) and minus(-).
The charged electron of the A-112M acts on the polymerized molecules of
asphaltene, and disperses them into much finer particles as to the degree not being
able to achieve by the conventional surfactant agent. Reduction of asphaltene
contents can be easily found, once added the Lubricon, by disappearance of
sludge accumulation in settling/service tanks and less sludge discharge from
purifier.

In addition to changing the molecular structure, below reactions take place by

adding A-112M;

 The enzyme absorbs oxygen from air, making the fuel easier to burn,
 The enzyme consumes water when it is active, therefore, it removes water
portion out of the fuel molecule in the storage tank, and in the piping system.
The treated fuel oil, thus, contains less water and is easy to burn. The less
water content contributes further as to eliminate frequent draining of
precipitated water from tank bottom, and subsequent prevention of internal
corrosion of the fuel system.
 The enzyme works as a catalyst, dissolves impurities and turns them
combustible. Vanadium contents decreases.
4. Improvement at each stage

Below improvement will be observed;

1) Pre-Combustion stage (between bunker tank and engine)

 Eliminates sludge accumulation/deposit in Settling/Service tank
bottom,
 Clear the piping internals,
 Eliminates fine filter clogging, increases backwash interval,
 Reduces purifier sludge discharge amount, and hard carbon deposit
in the bowl,
 Extend purifier auto-discharge interval, and overhaul interval

2) Combustion stage
 Because of the oxygen-rich and finely clustered molecule, the
optimum combustion of the fuel can be achieved without raising up
combustion temperature,
 Low combustion temperature generates less air pollutants such as
SOx, CO, HC, and P.M.
 Less impurities and long-chain carbon results in cleaner combustion
chamber, less hard-carbon deposit on exhaust valve and piston
crown, and less deposit in ring grooves and scavenging port area,
 Less vanadium attacks,
 Turbo-Charger is kept clean, maintains same performance for longer
period, which in turn enhance better combustion of the engine,
 All above extend maintenance interval and reduce the spare parts
cost.

3) Post-Combustion stage (after Turbo-charger)

 Accumulated soot on Exhaust-gas economizer tube is soft, and easy
to blow by air, instead of time-consuming water jet washing,
 Smoke color turns white, then transparent,
 Fall out from the funnel, soot and carbon flake, stops

5. Other advantages

1) Waste oil control

 Less sludge from purifier makes total waste oil control in engine room
 easier,
 All waste oils, including L.O. related, once mixed in the waste oil
tank, become easier to burn in Incinerator.
 One of major headaches of engineer, because of strict PSC check, is
eliminated.

2) Boiler combustion
 Improvement of burner flame is visible and most obvious, the flame
becomes brighter,
 Previous hard carbon scale on water tube surface become softer, and
easy to remove.

6. Dosage

a. Ratio
Initial dosing requires 1:5000 ratio, e.g., as follow;
 Tank capacity: 500m3
 Remaining r.o.b.: 120m3
 Receiving bunker: 350m3
 Required Lubricon: (120000 + 350000)/5000 = 94 liters
Subsequent dosing required 1:10000, e.g., as follow
 Tank capacity: 500m3
 R e m a i n i n g r. o . b . : 1 2 0 m 3 ( t h i s p o r t i o n i s m i x e d
already)
 Receiving bunker: 350m3
 Required Lubricon: 350000/10000 = 35 liters

b. Dosing when receiving bunker

Can b p ei but tnto d unker
a p t cank irectly
–a j b s er
bunkering, b) through either sounding pipe or air vent pipe. Mixtur
bunker and Lubricon can be achieved by normal agitation of the receiving
bunker w a ithout o e ssistance
m s a a fb xtrao i easure
pump.

c. Dosing into remaining bunker

For the case of dosing, only into remaining bunker without receiving new
bunker, i i a t s t advisable
a o s u o s dd m t peno t ea,
bunker. Satisfactory blending will be achieved in 48 hours.
d. Dosing for extremely foul bunker
A s a co n ti ng e n cy me a sure , wh e n re cei ve d e xtre me ly tro ub l e some b u n ker
and having erratic running condition, it is recommended to put
directly into settling tank, in ratio 1:5000. In such a case, switch the F.O.
transfer pump to manual start mode, pour Lubricon into settling tank from
topmost o j pening
b f u tust t tefore
a p ill p t he
t ank,
one-time transferring batch.
There w c ere n ases, o-choice-but-debunker
c h b s b A
112M.

7. Data
 MSDS sheet
 Experiment report by Mitsui OSK Line

Manufacturer and sole distributor:

Asia Network Co., Ltd.
#503, 5-29-7 Sendagaya,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Tel03-5367-2320　 Fax03-5367-2550
Agent in Asia:
Atech Corporation
7F Dear Nihonbashi-tower Bldg.
2-1-20 Nihohnbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027 Japan
Tel03-3510-0866　 Fax03-3510-0867
MP:090-1602-2937