One simple way Wasaline improved engine room air quality for their equipment and crew

The engine charge air coolers on board ships that operate near the coast can become clogged with dust, dirt and other contaminants like insects. To address this common problem, Wasaline decided to upgrade the charge air filter on board its Aurora Botnia RoPax vessel.

Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia is one of the world’s most efficient and sustainable ships, compliant with the IMO’s 2050 greenhouse gas reduction target and the EU’s Fit for 55 package. Launched in August 2021, the 150-metre-long RoPax vessel sails regularly between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden carrying up to 915 passengers.

The Aurora Botnia runs on four Wärtsilä 8V31DF dual-fuel engines combined with batteries. The main source of fuel is liquefied natural gas (LNG), but the vessel can also run on biogas.

To keep the engine room running as cleanly as the rest of the ship, Wasaline decided to upgrade the Aurora Botnia’s charge air filter to improve engine room air quality.

Cleaner air means a lower fuel bill

But why does engine room air quality matter? The answer is simple: the dirtier the air passing through your engine, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel it will consume. The upgrade keeps charge air coolers cleaner for longer. This helps save fuel, operating costs and emissions.

Because the filter prevents dust and dirt from entering the engine room, the room stays cleaner as well, which improves the well-being of crews. Less dirt means less cleaning, which also saves money.

Reduced corrosion in downstream equipment

Wärtsilä’s upgrade components are humidity and water resistant, which reduces corrosion in ducts and downstream equipment. This can help extend the lifetime of onboard equipment. And with no moving parts, the system is easy to maintain – only the filter elements need to be replaced.

The new filter also has coalescing properties and water drainage features that help to further reduce corrosion in downstream equipment. Because these elements are rigid there is no risk of them freezing to the engine room floor. The performance of the filter was proven during field testing aboard the ship during icy winter conditions.

Dramatic improvement in air quality

The field testing aboard Aurora Botnia showed dramatically improved air quality in the engine room, with the filter removing all particles over 5.0 µm (0.0005 cm). This means that the engine room stays clean from dirt and dust brought in by unfiltered air and, in the long term, the charge air coolers will stay cleaner for longer.

Learn more about the Wärtsilä Charge air filter

This case study about the Charge air filter upgrade to Wasaline first appeared as one of  Wärtsilä’s Insights stories.