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Fries to go?
by Michael A. Quigley
It was a warm June day some five miles out on Lake Michigan and something new was in the air – the smell of French fries. But, where was the source? No, it wasn't a floating fast foods concession, or the work of an ambitious waterborne cook; the smell was coming from the exhaust stack of NOAA's research vessel Shenehon, now powered by biodiesel fuel, a soy bean product that when burned releases a French fry-like odor.
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The Shenehon, a 65-foot, steel-hulled vessel based at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon recently returned from a Cleveland, Ohio shipyard with a new engine and electrical system. The overhaul was needed to replace an antiquated and less fuel-efficient engine with a new 400-horsepower, turbo-charged diesel engine powered by biodiesel fuel. The fuel is a renewable energy source without sulfur emissions, a component of acid rain. The engine was manufactured by Caterpillar and at six feet long and 3,200 pounds, it is about half the size of the original engine. Once the engine was secured in the engine room, the boat was pulled from the water and outfitted with a new propeller shaft and a new four-blade, 46-inch-diameter, stainless steel propeller.
The Shenehon burned pure biodiesel fuel in the summer months and a 50/50 mix of biodiesel and diesel fuel in the winter months. This is necessary because pure biodiesel tends to cloud up in cold temperatures. Although biodiesel fuel is currently more expensive than diesel, due to an underdeveloped distribution network, Dennis Donahue, Marine Superintendent at the Lake Michigan Field Station explained that in the long term, improved efficiency and expanded fuel storage capabilities will lead to balanced costs. The new engine is lighter and has more horsepower, allowing the Shenehon to burn less fuel while still going farther.
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Donahue will talk about the Shenehon shipyard work and his experiences in running the boat on biodiesel during the 2001 field season as part of the 2002 Great Lakes Science Vessel Coordination Workshop to be held in Cleveland January 31 - February 1.
"As part of the re-powering project we also made some changes to make the ship as environmentally friendly as possible, " Donahue said. "This past season we used 100 percent soy bean oil instead of diesel fuel. Aside from zero sulfur emissions and significant particulate reductions, this ‘Biodisel' is a renewable energy source. The hydraulic systems onboard were also converted from petroleum fluid to vegetable oil."
The Shenehon is a research platform from which scientists deploy instruments and collect data and samples of water, sediments, and biota needed to understand Great Lakes physical, chemical and biological processes. The ship was built in 1953 for the Korean War, but was never used for military service.
For more information contact information: Michael A Quigley (734) 741-2149 Michael.A.Quigley@noaa.gov or Jana Goldman (301) 713-2483 Jana.Goldman@noaa.gov
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The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory conducts integrated, interdisciplinary environmental research in support of resource management and environmental services in coastal and estuarine waters, with a special emphasis on the Great Lakes. The laboratory performs field, analytical, and laboratory investigations to improve understanding and prediction of coastal and estuarine processes, and the interdependencies with the atmosphere, and sediments. It places special emphasis on a systems approach to problem-oriented research to develop environmental service tools. |
[1/7/02]
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