In the new university building in Willowa Street, in the Analysis Centre for Fuels, Working Fluids and Environmental Protection, tests will be carried out e.g. for entities who operate machines in the off- and on-shore business as well as companies and institutions working for environmental protection. The tests will improve their knowledge on fuels, oils and other machine operating fluids.
The Centre was set up in result of the project carried out within the Regional Operational Programme (1.2.2 R&D Infrastructure). Its budget is almost PLN 4 000 000. The tests planned for implementation by the Maritime University of Szczecin are compliant with its mission and strategy and refer simultaneously to priority technologies indicated in the National Programme Foresight 2020.
As a part of the project, the rooms were renovated and rebuilt to meet the requirements of the laboratory as well as modern research and development equipment was purchased. The laboratory makes it possible to conduct innovative research on: exhaust emission from vegetable fuel combustion, bio-fuels, LNG; the spraying quality of fuel and oil derivative waste; the effectiveness of oily waters cleaning.
The activity of the Centre will enable the use of the university’s research potential by business entities for improvement and change of their technological solutions. It will also contribute to development of the research area of fuels and working fluids through the use of proper research equipment for conducting complex scientific research within this scope. In terms of Poland and Europe, it will also increase the degree of innovativeness and competitiveness of the region - enhance the creation, patenting and commercialisation of new, innovative technological solutions. The nearest fuel and oil testing laboratory, providing machine diagnostics services is the DNV Laboratory in Oslo, Norway.
The only research centre of this type in Poland opened at the Maritime University in Szczecin is equipped with 8 modern specialist research devices as well as the necessary equipment which enables conducting the following:
- testing and research work related to determination of current and future condition of fuels and working fluids as well as their optimal use – e.g. testing the safety and content of a fuel; indicating whether it is adequate to the needs and requirements of individual machines and devices; testing oil emulsification (e.g. whether there is not too much water in it, whether it should be purifies, whether it is still fit for operation) as well as determining its lubricating properties, identifying the degree of wear and corrosion of individual engine and hydraulic system components.
- testing of oil derivative waste and their composition, i.e. in particular, the waste produced in the process of fuel and oil purification and caused by oily waters. This will enable determination of the most effective method of their utilisation.
The equipment purchased for the laboratory is worth over PLN 2 200 000 and the most expensive parts are the apparatus for determining the cetane number and the analyser of the particle size, shape and number (over PLN 700 000 and 400 000 respectively).
The opening ceremony of the Analysis Centre for Fuels, Working Fluids and Environmental Protection was held on 1 October 2015. It was attended e.g. by the authorities of the University and the Faculty of Marine Engineering in Szczecin: Prof. DSc. PhD. Eng. Master Mariner Stanisław Gucma – Rector of the University, Cezary Behrendt, PhD., Eng. – acting Dean of the Faculty of Marine Engineering, Przemysław Rajewski, PhD., Eng., Marine Chief Eng. Officer - project manager, representatives of the West Pomeranian University of Technology as well as steamship companies and the maritime economy community.
