New Marine Fuel Pump Built for Fuel Flexibility

As shipowners eye a future full of alternative fuel solutions -- LNG, ammonia, methanol, and LPG, among others -- a technical sticking point traditionally has been the fuel pump, as different fuels pose different technical challenges. DESMI says it has developed a gamechanger.

The DesFuel Deepwell Pump

The new DesFuel Deepwell Pump from DESMI is touted by the company as the world’s first marine fuel pump designed from the ground up for all alternative fuel compatibility and flexibility. The design was inspired by DESMI’s cargo gas pump, which has been proven across the global marine industry since 1996.

As a deepwell pump, the DesFuel Deepwell Pump features include:

• Essential components are placed outside the fuel tank for easy access and reducing maintenance costs – no special components or materials are needed for these, improving reliability, requiring less specialized knowhow, and reducing added heat into the fuel/cargo tank (minimizing boil-off gas).  
• Maintenance and repair without gas-freeing – the pump and drive shaft are installed in a caisson pipe, which can be closed off from the fuel tank. This means the entire pump can be removed, repaired, and reinstalled without costly and time-consuming gas freeing.
• No need for filters – the motor is air cooled and the main bearing is oil lubricated, rather than using the fuel itself. This means that the pump doesnt use filters to remove impurities in the fuel, which will inevitably become clogged, resulting in costly maintenance and downtime.
• Optimized for low NPSHr – our pump specialists have optimized the pump’s design for efficiency and very low NPSHr with the use of state-of-the-art CFD tools, which improves usability at lower fuel tank levels.
• Ready for all vessels and fuels – the pump will be available in five sizes to cover all vessel types. It has a wide operating window to cater for different engine loads, reducing the need for recirculation and minimizing boil-off gas.
  
  

The pump was designed and developed by DESMI engineers and built at its production facility in China.