The features of the operation of the drillship-type vessels in special ecological regions of Northern Europe are considered. The main gap in the study of these systems is to determine the optimal degree of recirculation. The requirements of the International Maritime Organization for the emission of nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gases of marine diesel engines are given. The aim of the study is to determine the optimal degree of recirculation of exhaust gases of a 16V32 STX-MAN marine diesel. During the research, the optimal degree of exhaust gas recirculation varied in the range of 0–21%, the load on the diesel—in the range of 35–95% of the rated power. It was established that in this case, the emission of nitrogen oxides decreases up to 7.7–33.6%, the specific fuel consumption increases up to 0.2–3.5%. It was also found that the use of gas recirculation in the range of 18–21% at loads of 35–55% leads to a critical increase in exhaust gas temperature. It is advisable to use exhaust gas recirculation in the range of 6–15% to ensure the environmental friendliness of the operation of the drillships. In these modes, the maximum reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions is ensured with a minimum increase in specific fuel consumption. Future studies should be directed at the development of the criteria for the environmental stability of sea vessels.

The results of the research work on biofuel’s impact on the environmental and economic performance of marine diesel engines are presented. During the research, a fuel mixture was used that consisted of the diesel fuel RMA10 and FAME biofuel. The objective of the research was to determine the optimal concentration of biofuel mixed with diesel fuel. The research work was carried out on three of the same type of marine medium-speed diesel engine, 6N165LW Yanmar. One of the diesel engines only operated on diesel fuel, and the other two operated on a mixture of diesel fuel and 5–20% biofuel. During the experiment, the diesel engines operated at a load of 50–80% of the rated value. Experimentally, it was found that using biofuel improved the environmental friendliness of diesel engines: the emission of nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases was reduced by 8.7–23.4%, and the emission of carbon oxides in exhaust gases was reduced by 3.1–24%. However, when using biofuel, the economic efficiency of diesel operation decreased as the specific effective fuel consumption increased by 0.5–9.3%. The highest environmental efficiency was achieved when using a fuel mixture that included 10–15% biofuel in an 80% diesel load. In this case, the emission of nitrogen oxides was reduced by 21–23.5%, the emission of carbon oxides was reduced by 16.5–19.2%, and the magnification of the specific useful consumption of the diesel engine was 1–1.55%.

In this study, a method for ensuring reliable and safe operation of marine trunk diesel engines is considered. The research was carried out on 5L23/30 MAN-B&W diesel engines of a Bulk Carrier class vessel. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of the structural characteristics of the oil layer (wetting angle and thickness) on the operational parameters of a marine diesel engine (compression pressure, concentration of nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases and temperature of exhaust gases after the cylinder) and performance characteristics of the oil (base number, wear and contaminant elements). It has been established that an increase in the degree of the contact angles of wetting and in the thickness of the oil layer improves the heat and power and environmental performance of a diesel engine. At the same time, the decrease in compression pressure in the cylinder slows down, the temperature of gases after the cylinder decreases, and the emission of nitrogen oxides with exhaust gases decreases. Also, it was found that wear of diesel parts and oil oxidation are reduced. The study confirms the possibility of improving the reliable and safe operation of trunk-type diesel engines of maritime vessels by effective control of variables relating to the characteristics of engine oil.

The operation process of marine diesel engines when using fuel with a sulfur content of no more than 0.1 % was chosen as the object of the study. Similar types of fuel are characterized by a lower auto-ignition temperature and higher calorific value. During combustion, this leads to an increase in the rate of fuel combustion and the degree of pressure increase during combustion, precisely because of this, the dynamic loads on the parts of the cylinder-piston group and diesel engine bearings increase. Also, this (due to the increase in temperature at the end of combustion) creates conditions for an increase in the concentration of nitrogen oxides in diesel exhaust gases. This (namely, the change in dynamic and thermal loads that occur during the use of fuels with a reduced sulfur content in marine diesel engines) leads to the occurrence of emergency situations. As a method of managing the risk of such emergency situations, the reconfiguration of the high-pressure fuel equipment, namely the change of the advance angles of the fuel supply, is proposed. The research was carried out on a vessel intended for the transportation of containers and on which a marine diesel engine 8K80ME-8.2-TII MAN-Diesel & Turbo was installed as the main engine. Combustion pressure, the degree of pressure increase during combustion, the temperature of exhaust gases, and the concentration of nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases were chosen as the indicators for evaluating the use and implementation of the proposed method. It has been experimentally proven that this results in an increase in the environmental sustainability of diesel operation by 3.61–10.97 %, an increase in thermal stability – up to 2.54 %, and an increase in dynamic stability – up to 4.82 %. This is due to the shift of the self-ignition and combustion process towards expansion and the corresponding decrease in pressure and temperature at the end of combustion. The most favorable use of this method is on modern diesel engines that have an electronic fuel injection control system, so they do not require mechanical reconfiguration of fuel pumps. Taking this into account, the method based on the change of fuel advance angles is defined as the one that provides management of the risk factors of emergency situations when using low-sulfur fuel in marine diesel engines.

This paper aims to consider the issue of increasing the environmental friendliness of shipping by using alternative fuels in marine diesel engines. It has been determined that marine diesel engines are not only the main heat engines used on ships of sea and inland waterway transport, but are also sources of emissions of toxic components with exhaust gases. The main compounds whose emissions are controlled and regulated by international organizations are sulfur oxides (SO_X) and nitrogen oxides (NO_X), as well as carbon dioxide (CO₂). Reducing NO_X and CO₂ emissions while simultaneously increasing the environmental friendliness of shipping is possible by using fuel mixtures in marine diesel engines that include biodiesel fuel. During the research carried out on Wartsila 6L32 marine diesel engines (Shanghai Wartsila Qiyao Diesel Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China), RMG500 and DMA10 petroleum fuels were used, as well as their mixtures with biodiesel fuel FAME. It was found that when using mixtures containing 10–30% of FAME biodiesel, NO_X emissions are reduced by 11.20–27.10%; under the same conditions, CO₂ emissions are reduced by 5.31–19.47%. The use of alternative fuels in marine diesel engines (one of which is biodiesel and fuel mixtures containing it) is one of the ways to increase the level of environmental sustainability of seagoing vessels and promote ecological shipping. This is of particular relevance when operating vessels in special ecological areas of the World Ocean. The relatively low energy intensity of the method of creating and using such fuel mixtures contributes to the spread of its use on many means of maritime transport.