New gas cleaning systems based on FT.Y advanced 3D foamed packing for process intensification of marine closed-loop scrubbers

Marine exhaust gas cleaning systems operating in closed-loop mode are increasingly adopted to comply with stringent sulfur emission limits; however, conventional spray tower scrubbers are often penalized by large footprints and structural weight, and auxiliary energy demand when applied to shipboard installations. In this work, the performance of a closed-loop marine scrubber equipped with an advanced FT.Y structured 3D-foamed packing is evaluated through rigorous rate-based simulations in ASPEN PLUS® V.14, with the aim of assessing its suitability as an intensified gas–liquid contactor for SO₂ removal. The analysis is carried out for a realistic medium-size marine engine (4 MW, 3.5 % w/w sulfur fuel) and benchmarked against spray tower configurations operating under comparable conditions. Results show that compliance with the maximum allowed SO2 concentration can be achieved with a packing height of about 1 m. Simultaneously, a limited pressure drop of about 3.7 mbar can be maintained, compatible with typical marine engines’ back-pressure constraints. Compared to spray towers, the packed scrubber provides similar desulfurization performance with reduced column volume and installation weight, potentially leading to lower capital costs. Sensitivity analyses on NaOH dosage and total liquid flow rate further indicate that chemical consumption and pumping power can be reduced at the expense of moderate increases in packing height. Overall, the results support the potential application of FT.Y 3D-structured packing as an effective process intensification option, for compact and flexible closed-loop marine scrubbers under realistic on-board ship conditions.