Rolls-Royce successfully tests methanol-fuelled marine engine
Rolls-Royce has successfully tested its high-speed marine engine running entirely on methanol at its test facility in Friedrichshafen, Germany—marking the world’s first high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol.
IMAGE: Rolls-Royce’s methanol-fuelled engine. Rolls-Royce
“To date, there is no other high-speed engine in this performance class that runs purely on methanol,” said Dr. Jörg Stratmann, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.
The engine was developed in partnership with German engineering firm Woodward L’Orange and research organisation WTZ Roßlau (WTZ) under the meOHmare project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Methanol is the future
“For us, methanol is the fuel of the future in shipping – clean, efficient, and climate-friendly,” said Denise Kurtulus, senior vice president global marine at Rolls-Royce.
“The single-fuel methanol engine is an attractive solution, especially for operators of ferries, yachts, or supply vessels who want to reduce their carbon footprint,” he added.
Concurrently, Rolls-Royce is developing a dual-fuel engine concept capable of running on both methanol and diesel, serving as a transitional technology until methanol becomes more widely available.
Re-working engines for methanol
Methanol introduces new engineering challenges. Unlike diesel, liquid alcohol does not ignite spontaneously and therefore requires an entirely new injection technology, according to Rolls-Royce.
Methanol has a relatively low cetane number, meaning it ignites and burns more slowly than conventional fossil fuels. As a result, methanol-powered engines need separate pilot injectors that deliver a small amount of pilot fuel, such as diesel, to ignite the methanol.
“We have fundamentally redesigned the combustion process, the turbocharging, and the engine control system,” said Dr. Johannes Kech, head of methanol engine development in Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division.
By Tuhin Roy
Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online
