Rolls-Royce has premiered a high-speed, 100% methanol engine for ships on its test bench in Friedrichshafen.
Said to be a world’s first, the engine uses green methanol, which is a CO2-neutral, clean and safe marine fuel, thus marking a significant milestone in efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable propulsion solutions for shipping.
“This is a genuine world first,” said Dr Jörg Stratmann, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “To date, there is no other high-speed engine in this performance class that runs purely on methanol. We are investing specifically in future technologies in order to open up efficient ways for our customers to reduce CO2 emissions and further expand our leading role in sustainable propulsion systems.”
Since the beginning of 2023, Rolls-Royce has worked in partnership with injection system specialist Woodward L’Orange and technology research center WTZ Rosslau as part of the meOHmar research project – funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The goal is to develop a concept for a high-speed combustion engine for ships by the end of 2025 that can be operated in a CO2-neutral manner using green methanol.
If green methanol is produced using electricity from renewable energies in a power-to-X process, its operation is CO2-neutral, making it one of the most promising alternative fuels for shipping. Compared with other sustainable marine fuels (SMFs), it has the advantage of being easier to store, causes fewer pollutants, and is biodegradable.
“For us, methanol is the fuel of the future in shipping – clean, efficient and climate friendly,” said Denise Kurtulus, senior VP for global marine at Rolls-Royce. “It burns with significantly lower emissions than fossil fuels and has a high energy density compared with other sustainable energy sources.”
However, methanol presents new challenges, since unlike diesel, liquid alcohol does not ignite spontaneously and requires completely new injection technology. “We have fundamentally redesigned the combustion process, the turbocharging and the engine control system – and even adapted our test bench infrastructure,” explained Dr Johannes Kech, head of methanol engine development in the power systems division at Rolls-Royce. “Initial tests show that the engine is running smoothly – now it’s time for fine-tuning.”
At the same time, Rolls-Royce is working on a dual-fuel concept that can use both methanol and diesel – a bridging technology until green methanol is widely available.
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