Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the parent company of PVA member mtu, has successfully tested a high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol on its test bench in Friedrichshafen. Together with their partners in the meOHmare research project, Rolls-Royce engineers have reached an important milestone on the road to climate-neutral and environmentally friendly propulsion solutions for shipping.
According to the company, this is the world’s first high-speed engine in this performance class that is powered solely by methanol.
Rolls-Royce’s goal is to offer customers efficient ways to reduce their CO2 emissions, in-line with the ‘lower carbon’ strategic pillar of its multi-year transformation program. The project also aligns with the strategic initiative in Power Systems to grow its marine business.
The joint project meOHmare is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and combines the expertise of Rolls-Royce with an injection system specialist and a technology and research center. The goal is to develop a comprehensive concept for a CO2-neutral marine engine based on green methanol by the end of 2025.
Methanol provides new challenges for engineering: unlike diesel, liquid alcohol does not ignite spontaneously and requires a completely new injection technology. The company explained that they have had to redesign the combustion process, the turbo charging, the engine control system, and their test bench infrastructure.
“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,” emphasized Denise Kurtulus, Senior Vice President Global Marine at Rolls-Royce. “The task now is to create the framework conditions for wider use.”
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.
If green methanol is produced using electricity from renewable energies in a power-to-X process, its operation is CO2-neutral. Compared to other sustainable fuels, methanol is easy to store, biodegradable, and causes significantly fewer pollutants.