March 31 ------ The Green Maritime Methanol consortium, which studies the possibilities for renewable methanol as a maritime transport fuel, has achieved a new project milestone. The Dutch consortium has announced the successful start of the engine test program on 100 per cent methanol. New tests are being planned by the consortium which recently welcomed two more partners. In January 2020, Pon Power started its engine testing program with a Caterpillar 3508 spark-ignited high-speed gas engine. With customized cylinder heads and a customized engine control management system the engine operated on 100 per cent methanol as a fuel. According to Green Maritime Methanol, the test setup enables the researchers to study questions with regard to optimization of ignition timing, lubricating requirements and emissions of e.g. CO2 and NOx. In the coming months, Pon Power and the Netherlands’ Defense Academy (NLDA) will continue to perform more engine tests on this Caterpillar 3508 engine.
NLDA is also preparing a test program for their MAN engine. These tests include methanol injection directly in the cylinder blended with diesel which acts as pilot fuel for igniting the mixture. The tests are planned to include both a mixture stabilized by an emulsifier and a mixture blended mechanically. In the longer run, tests are also planned with methanol intake via the air inlet and ignition using diesel injected directly in the cylinder. The behavior of several diesel, methanol and emulsifier compositions is currently being studied in collaboration with TNO Eindhoven and the Netherlands’ Navy Chemical Laboratory in Den Helder. At a later stage, tests are planned with methanol intake via the air inlet and ignition using diesel directly injected into the cylinder. During 2020, more engine tests will be conducted, providing essential data for several future ship designs and propulsion trains on board. In May 2019, the consortium selected nine ships for research on the application of renewable methanol as a marine fuel. It selected new designs, newbuilds as well as existing ships of Boskalis, Van Oord, the Royal Netherlands Navy and Wagenborg Shipping. The vessel sizes vary in length from between 40-160 meters, with tonnage ranging from 300-23,000 dwt and in installed power from 1-12 MW.
The consortium has recently extended its membership with the addition of two organizations — Rijksrederij and Ghent University. Rijksrederij is the Dutch governmental organization responsible for the management, manning and maintenance of more than 100 specialized vessels. The fleet provides services for customs, coast guard, fisheries research and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Gent University is one of the early movers in the research for methanol as a transport fuel for shipping. In the European LeanShips project, Ghent University converted a Volvo Penta D7C-B-TA high-speed diesel engine for dual fuel operation on both methanol and diesel. To lower the threshold of adopting this technology, the converted engine also maintained 100 per cent diesel capability. Supported by TKI Maritiemand and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the project runs until December 2020.
Source: worldmaritimenews.com
Comments