World's first 100% methanol marine engine

 Rolls-Royce rolls out world's first methanol engine 

British luxury car maker Rolls-Royce has successfully tested the world’s first high-speed marine engine running purely on methanol to transform ship propulsion and cut carbon emissions across the maritime industry. The engine is particularly suitable for ferries, yachts and supply vessels. The new engine is billed as the first high-performance marine engine to run purely on methanol. Rolls-Royce is ditching diesel for methanol with its new maritime engine, described as the world's first high-speed marine engine in its performance class to operate exclusively on pure wood alcohol for a potentially CO₂-neutral drivetrain. Maritime shipping makes up 90% of the world's commercial traffic, with almost 100% of it running on diesel fuel. Small wonder, therefore, that it accounts for a sizable percentage of global emissions, including 3% of greenhouse gases, 13% of sulphur oxides, and up to 30% of nitrogen oxides. While reducing these emissions would be a good thing, there are very practical obstacles to doing so.

The test was carried out at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the company’s advanced engineering division based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, as part of the meOHmare research project. The collaboration includes fuel injection specialist Woodward L’Orange GmbH from Feuerbach, Germany, and research institute WTZ Roßlau, specializing in engine technology, fuel systems, and alternative propulsion solutions. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the initiative aims to develop a comprehensive, CO2-neutral, high-speed engine concept by the end of 2025, based entirely on green methanol. “This is a genuine world first,” Jörg Stratmann, PhD, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, pointed out. “To date, there is no other high-speed engine in this performance class that runs purely on methanol.”

The fact is, operators of ferries, yachts, supply ships and other vessels burn diesel fuel for very good reasons. It's cheap, energy dense, has a lower fire risk and is available globally. In addition, diesel engines are thermally efficient, high powered, reliable, and have much lower maintenance costs than other engines. That means the bar is set very high for any alternative fuels. In contrast to diesel, methanol is a colourless liquid alcohol which doesn’t ignite on its own and requires an entirely new injection system. Because of that, Rolls-Royce engineers completely redesigned the combustion process, turbocharging system and engine controls. It's a challenge that Rolls-Royce has accepted for its meOHmare project, along with Woodward L’Orange and the WTZ Roßlau technology and research centre. The goal is to create a practical marine engine that can run on pure methanol, with a demonstration concept expected this year. This engine could one day become the heart of a carbon-neutral cycle where the fuel is made from green sources.

They even reconfigured the test bench infrastructure to handle the demands of methanol fuel. “Initial tests show that the engine is running smoothly, now it’s time for fine-tuning,” Johannes Kech, Rolls-Royce’s head of methanol engine development within the power systems division, elaborated. Aside from potentially being carbon neutral, methanol promises much lower levels of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and soot particles, as well as being biodegradable and easy to store. However, unlike diesel, liquid methanol does not ignite spontaneously in the high heat environment of a diesel engine. This required a fundamental redesign of the engine's core components, especially involving the basic combustion process, turbocharging systems, and engine controls. Methanol has emerged as one of the most promising fuels for decarbonizing maritime transport. This is because it offers nearly CO2-neutral operation when produced using renewable energy through power-to-X technology. It’s biodegradable, easy to store, and produces significantly fewer pollutants than fossil fuels. All of these qualities make it ideal for ferries, yachts and offshore vessels aiming to meet tightening environmental standards. One concern is that methanol is a poor self-lubrication fuel, which means that the ultra-high-pressure injection systems typical of diesel engines have to be re-engineered.

“We are investing specifically in future technologies to open up efficient ways for our customers to reduce CO2 emissions and further expand our leading role in sustainable propulsion systems,” Stratmann stated. As per Denise Kurtulus, Rolls-Royce’s senior vice president of global marine, the successful test marks a turning point for sustainable shipping. She believes it also proves that green methanol is a forward-looking fuel and that the technology to support it already exists. Details of the prototype engine have not been released, but since it is supposed to dovetail with the company's plan to introduce a dual-fuel engine to handle the crossover to a methanol infrastructure, it's likely to be a variant of an existing Rolls-Royce mtu high-speed engine platform such as the Series 4000. “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,” Kurtulus said. “The task now is to create the framework conditions for wider use.”

“This is a genuine world first,” said Dr. Jörg Stratmann, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. “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.” The company revealed that the new engine’s development aligns with its strategy to expand its marine portfolio with lower-carbon technologies. It is also working on a dual-fuel concept that can use both methanol and diesel, as a transitional technology while supply chains for green methanol become widely available. “For us, methanol is the fuel of the future in shipping– clean, efficient and climate-friendly,” Kurtulus concluded. “It burns with significantly lower emissions than fossil fuels and has a high energy density compared to other sustainable energy sources.”