Rolls-Royce and yacht/shipbuilder Lurssen are making a strong case for methanol as an environmentally friendly and climate-friendly fuel for yachts.
They are already working on specific projects, including the propulsion of a Lurssen yacht using mtu methanol engines from Rolls-Royce. The two companies made the announcement at the Monaco Yacht Show, the world's largest exhibition for large yachts.
The companies plan to focus on yachts with lengths of 75 meters and above, which offer great potential for being powered by methanol - ideally 'green' methanol. This is a synthetic fuel produced by taking carbon dioxide (which is harmful to the climate) from the atmosphere and converting it using electricity from renewable generation such as solar or wind farms. The amount of carbon dioxide given off by engines running on 'green' methanol is equivalent to the amount originally extracted from the air, resulting in a 'net zero' carbon footprint.
In addition, methanol engines emit much less particulate than comparable diesels, and their exhaust gases can be vented without undergoing SCR aftertreatment.
The main difference, and thus a challenge for naval architects shipbuilding engineers, is that in terms of calorific value methanol has around 2.4 times more volume than diesel, so the tanks have to be correspondingly larger. 'Our customers want to dedicate as little hull-space as possible to propulsion and fuel storage. Methanol has disadvantages here compared to diesel, but clear advantages over other alternatives to fossil fuels. We're now seeing that today's prospective buyers of tomorrow's yachts are increasingly thinking about how they can make running their vessels as climate-friendly and environmentally friendly as possible,' noted
'Lurssen is all about top-class yachtbuilding in the large and extra-large categories. We are proud to have been a partner for decades now, supplying innovative and highly sophisticated propulsion systems. That's always technically challenging, and it will be the same with the methanol engine, especially if we - as a pioneer in the industry - want to influence the direction the market will take. Who, other than us, has the opportunity to provide such a trend-setting impetus to lead shipping into a climate-friendly future' asked
Rolls-Royce is currently developing a methanol engine based on the successful mtu Series 4000. Unlike the diesel engine, whose fuel self-ignites under high pressure, methanol - with its lower flash point - is ignited using a spark plug, in much the same way as a gasoline engine.
'Despite increasing climate awareness, we have to convince our customers of the benefits of methanol as a fuel, as engine power output will be lower than that of a diesel engine of the same weight and size,' said Lurssen Managing Director Dr.
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