Methanol testing to begin at Alfa Laval Centre
(Posted on 11/03/21)
Major tests of methanol as a marine fuel will soon begin at the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre in Aalborg, Denmark. Working closely with MAN Energy Solutions and other partners, Alfa Laval will explore the possibility of running the centre’s four-stroke, 2 MW diesel engine on methanol – without modifications or another pilot fuel. The testing is the third stage in an ongoing research project funded by Danish EUDP (Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program).
Initiated two years ago, the EUDP-funded methanol project partners Alfa Laval and MAN Energy Solutions with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and biofuel producer Nordic Green. Through joint research, the consortium seeks to develop a methanol fuel system that can adapt to today’s marine diesel engines. Methanol, which is abundant and clean-burning, is one of the most promising fossil-free fuels available for future shipping.
“At present, combusting methanol requires a pilot ignition with fuel oil,” explains Lars Skytte Jørgensen, Vice President Technology Development, Alfa Laval Marine Division. “This necessitates two fuel lines and different types of fuel tanks on board. If methanol from renewable sources could be burned directly in standard compression engines, it would offer a shortcut to carbon-neutral shipping.”
“The move to clean-burning methanol will be a crucial step in decarbonizing the shipping industry,” agrees Klaus Petersen, Engine Specialist, Performance & Optimization at MAN Energy Solutions. “Through our collaboration with Alfa Laval and the other project partners, we hope to make that step significantly easier for vessels to take.”
Burning methanol in an unmodified diesel engine will require new engine software, which must be developed through engine testing and work with combustion modelling.
Early tests of the concept on smaller engines at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and later at the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) showed promising results. This led to a small-scale experiment with methanol at the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre, using a single cylinder of the centre’s 2 MW marine engine.
“We were excited at just how well the one-cylinder experiment ran,” says Jørgensen. “And now we are ready to proceed with wider testing.”
Alfa Laval is well prepared to move ahead, having already equipped the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre with tanks and ancillary equipment for working with biofuels. The tanks have been readied for an exceptional delivery from Nordic Green, who supplied the green methanol in March.
“We produce our methanol from waste sources instead of new biomass,” says Bo Gleerup, CEO at Nordic Green. “This means the coming combustion tests will be neutral in CO2 impact – exactly as the operation of tomorrow’s vessels needs to be.”
Latest News
OrbitMI launches enhanced Data-as-a-Service for dry bulk
(Posted on 22/07/24)OrbitMI has announced the launch of its latest Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering, tailored specifically... Read more
Flexicon marks 50 years
(Posted on 22/07/24)Flexicon Corporation, a privately-held firm and world leader in bulk handling equipment and systems,... Read more
Siwertell ship loader order for high-capacity fertilizer handling
(Posted on 16/07/24)Bruks Siwertell has secured an order for a Siwertell ship loader type-1A from Libyan Fertilizer Company... Read more
ECOsubsea invests in Singapore with NOK 35m from Innovation Norway
(Posted on 16/07/24)It is a climate and environmental problem that ship hulls are not cleaned often and gently. After being... Read more
ECOsubsea invests in Singapore with NOK 35m from Innovation Norway
(Posted on 16/07/24)It is a climate and environmental problem that ship hulls are not cleaned often and gently. After being... Read more
Berge Neblina sets sail with four carbon-saving rotor sails
(Posted on 12/07/24)Berge Bulk has announced the successful installation of four emissions-reducing rotor sails on Berge... Read more
Wärtsilä simulators to support Singapore's Wavelink Maritime Institute
(Posted on 12/07/24)Technology group Wärtsilä has supplied its new dual-fuel engine simulator technology for Wavelink... Read more
Oulu extends cargo handling with Konecranes Gottwald
(Posted on 04/07/24)The Finnish Port of Oulu has ordered a Konecranes Gottwald ESP.7 Portal Harbor Crane to improve cargo... Read more
Intergis adds flexibility in South Korea with Konecranes Gottwald Gen 6 MHC
(Posted on 28/06/24)Intergis Co., Ltd ordered a Konecranes Gottwald ESP.5 Mobile Harbour Crane to improve its bulk and general... Read more
Live freight rate visibility across routes and maturities
(Posted on 28/06/24)AXSMarine, a pioneer and market leader in the provision of advanced solutions and market intelligence... Read more
