RINA has issued approval for path to changing MAN L/V 32/44CR to methanol prepared.
With methanol fueling gaining momentum, many of the focus has been on massive two-stroke engines, however curiosity in methanol-fueled four-strokes is rising and classification society, RINA has now granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates to MAN Energy Solutions for its MAN L/V 32/44CR methanol-ready four-stroke engine.
The AiP covers an improve idea for conversion of the four-stroke engine to dual-fuel operation on methanol to offer higher flexibility to shipowners.
“This AiP is based on our recently published Methyl Alcohol Fueled Ready notation,” stated Patrizio Di Francesco, EMEA particular initiatives supervisor at RINA. “Methanol is a fuel with a lot of potential as a clean, carbon-neutral fuel and the industry is already showing concrete appreciation of it. The successful cooperation with MAN is a further step towards the availability of future-proof solutions for shipowners.”
Being methanol-ready eases the trail for house owners to modify to the gasoline.
Elvis Ettenhofer, head of latest marine options at MAN Energy Solutions, stated: “This approval by RINA is significant as we move towards net zero. A major advantage of our four-stroke portfolio is its inherent retrofit potential, which enables us to provide shipowners with cost-effective solutions and flexibility regarding future fuels. In this latter respect, there is no doubt but that interest in methanol is growing and that it will have a prominent role to play within shipping.”
As we reported just lately, shipowners exploring using methanol in four-strokes embody Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings, which just lately signed an MOU with MAN Energy Solutions to retrofit a medium-speed MAN 48/60 four-stroke engine to make it able to dual-fuel diesel/methanol operation.
Methanol has a number of bodily benefits as a gasoline, together with a liquid state at ambient temperatures and its accordingly straightforward dealing with aboard vessels, in comparison with gaseous fuels. Under combustion, methanol additionally emits fewer NOx emissions than diesel gasoline and no SOx nor soot emissions.
Finally, says MAN, methanol can also be a lot much less hazardous to marine life in contrast with standard marine fuels. The AiP certificates permits using ships’ outer ship hulls as bunker tanks, thereby growing fuel-storage capability on-board.
