Finland-based marine engine maker Wärtsilä on Wednesday launched a brand new ultra-low-emissions model of its Wärtsilä 31DF engine, which was first launched in 2015.
According to Wärtsilä, whereas working on LNG, this new model can additional scale back methane emissions on a 50 p.c load level by as much as 56 p.c and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by as much as 86 p.c.
On a weighted common, this new know-how can scale back methane emissions by 41 p.c greater than the usual Wärtsilä 31DF engine, which has already the bottom emission ranges in the marketplace, Wärtsilä stated.
The new model, which is utilized on one of many 4 engines on board Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia ferry, has already helped the Finnish-Swedish ferry operator additional scale back the Aurora Botnia’s methane emissions by 10 p.c. As a part of the EU co-funded Green Ray and SeaTech initiatives.
“Wärtsilä piloted the ultra-low emissions concept onboard the Aurora Botnia with exceptional results verified through an independent study conducted in December 2022 by VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland. Encouraged by the positive results, Wärtsilä has now launched the new ultra-low emissions version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine to the commercial market,” Wärtsilä stated.
Wärtsilä’s new ultra-low emissions model of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine © Wärtsilä
“This latest collaboration forms part of a long-term partnership between Wärtsilä and Wasaline to reduce emissions onboard the Aurora Botnia, the world’s most environmentally friendly RoPax ferry today.” Wärtsilä added.
“Launched in 2015, the Wärtsilä 31DF engine platform is widely recognized for its exceptional fuel economy, high performance, and minimal GHG impact. The engine, as a standard version, already meets today’s regulatory requirements. The new version will enable operators to go even further in reducing methane emissions, helping to futureproof their vessels in the longer term against potentially tightening global requirements. What’s more, improving dual fuel technology to enable methane emissions reduction will have a major impact on the long-term viability of LNG as a marine fuel,” Wärtsilä stated.
According to Wärtsilä, though methane slip from engines is a comparatively small quantity, from a proportion standpoint, it’s considerably stronger than CO2 – as much as 28 instances larger. Across the transport business, chopping methane emissions is among the simplest methods to lower general GHG emissions from engines over the following 10 years, complementing different efforts to scale back CO2 emissions, Wärtsilä stated.
