- mtu Series 2000 and Series 4000 for ships gradually released for EN15940 fuels from the beginning of 2023
- Up to 90% CO2 reduction possible through operation with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO/ renewable diesel)
- Successful tests with California Operator Golden Gate Ferry fleet show convincing performance
Rolls-Royce is setting another milestone on the road to climate-neutral shipping with the approval of its Series 2000 and Series 4000 mtu marine diesel engines in 2023 for use with sustainable fuels. Following successful bench and field tests, the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems will gradually be approving its Series 2000 and Series 4000 mtu marine engines for EN15940 synthetic diesel fuels from the beginning of 2023. These fuels include the sustainable fuels BtL (Biomass to Liquid), HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil/renewable diesel) and PtL (Power to Liquid) such as e-diesel. They can all replace conventional diesel fuel, which is made from fossil petroleum, without any adjustments in these engines. Last year Rolls-Royce pledged to prove that the Series 2000 and Series 4000, its most popular in-production engines, can be used with sustainable fuels.
“There is already a lot of interest now from many customers in the marine industry who want to improve their carbon footprint, particularly with HVO,” explained Denise Kurtulus, Vice President Global Marine at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “Results from pilot customers show significant reductions in greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions by using HVO instead of fossil diesel.” The engines are used, for example, in ferries, workboats and large yachts.
41,000 hours with HVO: mtu engines at Golden Gate Ferry with convincing performance
“Since 2019, we have been successfully testing the use of HVO (renewable diesel) with mtu engines in six ferries in our fleet,” stated Jim Swindler, General Manager of Golden Gate Ferry in San Francisco (California). The tests in over 41,000 operating hours confirmed, that when HVO is used, mtu engines perform as outstandingly as diesel – in terms of maximum power, load acceptance and fuel consumption. “And the visible smoke that was seen at the dock with conventional diesel has been reduced with the switch to HVO.” Four other shipping companies in the U.S. are currently testing the use of HVO with their mtu engines. HVO is a drop-in fuel, which means that the previous diesel system infrastructure can be used unchanged for its use, and no engine hardware or software modifications are required.