Rolls Royce have achieved a key milestone on path to commercial introduction of hydrogen-powered engines.
Rolls-Royce says it has successfully run a 12-cylinder gas variant of its MTU Series 4000 L64 engine on 100% hydrogen fuel, achieving a key milestone on the path to the commercial introduction of hydrogen-powered product. While it is currently being evaluated for on land stationary engines, there are future ramifications for MTU marine engines.
The test engine has been undergoing bench evaluations for several months, according to the company, with successive modifications yielding continuous improvement in terms of efficiency, performance, emissions and combustion using 100% hydrogen as fuel. Modifications to engine components including fuel injection, turbocharging, piston design and control are said to allow for the different combustion behaviours of hydrogen compared to natural gas, while the implementation of existing technologies including MTU turbochargers, injection valves, and engine electronics and controls is said to have allowed for greater efficiency and faster development.
The company notes that with green hydrogen, these MTU engines can be considered CO2-neutral, with engine emissions well below strict EU limits and no exhaust gas aftertreatment required.
The first installation of MTU engines running on 100% hydrogen is planned for a dryland installation at the enerPort II lighthouse project in the German inland port of Duisburg, as part of the development of a climate-neutral energy supply for a new container terminal.
