The new targets also create new priorities for ship owners.
“They need to look at their vessels. A very small proportion of ships will be able to be retrofitted to work with new fuels. And I know the engine manufacturers have some ideas on how that might happen. But really the priority needs to be on new orders: all new ship orders need to be capable of running on alternative fuels. Certainly, financing organizations are not going to fund the purchase of ships purely based on fossil fuels anymore.”
“The fortunate thing here is that we’re now mainly talking about two or three potential new fuels. Deep sea shipping is likely to rely on methanol, ammonia or e-methane. Ships for shorter journeys, like ferries, might use electricity or employ hydrogen directly. There is some scope for increasing the supply of biofuels. We’re likely to see a mix of fuels for some time: the conclusion from our GHG strategy group in CIMAC is that ‘there will be no silver bullet’ to provide a definitive solution to our zero-emissions fuel challenge.”
“So, there will be different fuel options for shipowners, and we need to use them to attain the targets. Accelleron is already working with engine manufacturers to supply them with turbochargers that can work with alternative fuels. The high efficiency of turbochargers tuned for these fuels will be necessary to help operators to reduce fuel costs. We have a very strong R&D team and, coupled with our unique test center in Baden, that is helping us move ahead swiftly. We can immediately support our engine OEM customers with the development of alternative fuel engines and they can rely on our strong global service network”
“The primary focus at present is on methanol, which has the advantage that its combustion behavior is quite close to diesel oil. There are differences but, in principle, the overall thermodynamic looks similar. A key area for adaptation is around fuel injection, which is one reason Accelleron is acquiring OMT, a specialist in the area. For ammonia and hydrogen, it will take a little longer to develop effective solutions, because their combustion characteristics are quite different to diesel, and indeed, to each other. Yet even so, they fall within our existing competence and expertise.”
“The recently announced cartridge concept of interchangeable parts for the ACCX300-L series was developed chiefly for service flexibility, but we also expect it to help shipowners to be able to make some adaptations for new fuels during the long life of a turbocharger. However, the main challenge for ship owners seeking to change fuels will be fuel tanks and fuel systems: they represent the main source of extra costs, as opposed to the engine.”
Read more about Dirk Bergmann’s vision of innovation at Accelleron.