Ethanol successfully tested at ‘all load points’ on methanol dual fuel engine

With ethanol gaining interest among shipowners as potential alternative fuel, HD Hyundai Engine & Machinery (HHI-EMD) reported it has successfully tested at various load points one of its four-stroke HiMSEN dual-fuel engines on the alcohol-based fuel.

During operational and combustion testing, HHI-EMD said its HiMSEN H32DF-LM methanol dual-fuel engine platform operated stably on ethanol at all load points. In a social media post, the South Korean engine maker said testing focused on start-up, combustion stability, power output stability, and exhaust gas characteristics under fuel property differences, “while maintaining the existing methanol engine hardware as much as possible”.

The first methanol HiMSEN 6H32DF-LM engines, rated at 3,000 kW at 720 rpm, were supplied to Maersk for installation in the methanol-powered 2,100-TEU container ship Laura Maersk in 2023. Maersk is testing ethanol and methanol blends in its methanol dual-fuel engines.
In recent months, two-stroke and four-stroke marine engine designers have made several announcements around the development of ethanol-capable marine engines, building on their methanol dual fuel technology.

The engine designer believes ethanol could offer shipowners fuel flexibility in an uncertain alternative fuel bunkering landscape, allowing them to hedge against supply availability and price.

HHI-EMD said: “Ethanol, like methanol, can be handled as a liquid at atmospheric conditions and can be produced from bio-based sources, making it a promising alternative fuel with significant carbon reduction potential. It is also attracting growing interest from shipowners and the shipbuilding industry as a fuel that can respond to regional methanol supply conditions and price volatility.”

Widely produced in the United States and Brazil, ethanol is a low-flashpoint fuel that would need to be certified by IMO as a low-carbon fuel.

HHI-EMD said it plans to conduct additional durability tests in line with class society requirements and commercial operating conditions.

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