While shipowners await the arrival of low- and zero-carbon fuels, two- and four-stroke engines for main and auxiliary service continue to emerge to support the energy transition
A joint development between CMB.TECH, the technology arm of Belgium’s CBM Shipping, and DBR BV, a Dutch industrial equipment supplier, offers the latest: a high-speed hydrogen dual-fuel marine genset that will be first applied in a series of commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs).
Under the collaboration, DBR will be responsible for the construction and delivery of the hydrogen dual-fuel gensets, while CMB.TECH provides the hydrogen technology, including the necessary components.
At the core of the hydrogen dual-fuel hydrogen genset is a proven MAN V12-24l engine, which has been successfully used in previous collaborations between CMB.TECH and MAN Engines.
The genset has a maximum output of 940 kVA/752 kWe at 60 Hz (1,800 rpm) and can operate on diesel or in dual-fuel mode where emissions savings of up to 83% can be achieved, reported CMB.TECH. In a typical D2 duty cycle, 53% of diesel consumption and 12% of AdBlue consumption is saved, resulting in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. The genset is also available in 50 Hz (1,500 rpm), which can deliver 822 kVA of power.
“Decarbonising onboard power generation is a first step in the race towards zero-emissions shipping” said CMB.TECH chief technology officer Roy Campe. “As hybrid technologies are becoming more widely used, the presented dual-fuel hydrogen genset can be integrated easily and will be able to offer a flexible and future-proof platform to save emissions in the maritime industry,” he added.
“The transition to alternative fuels is in full swing,” said DBR marine sales engineer Arwout Verwoerd. “In collaboration with CMB.TECH, we can offer a great solution that allows our maritime customers to reduce emissions tremendously in one fell swoop. And since the gensets can still operate 100% on diesel, the vessel can also be used when there is no hydrogen available at that moment,” noted Mr Verwoerd.
CSOVs under construction
The first three of these hydrogen dual-fuel gensets were ordered by Damen Shipyard for Elevation Series CSOVs for Windcat Workboats, the offshore wind vessel operating arm of CMB. Under construction at Damen’s Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam, the first vessel in the series will have a hydrogen dual-fuel genset installed in a separate engineroom Q1 2024. The first of these CSOVs will be delivered in 2025.
This latest development builds on Windcat Workboat’s and CMB.TECH’s previous work on hydrogen. This year, Windcat’s Hydrocat 48 won OSJ’s Offshore Energy Vessel of the Year Award, while its Elevation Series CSOV won the Offshore Renewables Award.
CMB.TECH retrofit MAN D2862 LE428 engines in Hydrocat 48, the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled crew transfer vessel, with hydrogen injection technology.
CMB has been a pioneer in hydrogen-fuelled vessels, starting with the passenger shuttle Hydroville in 2017.
If you want to learn more about offshore wind and how windfarm vessel owners are decarbonising their operations, make your plans now to attend Offshore Wind Journal Conference 2024 in London 6 February 2024
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.