MTU marine gas engine completes 3,000 hours testing

The new MTU gas marine engine has already successfully completed 3,000 on the test bench

JULY 7, 2016 —Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG reports that the new MTU marine gas engine has successfully completed 3,000 hours on the test bed and is on track to go into series production as the first high-speed pure-gas marine engine in 2018.

The Engine meets IMO III emission standards with no additional exhaust gas treatment

“We can now confirm that the engine meets both our requirements and those of our customers: its performance and its acceleration behavior are similar to the excellent characteristics of a diesel engine. It is economical, reliable and clean,” said Dr. Ulrich Dohle, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. “We are convinced that gas engines will become increasingly more important as supplements to our proven diesel engines for marine applications. Natural gas is an important fuel of the future. It will be available longer, it is cheaper to obtain in many regions of the world and has a better environmental footprint than heavy oil or diesel.”

The first engine in the MTU gas engine portfolio, as of 2018, will be the 16V 4000 covering a power range from 1,500 to 2,000 kW and based on MTU’s proven 16V 4000 M63 diesel engine for workboats.

The first series engines will be used to power a tug built by Damen Shipyards for Svitzer towage and salvage company. The two companies have entered into collaboration with MTU to jointly put the world’s first tug powered by high-speed gas engines into service. It will deliver high performance in addition to reduced fuel costs and emissions.

The next engine to be added to the gas engine portfolio will be an 8-cylinder engine, with a power range of 750 to 1,000 kW.

As of 2019, this MTU gas engine is to provide the propulsion for a new Lake Constance ferry operated by the local public utility, Stadtwerke Konstanz, which will ply between the two Lake Constance towns of Constance and Meersburg.

The new MTU gas engines will be equipped with a multipoint gas injection system, a dynamic motor management system and an advanced turbocharger.

The multipoint gas injection system is designed to provide the engine’s dynamic acceleration behavior, increased performance and reduced emissions.

The safety concept, which has been optimized for gas operation, includes double-walled gas supply lines, which means that no additional complex safety precautions are required in the engine room.

On the test bench, it was possible to simulate real-life maneuvers that represented the dynamic acceleration behavior of a diesel engine.

In its development of the new gas marine engine, MTU has benefited from the 30 years’ experience it has gained to date with stationary gas engines for power generation and the experience with medium-speed pure-gas propulsion systems available within the Rolls-Royce Group.