Low emissions and ready for tomorrow
The Sustainable Industry research centre at Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts is implementing and optimising a methanol injection system for a dual-fuel Methanol/HVO marine generator to supply electricity for the electric propulsion of an inland vessel. This system had been developed in an earlier research project. On this project, the Sustainable Energy & Mobility research centre at KdG is working with De Vlaamse Waterweg NV and Illitrans NV, a Belgian inland shipping company.
Tekst: Hannes Dedeurwaerder
The transport sector is facing increasingly strict environmental and health requirements: by 2035 inland shipping must reduce greenhouse gases and environmentally harmful substances by 35 percent, and by 2050 it must be completely emission-neutral. As methanol used to fuel combustion engines significantly reduces emissions, it can be a valuable ‘partner’ in achieving these targets. This is especially true if 'green methanol', produced from CO2 from the air and hydrogen, is used. It can replace fossil diesel without adding extra CO2 to the overall cycle.
Sustainability alone, however, is not enough: for ethanol to have a chance of success as a fuel, there must also be a positive economic impact. This will become increasingly important in the future, due to the rapidly rising cost to industry of their CO2 emissions.
Multiple Business Cases
"In principle, inland sailors can make their existing vessels more sustainable by taking two measures," says Kris Martens, Research Coordinator for Sustainable Energy & Mobility at the KdG Sustainable Industry Research Centre. "They can install a new Stage V engine, or retrofit an after-treatment system on their existing engine to meet the imposed emission standards." **(translator: where should the quotes end?)
There is a problem in that both investments are very costly, in many cases technically difficult to implement, and, above all, insufficient to achieve real sustainability. Both technologies do reduce harmful emissions, but the vessels still emit as much CO2, and sometimes even more.
For that reason, the ReMeth project focuses on maximising the health and environmental impact by reducing harmful emissions and greenhouse gases, and on the technical feasibility of a dual-fuel engine running on methanol and HVO. In the second phase of the project, all possible factors will be charted over the course of one year: potential diesel replacement, ideal propulsion dimensioning, as well as CO2 and other fine particle emission reduction. This will validate the actual impact of using dual-fuel (methanol) engines in inland shipping.
Not a Newbuild Project
In this pilot project, earlier research results from the Sustainable Industry research centre's studies into dual-fuel engines are being valorised in collaboration with De Vlaamse Waterweg NV, an external autonomous agency of the Flemish Government responsible for managing and operating the waterways in Flanders. "At De Vlaamse Waterweg we are strongly committed to the competitiveness of the inland shipping sector," explains Gilles Vandenborre, Head of Mobility Development and Land Management. "An important factor here is that the sector can strengthen its market position by becoming more sustainable. At present, there is uncertainty within the sector as to which alternative fuel to go for. ReMeth addresses this by investigating the feasibility of methanol for the inland shipping sector, and so we are very curious to see the results from optimising a retrofit methanol injection system." **(translator: where should the quotes end?)
"We chose a pilot project on an existing inland vessel to set an example for current inland sailors: you cannot simply replace all inland vessels with new builds - that would be far too great an investment. Furthermore, the construction process of a new inland vessel also causes omissions, which are not always taken into account. With ReMeth, existing inland shipping entrepreneurs gain insight into the potential of methanol for their vessels."
One of the inland shipping entrepreneurs involved in the valorisation process is Amedee Somers, who has been an independent inland shipping operator since 2000. A dual-fuelled engine will be installed on his vessel in a test setup. "If we have to re-power, we are obliged to install a new Stage V engine or retrofit an after-treatment system," he says. "But these are such enormous installations that such an operation is virtually impossible. Through De Vlaamse Waterweg NV we came into contact with the KdG research centre. We considered their dual-fuel alternative very viable, which is why we decided to participate. Everyone benefits: the researchers are looking for economic viability, and we are looking for a technology to reduce our emissions and get as close as possible to the Stage V threshold, to reduce the cost of after-treatment."
Complex Legislation
Matching ecological gain with economic viability is a challenge, as is cooperation between research and government bodies and partners in the field. However, the legislation is still the most complex issue. "The vessels have to be modified, but as there is still so much uncertainty, no one knows exactly how," says Kris Martens. "How exactly should we use the fuel? What about transport? Do the new or converted engines comply with the standards? The big advantage with dual-fuel is that you add methanol to your existing diesel engine, but can still run on standard diesel. If certain legislation does not go through, such a vessel can, in theory, simply switch back to diesel. In fact, sailing on methanol is currently still prohibited and will only be allowed as of 1 January 2026."
"The sticking point for the use of methanol in a combustion engine lies in the European regulation for non-road mobile machinery (NRMM Regulation). There is currently no reference framework for using dual methanol-diesel fuel in combustion engines. Along with the Federal Public Service for Public Health we are now looking at how ReMeth, through provisional type-approval, can contribute to the process of making this possible in the regulations."
Pioneer and Driving Force
Finally, we want to know what the ideal energy future for inland shipping would be. "For me personally, hydrogen is the ultimate goal," answers Amedee, "but that will take a very long time: a single cryo container on board costs €900,000, and without subsidies that is not feasible. So, for now, we find ourselves looking at hybrid solutions, with the methanol-diesel dual-fuel injection system offering the best option. That is why I am happy to take part in this project."