Rolls-Royce’s mtu large engines now approved for HVO, IMO III

Image: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce now offers its mtu Series 1163 and 8000 large engines in all cylinder variants—16 and 20V in each case—in the power range between 4,800 and 10,000 kilowatts with SCR systems for compliance with emission stage IMO III.

This enables ship operators to enter the Emission Control Areas, for example in the Baltic and North Sea and off the North American coast.

In addition, Rolls-Royce has now approved these mtu engines for operation with sustainable fuels (EN15940, e.g. hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO).

“With this portfolio expansion, we are making our mtu large engines future-proof and more climate-friendly in line with our strategy,” said Knut Müller, the senior vice president of global governmental business at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “They have been setting standards in their power range for many years in terms of power density, efficiency and economy.”

The most important change compared to the previous engines for IMO II is the new mtu exhaust-gas aftertreatment, the core component of which is an SCR system in which nitrogen-oxide emissions are reduced by 75 percent compared to the IMO II limits.

It is an actively controlled system in which the emissions upstream and downstream of the SCR system are continuously measured.

This ensures optimum and compliant operation of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment system and a minimum dosage of the required reducing agent.

Rolls-Royce offers its customers maximum installation flexibility: The system can be installed both horizontally and vertically and can therefore be adapted to a wide variety of ship designs and layouts.

The system itself is already designed to be shock-proof for military applications.

If required, the system is available with bypass in order to maintain safe engine operation and unrestricted propulsion power even under extreme shock requirements and long low-load periods.

With the approval of mtu Series 1163 and 8000 engines for HVO and other DIN EN15940 fuels, they can replace conventional diesel fuel made from fossil oil without any modifications to the engines.

“There is a lot of interest from many customers in the marine industry who want to improve their carbon footprint, particularly in HVO,” said Denise Kurtulus, the vice president of global marine at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “Test results on the test bench and in operation at customer sites show a significant reduction in greenhouse gases as well as nitrogen-oxide and particulate emissions. With our current and future propulsion solutions for sustainable fuels, we want to be a reliable partner for our customers as a driver of the energy transition.”

The mtu Series 1163 and 8000 engines have been proving their worth for many years in frigates, corvettes and offshore patrol vessels as well as fast ferries and yachts around the world.

More than 350 Series 8000 engines have already moved large ships across the world’s oceans in a total of 3 million operating hours.

Rolls-Royce has also further developed its mtu Series 2000 and 4000 marine engines for IMO III and approved them for sustainable fuels such as HVO.