Enhanced Wärtsilä 31DF engine cuts methane by further 41%
A new version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine, which reduces methane emissions by an additional 41% on average when compared to the previous market best, launched today.
Whilst operating on LNG, the new ultra-low emissions version of its already efficient Wärtsilä 31DF engine can further reduce methane emissions on a 50% load point by up to 56%, and NOx by up to 86%. On a weighted average, it means the technology can reduce methane emissions by 41% more than the standard Wärtsilä 31DF engine, which the company said already has the lowest emission levels on the market.
Future-proofing ships
Launched in 2015, the Wärtsilä 31DF engine platform is widely recognised for its superior fuel economy, high performance, and minimal GHG impact. The engine, as a standard version, already meets today’s regulatory requirements. The new version will enable operators to go even further in reducing methane emissions, helping to future-proof their vessels in the longer term against potentially tightening global requirements.
Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and engineering at Wärtsilä, told Seatrade Cruise News the company has ‘spent years developing and refining’ the engine.
He went on to describe the new 31DF as ‘a further development stage of our already great engine product,’ and good for fuel economy and helping the industry to decarbonise.
Improving dual fuel technology
Improving dual fuel technology to enable methane emissions reduction will have a major impact on the long-term viability of LNG as a marine fuel, according to Wärtsilä. ‘Our work around reducing methane slip and GHG emissions is part of Wärtsilä’s effort to continuously improve efficiency and reduce emissions of our products, and this new innovation is one more very important step along the road to decarbonisation,’ remarked Stefan Nysjö, VP of power supply, Wärtsilä Marine Power.
Nysjö continued, ‘The building of an LNG fuel infrastructure has been an important factor in shipping’s transition towards cleaner operations, and Wärtsilä continues to create solutions that support this journey. Our focus has always been to improve and optimise existing solutions, and to develop exciting new ones. With this latest introduction, we are clearly delivering on this commitment.’
Although methane slip from engines is a relatively small amount, from a percentage standpoint, it is significantly more potent than CO2 – up to 28 times greater. Across the shipping industry, cutting methane emissions is one of the most effective ways to decrease overall GHG emissions from engines over the next 10 years, complementing other efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.
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