Components and principles of marine internal combustion engines

Abstract

Marine shipping is both a key driver of global trade and among the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. Aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets have been set, which will require rapid adoption of new low-lifecycle-carbon fuels and the engines to use them. Most of the fuels under consideration (methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, etc.) will require some changes to engine hardware—particularly, fuel injection and turbocharging systems. This chapter describes the key design features of marine diesel engines and the combustion strategies that can be used with these new fuels. The current state of the art in fuel injection and air handling technologies is described, and challenges related to new fuels from decarbonization are evaluated. Aside from injection schedules for combustion control, major factors that will need to be considered in new designs are compatibility of the proposed fuels with engineering materials and fuel injector designs adapted to the flow requirements and spray characteristics of the new fuels.