Rolls-Royce Power Systems says the engine will meet the market demand for hydrogen solutions in the context of the energy transition and will provide reliable and clean source power for customers’ generating units and cogeneration plants.

As part of the new container terminal’s climate-neutral energy supply, the company plans to deploy the first mtu engine running on 100 percent hydrogen fuel at the enerPort II lighthouse project in the German inland port of Duisburg.

Hydrogen energy can be used both to store excess energy and as a fuel, not only for engines but also for fuel cells and cogeneration plants that produce climate-neutral electrical and thermal energy, says Rollo Power Systems. For example, when electricity demand is low and wind or solar energy produces large amounts of renewable energy, excess energy can be channeled into electrolytic hydrogen plants to convert water into hydrogen, which can then be used as fuel for a range of applications.

Rollo Power Systems has been bench-testing mtu gas engines running on 100 percent hydrogen fuel for months, continuously improving efficiency, performance, emissions and combustion performance. With green hydrogen as a fuel, these mtu engines will be able to operate in a CO2-neutral manner in the future. For the gas engines already in operation, Rollo Power Systems can offer conversion kits as a solution.

Considering that hydrogen burns differently than natural gas, the company has made changes to some engine components of the test engines, including fuel injection, turbocharging, piston design and controls. However, by using proven technologies from the Rollo Power Systems portfolio, such as mtu turbochargers, injection valves, engine electronics and control systems, hydrogen fuel engine development was able to move forward quickly and efficiently.

Duisburg, one of the world’s largest inland ports, is currently working with several partners to build a hydrogen-based energy supply network for its new terminal, which is expected to be operational by 2024. In the future, most of the electricity required by the port itself will be produced directly from hydrogen on-site in a CO2-neutral manner. This will be achieved through two cogeneration plants with mtu 4000 series hydrogen fuel engines (total installed capacity of 2 MW) and three mtu fuel cell systems (total installed capacity of 1.5 MW).

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