Non-Carbon River Boat Powered by Combustion Engines

Closed

The EU recently adopted rules requiring limits to carbon emissions and type-approval of internal combustion engines for Non-Road Mobile Machinery (Directive 97/68/EC, 01/2017). This set more stringent limits for emissions from inland waterway (IW) vessels. There is an urgent need for emission reduction due to stronger environmental standards aims. Replacing NWE’s ageing fleet with RIVER technology offers the potential for emission reduction. The objective of RIVER is to reduce or eliminate the pollutants from the polluting engines. It is expected that 6600 engines on existing vessels will need to be replaced in 2018-50 and 2400 new vessels will come into operation. RIVER aims to address these issues and to apply an Oxy-fuel combustion technology for Diesel engines that eliminates NOx (part of the GHG), and to capture, store all CO2 emissions and reduces fuel consumption by up to 15%. The project includes 9 partners from 5 MS and 5 associated. Partners experienced in CCS, Oxyfuel engine, treatment of CO2, Engine’s control and IWT. Partners will use the research into engine control from the Interreg 2 Seas project SCODECE and results on IWT from PROMINENT EU project to support their work in RIVER. This technology will then be tested, demonstrated and embedded on an existing vessel operating in the UK. A small-scale lab transforming CO2 into bio-solvent will be implemented and a feasibility study for a large vessel will be carried out during the project. At the end of the project, NOX of the equipped vessel will be reduced at 194 kg, 24 t/year CO2 will be avoided and the consumption reduced by 1500 l/year. After ten years, a European campaign through the network linked to this technology involving IW Operators, National authorities and Engine manufacturers will ensure that hundreds of boat retrofits will be achieved. The retrofit of 300 medium size boats expected resulting in the reduction of 21000 t/year CO2 generating few hundred (in)direct jobs.

Medium