The premier Dutch shipyard, FEADSHIP, has recently completed a pioneering GTL (natural gas to liquid) fuel test on the brand new 46-metre luxury yacht KISS. This is believed to be the very first sea trial of gas-to-liquids synthetic diesel onboard a superyacht.
Luxury motor yacht KISS by FEADSHIP
The shipyard first learnt about GTL in 2009, when they were working on the Aeon yacht concept. Developed by Shell, this revolutionary gas-to-liquids synthetic diesel demonstrated to be a highly suitable energy carrier for the combined reformer/fuel cell installation envisioned for the year 2020. Unfortunately, GTL was not commercially viable at that time. In fact, Shell’s huge GTL facility in Qatar only began production in 2011, and pure GTL diesel fuel has only recently become available on the market.
What GTL makes an attractive option for conventional combustion engines is the way in which it is produced. Natural gas is broken down into syngas, from which all different GTL products are synthesised. As syngas contains very few contaminants, the resulting fuel is pure in its composition – free from sulphur, for example – and gives a highly controllable burn. Another notable factor is that syngas can also be generated by gasifying biomass, allowing for an operation that is close to CO2 neutral.
An R&D project was set up on the all-new motor yacht KISS to explore the possibility of switching to GTL as the fuel for all FEADSHIP sea trials. One of the generators was run on GTL and diesel, whilst all emissions, noise and vibrations as well as fuel consumption were measured. The test analysis demonstrated a reduction in emissions of up to 30% for PM (soot) and HC (unburnt fuel, smell), and about 10% in NOX and CO2. Such remarkable savings are well worth the slightly higher cost price (about 10%). Noise values in the engine room and vibration levels were not found to have changed notably.
“It has been obvious for some time that the industry needs to look at ways of becoming more efficient,” says Oliver Varley, captain of KISS yacht. “As we develop more and more systems to meet this need, the fuel we use to run our vessels should evolve at the same rate. All owners wish to use their yachts in a clean environment, and yards and crew have a responsibility to minimise any negative effects vessels have on their surroundings. We commend Feadship for its forward thinking and are happy to have our vessel be a part of it.”
Paul Kerkvliet, who is presently working on his engineering thesis on future fuels at the Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects knowledge centre, was involved in the organisation, execution and analysis of the test. Paul comments: “As a mechanical engineer in the making, I’m a big fan of technological innovation. The GTL test fitted perfectly within the subject of my final thesis, which focuses on future fuels. The test went entirely according to plan, with great results and GTL has definitely proved to be a fuel that can contribute to a healthier environment. Given that GTL is compatible with basically every diesel engine, the switch will be really easy. I hope the introduction of this fuel on yachts by Feadship will encourage other owners to do the same.”
View more charter yachts built by Feadship.
