Engine manufacturers MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä have announced the next phase of their Hercules research programme.
The aim of the programme is to achieve sustainable and safe energy production from marine power plants. This next phase is made possible by funding from the European Commission. Phase III of the programme, Hercules-C, aims at integrating several successful technologies to reduce emissions and optimise the efficiency and long-term reliability of marine engines.
Hercules-C is planned to run for three years, from 2012 to 2014, with a budget of €17 million (US$22 million). This brings the total Hercules research programme budget, which includes the earlier Hercules-A and Hercules-B projects, to €76 million.
The first objective of the Hercules-C project is to achieve further substantial reductions in fuel consumption, while at the same time optimising power production and usage. The second objective is to maintain the performance of engines throughout their operational lifetime. The third specific objective is to achieve near-zero emissions by integrating the various technologies developed in the previous collaborative research efforts.
MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä have been collaborating in the Hercules programme since it was conceived in 2002 to develop new technologies to increase marine engine efficiency. In so doing, fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, as well as gaseous and particulate emissions can be reduced, while engine reliability will be increased.
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