In recent years, with the increasing pressure on ship emission reduction, the shipping industry has accelerated the exploration of the application of clean fuels, and methanol has become increasingly popular as an alternative fuel for the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

The world's second largest methanol producer, Proman Group of Switzerland, entrusted Longspur Research, a clean energy financial service company, to point out that methanol is a good choice for marine clean fuel at present. First of all, methanol is now available, and its technology has been verified. Methanol fuel can be selected to build new ships or refit existing fleets. The density of methanol is sufficient for use, which will not significantly affect the ship's load capacity, and the risk of using methanol is small. Methanol can be refueled from ship to ship or shore to ship, which is "a good and low cost option at the time of delivery".

At present, methanol is mainly used as the fuel of internal combustion engines on ships, and a small number of methanol is used as the fuel of fuel cell powered ships or the raw material for reforming hydrogen production.

So, what are the physical and chemical properties and emission characteristics of methanol? What is the history of methanol application in ships? What are the technical standards for methanol powered ships? How about methanol internal combustion engine R&D and actual ship application?

Physicochemical properties of methanol

1. Methanol is a colorless liquid under normal temperature and pressure. It does not need to be stored at low temperature or high pressure. It is easier to store and process than LNG, ammonia and hydrogen fuel.

2. Methanol has low flash point and is easy to burn. Among all liquid fuels, methanol has a high hydrogen carbon ratio. Compared with traditional fuel oil, this relationship will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions generated by combustion.

3. The energy density per unit volume of methanol is 15.7MJ/L, less than half of the traditional marine fuel oil. Alcohol is a low energy density fuel, which means more fuel is needed for the same power output. The volume energy density of methanol is about 2.5 times lower than that of diesel oil. To obtain the same volume energy as diesel oil, the volume of storage container must be expanded to 2.5 times of the original volume, or the transportation distance will be reduced by half by using existing tanks.

4. Methanol is easily biodegradable in aerobic and aquatic environments. The half-life in surface water is 1 to 7 days. In case of leakage or overflow, the impact on the marine environment is small.

5. It has strong volatility, irritation and toxicity. It has a great impact on the nervous system and blood system of the human body. Toxic reactions will occur after ingestion through the digestive tract, respiratory tract or skin. Methanol vapor can damage the respiratory mucosa and vision of the human body, causing harm to the human body.

6. Methanol corrodes lead, nickel, cast iron and other non-ferrous metals, which will affect the use of these materials in internal combustion engines, pipelines and storage tanks. (Test article)