Rolls-Royce Develops mtu Series 1163 & 8000 Engines for IMO III

Rolls-Royce is further developing its proven large marine engines of the mtu 1163 and 8000 series to comply with the IMO Tier III emissions directive, the company announced at the SMM marine trade fair. From 2025, the engines are to be available in all cylinder variants – 16 and 20V respectively – in the power range between 4,800 and 10,000 KW. They will allow entry into the so-called Emission Controlled Areas (ECA), for example in the Baltic and North Seas and off the North American coast. Rolls-Royce is developing the necessary exhaust gas aftertreatment with SCR system itself in order to be able to adapt it precisely to mtu engines and customer requirements. The company is also aiming to become an IMO emissions certificate holder, which would significantly reduce the workload for shipyard customers. The engines are to be approved for operation with sustainable fuels (EN15940, e.g. HVO) in the course of 2025.

Klaus Schmidt, Director Naval Application Engineering at Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, says: “With the decision to further develop our mtu Series 1163 and 8000 engines for the strict IMO Tier III emission requirements, we are giving our customers planning security. At the same time, we are making our mtu large engines, which have set standards in their power range for many years in terms of power density, efficiency and economy, future-proof and more climate-friendly.”

In developing the new engine variants, Rolls-Royce pays particular attention to maintaining a maximum of common parts to the current versions in order to simplify maintenance and logistics. The electronics of all new engines are brought up to date. The most important change compared to the previous engines for IMO II is the new exhaust gas aftertreatment, the core component of which is an SCR system in which nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced by 75 percent compared to the IMO II limits. It is a closed system in which the emissions upstream and downstream of the SCR system are continuously measured. This ensures optimal and compliant operation of the exhaust gas aftertreatment system.

Rolls-Royce’s aim in developing the SCR system is to give its customers maximum installation flexibility: The system can be installed both horizontally and vertically and can thus be adapted to a wide variety of ship designs and layouts. For military applications, the SCR system can be ordered shockproof if required.

mtu engines of the 1163 and 8000 series have proven themselves for many years in frigates, corvettes and offshore patrol vessels (OPV) as well as fast ferries and yachts, among others, all over the world. Rolls-Royce has also further developed its marine engines of the mtu 2000 and 4000 series for IMO III. These are already certified and available.