Full Type Approval has been granted by RINA, the inspection, certification and consulting engineering multinational, for the EcoPro Fuel Catalyst System, a standalone retrofit design that uses hydrogen to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency on marine engines.
The EcoPro system intelligently optimises the engine’s fuel combustion, continuously monitoring engine requirements and ensuring that very specific quantities of hydrogen are produced at exactly the moment that the engine requires it. This smart control enables owners to utilise hydrogen to improve engine performance whilst avoiding the associated risks of high-pressure hoses and pressurised hydrogen storage systems. The smart system is monitored and remotely controlled by Ecomotus HQ and vessel owners have access to a live online data feed. Optimising the fuel burn, results in a significant reduction in carbon deposits (PMs) as well as reducing NOx, CO and CO2 at the point of ignition and reducing fuel consumption. Among the proven benefits, the carbon reduction enables engine oils and components to remain cleaner for longer, with a visible decrease in black smoke emitted from the exhaust, and with fuel being burnt more efficiently, torque is optimised, increasing range.
With no requirement for hydrogen storage tanks or high-pressure systems, and with a small footprint, the modular EcoPro can be retrofitted to almost any engine, allowing owners to optimise their fuel burn and reduce their CO2 footprint.
The EcoPro Hydrogen Electrolyser has already successfully been installed on over 30 marine engines to date.
Patrizio Di Francesco, EMEA Special Projects BD Manager at RINA, said: “RINA is delighted to have awarded the EcoPro Hydrogen Electrolyser with Full Type Approval. We believe that all technologies must be investigated and supported if we want to achieve decarbonization goals. The EcoPro system provides an effective solution for reducing marine pollution and emissions, focussing on applications for existing vessels engaged in short sea and inland navigation as well for yachts”.
Jason Munro, Director of Innovation at Ecomotus, said: “The search for safe clean-energy solutions is well underway, but change is not going to happen overnight. The EcoPro bridges the gap between fossil fuels and the future of a hydrogen/electric economy, a way to use hydrogen safely to immediately reduce pollution and improve fuel consumption, cleaning up existing engines now”.
