Offshore Decarbonization: Evaluating Biofuels and Hydrogen Pathways for Maritime Smart Engines

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🔬研究者:Provides experimental data on hydrogen injection and biofuel blends for offshore diesel engines, useful for energy transition research.

🏢実務担当者:Offers insights on retrofitting existing diesel engines with hydrogen injection and using biofuel blends for compliance with IMO decarbonization targets.

🏛政策担当者:Highlights need for regulatory support and infrastructure for alternative fuels in maritime, informing IMO and national policy discussions.

The offshore industry faces a challenge on how to decarbonize without compromising operational viability. This manuscript describes a research & development (R&D) program of decarbonization technologies under development for exploration of alternative fuel pathways for offshore, maritime shipping and drilling rigs applications. The Hydrogen Injection project is a pioneering initiative for the development of a system designed to enhance diesel engine efficiency and reduce GHG emissions. The Alternative Biofuel blends program aims to investigate blends of liquid biofuels with low-carbon footprint, aiming to reduce carbon intensity emissions. This R&D program, developed by Brazilian research institutions in partnership with an O&G operator, proposes an innovative strategy to reduce emissions and diesel consumption in Oil & Gas segment evaluating alternative fuel pathways for diesel engines in offshore operations: (a) Hydrogen Injection: retrofit of diesel engines with an on-demand hydrogen injection system. Hydrogen is generated on demand and injected into the engine governed by an artificial intelligence electronic control unit. (b) Maritime Diesel-Biofuel Blends: ternary blends of ethanol, biodiesel and diesel, stabilized with additive; (c) Ethanol: ethanol enhanced with additive for compression ignition engines. (c) Ammonia: dual fuel with ammonia and diesel, assessed through combustion modeling and rapid compression machine testing: (d) VLSFO-Biofuel Blends: blends of ethanol and biodiesel with Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) evaluated for physicochemical compliance. All liquid biofuel alternatives suffer from reduced heat value (LHV) compared to fossil fuels, demanding higher volumes to achieve equivalent energy output. Studies indicated Ethanol offers a feasible option though still facing technical and regulatory challenges like low flash point. The initial results with Hydrogen are compelling. The hydrogen-enhanced combustion led to improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in carbon monoxide emissions. These outcomes validate the technical feasibility and environmental benefits of hydrogen injection in diesel engines. R&D efforts are progressing focused on optimizing the technology, expanding emissions testing and validating performance under varied operational scenarios. This study emphasizes the need for regulatory support, infrastructure investment, and R&D to unlock the full potential of these alternatives. The regulation of alternative fuels in offshore application is under discussion by International and Brazilian agencies. The IMO´s IGF Code covers the safety design for ships using gases or other fuels. As the IMO regulatory framework progresses, classification societies can give technical support by issuing class certificates and providing prescriptive rule frameworks to support deployment. This manuscript presents practical insights into the literature of offshore decarbonization. It integrates technical and environmental assessments across multiple fuel pathways, and it offers information for decision-making support to evaluate fuel options. This study also contributes to the R&D of hydrogen and ethanol combustion technology for offshore applications, through experimental investigations, offering pathways to reduce emissions without overhauling existing infrastructure. The findings underscore hydrogen's and biofuel's role as a transitional fuel and provide actionable guidance for future deployments in the oil and gas sector.

• semanticscholar https://doi.org/10.4043/37094-msfirst seen 2026-06-29 06:08:42 · last seen 2026-07-05 05:45:26