en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in collaboration with Caterpillar Inc., has developed a dual-fuel combustion system that addresses the challenge of igniting methanol in diesel engines, primarily targeting inland and coastal marine applications.

Methanol is typically produced from natural gas, an abundant domestic resource, and its liquid form facilitates easy storage and transportation. However, methanol is difficult to ignite, posing a technical barrier for marine engines that rely on compression-ignition diesel systems. ORNL's solution combines methanol with a small amount of diesel (used as pilot fuel) to enable methanol dual-fuel operation across a wider range of operating conditions.

"This system allows marine engines to use over 75% methanol across a broad range of power levels without compromising performance," said Derek Splitter of ORNL, the project lead under the cooperative research and development agreement between the laboratory and Caterpillar. While deployment requires engine upgrades, this approach avoids a complete redesign and allows the engine to operate on either diesel or methanol dual fuel.

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