Hydrogen and ammonia engines
Together with OEMs, CMB.TECH develops, tests and markets single fuel and dual fuel hydrogen and ammonia combustion engines for various industries, such as marine, railroad and power generation.
MAN
MAN Engines and CMB.TECH have developed a powerful 749kW dual fuel hydrogen engine, based on the 24-litre V12 MAN D2862 LE428. This engine features a hydrogen injection system that injects hydrogen in front of the intercooler. The double-walled hydrogen manifold is crafted using advanced 3D additive manufacturing technology.
The dual fuel engine, used in applications like Windcat's Hydrocat vessels, matches the performance and characteristics of the original MAN D2862 LE428. It adds a precise amount of hydrogen to the charge air, which is ignited by diesel fuel in the combustion chamber. This reduces CO₂ emissions significantly while maintaining consistent performance and reliability. If hydrogen supply issues arise, the engine can seamlessly switch back to diesel.
Volvo Penta
CMB.TECH developed a hydrogen dual fuel engine in collaboration with Volvo Penta. This engine operates similarly to the regular D8 model but mainly uses a blend of hydrogen and diesel instead of just diesel, due to the dual fuel technology. The dual fuel solution's main advantage is that it will reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases up to 80%, while at the same time provide a robust and reliable solution. And, if hydrogen is not available, the application continues to run on traditional fuel, safeguarding productivity.
BeHydro
BeHydro is a joint venture between CMB.TECH and Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC). BeHydro engines are available in both dual fuel and 100% hydrogen versions. The range of hydrogen engines consists of 6- and 8-cylinder inline engines and 12- and 16-cylinder V-engines covering a power range between 1 MW and 2.6 MW.
The BeHydro dual fuel engines are developed for heavy-duty applications and are very flexible in usage. The innovative BeHydro 100% hydrogen engine range has been developed for heavy-duty applications and delivers 100% clean energy. As a main drive or in combination with an alternator, they are a reliable and 100% environmentally friendly source of energy for marine, power and railway applications.
WinGD
In a partnership with WinGD, CMB.TECH is developing ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines. Large ships with two-stroke dual fuel engines can run on ammonia as fuel, which makes up about 95% of the mixture. The remaining 5% consists of pilot fuel, which is used for ignition. This configuration makes these ships almost mono fuel, demonstrating the growing importance of green ammonia in decarbonising shipping.
These marine engines are the platform to allow the use of zero-emission fuels. This partnership will showcase the ammonia dual fuel X72DF engine in a series of 210,000DWT bulk carriers. The first ship that will be fitted with this engine will sail at the beginning of 2026.
CMB.TECH's core technology focuses on hydrogen combustion technology, hydrogen storage and hydrogen/ammonia implementation.