Biodiesel at Sea

Summary

This document provides a non-technical summary of sea trials in a ~10 m class potting vessel running comparative fuel consumption tests using red (fossil) diesel and biodiesel. The vessel, FV Ma Gandole, is powered by a 20 year old Volvo MD70B 6 cylinder, normally aspirated, 120 hp diesel engine coupled to a 3:1 reduction gearbox, assumed to be fairly typical of many power plant of the Newlyn ~10 m class fleet. The sea trials demonstrated that both fuels started the engine equally well, and the vessel was felt to handle and perform equally well with either fuel.

Author

• R. Caslake,
• T. Rossiter,
• N. Wood,
• D. Miller

Publication date

01 March 2008