Dutch superyacht exhaust experts MarQuip have launched a brand new heat recovery system. Replacing the bulky systems currently on the market, each Exhaust Heat Exchanger can be custom designed, comes with its own control system and offers a doubling in energy efficiency.

The pressure to make superyachts more sustainable is higher than ever and all kinds of new engines and fuel technologies are being developed. Change takes time, however, and conventional engines are still expected to be the main source of propulsion on ocean-going superyachts for at least the next decade.

In response to this and the fact that conventional engines have a relatively low efficiency of around 30%, MarQuip is constantly striving to improve the current situation. “Most of the power in conventional engines is converted into heat via exhaust gases,” explains Wiebe Voorneveld, project engineer at MarQuip. “Even when cooling down with our wet exhaust systems, this remains an inefficient state of affairs. By adding a heat recovery system to the exhaust, we are able to boost efficiency levels up to 60% and double the amount of power coming out of the same engine.”

Smart thinking

Most heat recovery systems currently available are very bulky. They also need to be installed in parallel with the current exhaust system in order to ensure that liquids don’t boil and damage the system whenever heat from the exchanger is not being used. These heat exchangers have their own hot valves to re-route the exhaust gases through the bypass.

“Developed together with our partners Kelvion GmbH and Seable&Co, MarQuip’sExhaust Heat Exchanger has no bypass or hot valves,” adds Voorneveld. “The system is designed in such a way that we can always guarantee cooling over the exchanger without the need for any warm water thanks to the combination of our cooling back-up system and wet exhaust.” 

Bespoke control

The Exhaust Heat Exchanger has its own control system. This means that less heat is recovered when starting the engines in order to ensure that only minimal condensation is formed with dry-stack exhaust systems.

“The Exhaust Heat Exchanger is fully custom designed and can be made to fit inside every engine room,” concludes Voorneveld. “Having diesel engines that are twice as efficient will give you a serious edge over your competitors, save on fuel consumption and reduce the environmental footprint of a superyacht. It’s a genuine win-win-win situation.”