POWERFUL

PEOPLE:

THE REAL POWER BEHIND OUR ENGINES

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

You want to receive credit for your work, right? Well, I do and I’m proud of the fact that this project makes a possible contribution to the energy transition. Also, I just love working with technology. I've always been fascinated by technology and how things work.

DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEMS?

Of course, but that's part and parcel of the process. So you concentrate on that together and you solve it. We’d already pinpointed most of the problems beforehand, for that matter, so we were able to resolve them in advance. We gave ourselves six months to build a working proof of concept and we chose a G3508 generator set as the basis. So we didn’t start with a blank sheet of paper. It meant we weren’t entirely free in what we did but as a result, we had to really think about how to find a solution within the set framework.

EDWIN SPOELDER

Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering

“I want to receive credit for my work and this project certainly delivers in that respect!”

THAT MEANS YOU’RE DOING ALL KINDS OF THINGS AT ONCE...

Absolutely. And that’s what makes it so exciting! Every day during our lunch break, Wim and I go for a walk and all we do is pick each other's brain. What we want, how we can achieve it, what's required, what’s preferred, etc. We continuously filter ideas or issues and turn them into practical solutions. Then we need to realise those solutions, which means installing, programming, building things, developing protocols, giving explanations to CER colleagues, applying for permits, etc. So it's not just technology, it's everything around it too. It's a wonderful process.

BUT DON'T YOU ALREADY HAVE THOSE SYSTEMS READY HERE?

Most of them, yes, but they have to be combined into one big functioning system, with a new fuel to boot, a fuel we don’t have any experience with and that comes with a major safety issue.

WHAT’S SO EXCITING ABOUT THAT?

Well, it throws up a lot of challenges, in terms of technology, protocols, storage, etc. Also, there’s a safety issue. Methanol differs from the regular fuels we’re familiar with. It brings new challenges in terms of alerting, system monitoring and working methods. One of the challenges, for instance, is that you can’t smell and see methanol when it burns, demanding completely different things from your detection system than we’re used to. Also, we had to implement a protocol that enabled us to use methanol safely. Letting an engine actually run on methanol does, of course, pose a whole lot of other challenges. We had to find out the right injection and ignition timing for methanol and program the motor management based on that. We removed almost the entire Cat system and developed our version for it with a third party. We also had to develop an operating system with a user interface to realise all controls and connections, regulate fuel supply and discharge and deal with safeguards. All of this had to be devised and built. So, yeah, that kind of thing.

THAT’S A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

It’s an initiative in which Pon Power, in collaboration with knowledge institutions, suppliers, the methanol industry, classification societies and shipyards, studies the possibilities of using methanol as ship fuel. In specific terms, it means we’re aiming to convert an existing Cat gas engine so that it can run on methanol. My colleague Wim van Sluijs, the ultimate gas engine specialist at Pon Power, is heading this project. I offer support in the field of electrical system control.

EDWIN SPOELDER 

Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering

EDWIN, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I’m working on various projects at the same time but the most prominent is, of course, the Green Maritime Methanol Project.

POWERFUL

PEOPLE

At Pon Power, there are about 4O0 employees who commit themselves to customers from a wide range of business sectors every day. In this new section, we focus on these enthusiastic professionals. Who is the man behind the machine? In this edition, we talk to Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering, Edwin Spoelder (46).

THE BIG QUESTION, OF COURSE, IS ... DID IT WORK?

It certainly did! We worked on it for six months and when we finally had perfected the entire test set-up and had completed a couple of successful test runs, we managed to let the engine run. Ultimately, we used three thousand litres of methanol and generated a lot of measuring data. The aim of the first trial setting session was to keep the engine running and under control on 100% methanol. And we did it. Of course, we had already carried out several measurements which we now use to make improvements so that the next trial setting will give us a good idea of the potential of methanol as a fuel for combustion engines. The next test will be carried out soon and we’ve already improved various areas of the system and were able to measure new data. It's not just Wim and me who are proud of this result, it's something that affects everyone at Pon Power.

DO YOU WANT TO STAY UPDATED
ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

Keep an eye on our website or follow us on Linkedin 

POWERFUL

THE REAL POWER BEHIND OUR ENGINES

PEOPLE:

At Pon Power, there are about 4O0 employees who commit themselves to customers from a wide range of business sectors every day. In this new section, we focus on these enthusiastic professionals. Who is the man behind the machine? In this edition, we talk to Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering, Edwin Spoelder (46).

THAT’S A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

It’s an initiative in which Pon Power, in collaboration with knowledge institutions, suppliers, the methanol industry, classification societies and shipyards, studies the possibilities of using methanol as ship fuel. In specific terms, it means we’re aiming to convert an existing Cat gas engine so that it can run on methanol. My colleague Wim van Sluijs, the ultimate gas engine specialist at Pon Power, is heading this project. I offer support in the field of electrical system control.

BUT DON'T YOU ALREADY HAVE THOSE SYSTEMS READY HERE?

Most of them, yes, but they have to be combined into one big functioning system, with a new fuel to boot, a fuel we don’t have any experience with and that comes with a major safety issue.

WHAT’S SO EXCITING ABOUT THAT?

Well, it throws up a lot of challenges, in terms of technology, protocols, storage, etc. Also, there’s a safety issue. Methanol differs from the regular fuels we’re familiar with. It brings new challenges in terms of alerting, system monitoring and working methods. One of the challenges, for instance, is that you can’t smell and see methanol when it burns, demanding completely different things from your detection system than we’re used to. Also, we had to implement a protocol that enabled us to use methanol safely. Letting an engine actually run on methanol does, of course, pose a whole lot of other challenges. We had to find out the right injection and ignition timing for methanol and program the motor management based on that. We removed almost the entire Cat system and developed our version for it with a third party. We also had to develop an operating system with a user interface to realise all controls and connections, regulate fuel supply and discharge and deal with safeguards. All of this had to be devised and built. So, yeah, that kind of thing.

THAT MEANS YOU’RE DOING ALL KINDS OF THINGS AT ONCE...

Absolutely. And that’s what makes it so exciting! Every day during our lunch break, Wim and I go for a walk and all we do is pick each other's brain. What we want, how we can achieve it, what's required, what’s preferred, etc. We continuously filter ideas or issues and turn them into practical solutions. Then we need to realise those solutions, which means installing, programming, building things, developing protocols, giving explanations to CER colleagues, applying for permits, etc. So it's not just technology, it's everything around it too. It's a wonderful process.

DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEMS?

Of course, but that's part and parcel of the process. So you concentrate on that together and you solve it. We’d already pinpointed most of the problems beforehand, for that matter, so we were able to resolve them in advance. We gave ourselves six months to build a working proof of concept and we chose a G3508 generator set as the basis. So we didn’t start with a blank sheet of paper. It meant we weren’t entirely free in what we did but as a result, we had to really think about how to find a solution within the set framework.

EDWIN, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I’m working on various projects at the same time but the most prominent is, of course, the Green Maritime Methanol Project.

EDWIN SPOELDER

Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering

“I want to receive credit for my work and this project certainly delivers in that respect!”

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

You want to receive credit for your work, right? Well, I do and I’m proud of the fact that this project makes a possible contribution to the energy transition. Also, I just love working with technology. I've always been fascinated by technology and how things work.

PEOPLE

POWERFUL

EDWIN SPOELDER 

Technical Specialist in Electrical Engineering

THE BIG QUESTION, OF COURSE, IS ... DID IT WORK?

It certainly did! We worked on it for six months and when we finally had perfected the entire test set-up and had completed a couple of successful test runs, we managed to let the engine run. Ultimately, we used three thousand litres of methanol and generated a lot of measuring data. The aim of the first trial setting session was to keep the engine running and under control on 100% methanol. And we did it. Of course, we had already carried out several measurements which we now use to make improvements so that the next trial setting will give us a good idea of the potential of methanol as a fuel for combustion engines. The next test will be carried out soon and we’ve already improved various areas of the system and were able to measure new data. It's not just Wim and me who are proud of this result, it's something that affects everyone at Pon Power.

DO YOU WANT TO STAY UPDATED ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

Keep an eye on our website or follow us on Linkedin 

Pon Power News

The online magazine of Pon Power, the Caterpillar dealer for diesel and gas engines and generators. In this magazine we keep you up to date on the latest projects, new products & services and technical innovations.
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