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July 14, 2023
MAN reports
successful first running of ammonia two-stroke engine
MAN Energy Solutions announced the
successful first running of a test engine on ammonia at its Research
Centre Copenhagen (RCC). The company reports that the successful
combustion was performed on a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X type and
produced positive results with particularly promising data regarding
pilot-oil amount and combustion stability.
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This marks
a major milestone on our road to developing a full-scale two-stroke
ammonia marine engine. It’s been a historic week for our team at the
RCC where a lot of groundwork and research has now paid off and we
have gained a deep understanding of ammonia’s unique characteristics
as a marine fuel, as well as its effects on fuel supply and safety
systems. This successful combustion represents yet another, important
step towards decarbonizing the marine market and bringing big things
to zero.
—Gunnar Stiesch, Chief Technical
Officer, MAN Energy Solutions
MAN Energy Solutions reports that safety has been of paramount
importance at all stages leading to the new milestone. Precautions
taken due to the fuel’s inherent characteristics include the
construction of a custom-built cold hall, which can contain ammonia
vapor in the unlikely event of a leak with the activation of a water
screen. Robust safety features from the company’s existing dual-fuel
portfolio, such as double-walled piping and system ventilation, have
also been built into the ammonia engine’s design.
This is groundbreaking for both our company and the
maritime industry as a whole. That said, we know we still have a lot
of hard work ahead and, over the following months, will execute a
testing program that will study aspects such as heat-release,
ignition, safety, pilot-oil energy fraction, NOx and
N2O
emissions. We then plan on rebuilding the test engine from one
cylinder capable of running on ammonia to a full-scale test engine
running on ammonia around the end of this year or early in 2024.
—Brian Østergaard Sørensen, Vice
President and Head of Research & Development, Two-Stroke at MAN
Energy Solutions
MAN Energy Solutions states that it broadly expects to hold its
delivery timeline for the first ammonia engine, with subsequent
operation onboard a commercial vessel from around 2026.
Interest
in this breakthrough has been overwhelming. However, while we
provide the decarbonizing technology, the maritime industry must
show the will to implement it. Now it’s up to the International
Maritime Organization to establish clear regulations that ensure
that maritime actors are not penalised for choosing carbon-neutral
fuels. At MAN Energy Solutions, our expectations for ammonia are
positive owing to its predicted lower production cost compared to
other, relevant e-fuels; we foresee around 27% of fuel used onboard
large merchant-marine vessels to be ammonia by 2050.
—Bjarne Foldager, Head of Two-Stroke
Business, MAN Energy Solutions
The
first MAN B&W ammonia engine will be a 60-bore engine, which will be
applicable to a very wide range of vessel types. The interest in
this engine is very high and we have received many queries across
basically all large merchant-marine vessels. MAN Energy Solutions
expects a quick uptake of ammonia-fuelled engines towards the end of
the current decade.
—Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion
and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions
Project steps. The ammonia engine R&D project started in 2019 with
a pre-study and investigation of ammonia combustibility. The following
year, a second test-engine arrived in Copenhagen, enabling a
parallel-test engine setup with different fuels at RCC; HAZID
workshops on the engine concepts were performed simultaneously.
In 2021, the ammonia fuel-supply system and
auxiliary systems were specified with the highest possible focus on
safety, while 2022 saw the installation of the same systems at RCC
with instrumentation for test engine No. 1 for 1-cylinder ammonia
testing initiated.
In 2023, ammonia bunkering and service-tank
facilities were built with all auxiliary systems enabling a full
containment of ammonia in the unlikely event of a leak. Similarly, all
auxiliary systems were initially tested with water, followed by
ammonia.
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
Nathan1@greenplayammonia.com
exactrix@exactrix.com
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