At its Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC), MAN Energy Solutions has reported the first successful running of a test engine on ammonia. According to the business, the successful combustion was carried out on a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X type and generated encouraging results, with data on pilot-oil quantity and combustion stability being especially promising.
“This marks a significant milestone on our road to developing a full-scale two-stroke ammonia marine engine,” stated Gunnar Stiesch, Chief Technical Officer of MAN Energy Solutions. This week has been historic for our team at the RCC since it has allowed us to obtain a thorough grasp of the distinctive properties of ammonia as a marine fuel as well as how it affects fuel delivery and safety systems. This successful combustion is yet another crucial step in the direction of decarbonizing the maritime industry and achieving net zero emissions.
This is revolutionary for both our business and the marine sector as a whole, according to Brian stergaard Srensen, Vice President and Head of Research & Development, Two-Stroke at MAN Energy Solutions. “Despite this, we are aware that we still have a lot of work to do. In the next months, we will carry out a testing programme to investigate factors including heat-release, ignition, safety, the energy fraction of the pilot oil, and NOx and N2O emissions. The test engine will then be completely rebuilt, going from a single cylinder that can operate on ammonia to a full-scale test engine that can run on ammonia by the end of this year or the beginning of 2024”.
The first MAN B&W ammonia engine will be a 60-bore engine, which will be suitable for a very broad range of vessel types, according to Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions. “There is a lot of interest in this engine, and we have gotten a lot of inquiries from pretty much all major commerce ships”. By the end of this decade, MAN Energy Solutions anticipates a rapid adoption of ammonia-fueled engines.
Article sourced: https://www.marinelink.com/news/man-completes-first-ammonia-engine-test-506550
