MAN Starts Full-Scale Testing Of World’s 1st Ammonia-Powered Two-Stroke Engine

MAN Energy Solutions has taken an important step toward making ammonia-powered engines a reality in the maritime industry. The company has started testing its full-scale two-stroke ME-LGIA (Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) engine at its Research Centre in Copenhagen.

After over a year of successful testing on a single-cylinder engine that ran on ammonia, the company is now testing the engine at full scale, and the team is eager to see how it performs.

Ole Pyndt Hansen, who leads the Two-stroke R&D team at MAN, shared that the conversion process took several months to ensure all the safety systems were in place.

With the testing now underway, the next phase will focus on critical aspects like combustion, emissions, atomiser testing, engine tuning, and verifying the control systems.

The team expects this testing phase to last until mid-2025.

According to Bjarne Foldager, Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN, there’s a lot of buzz in the market about the ME-LGIA engine, and the full-scale testing on the world’s first full-scale two-stroke ammonia-powered engine is a big deal.

While MAN is proud to lead in ammonia engine technology, Foldager says that they are taking a cautious and safety-first approach to ensure the engine is both reliable and safe for widespread use.

The ME-LGIA engine is designed to run on ammonia, with a small percentage of pilot oil needed to start the combustion process. At full load, 95% of the energy comes from ammonia, while 5% comes from pilot oil.

Previous tests have shown promising results, including stable combustion and extremely low emissions which are crucial for the shipping industry’s goal of cleaner fuel.

Currently, only a few vessels are using ammonia as fuel, including Fortescue’s converted offshore supply vessel, NYK’s ammonia-powered tugboat, and Amogy’s demonstrator tug.

However, demand for ammonia-fueled ships is growing rapidly. According to DNV’s Alternative Fuel Insights database, 27 new vessels are already on order for ammonia-powered propulsion, with most delivery expected in 2026 and 2027.

If successful ammonia-powered engines could be crucial in decarbonising the shipping industry.

Other engine manufacturers, like Wartsila and WinGD, are also developing ammonia engine technologies, and reports from Japan suggest that ammonia fuel supply systems are being developed alongside these engines.

Reference: MAN ES

Source: Maritime Shipping News