MAN B&W two-stroke engine achieves successful ammonia combustion

At MAN Energy Solutions’ Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC), the company has successfully run a test engine on ammonia with positive results regarding pilot oil amount and combustion stability. The engine used was a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X type.

“This marks a major milestone on our road to developing a full-scale two-stroke ammonia marine engine,” said Gunnar Stiesch, chief technical officer, MAN Energy Solutions. “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.”

During testing, a multitude of precautions were taken to ensure a high level of safety due to ammonia’s volatile characteristics. This included the building of a bespoke cold hall able to contain ammonia vapor with a water screen should a leak occur. Double-walled piping and system ventilation developed by MAN has also been included in the engine’s design.

“This is groundbreaking for both our company and the maritime industry as a whole,” commented Brian Østergaard Sørensen, vice president and head of research and development, two-stroke at MAN Energy Solutions. “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.”

The company aims to have its first ammonia engine operating on board a commercial vessel from approximately 2026.

“Interest in this breakthrough has been overwhelming,” added Bjarne Foldager, head of two-stroke business, MAN Energy Solutions. “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 penalized 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 on board large merchant-marine vessels to be ammonia by 2050.”

“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,” said Thomas Storgaard Hansen, head of promotion and customer support, MAN Energy Solutions. “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-fueled engines towards the end of the current decade.”

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