Milestone: MAN Starts First Full-Scale Tests of Ammonia Two-Stroke Engine
MAN Energy Solutions reports it has reached a key milestone in the development of its first dual-fuel ammonia engine. They have commenced testing of a full-scale, two-stroke engine running on ammonia at its Research Centre in Copenhagen. The company has previously said it was targeting the end of 2024 or 2025 for the delivery of its first ammonia dual-fuel engine as the industry awaits what is seen as a potential game-changing alternative fuel.
“The market is hungry for any news related to our ME-LGIA development and this, the beginning of testing on the world’s first two-stroke, full-scale ammonia engine, is a major milestone,” said Bjarne Foldager, Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions. “MAN Energy Solutions is proud to be a pioneer within the new segment of ammonia engines, but it is equally important for us to show the world that we are moving forward cautiously in a reliable and safety-first way.”
Currently, there are only three vessels, Fortescue’s converted offshore supply vessel, NYK’s tugboat, and Amogy’s demonstrator tug, that were acknowledged as operating on ammonia. DNV highlights the pent-up demand reporting on its Alternative Fuel Insights database that there are already 27 newbuilds on order for ammonia-fueled propulsion with the majority of the deliveries expected in 2026 and 2027.
MAN reported in 2023 that it achieved the first combustion with ammonia on the two-stroke test engine, with highly promising data on the stability of the combustion process. The technology development was aiming for a small percentage of just 5 percent pilot oil at 100 percent load based on L1 rating. A small pilot flame is needed to start ammonia combustion. Initial tests were conducted with 10-15 percent pilot as a first step as they worked to transition to the 5 percent target. The remaining 95 percent of the energy MAN reports will be provided by ammonia supplying high power, energy density, efficiency, and extremely low emissions.
Having already completed more than 12 months of testing on a single cylinder running on ammonia, it’s a significant milestone to be able to step up to full-scale engine testing,” said Ole Pyndt Hansen, Head of Two-Stroke R&D, MAN Energy Solutions. “We have been busy with the conversion process over the past few months, including ensuring that all safety provisions work according to our requirements. We are now ready for the next phase that will focus on, among other parameters, combustion and emissions, engine-tuning, atomizer testing, and control-system verification. This is provisionally set to continue until mid-2025.”
The effort builds off MAN’s introduction of other dual-fuel engines. The company highlights the adoption of engines that run on methanol, methane (LNG), LPG, or ethane. The ammonia engine concept is based on the Liquid Gas Injection engine.
“Now is the time to develop the technology and we look forward to revealing our progress at the appropriate time,” said Foldager.
Other engine manufacturers including Wartsila and WinGD also are building a book of business for ammonia engines. They have also reported developments with the technology while in Japan a group reported having developed the ammonia fuel supply system as it also works to complete its engine.