MAN and Wartsila dual fuel engine

Future fuels for ships is a subject under much discussion these days. It seems that the decision to invest in dual-fueled vessels will be trendy for ship owners.  

In actual, there are currently three different solutions for combining the gas supply system with the MAN B&W two-stroke ME-GI engine. The three solutions are shown below.

MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS offers two-stroke engine range, its dual fuel engine is designed to operate effectively on both diesel fuels and liquid gas(LPG).

This dual fuel engine by Man and Wartsila features at most environmentally, design focuses towards the reduction of volatile organic compounds. Man views that ME-LGIP as also ideally suited to the propulsion of shuttle tankers and very large crude vessels.

Man dual fuel engine overall information:

• Man dual fuel engine is designed with new injection concept, initiallydeveloped for methanol, now this concept has greatly expanded MAN EnergySolutions dual-fuel portfolio and enables the exploitation of more low-flash point fuels such as ethanol, dimethylether and now LPG.
• Same reliability as the ME-C/B engines
• Same power output as the ME-C/B engines
• Engine efficiency 50% or higher

The overall focus in the development of the dual fuel system concept is as below:

1.Gas safe engine room

2.A single failure result in gas shut down or gas stop

3.The gas system must not affect the engine running on MDO/HFO

4.The gas system is an add on to the ME engine

5. Control and safety functionalities are separated on different hardware units

The diesel principle provides the ME-LGIP engine with high operational stability and efficiency, notably during load changes and fuel change-overs.

MAN Energy Solutions has also reported that ME-LGIP engine has demonstrated a reduction of up to 18% in CO2, emissions and an approximate reduction of 90% particulate matter when running on LPG, compared with HFO. As we all known,  MC/ME engine is a well-proven product within the industry. The GI (Gas Injection) solution was developed in parallel and was finished for testing.

Furthermore, LPG is traditionally a cheaper fuel than marine gas oil yet delivers the same performance and efficiency. Importantly, the ability to use LPG cargo as a supplemental fuel source provides significant cost savings for LPG tanker owners and charterers, including reduced time and cost for fuel bunkering.

The development of the ME-LGIP engine to burn LPG meets with trendy of maritime energy transition, it meets with green logistic demand and it can effectively reduce the emissions

and establish natural gases as the fuels of choice in global shipping. It promotes a global turn to gas, driven by the IMO, and a common approach by the shipping industry, bunker suppliers, port and terminal operators and regulators to invest in infrastructure development and retrofits.