Medium-speed, ammonia-fuelled engine development project underway
MAN Energy Solutions has commenced a three-year ‘AmmoniaMot’ (Ammonia Engine in German) project. The key goal is to define the steps necessary to produce a dual-fuel, medium-speed engine capable of running on diesel-fuel and ammonia.
AmmoniaMot is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). Other partners include the University of Munich, Neptun Ship Design, WTZ and Woodward L’Orange.
The University of Munich (TUM) will employ a rapid-compression expansion machine to establish the fundamentals concerning the combustion of ammonia and will develop, together with MAN, the combustion models necessary for fast adaption of the technology to different engine sizes.
Energy conversion specialist WTZ will utilise a high-speed test engine to develop a combustion concept for the new engine. Meanwhile, Woodward L’Orange, a manufacturer of injection systems, will produce the injection system for the ammonia tests.
Neptun Ship Design (NSD) will also analyse international regulations to ensure the encapsulated, modularised fuel system meets key technical and safety requirements.
Project leader MAN Energy Solutions will subsequently transfer the various technologies to large-bore, four-stroke engines and prepare for commercial development and production.
Dr Alexander Knafl, head of R&D, four-stroke engineering, MAN Energy Solutions, commented: “MAN Energy Solutions views this project as closely aligned with its own strategy for developing sustainable technologies and welcomes the opportunity to work with external partners. For us, the path to decarbonising the maritime economy starts with fuel-decarbonisation and, in this context, ammonia is an excellent candidate in that it is carbon-free and eminently green when produced from renewable electricity sources.”
MAN Energy Solutions’ two-stroke business has already announced that it will deliver ammonia-fuelled engines by 2024.
