Ammonia combustion test successfully completed

MAN Energy Solutions has revealed the first successful tests of an engine operating on ammonia at its Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC). The combustion was carried out using a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X engine with what the company described as positive data relating to pilot oil and combustion stability.

The R&D ammonia engine project started in 2019 with a pre-study of ammonia combustibility. In 2020, a second test engine in RCC allowed parallel tests with different fuels. Hazid workshops on engine concepts were carried out at the same time. Now, MAN expects to stick to its delivery time for the first ammonia engine, with operation aboard a commercial vessel from around 2026.

Safety has been a critical factor throughout the project. Precautions have included construction of a custom-built ‘cold hall’ which can contain ammonia in the event of a leak by activating a water screen. Double-walled piping and system ventilation have also been built into the ammonia engine’s design, the company said.

MAN’s chief technical officer, Gunnar Stiesch, commented: “This marks a major milestone on our road to developing a full-scale two-stroke ammonia marine engine. 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 decarbonising the marine market and bringing big things to zero.”

Brian Østergaard Sørensen, vice president and head of Research & Development, Two-Stroke, said: “This is groundbreaking for both our company and the maritime industry as a whole. That said, we know we still have a lot of hard work ahead and, over the following months, will execute a testing programme 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.”

Head of Two-Stroke Business, Bjarne Foldager, revealed that interest in this project has been overwhelming. “However, while we provide the decarbonising technology, the maritime industry must show the will to implement it,” he declared.

“Now it’s up to the International Maritime Organization to establish clear regulations that ensure that maritime actors are not penalised 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,” he added.