New chapter: MAN ES initiates full-scale ammonia engine testing

German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) has moved on to a new phase in the development of its ammonia engine with the commencement of testing a full-scale, two-stroke engine running on ammonia at its Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC).

MAN ES described the two-stroke engine testing in Copenhagen as an important milestone on the path to dual-fuel ME-LGIA (Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) development.

According to Ole Pyndt Hansen, Head of Two-Stroke R&D, MAN Energy Solutions, the full-scale engine testing follows more than twelve months of testing a single cylinder running on ammonia and a few months of the conversion process.

“The next phase 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,” Hansen said.

Bjarne Foldager, Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, commented: “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. MAN Energy Solutions is proud to be a pioneer within the new segment of ammonia engines but it is equally as important for us to show the world that we are moving forward cautiously in a reliable and safety-first way. Now is the time to develop the technology and we look forward to revealing our progress at the appropriate time.”

To remind, MAN ES completed the first running of a test engine on ammonia at RCC back in 2023, reporting the successful combustion had been performed on a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X type and positive results with promising data regarding pilot-oil amount and combustion stability. 

At the time, the company said it expects to hold its delivery timeline for the first ammonia engine, with subsequent operation onboard a commercial vessel from around 2026.

MAN ES started working on a B&W two-stroke engine operating on ammonia back in 2019 with a pre-study of the fuel supply and injection concept combined with several hazard and hazard and operability studies (hazid/hazop) together with classification societies, shipowners, yards, and system suppliers.