MAN ES’ 175D engine gets approval for operation on biofuels

German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) has revealed that its MAN 175D engine is formally approved for operation on biofuels.

As informed, the approval applies to all standard biofuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) fuels up to a content of 100%. Specifically, the engine itself does not require any technical adjustments, according to the company.

“MAN Energy Solutions prepares its engines for operation on future and sustainable fuels and the MAN 175D is no exception. Several such units have been running on up to B30 biofuel in commercial, as well as governmental, applications for several years already where our experience has been very good and shown that the 175D does not suffer any loss in performance even when using these fuels,” Florian Keiler, Head of High-Speed Sales, MAN Energy Solutions, said.

“Due to its … design, just a few engine components are subject to slightly higher wear, depending on the amount of biofuel and the duration of operation. For uninterrupted engine operation, only minor adaptations of the fuel-treatment system are necessary.”

MAN Energy Solutions developed the MAN 175D engine range to supplement and complete its product portfolio in the maritime sector. In three variants of 12, 16 and 20 cylinders, the engine is available with an output ranging from 1,500 to 4,400 Kilowatts and is optimised for propelling ferries, offshore supply vessels, tug boats and other working vessels. 

The company stressed that the engine is an eco-friendly engine, being designed from the outset with compliance to the latest, as well as future, exhaust-gas-emission requirements and uses a very compact and flexible SCR system, which enables vessel designers to optimise space aboard to the maximum.

Due to the lower energy content of FAME fuels, the engine’s maximum continuous rating would drop if no correction measures were applied. Therefore, MAN ES has developed a solution that allows the correction of the load by means of a fuel adaption control ensuring full MCR power, also when operating with 100% FAME fuels.

To remind, MAN ES has recently revealed that its MAN 49/60DF engine has received its type approval after a five-day program on the testbed.

The Type Approval Test (TAT) was witnessed by inspectors representing the ABS, BV, CCS, DNV, LR and RINA classification societies, who signed the test protocol upon the successful completion of the schedule.

The dual-fuel engine is capable of running on LNG, diesel and HFO as well as a number of more sustainable fuels including biofuel blends and synthetic natural gas.