MAN Energy Solutions reported that the company’s ME-GI (gas injection) and ME-LGI (liquid gas injection) two-stroke, dual-fuel engines have reached a milestone, accumulating a million operating hours, and said its focus remains on dual-fuel engines
MAN Energy Solutions senior vice president and head of two-stroke business Bjarne Foldager attributed the milestone to the company’s dual-fuel strategy over the last decade.
Speaking to Riviera Maritime Media in 2015, the company had high hopes for the engines being the propulsion solution of choice. Since the engines’ introduction into the market, oceangoing ships operating on LNG, LPG, methanol and methane have opted for the models.
The company said it expects the choice of retrofitting to dual-fuel engines to become a "necessity" with fuel prices currently in flux.
Mr Foldager said “Our engines’ efficiency is the best in the market, which gives shipowners enormous flexibility, and we note that all fuel modes are employed,” adding “Our plan is very much to continue this dual-fuel focus. To this end, we recently released a Mk II ME-GI model and are currently, owing to market demand, developing an Otto-cycle variant – the ME-GA.”
The Mk II ME-GI engine adds innovations to the existing line: a pump vaporiser unit for supplying LNG and a pilot booster injection valve (PBIV).
The PBIV employs smaller or larger atomising holes, depending on fuel mode, to inject fuel into the engines. In gas mode, using smaller holes reduces pilot-oil consumption to 1.5%, roughly half of what was previously required.
In January HHI’s engine machinery division announced the completion of the first shop test for the first of MAN’s six ME-GI engines for Easter Pacific Shipping and MAN confirmed the sale of 300 engines for the segment – all running on clean fuels. The company continues to target LNG vehicles.
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