MAN lands double AiP for ammonia fuel supply system

MAN Cryo, a subsidiary of MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES), developed the system in co-operation with Chinese company Yada Green Energy Solutions. The two companies have previously co-operated to develop equipment for LNG and methanol marine fuels.

MAN Energy Solutions Sweden managing director Henrik Malm said, “We are pleased to announce the successful achievement of a significant strategic milestone for MAN Cryo in co-operation with Yada Green Energy Solutions. The establishment of a secure and reliable fuel-supply system for future ammonia engines marks a pivotal development.”

With ammonia engines on track for commercial release and its first engine delivery to the shipyard set for this year, the MAN group’s combustion tests with its first ammonia dual-fuel engine began in July 2023 at its Research Centre Copenhagen.

At the time, the company said it "broadly expects to hold" to the original delivery schedule for completing its first ammonia engine, with operation on board a commercial vessel targeted "from around 2026".

The ammonia engine R&D project started in 2019 with a prestudy and investigation of ammonia combustibility. The following year, a second test engine arrived in Copenhagen, enabling a parallel-test engine setup with different fuels at RCC; HAZID workshops on the engine concepts were performed simultaneously.

In 2021, the ammonia fuel-supply system and auxiliary systems were specified with the highest possible focus on safety, while 2022 saw the installation of the same systems at RCC with instrumentation for test engine No. 1 for one-cylinder ammonia testing initiated.

In 2023, ammonia bunkering and service-tank facilities were built with all auxiliary systems, enabling a full containment of ammonia in the unlikely event of a leak. Similarly, all auxiliary systems were initially tested with water, followed by ammonia.

In August 2023, the engine designer reported the successful completion of combustion testing for a two-stroke ammonia engine.