LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
AFTERTREATMENT OPTIONS GROW, AS 1ST LGIM-W DELIVERY NEARS MAN Energy Solutions has delivered its first methanol-fuelled engines equipped with its water in methanol LGIM-W solution following successful shop tests for two engines equipped with the solution at a Korean licensee earlier this year. The company’s first ME-LGIM-W system has been installed aboard a newbuilding at a shipyard in South Korea, Peter Quaade, Head of Dual Fuel Technology group at MAN ES told The Motorship in an exclusive interview. In all, 12 engines are on order, with the first two vessels due to undergo sea trials by the final quarter of 2021. Optimisation work The introduction of the water in methanol solution is the result of significant optimisation work since 2019, when The Motorship interviewed Stefan Meyer of MAN ES in 2019 about the company's development of an emulsification-based solution. At the time, MAN identified the significant commercial advantages that the solution offered to customers seeking to comply with upcoming Tier III IMO NOx emission limits. Peter Quaade outlined progress with the pilot fuel ignition concept, which has been a key area of focus for MAN ES during the development of the LGIM-W solution. The waterfuel blends demonstrate weaker ignitability, but environmental standards have focused attention on pilot fuel consumption. “This has also been a competitive parameter for charterers and owners during the dual fuel era,” Quaade noted. Given the multiple constraints, as well as the need to ensure engine stability, the team has made significant progress in delivering a solution that can meet pilot consumption limits “by quite a margin”. “We like to be within the limits that we have promised on pilot consumption,” Quaade noted, adding that the optimisation work had also led to improvements in fuel consumption. Quaade noted that the fuel penalty introduced by the solution has been “significantly” lowered since 2019, when it was estimated at 2-6g/kWh, without providing further details. As previously discussed, the design of the injector nozzles required modification to increase the fuel mixture flow without extending the length of the injection, while the methanol-water fuel mixture also introduces some changes to the fuel’s characteristics. The proportion of water required for the mixture to reach Tier III at 100% load has been established at between 10-15% of the mixture, depending on the engine load, with proportions of water up to 40% permitted at lower engine loads. In response to a query from The Motorship about potential volumetric constraints for the injection of the mixture at higher loads, Quaade noted that the ECS (Engine Control System) could "manage the injection of the relatively larger volume
within the injection window”. The management of the water plant and the admission of water would be handled automatically, while the engine could default to pure methanol operation in the case of an unforeseen water plant outage. The Motorship also asked about the initial experience of operating methanol-fuelled engines on methanol-water mixtures, and the potential effect of operation on cylinder liner condition, for example. Once again, Quaade noted that the initial results of operating test engines on methanol/water solutions were broadly similar with early pure-methanol results during the development of the methanol engine. Peter Quaade confirmed that the LGIM-W aftertreatment system offered particular advantages for engines operating on methanol, owing to the smaller footprint of the LGIM-W system and the lower operational cost compared with SCR solutions. MAN ES had received 23 orders for LGIM engines in late June 2021, of which 11 engines were in service. Cumulatively, MAN ES' LGIM engines had accumulated 90,000 operating hours running on methanol. Economic advantages As the solution offers Tier III compliance without requiring the installation of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) or a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after-treatment solution, it offers significant reductions in engine footprint as well as lower installation costs for shipyards.
8 MAN ES is considering extending the range of LGIM engines to include additional bore sizes beyond its existing G50ME-C9.6-LGIM and S50ME-C9.7LGIM options
8 Peter Quaade, Head of Dual Fuel Technology group at MAN Energy Solutions
Credit: MAN ES
24 | JULY/AUGUST 2021
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