MAN books 40 orders for new ME-GA engine

Graphical rendering of an MAN B&W 5G70ME-GA engine with EGR system

MAN Energy Solutions reports that it has landed 40 orders for its latest dual fuel engine, the MAN B&W ME-GA, since its market unveiling in March 2021. The company attributes the order surge to market demand for the latest generation of Otto-cycle two-strokes engines and to the low levels of methane slip the ME-GA can unlock.

“We had high expectations for the ME-GA upon its launch as we recognized a strong desire – primarily from the LNG carrier market – for an alternative to our successful ME-GI engine,” said Bjarne Foldager, senior vice president and head of two-stroke business at MAN Energy Solutions. “Judging alone by the fact that ME-GA has won references from all three major shipyards in Korea, these expectations have been met and even exceeded.”

“As industry leaders committed to lowering emissions, the ME-GA comes with our high-pressure EGR as standard, a technology we have refined over the past decade,” said Thomas Hansen, head of promotion and customer support at MAN Energy Solutions. “The increased focus on methane-slip reduction—as well as other operational/technical benefits—has established EGR technologies as the new standard for contemporary LNG-carrier design featuring Otto-cycle engines.”

As its pre-mixed combustion results in low NOx emissions, the ME-GA engine is inherently Tier II and Tier III compliant in gas-operation mode. EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) enables the significant reduction of methane slip, while simultaneously improving fuel efficiency in both gas and fuel-oil operation. Ultimately, EGR actively reduces emissions and improves efficiency in both Tier II and Tier III.

“The ME-GA engine is just MAN Energy Solutions’ latest initiative to decarbonize shipping and further the maritime energy transition to sustainable fuels,” added Foldager. “Our dual-fuel engines continue to act as standard bearers for environmentally-friendly, reliable propulsion-technology with their seamless switching between fuels. Ultimately, we expect the ME-GA to become standard among LNG carriers.”

MAN Energy Solutions aims to start testing the first, commercial ME-GA design by the end of this year, with the first engine delivery scheduled for early 2022.

LOW CAPEX SOLUTION

The MAN B&W ME-GA engine delivers a low CAPEX solution aimed at certain vessel types and applications, such as LNG carriers, that are able to use ‘boil-off’ gas as a source of fuel. It could also be of appeal to smaller vessels where low capital outlay is a priority.

Based on the well-proven MAN B&W dual-fuel design with minimal installation requirements, the MAN B&W ME-GA uses an efficient ignition concept and unique gas-admission system that delivers safe and reliable operation.

According to MAN Energy Solutions, the ME-GA also offers minimal operational costs, simple supply and purging concepts, and low maintenance costs for its fuel-gas supply system. With Tier III compliance in gas mode, the engine meets all current and upcoming NOx emission regulations with the addition of EGR.

The ME-GA joins the well-established ME-GI Diesel-cycle engine in MAN Energy Solutions’ two-stroke-engine portfolio, which now offers both low- and high-pressure, dual-fuel solutions for operation on LNG.

ABOUT EGR

In November 2020, MAN Energy Solutions announced that it would offer its proprietary EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system as an emissions solution for the ME-GA. EGR is a NOx-emissions-reduction technique that ensures IMO Tier III-compliance in diesel mode for the ME-GA.

The company reports that EGR will enable the ME-GA to reduce specific gas consumption by ~3%, and specific fuel-oil consumption by 5%. It will also significantly reduce methane slip by 30 to 50%, and improve the stability of the Otto-cycle combustion process. EGR will enable the ME-GA to meet Tier III requirements in both fuel oil and gas modes without additional aftertreatment.

The ME-GA EGR solution is an engine-integrated design that interacts with the exhaust gas before the turbocharger, and can be integrated into existing engine-room designs since the EGR unit itself does not change the engine footprint. Its design-similarity to that of ME-C engines’ EGR systems will lower its price point, since the supply chain and components are already matured.

The volume requirements of the ME-GA EGR system are also significantly lower with, for example, less pipework required than for low-pressure EGR solutions.

Each ME-GA engine comes with EGR as standard.