FAT Tests for first ME-GA engine

Shop tests on a second ME-GA engine at MAN ES licensee HSD Engine will begin shortly afterwards in early July, Peter Kirkeby, Business Development and Promotion Manager for Dual-fuel engines at MAN ES 2-stroke told a customer meeting in mid June 2022.

At the time of going to press, the results of the shop tests could not be verified. The engines are MAN B&W G70ME-C10.5-GA units destined for installation aboard LNG carriers.

The first G70ME-C10.5-GA engine is expected to enter service aboard an LNG carrier in Q3 2023. Thomas Hansen, Head of Promotion of 2-stroke engines at MAN Energy Solutions, noted that MAN ES had already received 152 orders for MAN ES’ two-stroke Otto Cycle engine for LNG carriers in mid-June 2022.

The FAT tests follow encouraging results from engine tests conducted at licensees HHI-EMD and HSD, who have been operating test engines in Korea at Ulsan and Changwon since February 2022. Cumulatively, over 100 days of testing have been conducted on the engine.

Testing milestones

The engine at HHI-EMD began gas operation on 12 March 2022, having begun liquid fuel operations on 19 February.

Kirkeby noted that the R&D tests had progressed, adding that the testing had confirmed the safety and basic Engine Control System functions, as well as the EGR function.

The gas admission geometry and the basic parameters had been determined. Kirkeby added that the pre-chamber, pressure curves and ignition had worked as expected.

While the tests had confirmed basic concepts, some design updates were being undertaken. In particular, testing of the impact of ambient conditions upon performance was continuing.

The FAT tests would not end research and development work into MAN ES’ new low-pressure low-speed gas-fuelled engine.

Kirkeby added that MAN ES would begin to conduct R&D and confirmation tests on the 4S50MX Test Engine 2 at RCC in Copenhagen from Q3 2022.

Kirkeby noted that MAN research engineers had conducted more than 1870 tests since 2019 during previous tests conducted at MAN ES’s Copenhagen research centre. MAN’s Test Engine 1 has accumulated more than 1500 hours operating in gas mode.