MAN ES to launch new dual-fuel methanol engine in 2026
German engine maker MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) will launch a dual-fuel version of its existing four-stroke engine by 2026 that will operate on methanol.
PHOTO: A model of MAN Energy Solutions' dual-fuel four-stroke methanol engine. MAN Energy Solutions.
The engine has currently received a ‘fuel-ready’ notation from classification society DNV for conversion to methanol-propulsion, MAN ES said. In addition to methanol, the engine will also be designed for “diesel-mechanical and diesel-electric propulsion”, MAN ES added.
It will undergo field combustion tests beginning in 2026, and MAN ES confirmed it will be commercially available both as a new engine and as a retrofit by the end of 2026.
The four-stroke engine is suited for offshore, tug, ferry, navy, yacht and fishing vessels, according to MAN ES’ website.
“In terms of future fuels, the next logical step, apart from being able to run on 100% bio-fuels, is to ensure methanol combustion,” Florian Keiler, head of high speed at MAN ES said.
The key requirements for customers opting for methanol as a fuel were "the dual-fuel principle, reliability, efficiency, a high methanol share, competitive life-cycle costs and maximum achievable output,” Keiler added. As a result, the engine is designed with a technology called a port fuel injector.
A port fuel injector is an engine fuel injection system that injects fuel directly into the intake ports or cylinders of an internal combustion engine.
The port fuel injector “targets a highest methanol share over a wide power range,” MAN ES explained. When using biofuels, the engine’s carbon footprint “will be reduced to zero while retaining full fuel-flexibility for operation anywhere in the world.”
Additionally, MAN ES has been offering dual-fuel two-stroke methanol engine since 2016. The engine is suitable to power bigger vessels, including container ships, tankers and bulk carriers.
By Konica Bhatt
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