MES Successfully Tests First ME-LGI Engine in Japan

MAN Diesel & Turbo licensee Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) has for the primary time efficiently demonstrated the liquid-gas-injection idea in Japan utilizing the very first ME-LGI engine to ever be commercially produced.

The profitable demonstration befell on 17 June, 2015 at MES’ facility in Tamano, Japan in entrance of about 60 invited visitors from the marine business.

The ME-LGI engine, with the sort designation 7S50ME-B9.3-LGI, was constructed for a vessel presently below development by Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for Mitsui O.S.Okay. Lines, Ltd.

A pure step

Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President of Low Speed Promotion & Sales at MAN Diesel & Turbo described the occasion as a big milestone within the improvement of Diesel know-how.

“The immediate market acceptance of our ME-GI (Gas Injection) engine confirmed the growing demand for low-sulphur, non-HFO options in the face of increasingly stricter sulphur limits in fuel. In turn, extending our dual-fuel engine programme with an ME-LGI unit that can run on liquid fuels was therefore a natural step,” mentioned Grøne.

“The interest in our ME-LGI engine confirms this dual-fuel, low-speed trend and will offer even more alternatives to HFO, which – apart from methanol – will include LPG, dimethyl ether (DME), and (bio-) ethanol, as well as several other, low-sulphur, low-flashpoint fuels,” he added.

Demonstration

Mitsui’s ME-LGI demonstration concerned 4 separate phases, together with change to methanol working; methanol working 50-75%; load variation; and alter to fuel-oil working.

The ME-LGI idea

The ME-LGI idea is a completely new idea that may be utilized to all MAN Diesel & Turbo low-speed engines, each as an unique unit or by retrofitting. Now with two injection ideas, the ME-GI and the ME-LGI idea tremendously increase the corporate’s dual-fuel portfolio and permits the exploitation of extra low-flashpoint fuels similar to methanol and LPG.

The engine’s ‘ME-’ prefix signifies that the brand new engine advantages from well-proven digital controls that additionally embody the gasoline being injected by a so-called Fuel Booster Injection Valve. This modern gasoline booster, specifically developed for the ME-LGI engine, ensures {that a} low-pressure, fuel-gas provide system may be employed, considerably decreasing first-time prices and growing reliability. The Fuel Booster Injection Valve shall be launched additionally on common ME HFO engines, ultimately.

MAN developed the ME-LGI engine in response to the transport business’s curiosity in working on alternate options to heavy gasoline oil. Methanol and LPG carriers have already operated at sea for a few years and lots of extra LPG tankers are presently being constructed as the worldwide LPG infrastructure grows. With a viable, handy and financial gasoline already on-board, exploiting a fraction of the cargo to energy a vessel is smart with one other essential issue being the profit to the setting. MAN Diesel & Turbo has beforehand mentioned that it’s already working in direction of a Tier-III-compatible ME-LGI model.