MAN Retrofit Kit Passes TAT

MAN Energy Solutions said it passed the Type Approval Test (TAT) for its dual-fuel retrofit kit for its MAN 32/40 engine type.

The TAT took place at the company’s Augsburg, Germany works with the participation of the three classification societies: DNV GL, American Bureau of Shipping, and Lloyd’s Register.

The TAT confirmed the suitability of the retrofit kit for converting the company’s MAN 32/40 engine into a dual-fuel unit – a so-called MAN 32/40R-DF type – that can now run on fossil and renewable, gaseous fuels, in addition to conventional fuel oil. MAN Energy Solutions added that the new retrofit package is already available to order.

In a first, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TAT was primarily held online. Classification-society representatives followed proceedings remotely and only visited the testbed on the final day for component inspection and TAT certificate signing.

“Our special thanks goes to all our colleagues who made this retrofit project such a success and who helped us reach this important milestone, despite the difficult circumstances posed by COVID-19,” said Dr. Matthias Auer, head of Performance and Emission, R&D 4-Stroke at MAN Energy Solutions. “Hosting this event virtually presented a new challenge that they met admirably and the feedback from the participating classification societies has been very positive.”

Bernd Siebert, head of Engineering, After-Sales Marine, said this is another important milestone for the retrofit business at MAN Energy Solutions.

“The momentum towards cleaner and less carbon-intensive fuels is building and we are excited to play our part in developing appropriate solutions,” Siebert said.

MAN Energy Solutions said it has received many requests from customers to retrofit their MAN 32/40CD engines to gas/dual-fuel operation. These focus on a financially attractive and very price-competitive solution that is quick to convert and highly fuel-flexible, while maintaining the engine maximum-output, according to the company.

With the successful TAT, the company has now developed an easy-to-retrofit, reliable and robust conversion-kit designed to operate primarily on gas – mainly boil-off gas. The new retrofit meets IMO Tier I emission limits and has been designed such that engine conversions can be carried out while dry-docking or sailing.