MAN’s ‘flagship’ engine wins approval

The successful Type Approval Test of the MAN 49/60DF engine was carried out at MAN Energy Solutions HQ in Augsburg, Germany. (Image: MAN)

MAN Energy Solutions’ MAN 49/60DF engine received its Type Approval after a five-day program on the testbed at the company headquarters in Augsburg, Germany.

The Type Approval Test (TAT) was witnessed by inspectors representing the ABS, BV, CCS, DNV, LR and RINA classification societies, who signed the test protocol upon the successful completion of the schedule.

“Today marks the latest milestone in the 49/60DF’s journey since its concept release in 2018,” said Marita Krems, head of Four-Stroke Marine & License, MAN Energy Solutions. “As we enter a new era of decarbonization, the 49/60DF is an obvious choice for vessel owners with ambitious, emission-reduction targets that prize full fuel-flexibility and multiple options for clear emission paths.”

MAN Energy Solutions announced the launch of the 49/60DF at the 2022 SMM trade fair in Hamburg. The most recent addition to its four-stroke engine portfolio, the dual-fuel engine is capable of running on LNG, diesel and HFO as well as a number of more sustainable fuels including biofuel blends and synthetic natural gas. MAN Energy Solutions states that it sets a benchmark in terms of fuel efficiency within four-stroke engines – both in gas and diesel mode – and therefore minimises fuel costs and potential costs for CO2-emission certificates.

The new 49/60DF engine platform features MAN’s latest technologies, including two-stage turbocharging, second-generation common-rail fuel injection, the SaCoS5000 automation system, and MAN’s next-generation Adaptive Combustion Control ACC 2.0 that is designed to automatically optimizes combustion. The engine also retains MAN technologies such as the gas-injection system, pilot-fuel-oil system and the MAN SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system.

“Over the last eighteen months, we have demonstrated the engine’s reliability and robustness,” said Thomas Huchatz, Sales Manager Four-Stroke Marine, MAN Energy Solutions. “The TAT now issued is a certificate of conformity that confirms that the engine meets the regulatory, technical and safety requirements required to enter the marketplace.”

The MAN 49/60DF can operate and even start in gas mode where it complies with IMO Tier 3 without exhaust gas after-treatment. In diesel mode, it complies with Tier3 when combined with MAN’s SCR system.

Soot emissions in diesel mode are halved due to the second-generation common-rail system 2.2, while the 49/60DF’s methane emissions are also reduced in gas mode, the company said. The engine’s benchmark efficiency and fuel-flexible design offer multiple paths to emission compliance leading up to 2050, as per the current Fuel EU draft, the company said.

The new engine is also methanol-ready, meaning it is inherently ready for retrofit to running on methanol should the demand arise at a later stage. Conversions are straightforward as all engine variants originate from an initial, modular engine design, according to MAN.

MAN Energy Solutions is also introducing a pure diesel engine based on the 49/60 platform that will be methanol- and LNG-ready and features the same technology upgrades as its dual-fuel sibling; the engine can also operate on biofuels. This pure-diesel version allows MAN’s new common-rail system to fully play to its strengths of low-emission and low-vibration operation, paired with the maximum flexibilty to design the combusion process to minimise fuel costs. Furthermore, its high power density extends the power range of inline engines into applications traditionally equipped with V-type engines.