Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Abstract ....................................................................................................... 5
Definition of Fuel Gases for Dual Fuel Applications: ....................................... 5
What is gas in terms of physics? ............................................................ 5
Natural gas (NG) ..................................................................................... 5
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ..................................................................... 6
Ethane (C2H6) .......................................................................................... 6
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) ................................................................ 6
Methanol (CH3OH) .................................................................................. 7
Dimethyl ether (DME) .............................................................................. 7
Gas engines ................................................................................................. 7
Development history of MAN B&W ME-GI-S engines for
dual fuel applications .............................................................................. 8
Technical description of the gas injection concept (ME-GI-S) ....................... 10
Safety features...................................................................................... 12
High-pressure, double-wall piping ......................................................... 12
Fuel gas and fuel handling for ME-GI-S ................................................. 13
Description of the Liquid Gas Injection Concept (ME-LGI-S) ........................ 19
Liquid fuel gas and fuel handling for ME-LGI-S ...................................... 20
Liquid fuel gas supply system (LFSS) ..................................................... 20
The low flashpoint fuel valve train (LFFVT) ............................................. 21
Purge return system (PRS) .................................................................... 21
Maintenance Work ..................................................................................... 21
Maintenance of ME-GI-S or ME-LGI-S engines ...................................... 21
Maintenance work at the power plant .................................................... 21
Retrofit ....................................................................................................... 22
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 22
References................................................................................................. 23
Fuel Flexibility Done Right
MAN B&W ME-GI-S and
MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
Abstract
Speed r/min Engine type
This paper deals with the latest devel- 50-60 Hz
K98ME-GI-S
opments of the MAN B&W ME-GI-S 102.9-103.4
K98ME-LGI-S
and ME-LGI-S dual fuel two-stroke low K90ME-GI-S
102.9-103.4 K90ME-LGI-S9
speed diesel engines and associated
K90ME-GI-S
fuel gas supply systems. 102.9-109.1
K90ME-LGI-S
K80ME-GI-S9
102.9-103.4 K80ME-LGI-S9
The discussion about and the require-
K80ME-GI-S
ment for lowering CO2, NOx, SOx and 107.1-109.1 K80ME-LGI-S
particulate emissions have increased
K60ME-GI-S
150
operators and owners interest in in- K60ME-LGI-S
The gaseous/liquid fuel flexibility makes Fig. 1: Engine programme, MAN B&W ME-GI-S and LGI-S
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 5
Geological era Mesozoic mole % Paleozoic mole %
indicate some traces of compounds
Nitrogen N2 0.32 0.94
like helium, carbonyl sulphide and vari-
Hydrogen sulphide H 2S 4.37 17.89
ous n~captans. Raw natural gas is also
Carbon dioxide CO2 2.41 3.49
saturated with water.
Methane C1 85.34 56.53
Ethane C2 4.50 7.69
Table 1 gives some examples of analy-
Propane C3 1.50 3.38
ses of various types of raw natural gas.
Isobutane iC4 0.25 0.87
Natural gas sold for commercial use is
n-Butane nC4 0.48 1.73
quite different in composition from the
Isopentane iC5 0.15 0.71
raw gas given in Table 1.
n-Pentane nC5 0.21 0.76
Hexane C6 0.47+ 1.48
Table 2 lists the typical composition of
Heptane ++ C7++ - 4.53
natural gas sold directly as an industrial
fuel. Table 1
6 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
both propane and butane. Propylene, similar to, but slightly sweeter than that In this paper, we will designate DME as
butylenes and other hydrocarbons are of ethanol (drinking alcohol). It is also liquid fuel gas.
usually also present in small concentra- used for producing biodiesel.
tions. A powerful odorant, ethanethiol, For other gases please consult
is added so that leaks can easily be Methanol burns in oxygen, including MAN Diesel & Turbo, Copenhagen.
detected. open air, forming carbon dioxide and
water: Gas engines
LPG is prepared by refining petroleum 2 CH3OH + 3 O2 2 CO2 + 4 H2O A gas in this paper and context is a
or wet natural gas, and is almost en- hydrocarbon, or a mixture of hydrocar-
tirely derived from fossil fuel sources, Methanol is one of the most traded bons and other gases, like He, N2 or
being manufactured during the refin- chemical commodities in the world, CO, which at normal ambient pressure
ing of petroleum (crude oil) or extracted with an estimated global demand of and temperature is in a gaseous state
from petroleum or natural gas streams around 27 to 29 million metric tons. In and has a defined flashpoint tempera-
as they emerge from the ground. recent years, the production capac- ture. The physical properties of the gas
ity has expanded considerably with mixture determines whether it is suit-
As its boiling point is below room tem- new plants coming on-stream in South able for either an ME-GI-S or an ME-
perature, LPG will evaporate quickly America, China and the Middle East, LGI-S engine. The selection of gas is
at normal temperatures and pressures the latter based on access to abundant to be determined in the initial phase of
and is usually supplied in pressurised supplies of methane gas. a project.
steel vessels. Unlike natural gas, LPG
is heavier than air and, therefore, it Apart from water, typical impurities If the gas can be compressed to ap-
will flow along floors and tend to set- include acetone and ethanol. When proximately 300 or 400 bar at 45
tle in low spots, such as basements. A methanol is delivered by ships or tank- +/ 10C and behave as a single
typical lower heating value of LPG is 46 ers used to transport other substances, phase, gas state (i.e. compressible),
MJ/kg. contamination by the previous cargo it is suitable for ME-GI-S. Gaseous
must be expected. A typical lower heat- fuels like natural gas and LNG are
In this paper we will designate LPG as ing value of methanol is 20 MJ/kg. suitable for operation at a high gas
liquid fuel gas. pressure at engine inlet. We will ap-
In this paper we will designate metha- ply designation fuel gas(es) for these
Methanol (CH3OH) nol as liquid fuel gas. gas types.
Methanol, also known as methyl alco- If the gas (or mixture) can be com-
hol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or Dimethyl ether (DME) pressed to approx. 35 bar at 25 to
wood spirits, is a chemical with the for- Dimethyl ether (DME), also known as 55C, and it is in a liquid state (i.e. al-
mula CH3OH (often abbreviated MeOH). methoxymethane, is the organic com- most incompressible), it is well-suit-
Methanol acquired the name wood al- pound with the formula CH3OCH3. The ed for an ME-LGI-S engine. Liquid
cohol because it was once produced simplest ether is a colourless gas that gas fuels in the form of LPG, DME
chiefly as a byproduct of the destruc- is a useful precursor to other organic and methanol are suitable for opera-
tive distillation of wood. Modern metha- compounds and an aerosol propellant. tion at low gas pressure at engine
nol is produced in a catalytic industrial inlet. It is important to note that the
process directly from carbon monoxide, The simplicity of this short carbon chain required pressure and temperature
carbon dioxide and hydrogen. compound leads by combustion to very of the low pressure fuel system vary
low emission of NOx, and CO, as well slightly with the fuel selected. We will
Methanol is the simplest alcohol, and as being sulphur-free resulting in no use the designation liquid fuel gas.
is a light, volatile, colourless, flamma- SOx emissions. A typical lower heating
ble liquid with a distinctive odour very value of DME is 29 MJ/kg.
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 7
Liquid fuels like HFO, diesel, crude bio- Gaseous fuels burned in MAN B&W two-stroke low speed diesel engines
fuel and crude oil are suitable as pilot
oil, see Table 5 and 6 on page 17. It is Composition Units Natural gas types VOC fuel types
important to note that the MAN B&W CH4 vol. % 88.5 91.1 26.1 - - -
two-stroke low speed diesel engines C2H6 vol. % 4.6 4.7 2.5 1.1 6.3 -
have accumulated millions of operating C3H8 vol. % 5.4 1.7 0.1 65.5 - -
hours on these liquid fuel types. C4H10 vol. % 1.5 1.4 - 23.9 5.0 6.1
C5+ vol. % 6.5 88.7 93.9
Development history of CO2 vol % - 0.5 64.0 - - -
MAN B&W ME-GI-S engines for N2 vol % - 0.6 7.30 - - -
dual fuel applications
The MC-S engine family has been on Molar mass Kg/kmol 18.83 17.98 35.20
cover any engine output from 4.5 MW Lower calorific value kJ/Nm 3
41,460 38,930 11,120
8 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
12K80MC-GI-S Main data 1994 - 1999
Bore 800 mm Average reliability 97%
Stroke 2300 mm Average availability 97%
Output 40 MW Average load factor 71%
Average efficiency 46.1%
Fuels (main/pilot): gross
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 9
Technical description of the gas in- Apart from these systems on the en- stop/shutdown and a change-over to
jection concept (ME-GI-S) gine, the engine and auxiliaries will 100% pilot fuel operation. Blow-out
Technically, there is only a small differ- comprise some new units. The most and gas-freeing purging of the high-
ence between conventional fuel and important ones, apart from the gas pressure gas pipes and of the com-
gas-burning engines. The combustion supply system, are listed below: plete gas supply system will follow. The
principle in either case follows the die- change-over to fuel oil mode is always
sel cycle principle. Ventilation system for venting the done without any power loss on the en-
space between the inner and outer gine.
On conventional fuel engines, the inject- pipe of the double-wall piping
ed fuel ignites because the temperature Sealing oil system delivering sealing The gas from the fuel gas supply flows
of the compressed air in the cylinder is oil to the gas valves separating con- through the main pipe via chain pipes
above the auto-ignition temperature of trol oil and gas to each cylinders gas valve block sys-
the fuel. The auto-ignition temperature Inert gas system enabling inert gas tem and accumulator. These chain
of liquid fuel is approx. 210-230C. purging of the gas system pipes perform an important task:
Control and safety system com-
The auto-ignition temperature of pure prising a hydrocarbon analyser for The double-wall chain pipes act as
gases, i.e. metane and ethane, is in the checking the hydrocarbon content of flexible connections between the stiff
range of approximately 470 to 540C. the air in the double-wall gas pipes. main pipe system and the engine
This means that a small amount of pilot structure, safeguarding against extra
fuel has to be injected into the cylinder The control and safety systems are de- stresses in the main and chain pipes
before gas injection because gas does signed to fail to safe conditions. All caused by the inevitable differences
not auto-ignite at the temperature pre- failures detected during gas fuel run- in thermal expansion of the gas pipe
vailing in the combustion chamber at ning, including failures of the control system and the engine structure.
the time of the injection. system itself, will result in a gas fuel
10 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
The buffer tank, containing about 20 for pilot fuel for engines with bore sizes The gas acts continuously on the valve
times the injection amount per stroke larger than 60 cm. The media required spindle at a max. pressure of about
at MCR, i.e. 100% load, performs two for both liquid fuel and fuel gas opera- 300 bar. To prevent gas from entering
important tasks: tion are as follows: the control oil actuation system via the
clearance around the spindle, the spin-
It supplies the gas amount for injec- Fuel gas supply dle is sealed by sealing oil at a pressure
tion at a slight, but predetermined, Liquid fuel supply (pilot oil) higher than the gas pressure (25-50 bar
pressure drop Control oil supply for actuation of gas higher).
It forms an important part of the injection valves
safety system. Sealing oil supply. The pilot oil valve is a standard ME fuel
oil valve without any changes, except
Since the gas supply piping is of the The gas injection valve design is shown for the nozzle. HFO, MGO, MDO, crude
common rail design, the gas injection in Fig. 5. This valve complies with tra- oil and crude biofuel can be used as pi-
valve must be controlled by an aux- ditional design principles of the com- lot oil. The fuel oil pressure is constantly
iliary control oil system. In principle, pact design. Fuel gas is admitted to the monitored by the GI safety system in
this consists of the ME hydraulic con- gas injection valve through bores in the order to detect any malfunction of the
trol oil system and an ELGI (ELectrical cylinder cover. To prevent a gas leak- fuel oil valve.
Gas Injection) valve, supplying high- age between the cylinder cover/gas
pressure control oil to the gas injection injection valve and the valve housing/ The fuel oil valve design allows opera-
valve, thereby controlling the timing and spindle guide, sealing rings made of tion solely on fuel oil up to MCR and
opening of the gas valve. temperature and gas resistant material 10% overload once for every consecu-
have been installed. Any gas leakage tive 12 hours. The gas engine can be
As already mentioned, dual fuel opera- through the gas sealing rings will be led run on fuel oil at 100% load, switching
tion requires injection of both pilot fuel through bores in the gas injection valve from gas to fuel at any time without
and gas fuel into the combustion cham- to the space between the inner and the stopping the engine.
ber. Different types of valves are used outer shield pipe of the double-wall gas
for this purpose. Three valves per cylin- piping system. Any leakage will be de- As can be seen in Fig. 6 (GI injection
der are fitted for gas injection and three tected by HC sensors. system), the ME-GI injection system for
Valve Closed 300 bar hydraulic oil. Common with exhaust valve actuator
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 11
50-bore engines and smaller consists pressure, the gas mode is stopped and lines are purged with inert gas. Also in
of fuel oil valves, fuel gas valves, ELGI the engine returns to burning liquid fuel this event, the engine continues run-
for opening and closing of the fuel gas oil only. ning only on liquid fuel oil without any
valves, a FIVA (fuel injection valve ac- power loss.
tuator) valve to control via the fuel oil The purpose is to be warned at an early
valve the fuel oil injection profile and stage if any gas leaks occur across the High-pressure, double-wall piping
last, but not least, the ELWI (ELectrical gas injection valves. The window valve The chain gas pipes are designed with
WIndow and gas shutdown valve) valve has a double safety function securing double walls, with the outer shielding
to control the position of the window that gas injection into the combustion pipe designed so as to prevent fuel gas
valve as an extra safety feature to pre- chamber is only possible at the correct outflow to the machinery spaces in the
vent gas leakages and ensure a dou- injection timing. In the event of a gas event of rupture of the inner gas pipe.
ble valve block towards the combus- failure, it can also block the gas from
tion chamber. Furthermore, it consists entering the combustion chamber, The intervening space, including also
of the conventional fuel oil pressure thereby ensuring that only a very small the space around the valves, flanges,
booster, which supplies pilot oil in the amount of gas will enter. etc., is equipped with separate me-
dual fuel operation mode. chanical ventilation with a capacity of
The pressure sensor is located between approx. 30 air changes per hour. The
The fuel oil pressure booster is equipped the window valve and the gas injection pressure in the intervening space is be-
with a pressure sensor to measure the valve. The small gas volume in the cyl- low that of the engine hall with the (ex-
pilot oil pressure on the high pressure inder cover on each cylinder will reveal tractor) fan motors placed outside the
side. As mentioned earlier, this sensor the gas pressure during one cycle. By ventilation ducts. The ventilation inlet
monitors the functioning of the fuel oil this system, any abnormal gas flow will air is taken from a non-hazardous area.
valve. If any deviation from a normal in- be detected immediately, whether due
jection is found, the GI safety system to seized gas injection valves, leaking Gas pipes are arranged in such a way
will not allow opening for the control oil gas valves or blocked gas valves. The that air is sucked into the double-
via the ELGI valve. In this event no gas gas supply is discontinued and the gas walled piping system from around the
injection will take place.
Safety features
Under normal operation where no mal-
functioning of the fuel oil valve is found,
the fuel gas valve is opened at the cor-
rect crank angle position, and fuel gas
is injected. The fuel gas is supplied
directly into an ongoing combustion.
Consequently, the risk of having un-
burnt gas eventually slipping past the
piston rings and into the scavenge air
receiver is considered to be very low.
12 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
pipe inlet. Next the air is led to the in- The gas pipes on the engine proper are For the purpose of purging the system
dividual gas valve control blocks and designed for 50% higher pressure than after gas use, the gas pipes are con-
then returned back into the chain pipes the normal working pressure, and are nected to an inert gas system with an in-
and into the atmosphere. supported so as to avoid mechanical vi- ert gas pressure of approximately 9 bar.
brations. The pipes are pressure-tested In the event of a gas failure, the high-
Ventilation air is exhausted to a firesafe at 1.5 times the working pressure. pressure pipe system is depressurised
place. The double-wall piping system is before automatic purging. During a nor-
designed so that every part is ventilat- The chain pipe design, see Fig. 7, be- mal gas stop, the automatic purging is
ed, see Fig. 7 and 8. All joints connect- tween the individual cylinders ensures to be started after a period of up to 30
ed with sealings to a high-pressure gas adequate flexibility to cope with the minutes. Time is therefore available for a
volume are ventilated. Any gas leakage thermal expansion of the engine from quick re-start in gas mode.
will therefore be led to the ventilated cold to hot condition. The gas pipe sys-
part of the double-wall piping system tem is also designed to avoid excessive Fuel gas and fuel handling for ME-
and detected by the HC sensors. gas pressure fluctuations during opera- GI-S
tion. The MAN B&W ME-GI-S engine is ca-
pable of running on both 100% liquid
fuel oil and on any ratio of gas and fuel/
Window valve
pilot oil at a ratio of 97-3%, see Fig. 9.
In case of fuel gases with very low en-
ergy content, a larger amount of pilot oil
might be required.
Gas outlet
Hydraulically actuated
purge/blow-off valve
Gas areas
Ventilation air channel
Fig. 9: MAN B&W two-stroke dual fuel low speed diesel, fuel type mode
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 13
Therefore, the power plant is usually to From centrifuges
Automatic de-aerating valve
be equipped with a full size fuel oil sup-
ply system, see Fig. 10, and a fuel gas Venting
tank
supply system, see Fig. 11. Heavy fuel
Diesel
oil
oil service service
tank tank
Relique- Relique-
LNG LNG NG
faction* faction*
HP Cryogenic HP
compressor HP pump compressor
HP
vaporiser
To engine
14 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
General Data for Gas Delivery Condition:
Control of gas delivery pressure
350 Pressure:
Nominal at 100% load 300 bar
Gas supply pressure set point (bar)
300
Max. value for design 315 bar
250 Set point tolerance (dynamic) 5 bar
Set point tolerance (static) 1%
200
150 Temperature:
45C 10C
100
Gas supply pressure set point range
50 Quality:
Condensate free, without oil/water
0 droplets or mist, similar to the
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% PNEUROP recommendation 6611
Engine load (% MCR) Air Turbines
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 15
The sizing and power consumption of
the compressor station or the LNG cry-
ogenic pump mainly depend on the gas kW compressor power (per 1000kg CH4 per hour) Compressor power / Generator output (%)
500 7
pressure at the plant inlet and the lower
calorific value (LCV) of the fuel gas, see 450 Pressure at 6
400 compressor outlet
Fig. 13. Table 4 lists the guiding gas LCV 40MJ/Nm3
350 5
specifications. LCV 30MJ/Nm3
300 LCV 20MJ/Nm3
4
LCV 10MJ/Nm3
As pilot oil, any commercial available 250
3
liquid mineral or biofuel can be used, 200
ref. Tables 5 and 6. 150 2
100
1
The fuel gas supply system is suggest- 50
ed to comprise two compressors for a 0 0
single engine installation. Each com- 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 80 100
pressor must have 100% capacity for Gas pressure at compressor station inlet (bar abs.)
redundancy.
Fig. 13: Guiding gas compressor power demand for natural gas and compressed natural gas
Two-stroke guiding gas specification for MAN B&W two-stroke low speed diesel
engines 1)
Designation
Table 4
16 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
Two-stroke guiding liquid fuel specification for MAN B&W two-stroke low speed
diesel engines 1)
Table 5
Two-stroke guiding biofuel specification for MAN B&W two-stroke low speed diesel
engines 1)
Designation
Table 6
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 17
For multiple engine plants operating on
NG or CNG, we suggest the installa-
Vent
Control range
tion of one compressor per engine, all 150 to 265 bar g
Compressor
feeding a common gas supply line, see p set
Pressure
For operation on LNG, where a fuel regulation valve
gas pressure of 300 bar is required, the Gas supply Control range ME-GI
150 to 265 bar g
technology method is to pressurise the from pipe line
HT2
Waste heat
18 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
Description of the Liquid Gas
Injection Concept (ME-LGI-S)
The details of high-pressure gas injec- Lubricating/sealing oil booster piston
Surfaces requiring lubrication/sealing
tion have been dealt with in the previ-
ous sections of this paper. This chapter
focuses on liquid fuel gases such as
LPG, DME and methanol, which can be
injected into the combustion chamber
in liquid form. Just like the conventional
operation on an ME-GI-S engine, these
gases are combusted according to the
diesel cycle principle described previ- Cooling oil inlet
ously.
Nozzle Plunger Control oil
When operating on LPG or metha- The sealing oil pressure is gener- To ensure the correct temperature of
nol, each of the cylinder covers will ated internally in the FBIV in order to the FBIV, the system oil is cooled in a
be equipped with FBIVs designed for avoid contamination of the hydraulic oil heat exchanger connected to, for ex-
each of the selected liquid fuel gases. when operating the valve. The sealing ample, the low-temperature cooling
An LGI block will be mounted on the oil has further advantages as it avoids system.
cylinder cover. This block contains a LPG, methanol or DME from entering
control valve for either LPG or metha- the umbrella system and further down When the liquid fuel gas is injected, the
nol for fuel injection, a sealing booster into the drain oil system. The cooling combustion condition is monitored with
actuation valve, a forced suction valve oil and sealing oil system is fully inte- PMI sensors located in each of the cyl-
and an LGI purge valve. All pipes for hy- grated in the engine design, including inder covers. Three combustion condi-
draulic oil and liquid fuel gases are dou- equipment for continuous monitoring of tions are monitored: the compression
ble walled. The double-walled pipes for LPG, methanol or DME contamination
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 19
pressures, the combustion pressures A control and safety system for either In the ME-LGI-S system principle over-
and the expansion pressures. LPG, methanol or DME is integrated on view diagram, the liquid fuel gas service
the engine. The main operating panel tank is shown as a ventilated tank.
The pressurised liquid fuel gas is de- (MOP) is equipped with a user-friendly
livered to the engine inlet via double- interface for liquid fuel gas operation. Liquid fuel gas supply system
walled pipes ventilated with dry air Via this panel, the LGI system monitors (LFSS)
taken from the starting air system. A and indicates the relevant pressure, The engine is using temperature-con-
ventilation system fitted at the outlet temperatures and the position of the ditioned LPG, methanol or DME at a
sucks in the air. All liquid fuel gas sup- different valves. predetermined supply pressure and
ply equipment is designed with double varying flow depending on the engine
walls, as any leakage into the atmos- Liquid fuel gas and fuel handling for load. The LFSS will have to supply this
phere will develop into vapour. This is ME-LGI-S fuel to the engine while complying with
monitored by HC sensors located close This section describes the specific aux- the requirements described regarding
to the outlet of the double wall piping iliary systems for the ME-LGI-S engine. temperature, flow, pressure and ramp-
system. If the LPG, methanol or DME In addition to the systems described up capabilities. A different system lay-
vapour content in the ventilation sys- here, the normal auxiliary systems for out could be chosen for this task. In
tem gets too high, the safety system the electronically controlled ME con- the following, a circulation solution is
will shut down operation on LPG or cept will also be required, and since the described as an example only.
methanol and return to operate on fuel ME-LGI is a dual fuel concept, a stand-
oil only. This switch is done smoothly ard supply system for operation on The LFSS applies the same principle as
and without any power loss. fuel oil is also needed. Fig. 17 gives an an ordinary liquid fuel oil supply system.
overview of the external LGI-S system. LPG, methanol or DME is taken from a
service tank containing liquid fuel gas
Vent
Air supply
7 bar
Purging
nitrogen
Cooling oil
system
Supply pressure and
temperature according Standard piping
to specication
Purge return Double-walled piping, ventilated
system
Double-walled piping
Liquid fuel gas tank Liquid Fuel Gas Supply System
20 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
and boosted to a pressure close to the Purge return system (PRS) Maintenance work at the power
supply pressure. The liquid fuel gas is As mentioned, the ME-LGI-S concept plant
then circulated by the circulation pump, involves LPG, methanol or DME on When an ME-GI-S engine is stopped,
and the pressure is raised to the engine the engine proper. Because of the low the high-pressure gas pipes will be
supply pressure for either LPG, metha- flashpoint, there are operation scenari- pressure released and purged with ni-
nol or DME. The delivery pressure must os where the liquid fuel gas piping will trogen to ensure that the engine is gas
ensure that the liquid fuel gas stays liq- have to be emptied and purged with free and available for all kinds of main-
uid, and that no cavitation occurs at the nitrogen. For the ME-LGI-S, the liquid tenance works.
temperatures that the liquid fuel gas is fuel gas piping on the engine and in the
exposed to until injection into the FBIV. engine hall is to be arranged so that it For an ME-LGI-S engine, if liquid
can be purged and, thereby, return the fuel gas operation is expected to be
The flow of liquid fuel oil in the circu- gas to the fuel gas service tank. After stopped for a certain period, e.g. dur-
lation circuit should be higher than the the LPG, methanol or DME has been ing minor maintenance work at the
liquid fuel oil consumption of the engine returned to the service tank, full purg- power plant, the procedure for switch-
at all times. A typical circulation factor ing with nitrogen is to be conducted ing to gas standby mode is to be fol-
is 2-3 times the liquid fuel oil consump- through the double-walled piping sys- lowed. However, the LFSS is switched
tion. To ensure the liquid fuel delivery tem. off when the procedure has been com-
temperature, a heater/cooler is placed pleted. Major servicing work involving
in the circulation circuit. It is recom- Maintenance Work lifting equipment over the supply lines
mended to connect this through a sec- Maintenance of ME-GI-S or ME- is not recommended in this mode. The
ondary cooling circuit to the LT cooling LGI-S engines reason is that the liquid fuel gas sup-
system. Proper maintenance planning is essen- ply lines in both the engine hall and
tial to satisfy the requirements of the on the engine proper are expected to
The low flashpoint fuel valve train power plant operation. Also with the contain amounts of LPG or methanol.
(LFFVT) ME-GI-S and ME-LGI-S engine com- In the event of a complete shutdown
The LFFVT connects the LFSS with ponents, operation and maintenance of the liquid gas system, e.g. for major
the engine through a master fuel valve are straightforward processes for the maintenance work at the power plant,
(MFV) arranged in a double block and skilled and experienced operating all piping must be emptied of LPG or
bleed configuration. For purging pur- crew, at least if the maintenance jobs methanol in the LFSS and then the ven-
poses, the valve train is also connected are duly planned, prepared and con- tilation can be turned off.
to a nitrogen source. trolled. In general, superintendents and
operating crew must be well-educated,
Typically, the LFFVT will be placed out- skilled and dedicated professionals.
side the engine hall to avoid the need MAN Diesel & Turbo offers education
for double safety barriers. From the programmes to chief engineers that
LFFVT, the fuel is fed to the engine in will keep them updated with the latest
a double-walled ventilated pipe through information on maintenance and tech-
the engine hall. nology. Requests for education pro-
grammes can be sent to MAN Diesel &
Turbo in Copenhagen.
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 21
Retrofit Conclusion
For engines of the MC-S design already The two-stroke MAN B&W ME-GI-S or
operating on HFO/biofuel, it is techni- ME-LGI-S engines are applicable any-
cally possible to carry out conversion to where where fuel efficient, reliable and
dual fuel operation for either ME-GI-S flexible power production is required.
or ME-LGI-S. The engine components
shown in Fig. 18 will be affected by a Besides traditional fuels, such as heavy
retrofit, and a suitable fuel gas supply fuel and natural gas, biofuels, synthetic
should be installed. It is important to biofuels and synthetic biogases from,
note that requests for retrofit solutions e.g., vegetable garbage or pyrolyses
must be sent to MAN Diesel & Turbo on processes can be applied.
an ad hoc basis.
Cylinder cover
Exhaust reciever
Valve block
ELGI valve
FIVA
22 Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications
References
Paper: Service Experience of Mitsui
Gas Injection Diesel Engines, Mitsui-
MAN B&W 12K80MC-Gi-S and Mitsui
8L42MB-G, Cimac Copenhagen 1998
Fuel Flexibility Done Right MAN B&W ME-GI-S and MAN B&W LGI-S for stationary applications 23
All data provided in this document is non-binding. This data serves informational
purposes only and is especially not guaranteed in any way. Depending on the
subsequent specific individual projects, the relevant data may be subject to
changes and will be assessed and determined individually for each project. This
will depend on the particular characteristics of each individual project, especially
specific site and operational conditions. CopyrightMAN Diesel & Turbo.
5510-0169-00ppr Sep 2014 Printed in Denmark