65MW DUAL-FUEL ENGINES POWER PLANT FOR BORNEO, MALAYSIA

AN Energy Solutions has won the contract to supply four MAN 51/60DF dual-fuel engines to a new power plant in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. The scope of supply includes three 18V51/60DF and one 8L51/60DF engines, which as gensets will provide a total of 65 MW of generation capacity for a local industrial plant.  Currently under construction in an industrial zone near the city of Kota Kinabalu in northern Borneo, the new power plant will provide a reliable and flexible electricity supply to a factory producing solar glass for end-customer, Kibing Solar. Solar glass is an important component in the production of photovoltaic modules and the factory will employ up to 1,800 people upon completion.

Martin Chmiela, Regional Sales Head, Power Plants, Asia-Pacific at MAN Energy Solutions, told  WIP magazine: “Our dual-fuel engines are ideally suited for the reliable and decentralised power supply of industrial plants in remote regions and on islands. This power plant will be able to run on both low-emission natural gas and liquid fuels, offering the greatest possible security of supply.”

 The four engines will mainly run on low-emission natural gas in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG consists largely of methane (CH4) and is compressed to less than 1% of the volume that natural gas occupies at normal atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, CNG is easily transported by ship and truck, and is particularly suitable for supplying remote areas that do not have their own natural gas or LNG infrastructure.

The MAN 51/60DF engine from MAN Diesel & Turbo is a dual-fuel engine that con verts liquid fuel (diesel operation) or natural gas into electrical power efficiently and with low emissions. Being able to switch smoothly and seamlessly from gas to diesel operation (and vice versa) enables multiple applications with a variety of fuels. The engine is said to deliver maximum output combined with maximum flexibility and reliability.

 All MAN 51/60DF engine parts are designed and built with the aim of achieving reliable operation, straightforward mainte nance and the longest TBO*. The MAN 51/60DF features the following:

Engine frame: The engine is housed in a rigid single-cast monobloc frame, further strengthened by tie bolts running from the suspended main bearing through to the top edge of the engine frame, and from the cylinder head through to the intermediate bottom; Cylinder liner - the thick-walled design of MAN Diesel & Turbo cylinder liners offers high resistance to deformation, enabling optimum running conditions for the piston;  Cylinder head improved combustion chamber geometry optimises the combustion of gas and diesel/HFO. And atomisation of the injection spray – with no negative effects on  either operating modes – enables a good air-fuel ratio  for highly effective combustion;  Rocker arm casing - the weight-reduced design of the rocker arm casing facilitates fast removal for the overhaul and service of injection nozzles in gas and diesel/HFO operation; Stepped piston - Forged, dimensionally stable steel crown (with shaker cooling by using oil), made from high-grade materials with skirt in nodular graphite iron. Chromium ceramic coating of the first piston ring with highly resistant ceramic particles in the ring surface, resulting in low wear of ring and liner;  Connecting rod and bearing - Optimised “marine head” design to allow piston over haul without removal of the connecting rod bearing cap. Specially designed bearing shells in the connect ing rod for increased reliability;  Valves - Exhaust gas valves with propellers on the shaft for self-turning effect in the exhaust gas stream and seating in armoured, water-cooled valve seats, resulting in low valve temperatures. The inlet valves are equipped  with Rotocap mechanical rotators; Injection - in operation with liquid fuels high-pressure injection with improved atomisation ensures good combustion  of fuel with the lowest, but still acceptable, qualities of  HFO. In gas operation pilot fuel is injected through a common rail injection system.

 The constant pressure turbocharging system leverages state-of-the-art MAN Diesel & Turbo TCA series  turbochargers with long bearing TBOs, reports the company. They ensure thorough combustion with very low residues and low thermal stress on combustion-chamber components. In addition, high efficiency at full and partial loads results in substantial air surplus. Plus, very high efficiency of the turbocharger at low-pressure ratios enables good operation at part load. Both vee- and inline MAN 51/60DF engines are charged by a single TCA turbo charger with the advantage that only one common exhaust gas pipe is required for all cylinders.