MAN PrimeServ offers marine and power plant engine retrofits

Older MAN 48/60 marine and power plant engines retrofit under the life-cycle upgrade will effectively be equivalent technically to newly built 51/60 units. (Photo: MAN Energy Solutions)

MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ aftersales brand, is offering customers the opportunity to retrofit older MAN 48/60 marine and power plant engines to MAN 51/60 types as part of a new life-cycle upgrade intended to enable customers to prepare older engines already in service for future, climate-neutral operation. Converted engines will effectively be equivalent technically to newly built 51/60 units, plus can be further upgraded, for a low premium, for operation on synthetic fuels.

“With this life-cycle upgrade, we offer customers the opportunity not only to completely overhaul their old engines but also to upgrade them to the latest engine technology at the same time. The upgrade simultaneously prepares the engines for future operation with climate-neutral fuels without having to change the fuel type they use at this stage. This is because the 51/60 engine type enables further conversion to alternative fuels, making it a future-proof investment,” said Stefan Eefting, senior vice president and head of MAN PrimeServ Germany, in announcing the offering.

According to the company, 48/60 engine types (variant A or B) currently in service and with more than 80000 operating hours are particularly suitable for a life-cycle upgrade. It states that the upgraded engine is as reliable as a new engine, achieves the same fuel consumption and emissions reductions, plus allows for straightforward conversion to dual-fuel operation in future, since 80% of all necessary adjustments are performed during the upgrade process.

MAN Energy Solutions’ calculations based on an “exemplary business case” have shown an upgrade from a 9L48/60 engine to a 9L51/60 type can save roughly 500 tons of fuel and 25 tons of lubricating oil per year, based on an annual operating time of 6000 hours under full load.

“Depending on the design of the engine (whether L or V) and the number of cylinders involved, a life-cycle upgrade can be carried out within 25 to 45 days – only about 30% longer than the time required for major maintenance,” said Marcel Lodder, sales manager, MAN PrimeServ, and initiator of the life-cycle upgrade concept. “Due to the fuel and lube oil savings from the upgrade and the elimination of ‘ageing effects,’ we expect our customers to see a return on their investment within one-and-a-half to four years.”

MAN PrimeServ has already successfully completed its first life-cycle upgrade for a southern European customer, converting an 18V48/60A power plant engine with more than 100000 operating hours to a modern 18V51/60 unit. Five additional upgrades for the customer are planned by spring 2023.