The Benefits

Recent major contracts awarded to the MAN Diesel & Turbo Power Plant business unit underline the increasing importance of large diesel and gas engines in covering the world’s growing demand for electrical power generation.

Fuel Efficiency

Large diesel engines are the most fuel efficient combustion engines available - with mechanical efficiencies between 46 and 52%, they offer excellent fuel economy as a firm basis for low emissions. State-of-the-art gas engines using lean burn technology and micro-pilot dual-fuel technology in combination with natural gas fuel achieve some of the lowest emissions levels in the combustion engine sector.

Heat Recovery

Where there is a use for heat recovered from the lubricant, charge air, engine coolant and exhaust gases of large engines, the potential also exists to further increase total energy usage to 90% and more.

Diesel Combined Cycle

Alternatively, hot exhaust gases can be directed to a boiler to generate steam to drive a MAN Diesel & Turbo steam turbine. Typically, this “diesel combined cycle” arrangement can augment engine power output by up to 10% without consuming additional fuel.

Fast Track Power

The construction time of power plants based on diesel and gas engines can be extremely rapid, allowing the operator to start harvesting revenues at the earliest opportunity. Experience shows that, if needed, the first generator set of a multi engine project can be feeding power to the local grid in a matter of months.

Fuel Independence

By using liquid fuel stored in a tank farm on site, diesel power plants are independent of fixed infrastructures like gas pipelines and not so affected by fuel supply fluctuations. Looking at economic aspects, the heavy fuel oil (HFO) commonly used in diesel engine power plants is traditionally cheaper than distillate diesel fuels.

Fuel Flexibility

Our diesel and gas engines can burn a wide range of liquid and gaseous fuels, including crude and residual oils, plant oils and natural and non-natural gases.

Part of the Solution

With their high efficiencies and fuel flexibility, especially in co-generation and combined cycle applications, our engines are already positioned to be part of the solution in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector. As one of the world’s leading providers of turbomachinery and large-bore diesel engines we are able to offer turnkey diesel combined cycle power plants to the customers.