MAN ES emphasizes digital tools and decarbonization

A PTA machinery train by MAN Energy Solutions including an integrally geared compressor, steam turbine, expander and motor/generator.

MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES), a daughter company of Volkswagen, employs around 14,000 people at over 120 sites globally. As a major player in advanced engineering for more than 250 years, it has built a portfolio of technology solutions for the marine, energy and industrial sectors.

Gas and Steam Turbines
MAN ES offers modular, heavy-duty single- and twin-shaft gas turbines in a power range between 6 MW and 12 MW. It is currently upgrading this portfolio to operate on up to 100 % hydrogen. In addition, it offers expansion turbines, which are becoming important in energy recovery in many industrial processes.
On the steam turbine side, MAN ES can deliver back-pressure or condensing-type models in a power output range from about 1 MW up to about 50 MW. For mechanical drive the range goes from about 1 MW to about 80 MW. Such machines have been part of the company’s bread and butter business for a great many years. It boasts 1,350 customer references.

A centrifugal compressor train for offshore gas production by MAN ES.

Compressors
Compressors and turnkey compressor train solutions manufactured by MAN Energy Solutions sit at the heart of many processes in various industry sectors such as industrial gases, oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, LNG, CO2, urea, purified terephthalic acid or nitric acid. The portfolio includes centrifugal, axial, integrally geared, isothermal and process gas screw compressors as well as vacuum blowers for the paper industry.
“I see great potential for the future of conventional machines, which can be further enhanced for hydrogen and ammonia applications,” said Mathias Scherer André, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales & Project Management Industries at MAN Energy Solutions. “Our customers in the tissue, paper and cardboard production increasingly purchase our TURBAIR vacuum blowers because of the reduced water and electricity consumption compared to conventional water ring pumps.”
In addition to a wide range of conventional centrifugal compressors with a vertical or horizontal parting line, the company offers oil-free hermetically sealed centrifugal compressors with integrated high-speed motor drives. These come under the product lines HOFIM and MOPICO. They present broad application possibilities and benefits. Whether as subsea, unmanned topside, or even as a heat pump unit, the machine concept can be configured for different demands and equipped with application-specific features.
The HOFIM motor-compressor was initially developed as a solution for gas storage. But customers now apply the technology in various other segments. Most recently, it has been deployed as the core element of MAN’s new cross-sector ETES (Electro-Thermal Energy Storage) Heat Pump unit. This is based on the operating principle of a heat pump, but on an industrial scale.

Two ETES Heat Pump systems are being installed this year in a new district heating plant in the Danish port city of Esbjerg. With an overall heating capacity of 50 MW, the plant will supply around 100,000 local inhabitants with approximately 235,000 MWh of heat annually. Renewable power from nearby wind farms and seawater will be used as a heat source for the generation of heating energy. The new plant will guarantee an emission-free alternative to the city’s current coal-fired power plant.
“This represents a new chapter in the success story of our HOFIM compressor – an important one that marks the path towards a decarbonized future,” said Scherer André. “Energy in all its shapes and sizes plays a fundamental role in the future of our planet. That is why MAN ES is contributing to the climate goals established in the Paris Agreement.”

Mathias Scherer André

Accordingly, the company is:
Advocating a Maritime Energy Transition and offering a range of alternative propulsion technologies to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Developing new technologies for the generation and storage of energy to deal with fluctuating renewable energies and lower the carbon footprint of power plants.
Implementing digital transformation to make industrial processes more efficient and reliable.

MAN HOFIM motor-compressor

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
MAN ES actively supports its customers in the reduction, balancing, and avoiding of CO2 emissions by offering CO2 compression technology solutions with the integrally geared product line. In the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) field, MAN ES has more than 30 running references around the world.
Aker Carbon Capture has entered into a cooperation partnership with MAN ES to offer energy efficient CCUS compression solutions. Jointly developed ‘Carbon Capture Heat Recovery’ technology (CCWHR) is applicable to large facilities, such as the Heidelberg Cement Norcem cement plant in Brevik, Norway, where the world’s first carbon capture facility for large-scale cement production will soon be realized. From the summer of 2024, 400,000 tons of CO2 will be captured annually from the factory – corresponding to 50 % of its overall emissions. Carbon will be compressed and liquefied with technologies from Aker Carbon Capture and MAN ES, and transported by ship to an underground storage location.

Hydrogen Turbomachinery
MAN ES already has decades of hydrogen compression experience, especially for refinery applications. In the mid- to long-term, the company sees a huge demand for turbocompressors to transport and store large quantities of green hydrogen. With the acquisition of H-Tec Systems, its technology portfolio now spans from green hydrogen production with electrolysers, across transport, and storage, to downstream processes and end consumers of carbon-free fuels in the marine and energy sector.
“We are open for pilot projects in this field to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of large-scale state-of-the-art hydrogen technologies,” said Scherer André.

MAN employee using the augmented reality-assisted MAN EyeTech tool

Turbomachinery Services
MAN PrimeServ operates a vast network of service centers all over the world. Its focus is shifting away from simple parts and on-site maintenance towards extensive digital monitoring of compression equipment. It provides a suite of digital services to get more out of the equipment at lower cost, such as dynamic simulation, simulation-based control software, FAT (Final Acceptance Test), remote virtual commissioning, operator training simulator, virtual sensors, performance monitoring, and PrimeServ assist for remote monitoring with its connection to the MAN CEON Cloud, MAN’s digital service platform.
“The journey through unmanned operation to fully autonomous operation is well on the way,” said Scherer André.
Regional PrimeServ service centers offer long-term service agreements, inspections and spare parts deliveries, revamps, and complex rebuilds. Customers can utilize these services to have turbomachines operating unmanned or they can leave the monitoring of machine health status to MAN ES by opting for the PrimeServ Assist application. In addition, MAN EyeTech enables immediate support for troubleshooting activities or overhauls. This augmented reality-assisted application allows mobile collaboration to be set up via data glasses, or other video-capable terminals like smartphones or laptops.
“Digital tools proved to be of paramount importance after the pandemic’s arrival: since 2020, we have successfully executed fully remote commissioning of compressor trains,” said Scherer André.