The first Wärtsilä low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engine destined for a commercial application has successfully completed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at a Chinese licensee of Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD), the Switzerland-based designer, developer and licensor of Wärtsilä brand low-speed two-stroke engines.
The engine is a five cylinder, 50 cm bore 5RT-flex50DF built by Yuchai Marine Power Co., Ltd. (YCMP) at its factory in Doumen, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, in the South of the People’s Republic of China. It will power a new “handy-size” LNG carrier, designed by MARIC, in the fleet of Chinese ship-owner and operator Zhejiang Huaxiang Shipping CO., Ltd.
The new vessel is under construction at the shipyard of Qidong Fengshun Ship Heavy Industry CO., LTD, also in the People’s Republic of China. While designed to ocean-going standards, in service the LNG carrier will operate principally in Chinese coastal waters and deliver LNG to terminals in the estuaries of major Chinese rivers. WinGD’s scope-of-supply for this project also includes a gas valve unit (GVU), some ancillary equipment and the commissioning of both the engine and GVU aboard the LNG carrier.
- Rated power: 6000kW at 124rpm
- LNG Capacity: 14,300m3
- Length overall: 125.8 metres
- Beam: 22.7 metres
- Draught: 7.2 metres
With its Wärtsilä 5RT-flex50DF two-stroke dual-fuel engine burning the “natural boil-off gas” (NBOG) which arises through vaporisation of a small part of an LNG carrier’s cargo due to the ambient air and sea temperatures and the motion of the ship, the vessel will comply with both the NOx and SOx requirements of the strictest IMO emissions regulations without exhaust aftertreatment.
Organised by YCMP with the support of the WinGD testing team, augmented by gas engine specialists from company headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, the FAT took place on 2-3 June 2015 in the presence of representatives from the classification societies, the ship owners, the shipyard, YCMP and WinGD. Inspection of the engine and selected components according to classification society requirements took place on 4 June.
To mark the acceptance of the first WinGD DF engine for a commercial application, and the first built by YCMP, on 10 and 11 June, a commemorative event was held which included a short demonstration run of the RT-flex50DF.
Martin Wernli, CEO Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD) noted:
“The system is based on the low-pressure gas admission system proven over more than two decades on Wärtsilä four-stroke DF engines. Our product objectives were to reduce both first and operating costs. The 5RT-flex50DF does not require the high-pressure electrically-driven compressor needed by two-stroke engines in which gas is injected under high pressure. Thus, not only can our fuel system be simpler and less expensive, it saves a considerable amount of onboard electrical power, which means that a vessel’s auxiliary generators can be dimensioned smaller. Such savings are, of course, of special interest on smaller LNG carriers such as the 14000 m³ vessel which this engine will power.”
Source: Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd
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