ABB Turbocharging boosts fuel efficiency on smaller ships
ABB Turbo Systems Ltd. has played a key role in bringing the benefits of Wärtsilä's RT-flex technology to two-stroke engine installation onboard smaller ships.Increasingly, owners of smaller merchant vessels prefer two-stroke, low speed engines over their four-stroke counterparts, in light of fuel savings, lower operating costs and lower emissions. To meet this need, Wärtsilä has reconfigured the layout of the widely specified RT-flex50 version-D engine to overcome width limitations that preclude installation of an engine with an exhaust-side turbocharger attached.The new layout sees the A170-L unit from ABB Turbo Systems positioned directly above the fly wheel at the driving end of the engine. Wärtsilä licensee Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea, recently completed the first shop tests on an RT-flex50 version-D engine to feature an A170-L turbocharger unit from ABB in the new lay-out.The space-saving step opens the way for the fuel-saving engine type to be offered for ship designs with slim stern sections, including smaller tankers, bulk carriers and 'handysize' container vessels.The HHI tests verified that the configuration provides a viable alternative to other engine types featuring a smaller cylinder bore and higher speed. The first engine to pass the test will be installed on a newbuld at HHI's Ulsan ...
Read more