For greater reduced emissions and fuel consumption
Wärtsilä has announced that it had started up its new 6-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex48T engine on 24th November 2011 at the facilities of Wärtsilä licensee QMD (Qingdao Qiyao Wärtsilä MHI Linshan Marine Diesel) in China.
This new engine is the result of further development of the existing Wärtsilä RTA48T engine and is being marketed to the smaller bulker and tanker sectors, including Handysizes and Handymaxes.
By introducing this new engine, Wärtsilä said that it had completed its adaptation of its range of low-speed RT-flex engines for all bore sizes. The engine type is also available in other cylinder configurations.
With the implementation of the RT-flex common-rail technology, the conventional RTA48T engine has been upgraded to feature electronically controlled fuel injection and exhaust valve activation for greatly reduced emissions and fuel consumption.
One great advantage is its smokeless operation at all engine load levels, the company claimed.
“We are extremely pleased to add the Wärtsilä RT-flex48T engine to our portfolio of common-rail low-speed engines. We now have this industry-leading technology available for all bore sizes in our current low-speed engine portfolio,” said Martin Wernli, president, Wärtsilä Switzerland and vice president, product centre 2-stroke.
The key features of the RT-flex common-rail system are the precise control of fuel injection and the high injection pressure at all speeds, which together give steady running. The electronically controlled exhaust valve opening/closing allows the best engine tuning for each individual engine rating.
To further develop the common rail version, the rail unit and supply unit were taken from the RT-flex50 type engine.
Source: Tanker Operator
