Low Container Ship Speed Facilitated by

Versatile ME/ME-C Engines

Introduction ....................................................................... 3
ME/ME-C Engines ........................................................... 4
Part Load Optimisation, ME/ME-C Engines ......... 6
Low Load Mode ............................................................... 7
Low Load Operation with MC/MC-C Engines ....... 8
Part Load Optimisation, MC/MC-C Engines ........... 10
Cylinder Lubrication at Low Load ............................. 10
Derating .............................................................................. 11
Conclusion ......................................................................... 12
Contents:
MAN Diesel A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark
Low Container Ship Speed Facilitated by
Versatile ME/ME-C Engines
26
Ship speed
knot 25 24 23 22 21 20 19
Relative propulsion power needed
120
%
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
18
30
Fig. 1: Relative propulsion power needed for a large container vessel shown as a function
of ship speed
Introduction
Recently, fuel oil prices have risen to
unprecedented levels, bringing fuel oil
consumption of diesel engines more
into focus than for a long time. At the
same time, exhaust gas emissions in
general and CO
2
emission in particular
are top priorities.
One way of reducing fuel consumption
as well as CO
2
emission is to reduce the
ship speed. Fig. 1 shows the relation
between power and speed for a typical
modern large post panamax container
vessel.
It is obvious that reducing the ship
speed reduces the power requirement
substantially, see Fig. 1. Reducing the
ship speed by e.g. 4 knots reduces the
power requirement to some 50%. This
means that in case the main engine has
been chosen with sufcient power for
high ship speeds, inclusive of margins
on top of that, it must be able to oper-
ate at low loads for long periods. This
is the situation that vessels in service
are exposed to and must comply with.
Typically, what happens is that a round
trip normally lasting 8 weeks is changed
to a duration of 9 weeks, leaving more
time and a reduced ship speed demand.
Two very important issues must be
considered in connection with reduced
ship speed:
1) Main engines ability to operate at
low loads for long periods of time.
2) Fuel oil consumption at such low load.
For new building projects, the operators
must decide whether the vessel should
be laid out for high ship speeds, as has
been the case for a number of years, or
whether they should choose an alterna-
tive design for lower ship speed ( i.e.
also choosing a smaller main engine), or
as a third option, whether they should
keep the full size engine in the speci-
cation, but have it delivered optimised
for the lower load. So far, shipowners
have chosen to maintain the exibility
in service by maintaining the prevailing
high design ship speed.
The electronically controlled ME/ME-C
engines have a major advantage with
respect to operating at even very low
load for indenite periods of time, whilst
offering a substantial reduction in fuel
oil consumption compared to conven-
tional engines at such low loads. In this
respect, we refer to our recent service
letter SL07-480.
In connection with fuel oil consumption,
it should be realised that with the emis-
sion legislation (Tier 2) coming into
force for vessels with keel laying after
1/1 2011, compliance with this legis-
lation is possible with the ME/ME-C
engines with a minimum of fuel oil con-
sumption penalty. Tier 2 is expected to
imply a reduction of the allowed NO
x

from the present 17g/kWh to 14.5 g/
kWh, among other exhaust gas emis-
sion reductions. This NO
x
reduction can
be met by engine tuning only and, for
ME/ME-C engines, this is expected to
have a fuel oil consumption penalty of
up to 2 g/kWh. For the MC/MC-C en-
gines the fuel oil consumption penalty is
expected to be 4 g/kWh.
The following will describe how low load
and part load optimised operation can
be implemented on ME/ME-C engines.
We will also outline this for MC/MC-C
engines, and describe how they differ
from their more advanced electronically
controlled counterparts.
25 knots refer to 100%
relative propulsion power
3

ME/ME-C Engines
With the introduction of ME and ME-C
engines as well as the slide fuel valves
as standard, the engine conditions for
service at low loads for long-term
operation have improved considerably.
One of the key benets of the ME/ME-C
engines is the ability to operate in dif-
ferent modes at the discretion of the
operator. Presently, four different modes
can be incorporated in the ME engine
software.
Each individual mode can in principle
be designed to full specic needs of
the shipowner in question, without any
operating mode design limitations, as
long as each mode meets the require-
ments of IMO set for the engine NO
x

emission. However, a fuel economy
mode and an emission mode are oc-
cupied as MAN Diesel standard modes.
Usually, licensees have chosen to de-
liver the engines in fuel economy mode,
while the emission mode has been of-
fered as an option. Emission mode is of
1. Including temporary load increase of up to 75% SMCR at low load operation. Ref. service letter SL07-480/SBE, June 2007
2. During 75% running load, the ship will often sail a longer curved/circular path instead of straight ahead. Therefore, no ship speed
increase is assumed when calculating sailed distance (even if a longer sailed distance is assumed there will still be signicant fuel cost savings)
- SFOC refers to LCV = 42,700 kJ/kg
- Fuel consumption refers to LCV = 40,200 kJ/kg
- Fuel price used is 500 USD/t
Fig. 2a: Example of reduced fuel consumption at low load operation for large container vessels
with 12K98MC-C6 and12K98ME-C6, SMCR = 68,520 kW at 104 r/min
particular interest to shipowners operat-
ing in waters where nancial compensa-
tion is offered for low NO
x
/SO
x
emissions.
The general description of low load op-
eration given in the section Low Load
Operation with MC/MC-C Engines
remains valid for ME/ME-C engines.
Traditionally, MC/MC-C engines require
a load increase (when running with low
load) of 1hr every 12hrs at 75% load,
which equates to 14hrs a week. With
ME/ME-C engines the load increase
requirement is reduced to just 2hrs
every week at 75% load. This simpli-
cation in a trade with prolonged or
even indenite low load operation may
in its own right give fuel consump-
tion savings of up to 10% of the total
fuel cost in the extreme case! This is
shown as an example in tabular form,
Fig. 2a, valid for a 12K98MC-C6 and a
12K98ME-C6 operating at 30% SMCR,
and also illustrated in Fig. 2b.
ME/ME-C engines are, as previously
mentioned, equipped with slide fuel
valves as standard. The injection pres-
sure is independent of the engine load
and creates an optimised injection on
all load levels and, accordingly, makes
another often used low load feature on
mechanically controlled engines, cylin-
der cut-out, less relevant for securing
stable running conditions at very low
loads.
ME/ME-C engines are delivered in
economy mode as standard, ensur-
ing optimal SFOC for a traditional load
pattern. Of course, the economy mode
meets the requirements with regard to
the IMO NO
x
emission limits.
In the economy mode, the engine is
fully capable of operating continuously
for long periods at part load and low
load without making any special adjust-
ments of the engine.
In emission mode, the NO
x
emission
cycle value is lowered by 10% to 25%
through special adjustment of engine
parameters, mainly at high load (75%
and 100%). In this mode, the ME/ME-C
engine is also capable of operating
Para-
meters
Engine
power
SFOC Fuel
consumpt.
Operating
time
Fuel
consumpt.
Ship
speed
Sailed
distance
Fuel consumpt.
per n mile
Fuel costs
pr n mile
Relative fuel cost
per n mile
Mode % SMCR g/kWh t/24h h/week t/week knot n mile/week kg/n mile USD/n mile %
Standard 90.0 167.5 263.3 168 1843.3 25.0 4200 439 219 100.0
12K98MC-C6
Low 75.0
1
165.1 216.2 14 126.1 23.0 Included in low load operation assuming no ship speed increase
Load 30.0 174.0 91.2 +154 +585.0 18.5
runn. 168 711.1 18.5
2
3108 229 114 52.1
12K98ME-C6
Low 75.0
1
163.6 214.4 2 17.9 23.0 Included in low load operation assuming no ship speed increase
Load 30.0 172.8 90.6 +166 +626.4 18.5
runn. 168 644.3 18.5
2
3108 207 103.6 47.3
4
Ship speed
knot 21
Relative fuel consumption/costs per n mile
23 25 19
40
%
50
60
70
80
17
90
100
18 20 22 24
MC/MC-C
ME/ME-C
Fig. 2b: Reduced fuel consumption at low load operation for large container vessels with
MC/MC-C and ME/ME-C engines
continuously for long periods at part
load and low load, without adjusting
parameters.
As mentioned, the ME/ME-C engine
offers two additional operating modes,
and lately there have been increasing
requirements for investigating the
possibilities of applying a low load and
a part load optimised operating mode,
the latter included in the standard
economy mode.
The method in which the low load or
part load optimised operating mode is
applied will very much depend on the
specic requirements to the operation
prole of the engine and vessel.
5
Part Load Optimisation,
ME/ME-C Engines
Any engine may be optimised at any
load between 85% and 100% of the
specied MCR. The optimising methods
are special matching of turbochargers,
optimisation of compression volume,
and special fuel valve nozzles. Part load
optimisation should be used if most of
the operating time for the entire lifetime
of the ship is expected to be in the low
and part load areas. The change to
special fuel nozzles serves the purpose
of optimising the fuel consumption,
although for reasons of combustion
cleanliness this is not required with
slide type fuel valves. This is done in the
standard economy mode in which the
engine is delivered.
By operating with part load optimisation
the SFOC reduction will be up to 4 g/kWh
when compared to the obtainable refer-
ence full load economy mode SFOC.
The SFOC increase in the high and full
load area will also be up to 4 g/kWh
when compared to the obtainable refer-
ence full load economy mode SFOC
(see Fig. 3a). It should be mentioned
that the obtainable reference full load
economy mode can only be obtained
if the engine is rebuilt to standard with
regard to matching of turbochargers,
resetting of compression volume and
special fuel valve nozzles. The engine
settings will, however, secure that full
load (MCR) operation can be obtained
even with the engine delivered in a part
load optimisation/economy mode.
162
168
174
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 % SMCR
Engine shaft power
S
F
O
C
ME/ME-C 100% SMCR optimised
MC/MC-C 100% SMCR optimised
ME/ME-C Part load optimised
3-4g/kWh
Economy mode:
3-4g/kWh
Fig. 3a: Reduced SFOC for part load optimisation of ME/ME-C engines when operating in
Economy mode
Engine Load Exh. boiler
by-pass
Slide valves Cylinder
cut-out
Low load
mode possible
> 40% Not required Standard Not needed Yes
20 40% Yes,
recommended
Standard Not needed Yes
< 20% Yes, required Standard Not needed Yes
Operation modes for ME/ME-C engines
6
162
168
174
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 % SMCR
Engine Load
S
F
O
C
ME/ME-C Economy mode
ME/ME-C Low load mode
1-2g/kWh
1-2g/kWh
Fig. 3b: Reduced SFOC for low load mode of ME/ME-C engines
162
168
174
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 % SMCR
Engine shaft power
S
F
O
C
ME/ME-C 100% SMCR optimised
MC/MC-C 100% SMCR optimised
3-4g/kWh
3-4g/kWh
1-2g/kWh
1-2g/kWh
ME/ME-C Part load optimised
ME/ME-C Low load mode 100% SMCR optimised
ME/ME-C Low load mode part load optimised
1-2g/kWh
Low Load Mode
The simplest possible low and part load
optimisation of the ME/ME-C engine
is limited to such actions as special
parameter settings of the exhaust valve
actuation and fuel injection timing and
prole in the low and part load areas.
This option can be applied if the ves-
sel has schedules planned where low
and part load operation is foreseen. An
example could be a container vessel
requiring low load on certain legs of
its route.
The SFOC reduction in the low and
part load areas will in such case be an
additional 1-2 g/kWh (see Fig. 3b) com-
pared to the obtainable reference econ-
omy mode, and the SFOC increase in
the high and full load area will also be
1-2 g/kWh when compared to the ob-
tainable reference economy mode.
The engine is able to switch from the
selected economy mode to low load
mode and back by pushing a button on
the ME/ME-C engine control panel.
In the case of an engine that has been
part load optimised for economy mode,
and is running in low load mode, the
total SFOC reduction will be the sum
of the SFOC reduction due to part load
optimisation and the SFOC reduction
due to low load mode. The SFOC re-
duction would therefore be 4-6g/kWh
(see Fig. 3c), when compared to a 100%
SMCR optimised reference engine.
Fig. 3c: Reduced SFOC for part load optimisation with low load mode, and 100% SMCR
optimised with low load mode for ME/ME-C engines
7
Fig. 4: Example of a high temperature re in a water tube type exhaust gas boiler
Low Load Operation with
MC/MC-C Engines
Recapping the case for the ME/ME-C
engines before going to the MC/MC-C
engines, it is clear that with the intro-
duction of slide fuel valves, engine con-
ditions for service at low loads for long-
term operation have been signicantly
improved.
WITH slide valves, satisfactory continu-
ous running conditions can be obtained
down to 50-60% of SMCR rpm (10-20%
engine load) without making any chang-
es on the engine itself. However, for the
load range below 40% some special
procedures have to be observed, see
below.
WITHOUT slide valves, the MC/MC-C
engines can be operated below 20%
load without special measures for im-
provement of slow steaming conditions
for short periods (12-24 hours).
However, in both cases it is recom-
mended to increase the engine load
above 75% load for approx. one hour
every 12 hours in order to increase the
velocity of the gas and thereby cleaning
the gas ways.
In relation to the expected increased
depositing of soot in the internal parts
of the engine and turbocharger, special
attention should be paid to turbocharg-
er cleaning, which should be carried
out more frequently than stated in the
instruction for normal operation.
The engine load can be reduced to 40%
without taking any particular precautions
in the systems and procedures. At any
load above 40%, the auxiliary blower has
generally switched off, and the exhaust
gas has a velocity which is sufcient for
transporting soot away during normal
operation and soot blasting. However,
with a few engine layouts, the auxiliary
blowers switch off at a load slightly
above 40%. If so, the actual cut-out level
of the auxiliary blower determines the
engine load level for the introduction of
special countermeasures.
At a permanent load below 40% for
long-term operation, preparations
should be evaluated in accordance with
the conditions described below.
It is our experience that long-term low
load operation increases the risk of
exhaust gas boiler fouling caused by a
build-up of carbon and hydrocarbons in
the exhaust gas boiler at low tempera-
tures. Furthermore, the exhaust gas ve-
locity is so low at low load that deposits
from soot blasting cannot be removed.
The increased fouling can generally
be related to the more difcult opera-
tion conditions for the fuel system at
low load, with relatively small injection
amounts at lower injection pressure
(due to the low rpm).
Depending on the boiler conguration, it
may be recommendable to install a by-
pass of the exhaust gas boiler, so that
all the exhaust gas, at proper velocities,
can be sent through this by-pass con-
nection at low loads.
Uncontrolled building up of soot in the
exhaust gas boiler can lead to res and,
in the worst case, melting of the boiler
tubes, see Fig. 4!
8
Even with a by-pass of the exhaust
gas boiler at low loads, the depositing
of soot which settles in the gas ways
should always be reduced to ensure a
safe operation of the engine and turbo-
charger.
Measures to improve the performance
at low load:
1) Introduction of slide valves. Slide
valves are standard today and can be
installed as retrot on MC/MC-C
engines in service. In the slide valve,
the sac volume is omitted and the
combustion is improved during all
load steps.
Solenoid valve
Group 1
Solenoid valve
Group 2
Air supply
7 bar
Fig. 5: Cylinder cut-out system
Without cylinder cut-out
With cylinder cut-out
2) Cylinder cut-out system. The cylinder
cut-out system (see Fig. 5) to be
used at rpm below 40% of MCR rpm,
allows the engine to operate with
only half of the cylinders, resulting
in increased load on the operating
cylinders with improved operating
conditions for the fuel system as a
result, thereby ensuring stable run-
ning conditions down to 20-25% of
nominal rpm. The speed limits for
the actual plant should be evaluated
by MAN Diesel on a case-to-case
basis as the individual shaft vibration
characteristics have to be considered.
Furthermore, in some special cases, it
may be relevant to introduce auxiliary
blowers with increased capacity in or-
der to reach a higher load before they
switch off. In such case, the auxiliary
blowers are running permanently at
relatively high part loads in accordance
with the increased setting point for cut
out. To avoid continuous start/stop of
the auxiliary blowers, the permanent
low load operation should be set to a
level outside cut in/cut out of the auxil-
iary blowers.
9
Reduction factor
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
RPM, % of MCR
Engine Load Exh. boiler by-pass Slide valves Cylinder cut-out
> 40% Not required Recommended Not required
20 40% Yes, recommended Yes, recommended Not required
< 20% Yes, required Yes, required Yes, recommended*
* Only at extreme low load (less than 40% MCR-rpm). This is mainly relevant for tankers
during so-called lightering service, or low load leaving/entering harbour of container ships.
Operation modes for
MC/MC-C engines

RPM proportional control
MEP proportional control
Load proportional control
Fig. 6: Cylinder oil regulation
Part Load Optimisation,
MC/MC-C Engines
Optimisation of the part load service
conditions by turbocharger re-matching
and change of fuel nozzles will change
the IMO NO
x
certication and require a
new IMO certication of the engine.
If the desired ship speed is at very low
loads (i.e. below 20% load), turbo-
charger matching has only marginal
inuence on the engine performance,
and only marginal improvements can
be obtained by re-matching.
In previous service letters on low load
operation, it has been recommended
to change fuel valve nozzles to new
nozzles with smaller nozzle holes. This
is no longer required with slide fuel
valves. If non-slide fuel valve types are
used, MAN Diesel recommends chang-
ing to slide fuel valves. A change of
nozzle hole size and a change to slide
fuel valves have the same impact on
the IMO NO
x
certication of the engine,
which is merely that the new congura-
tion has to be amended to the technical
le of the engine.
MAN Diesel is able to assist with IMO
certication when new modes on board
the vessels are dened.
Cylinder Lubrication at
Low Load
The electronically controlled Alpha lubri-
cators are an integrated part of the ME/
ME-C concept, and they are frequently
used also on MC/MC-C engines.
One of the many benets of the Alpha
lubricators is that they lubricate the
cylinder units as a function of the main
engine load, and not as a function of
engine speed or engine MEP. This
means that the Alpha lubricators offer
substantial savings at low load, as can
be seen in Fig. 6.
In fact, at e.g. 80% engine speed
(50% engine load) Alpha lubricators
lubricate with 35% less cylinder lube
oil compared to the lube oil feed rate
provided by a purely speed dependent
mechanical lubrication system.
10
Derating
Derating is a traditional method of re-
ducing fuel oil consumption, i.e. choos-
ing a specied MCR point lower than
the nominal MCR point along the verti-
cal constant engine speed line in the
layout diagram, see Fig.7.
Previously, this layout philosophy was
widely used, and most engines were
derated. The advantage is that SFOC is
signicantly reduced, the disadvantage
is that the engine generates less pro-
pulsion power.
Derating is possible for ME/
ME-C as well as for MC/MC-
C engines.
For example, if the power of a
10K98ME engine is required, but a
derated version of a 11K98ME engine
is chosen instead, SFOC is reduced
as shown in Fig. 7. The extra cylinder
obviously represents an extra expense,
but with the current fuel oil prices, the
expense is paid back in 3-4 years. Simi-
larly, if a 12K98ME engine is chosen,
the SFOC reduction is twice as big, as
is the initial extra expense, however, the
pay-back period remains 3-4 years.
Making such a choice also means that
if fuel oil prices should go down in the
future, calling for increased ship speeds
again, the engine can be uprated to
the original full L1 power. Changing
the rating of an engine in service may
not be so simple, but if the possibility
of changing the rating in the future is
considered in the project phase, it may
be relatively simple. The choice of tur-
bochargers and air coolers should be
considered.
75,000
70,000
65,000
60,000
55,000
90 r/min 97 r/min
74,760 kW
12K98ME7
10K98ME7
11K98ME7
kW
68,530 kW
62,300 kW
Eng|ne |ayout d|agrams
175
170
165
160
155
30 40 90 100 % SMCR 50 60 70 80
Nominal
Derated
Derated
12K98ME7
10K98ME7
11K98ME7
SFOC curves
SMCR = 62,300 kW x 97 r/min
Matching point = 100% SMCR
LCv = 42,700 kJ/kg
g/kWh
20
D
e
r
a
t
e
d
Fig. 7: SFOC reduction by derating a K98ME7 engine
11
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that the elec-
tronically controlled ME/ME-C engines
offer better possibilities for long-term
operation at low loads while, at the
same time, giving an improved fuel oil
consumption at such low loads.
To summarise on the benets of the
ME/ME-C engines in a situation where
low load operation is expected to pre-
vail for a long period of time, these are:
- Part load optimisation, giving a reduc-
tion in SFOC of up to 4g/kWh for part
load operation
- Low load mode, cutting an additional
1-2 g/kWh SFOC
- Less operating hours at higher load
to keep engine, gas ways and boiler
clean
- Alpha lubricators, reducing the lube
oil consumption at part load
The ME/ME-C engines also offer IMO
Tier 2 compliance with a lower SFOC,
i.e. lower CO
2
emission than its mecha-
nical counterparts.
The MC/MC-C engines also offer a
degree of exibility when a lower ship
speed is required for normal operation:
- The use of slide fuel valves (which can
be retrotted) will facilitate low load
operation down to 40% engine load
- Further measures can be taken for
lower engine load running such as a
cylinder cut-out system
We suggest operators to contact
MAN Diesel regarding low load operation
to obtain recommendations tailor-made
to their specic mode of operation, both
for vessels already in service and in
connection with new building projects.
12