Schlemmer Kelling2017

Medium Speed Diesel Engines for Maritime
Applications
Udo Schlemmer-Kelling
Fachleitung Technology, Commercial Engines FEV GmbH, Aachen, Germany
operates in the range of about 450–1000 rpm, and a low speed

1 Basics 1 engine operates below about 200 rpm, but boundaries are
2 Fuels 3 flexible.
3 Engine Layout and Design 6 While high and medium speed engines operate on the
four-stroke principle, low speed engines are based funda-
4 Thermodynamics 10
mentally on the two-stroke principle. High speed engines
5 Emissions 13
use distillates (MDO, MGO) as fuel, while medium and low
6 Engine Application and Operation 14 speed engines burn heavy fuel (HFO).
Glossary 15 Due to the high life time requirements and heavy load
Related Articles 15 profiles in the maritime business, the large engine design
References 15 differs from on-road concepts. For recreational ships and
Further Reading 16 inland waterway vessels, improved concepts of on-road
engines are in use. Typically, they cover a power range from
500 to 1500 kW. Medium speed engines have a higher robust-
ness and are available in the power range between 1000 and
20,000 kW.
1 BASICS Since the mean piston speed has physical and tribological
limits, the engine speed has to be reduced with engine size
Internal combustion engines are usually classified into fami- (stroke). Therefore, the power/displacement ratio decreases
lies according to their size (Figure 1): and the weight/power ratio increases (Figure 2). As a result,
the use of more materials in combination with lower produc-
• High speed engines for gensets, harbor boats, and inland
tion numbers has a negative influence on specific production
water vessels.
costs of large engines.
• Medium speed engines for marine main propulsion and
Basically, these engines are more efficient than the smaller
gensets.
ones (Figure 1). The efficiency difference between automo-
• Low speed engines for marine main propulsion.
tive and large engines is in the optimum of efficiency at
about 7%. The main reasons for the higher efficiency of large
Marine engines are divided by their speed ranges. High
engines are
speed engine is normally understood as an engine with a
rated speed above about 1200 rpm, a medium speed engine
• a higher air/fuel ratio with lower wall losses, approx.
Encyclopedia of Maritime and Offshore Engineering, online © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
−3.5%;
This article is © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. • decreasing heat loss with engine sizes, approx. −3.0%;
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
Also published in the Encyclopedia of Maritime and Offshore Engineering (print edition)
• gas exchange with higher efficiency due to higher turbo
ISBN: 978-1-118-47635-2 efficiency, approx. −2.5%;
2 Marine
Typical values High speed Medium speed
Combustion process – 4-Stroke 4-Stroke

Fuel – Destilate Heavy fuel
Bore mm 150–190 200–600
Stroke/bore – 1.2 –1.3 1.3–1.5
Displacement dm3/Cyl. 3–6 10–300
Speed rpm 1.500 –1.800 500–1.000
Power kW/Cyl. 100–250 200–1.200
Spec. weight kg/kW 4–6 10–13
Mean piston speed m/s 11–13 10–12
Mean effective pressure bar 20–24 25–28
Fuel consumption g/kWh 190–200 175–185
Peak firing pressure bar 190–240 200–240
Injection pressure bar 2.000–2.200 1.600–1.800
Charge air pressure bar 4.0–5.0 4.5–5.5
Figure 1. Typical layout data of high and medium speed engines.
80 24
eed
sp
70 w 21
Lo
Spe
Specific power (kW/dm3)
60 18
Specific weight (kg/kW)

c. p
Long stroke
owe
50 d 15
ee
r
sp
m
40 diu 12
Me
30 Structure 9
20 6
d
p ee
hs
10 Hig 3
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Bore (mm)
Figure 2. Specific power and weight of large bore engines. (Reproduced from Grote and Feldhusen (2014). © Springer, 2014.)
• a lower speed leads to a shorter combustion duration, Medium and low speed engines achieve an efficiency of
approx. −2.0% (Figure 3); almost 50%. A further increase of about 2% points with
• a higher BMEP, approx. −0.5%. an increase in peak cylinder pressure or with a derating
concept is achievable. A higher firing pressure requires
Disadvantages relate purely to use of expensive materials and the derating reduces the
power output. In both cases, the specific engine costs
• a lower mechanical efficiency, approx. +4.5%; (€/kW) will rise. Here, investment and operating costs
• a higher piston speed, approx. +0.5%; must be weighed against each other (total cost of owner-
• a lower compression ratio, approx. +0.5%. ship).
This article is © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
Also published in the Encyclopedia of Maritime and Offshore Engineering (print edition) ISBN: 978-1-118-47635-2
Medium Speed Diesel Engines for Maritime Applications 3
3.0
Low speed
2.5
Viebe parameter (‒)

2.0
Medium speed
1.5
1.0 High speed
Truck
Pass car
0.5
0.0
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Combustion duration (°CA)
Figure 3. Combustion characteristic of large bore engines. (Reproduced from Grote and Feldhusen (2014). © Springer, 2014.)
Waste heat recovery (WHR) is a known way to raise Residual fuels were first burned in power plants. About 50
the efficiency of the plant. Values of around 5% points years ago, their use on seagoing vessels was introduced. The
are demonstrated in praxis. However, additional investment reason was the significantly lower fuel price compared to the
costs for the WHR unit, which are roughly in line with the usual marine diesel fuel. While it was approximately half of
engine cost, have to be considered. the diesel price for a long time, it is now at about 65%. Since
the operating costs of a ship are mainly determined by the
fuel cost, this is an important economic factor. Due to the
high viscosity of HFO, the fuel must always be preheated.
2 FUELS
Depending on the viscosity class, the fuel has to be heated
The fuels from on-road vehicles can vary slightly from up to 100–150∘ C to achieve the needed viscosity 12–16 cSt.
country to country. These changes, however, are compared To qualify the ignition behavior of diesel engines, the
to the fuels that are used in larger engines, rather small. This Cetane number (CN) is applied. For HFO, it may vary greatly
applies to both the liquid and gaseous fuels as well. Figure 4 in the range from 25 to 45 CN. In today’s engine generation
shows an overview of some basic properties. with high compression ratios and compression end temper-
ature above 900–1000 K, combustion problems are rare but
can still occur. Experiments that were carried out with alter-
2.1 Liquid fuels native fuels have shown that even Cetane numbers in the
range of 5 CN ignite well with compression end temperatures
The most important group is mineral oil. It is produced in of around 1100 K.
refineries from crude oil. Originally, quite simple distillation To handle the resulting end products of the refining
processes were used with a high proportion of residual oil process better in their varying quality, CIMAC defined
(HFO) remaining. Due to the fact that the distillation prod- various viscosity grades, which were later adopted by ISO.
ucts (gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, diesel, and kerosene) can Most of the important fuel properties that influence the
be sold at a higher price, more and more refined processes combustion or the life time of engine components are much
were developed to reduce the proportion of residual oils in broader than for the fuel of the on-road vehicles in accor-
favor of distillates. Via a vacuum distillation and various dance with EN 590 (Figure 5). Very often the refineries are
cracking processes in which the long-chain molecules are adding low viscosity fuel (distillates) to set an appropriate
broken, the proportion of low grade fuels is reduced. In viscosity grade. In some crucial cases, however, lubricating
some state-of-the-art refineries remain such small amounts of oils, organic solvents, and other waste products of the
residuals that it is consumed for the self-supply process heat. chemical industry are used for dilution. In order to estimate
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
4 Marine
Heavy
Gasoline Methanol Hydrogen Methane Diesel RME
fuel
Composition CxHx CH3OH H CH4 CxHy CxHyOz CxHy
Density g/m3 730–780 800 0.09 0.72 810−850 880 950−1010
Boiling point °C 30–210 65 −253 −164 200−350 350 > 380
Viscosity cST − − − − 2−4 4−5 380−700
Heat value kJ/kg 44.000 20.000 120.000 50.000 43.000 37.500 39.000
Stoichiometric
kg/kg 14.7 6.4 34.0 17.2 14.4 12.6 14.4
air/fuel ratio
Figure 4. Fuel properties.
Designation - EN 590 RMA10 RMC 10 RMD 15 RMK 55
Short form - Diesel MGO MDO IF 80 IF 700
Viscosity @ 50 °C CST 3 40 40 80 700
Density @15 °C kg m3 840 950 975 980 1010
Pour point °C −20 6 24 30 30
Carbon residue mass% 0.1 12 14 14 30
Ash mass% 0.01 0.10 0.10 0.10 0,15
Water Vol% 0.1 0.5 0.5 0,8 1.0
Vanadium mg/kg 1.0 150 300 350 600
Aluminum + silicon mg/kg 1.0 80 80 80 80
Sulfur vol% 1.0 150 300 350 600
Figure 5. Fuel properties of liquid marine fuels.
the ignition behavior in advance, a CCAI value is used in In order to ensure safe engine operation, the fuel on
the marine business to qualify the bunkered fuel. It can be board ships must be cleaned. This is done using filters and
calculated as follows from the fuel data: separators. The centrifugal forces of the density difference
between the media is exploited in order to eliminate harmful
CCAI = Density − 141 ∗ log(Viscosity + 0.85) − 81 components. For uninterrupted engine operation two sets of
pumps, filters, separators, and heaters are provided and can
Operational problems can be expected for fuels having a be switched for maintenance or cleaning during operation. A
high density and low viscosity (Figure 6) not only in the further difficulty in ship operation is that a pure HFO opera-
ignition but also with respect to soot and deposit formation tion is not allowed everywhere (emissions restriction in ports
in the engine. In general, CCAI numbers above 860–870 are and coastal areas). This means that in these areas, the oper-
critical. ator has to switch to a clean fuel. From the fuel system, this
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
CCAI
880
Dichte
1.02
(kg/l 15 °C)
870
1.01
860
1.00
850
0.99
840
0.98
830
0.97
820
0.96
zu vermeiden *
0.95
Bedingt
zulässig *
0.94
zulässig
0.93
0.92
Viskositat (cSt 50°C)
20 30 40 50 60 80 100 150 200 300 400 700
Figure 6. CCAI values of marine heavy fuel oils. (Reproduced with permission from Handbuch Dieselmotoren © Springer-Verlag, 2007.)
is easily possible, as there are several bunker tanks on board. For safe operation with gas as fuel, the following charac-
However, the compatibility of diesel and heavy oil is some- teristics are important:
times problematic. As a result, sludge formation can clog the
filters in the fuel supply.
• The methane number (MN) provides information on the
2.2 Gaseous fuels antiknock properties of a gas. A value of 100 (pure
methane) has a high or a value of 0 (pure hydrogen), a
Initially, gaseous fuels were only used in power plants. low knock resistance. Standard natural gas is in the range
Methane was the main constituent (CH4 ). In recent times the of 75–85 MN.
use of methane as marine fuel has significantly increased due • The laminar flame propagation speed indicates the speed
to the fact that, when it is burnt in a reciprocating engine, the at which the flame propagates in laminar flow conditions.
exhaust emissions of NOx and particulate matter are lower A high speed ensures fast burning and low tendency to
than that obtained when using liquid fuels. knock.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
6 Marine
• A high self-ignition temperature allows a high compres- Today, all four-stroke engines are built in an integrated
sion ratio and thus a high efficiency. block design with suspended crankshaft. This results in a
• The ignition limits describe the ignitability of the gas/air compact and rigid engine block, which allows a resilient
mixture. A large spread in the mixture ratio allows for mounting of the engine in the ship. For best propulsion
stable combustion process. efficiency, the engine speed is too high and a reduction gear
• Calorific heat value and density provide information on is used for propeller speed of around 100–200 rpm. This
the energy density and are important for the maximum
concept allows both an efficient propeller speed and as well a
achievable engine power.
generator with 50 or 60 Hz, which is flanged to the gearbox.
Like HFO, gaseous fuels are not exactly specified and are The engine is connected to the transmission via a highly
subject to significant fluctuations in its chemical composi- flexible coupling on the flywheel. In fixed-pitch propeller
tion. Conventional gas sources are natural gas, coal mine gas, systems, there is usually a separation clutch and reversible
landfill gas, sewage gas, and biogas. The chemical composi- gears in the gear box.
tion is very different and must be considered in the layout of The rated speed of large engines is usually matched to
the engine. the synchronous speed of the alternator. Thus, the most
important use for 50 and 60 Hz operation can be covered.
Starting from a predetermined engine, the stroke/bore ratio
3 ENGINE LAYOUT AND DESIGN and a reasonable mean piston speed have to be selected for
High and medium speed engines need special design a suitable synchronous speed. A too low piston speed of
concepts that differ from on-road engines (Figure 7). the engine makes the engine expensive, and too high values
Medium speed engines are integrated into the construction reduces the efficiency and reliability with short overhaul
of a ship or a power station and cannot be removed. All intervals. The standard for large engines synchronous speeds
maintenance and repair work are carried out in situ. This are as follows:
means that all engine components must be accessible and be
removable individually. Medium speed engines are available Pole Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7
with 6–9 cylinders in line basically for marine applications.
V engines with 12–20 cylinders are used as high speed 50 Hz 1500 1000 750 600 500 428 rpm
engines in the marine business and as medium speed engine 60 Hz 1800 1200 900 720 600 514 rpm
in land-based power plant.
(a) High speed engine (b) Medium speed engine
Figure 7. Cross-sections of (a) typical high and (b) medium speed engines. (Reproduced with permission Rolls-Royce Power Systems ©
MTU—Rolls Royce Power Systems, 2015.)
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
Due to the complex cooling ducts, cylinder heads are All fittings of the main components such as cylinder head,
normally carried out as cast iron (GJL, GJS, and CGI). The bearing caps, and counterweights are tensioned hydrauli-
absolute size of the components and the large thermal expan- cally. Only in this way, the required torques can be applied
sions require individual cylinder heads for each cylinder. and a uniform tightness of all screw connections are guaran-
For this reason, camshafts are mounted in the crankcase and teed. At the free end of the engine (opposite flywheel side),
actuate the valves via pushrods. Four valves and a central all necessary auxiliary units are driven by gears. This can
location of the injector are the standard. The valve seat rings be up to four pumps (HT and NT water pump, suction, and
are made of special wear-resistant materials. Crucial here is discharge oil pump).
the right material pairing between the valve seat and the seat A camshaft placed in the cylinder head like in car engines
ring armor. For HFO operation, the exhaust valve seat rings is not suitable for larger engines. The individual cylinder
are water cooled to reduce the seat temperature. To measure heads make an alignment of the bearings impossible. Today,
the cylinder pressure, all heads have indicating bores and individual camshaft sections per cylinder are usually bolted
safety valves for pressure relief. together. One-piece shafts are too long and cannot be
Exhaust valves are highly loaded when burning HFO. To changed in case of repairs. To make a stiff valve train, the
avoid hot corrosion at the valve disc, usually high temper- position of the shaft is placed as high as possible in the
ature resistant austenitic steels such as Nimonic are used. cylinder crankcase. The cam movement is transmitted either
The valve stem (Commonly X45) is connected to the plate via roller guide body (cheap, but high friction) or rocker
by a friction welding process. To make the seat more resis- arm (expensive, but low losses) on the intake and exhaust
tant, armored Stellite or Colmonoy is applied. Temperatures valves via short push rods. An eccentric lever system allows
above 450∘ C create highly corrosive Na-V slag from the a phasing of the valve timing. The drive of the shaft takes
HFO on the seats. This obstructs the heat flux, heats up the place via spur gears from the crankshaft. In the case of
valve, and leads to hot corrosion on the valve disc. If the layer a mechanical injection system, the camshaft may have a
becomes too thick, subregions can burst off and the valve is torsional vibration damper on the free end.
leaking. Hot combustion gases can pass the seat and create The cooling of the liner comes to particular importance
canyons, which leads to the destruction of the valve with when using HFO (Figure 8). It is designed so that it is not
consequently damage at the turbocharger. An effective coun- too cold at the bottom and not too hot at the top. Medium
termeasure is the rotation of the valve. These rotary devices speed engines have usually mid stop liner concepts without
or rotary wings are used on the valve stem. Intake valves are cooling water in the cylinder block (Figure 9). The shorter
less critical and therefore often consist entirely of X45 and stroke/bore ratio of high speed engines does not allow this
have seat armor. concept and they use top stop liner concepts. While in former
times, the surface of the liner was nitrided, today called
The crankshafts are almost always forged in one piece. For
natural hard alloys with GGL as base material and phos-
medium speed engines, the surface is untreated. Crank shaft
phorus and boron as additives for hardness are mainly in use.
for high speed engines often is nitrided.
Another milestone in this respect was the introduction of a
All bearings of large engines are generally designed as
calibration ring (Figure 8), which is placed at the top of the
plain bearings. They are very durable, have high damping
liner. Since the inside diameter of these rings is somewhat
properties, and are easy to install. In case of repair, over-
smaller than the liner diameter, the oil coke is stripped from
size bearings are available in several stages, which can
the top land of the piston. The so-called bore polishing can be
be used at refinished bearing journals. Widely used are
avoided and leads to a significant improvement of tribology.
two-metal bearings (steel/aluminum) or three-metal bearings
It keeps the lubricating oil consumption stable over time and
(steel/lead/tin).
extends the overhaul intervals and the service life of pistons,
The crankcase is a one-piece construction made of cast iron
rings, and liners significantly.
(GJL, GJS, and CGI). In most cases, the crankcase is today
The high power density of large engines requires inten-
highly integrated and includes many features such as
sive cooling of the piston. In high speed engines with shorter
stroke, this can still be done on oil spray nozzles. For
• the gear train to drive the camshaft, the longer strokes of the medium engines, the oil spray
• the charge air duct for supplying all cylinders with charge would fan out and get too little oil in the piston. There-
air, fore, the cooling oil is guided from the crank bearing
• the housing for the torsional vibration damper on the through the hollow-bored connecting rod and the piston pin
crankshaft, to the cooling chambers of the piston. In order to design
• all the pipes to supply the engine with cooling water and optimal cooling chambers, two-piece piston concepts (shirt
lube oil. and crown; Figure 8) are executed. While it began with steel
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
8 Marine
Min Max
Component
temperature temperature
Piston crown - 350°C
Ring grooves 100°C 130°C
Liner TDC 180°C 210°C
Crown
Piston
Line BDC 80°C
Cylinder head - 250°C
1= ^ 380°C Exhaust valve seat - 420°C

2= ^ 230°C
Exh. gas b. turbine - 520°C
3=^ 270°C
4= ^ 150°C Fuel - 150°C
5 =^ 140°C
Nozzle tip - 250°C
6 =^ 135°C
Figure 8. Surface temperatures of HFO engines. (Reproduced from Anders et al. (2001) © CIMAC, 2001.)
Mid stop concept Top stop concept of the connecting rod remains inside the crank case when
extracting the piston with the top end of the connecting rod.
For HFO engines, the air supply is of great importance. In
Cooling
order not to overheat the components, a high air/fuel ratio

and a high air flow are essential. In this respect, the effi-
ciency of the turbocharger and the quality of the intercooler
are of great importance. Low flow losses in the gas passage
Crank case
Cooling
and a large valve overlap are necessary. During HFO opera-

tion, residuals and carbon deposits will clog the turbine side
Crank case
of the turbocharger. An effective washing device that injects

the water in front of the turbine blades is needed. The proce-
dure is based on the thermal shock principle, which chips
off the deposits. The cleaning process must be performed
Low Temperature High
at part load during operation. Operation with exhaust gas
Figure 9. Cooling concepts for modern HFO engines. (Repro- temperatures above 550∘ C leads to considerable deposits,
duced from Schlemmer-Kelling (2014) © Springer, 2014.) which cannot be removed by a washing process. In normal
operation, the cleaning device is usually performed weekly.
The compressor is cleaned also with water. The washing
crowns on aluminum skirts a few years ago, the increase in frequency is at the compressor in the range of 2–3 months.
power density and peak cylinder pressures requires a change Indication to carry out the washing procedures comes from
to steel shirts today. the engine monitoring system.
The piston rings suffer from high mechanical and thermal Large engines usually have two independent cooling
load. The sliding surface of the compression ring is there- circuits. The engine out cooling water temperature is
fore chromed. In more recent development stages, addition- controlled and usually set to 90∘ C in a high temperature
ally ceramic elements were incorporated into the chromium circuit (HT). It also cools the first stage of the charge air
layer. Modern four-stroke engines have only two compres- cooler. At full load, the air is cooled down from about 220∘ C
sion rings. The running profile has an asymmetric spher- to about 95∘ C. In the low temperature circuit (LT), the air
ical form. is cooled down to about 45∘ C. Especially under tropical
The high combustion pressures and the rules of the classifi- condition, the temperature may be chosen higher to avoid
cation societies require relatively big rod journals for marine water condensation in the inlet duct of the engine. The lube
engines. Therefore, the large lower end of the connecting rod oil cooler is usually integrated in the LT circuit. This cooling
does not fit anymore through the liner. High speed engines concept allows a low charge air temperature and a high
use therefore angle-split connecting rods, while medium utilization of residual heat in the HT circuit for HFO bunker
speed engines use three-piece designs, where the bottom end tank heating.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
Due to the emissions legislation, high speed engines use • Gas admission with high pressure before each cylinder
almost exclusively common rail injection systems. Attached (solenoid valves)
in-line rail pumps generate needed fuel quantity with small • Pro: cylinder-selective control possible and improved
plunger and high speed (∼3000 rpm). They produce small safety
pressure fluctuations in the rail but require a suitable drive • con: higher production costs and high gas supply
from the engine. On the transition to higher rail pressures, pressure
injectors with integrated accumulator volume are beneficial.
Medium speed engines have less stringent emission limits. The injection at the compressor inlet is the standard for
Therefore, cheaper pump-line-nozzle systems are widely high speed engines. For medium speed engines, the injection
used. In particular at power plant engines, which run most of before cylinder is more common. In order to achieve a suffi-
the time at full load, this simple and cheap system is likely cient life time of the spark plug and prechamber, sufficient
to be used for a longer time. To achieve a suitable injection cooling of both components must be ensured.
viscosity under HFO operation, the fuel has to be preheated The properties of the lubrication oil have to fulfill the
up to 150∘ C. To avoid a decrease in hardness at the needle following property requirements:
seat and the formation of fuel deposits at the injection hole
exit, the injector is usually cooled with oil.
• a high neutralizing capacity of the acidic combustion
Common for all gas engines is the external source of igni-
products,
tion. This can be either the electric spark plug or an injected
• a high cleaning and dirt-holding capacity,
liquid, combustible medium like diesel. Small gas engines
• a small capability to emulsify with water,
(bore: 100–200 mm) are usually equipped with a spark plug
• a high thermal stability in order to avoid coke formation.
that is placed directly in the combustion chamber. Due to
the demand for highest efficiency and their absolute size,
larger engines (bore: >200 mm) use the lean-burn combus- There are basically single-grade oils such as SAE 40 in
tion process and need a more powerful ignition source. This use. The oil inlet temperature of medium speed engines is
can be a stoichiometric prechamber ignited by a spark plug usually in the range 55–65∘ C. The polluted lube oil when
or the diesel spray of a common rail injection system directly operating with is reconditioned separately from the engine
in the lean combustion chamber (Figure 10). in a cleaning. The discharge from the separator sludge is
The gas supply to the engine can be done in two ways: stored and disposed separately. If the lube oil consumption
of medium speed engines is in the range of about 0.5 g/kWh,
• Gas admission with low pressure before the compressor the quality can be kept stable by the addition of fresh oil.
inlet (venturi) An oil change is therefore not necessary. To neutralize the
• pro: lower production costs, very homogeneous mixture, sulfuric-acid-containing components in HFO operation, the
and low supply pressure lubricating oil is added to the potassium hydroxide solu-
• con: less security and worse dynamics (larger gas tion. A typical TBN (total base number) value is 30–40 mg
volume) KOH/g.
Gas admission Gas admission Gas admission
Open chamber Prechamber Open chamber

spark plug spark plug diesel spray
Figure 10. Combustion concepts for gas engines. (Reproduced from Zitzler and Zeilinger (2003) © FVV, 2002.)
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
10 Marine
High speed engines have significant lower lube oil started by a pneumatic/electric starter motor that drives the
consumption. They are in the range of vehicle engines fly wheel.
(Typical ∼0.1 g/kWh). This is needed because the lower In the past few years, the assembly technology changed
emission limits require often an after-treatment system, to transfer line production. Formerly, the cylinder crankcase
which can be destroyed by particulates and sulfuric acid was placed on a mounting location and all the items were
coming from the fuel. Lube oil temperatures are much added one by one. Today, prefabricated assembly groups
higher and in the range of 80–90∘ C. The lower lube oil are fitted to the engine on the transfer line. High speed
consumption requires an oil change that has to be done engines have higher production numbers and are mounted
typically after 500–1000 operation hours. on continuously moving production line. Medium speed
Since gas engines are quite sensitive to additive residues engines work stepwise and are shifted when the assembly
(knocking) in the combustion chamber and are generally step is finished.
warmer than diesel engines, they require a different lubri-
cating composition. In addition, a low and stable consump-
tion of lubricating oil is of great importance (typical value:
<0.2 g/kWh). The lubricating oils must have considerably 4 THERMODYNAMICS
less ash content, be sufficiently resistant against oxidation
and have good neutralization. For natural gas operation, 4.1 Basic design
usually oils have a TBN of 5 and ash content in the range
<0.3% by weight, when running on biogas a higher TBN The combustion of diesel and gas engines differs greatly.
will be needed and this should be monitored by in-service oil Diesel engines have a longer and softer combustion process
analysis. Dual-fuel (DF) engines that are operated with diesel than gas engines (Figure 11), without any danger of
oil or HFO and natural gas have special lube oil operation knocking. They can operate with a high compression and
regimes to find a compromise with respect to the lubricating have long bore/stroke ratios. Gas engines have a short and
oil quality. intense combustion. To limit the ignition pressure and avoid
The starting process for medium speed engines is pneu- knocking, a low compression must be selected. Therefore,
matic. These start air bottles are pressurized up to 30 bar. they are designed as a short stroke engines. While the
Control valves open an air passage on the expansion stroke of variation in peak cylinder pressure in diesel engines is
the piston for gas to travel into the combustion chamber via only max. ±3%, for gas engines it is at least ±20%. Latest
the piston, pressure of the engine is started. The smaller high development works deal with cylinder balancing systems to
speed and gas engines with a lower compression ratio can be run all cylinders more evenly and achieve higher efficiency
200 100
Diesel engine
Gas engine
160 80
Cylinder pressure (bar)
Heat release (kJ/kg/°)
120 60
80 40
40 20
0 0
−40 −20 0 20 40 60 80
Crank angle (°CA)
Figure 11. Combustion process of diesel and gas engines.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
High-speed Medium-speed High-and-medium

diesel heavy fuel speed gas
BMEP Bar 23 to 25 25 to 27 20 to 22
Stroke bore ratio – 1.2 to 1.35 1.35 to 1.5 1.15 to 1.3
Compression ratio – 15 to 17 15 to 17 11 to 12
Combustion duration ° CA 60 to 70 50 to 60 35 to 45
Start of combustion ° b TDC 4 to 8 1 to 4 8 to 12
Center of gravity (50 %) ° a TDC 12 to 15 16 to 19 9 to 12
Air/fuel ratio – 1.6 to 1.8 2.1 to 2.2 2.0 to 2.1
Air flow kg/kWh 5.8 to 6.3 6.4 to 6.9 5.2 to 5.5
Valve overlap ° CA 50 to 60 85 to 95 40 to 50
Figure 12. Typical thermodynamical layout of diesel and gas engines.
values. Typical values for diesel and gas combustion systems 4.2 Combustion process
are shown in Figure 12.
To burn HFO efficiently in an engine, the thermal load is of In the area of large diesel engines, the combustion process of
great importance. The temperatures depend strongly on the different engines is very much aligned. The mixture forma-
air flow rate (>6.5 kg/kWh) and on air/fuel ratio (>2.0). In tion is in contrast to the smaller bore engines largely air
addition, an optimized gas flow through the engine and high distributed. Therefore, the combustion chamber shape with
turbocharger efficiency are key functions. With turbocharger wall effects plays a less significant role. Typical values for
the layout of the injection system of four-stroke engines in
efficiency above 60%, the pressure ratio across the cylin-
this respect are as follows:
ders is high enough to create a positive scavenging ratio.
With sufficient valve overlap, much scavenging air is forced • Reduction of the intake swirl on Cu/Ca: 0.3–0.5
through the cylinder that holds the combustion chamber • Injection duration of 25 to 30∘ crank angle
components sufficiently cool and the turbine as well. The • Increase of the injection hole number to 10–14
spread in BMEP between full load (27 bar) and idle in today’s • Enlargement of the bowl diameter to approximately 80%
engines is so large that the turbocharger in efficiency can be of the piston diameter.
optimized only for a narrow range. This optimum is usually
about 80% of the engine power. In other load areas, the Larger differences are in the injection pressure (Figure 1).
efficiency drops down and can create high thermal load at For high speed engines, the emissions legislation has
part load especially for fixed-pitch propeller applications. released stringent NOx and PM values, which required a
By the continuous desire to increase the BMEP in diesel flexible injection system (common rail) with high pressures
(>2200 bar). The medium speed engines currently do not
and gas engines, the performance limit of the first-stage
have PM-limit set of this kind, so they prefer the cheaper
turbocharging is almost achieved. Boost pressures >5 bar
PLN (pump-line-nozzle) systems and operate at lower pres-
lead to significant disadvantages in part of load performance
sures (<1800 bar). The hydraulic efficiencies are generally
so that some engine manufacturers have already changed higher in CR systems.
over to second-stage supercharging. In conjunction with According to the theoretical analysis of the process, effi-
intermediate cooling between the charger steps, the efficiency of gas engines depends strongly on the compres-
ciency of the turbo group can be increased significantly and sion ratio and the air/fuel ratio. While the diesel engine
thermal load on the engine is reduced. BSFC improvements has mechanical challenges in boost/firing/injection pressure
up to 3% are possible. (fatigue strength), thermodynamic challenges are added with
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
12 Marine
18 • Gas pressure control, which regulates the supply pressure

for primary and prechamber.
k
16 oc
Kn
Compression ratio (−)
Besides these necessary control loops, cylinder pressure

14 Operation control is useful, which matches the individual cylinders with
each other. Hence, all cylinders can work closer to their limits
fire
Mis
12
and higher motor efficiency can be achieved.
In the area of gas engines, three different combustion
10 processes are established (Figure 10). Small high speed
engines usually work stoichiometric (𝜆 = 1.0). They have a
8 spark plug centrally located in the open combustion chamber
1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Air fuel ratio (−)
and for pollution control a three-way catalyst. With exhaust
gas recirculation, the achievable mean pressures are not quite
Figure 13. Operation window of gas engines between misfire and at the level of lean-burn engines. The efficiency is slightly
knock. (Reproduced with permission from Theißl et al. (2015). © lower and the thermal load of the engine is significantly
FEV GmbH, 2015.)
higher than that in lean-burn engines. For smaller engines
(bore <180 mm), a lean-burn process with air/fuel ratios of
max. 1.6 can be realized in open combustion chambers. For
gas engines. With increasing compression ratio, the risk of larger piston diameters and leaner gas mixture, the ignition
knocking increases and lean mixtures are difficult to ignite, energy is not sufficiently high enough. Therefore, they use
which ultimately leads to misfire (Figure 13).
prechambers with a separate gas supply. In this way, a very
Operation in this restricted area is only regulated possible.
lean main chamber (𝜆 = ∼2.1) can be sufficiently ignited by a
There are the following loops:
rich prechamber (𝜆 ∼ 1). Another option is the use of a diesel
• Knock control, cylinder-selective control monitors the spray direct in the main chamber. With energy amount <1%,
combustion process a lean combustion chamber can be ignited. Typically, effi-
• Charge pressure control, setting over a control element ciency values for the different gas combustion processes are
on the turbocharger air ratio shown in Figure 14.
50
45
Efficiency electrical (%)
40
Lean burn (λ < 2.2 prechamber)

35
Lean burn (λ < 1.6 open chamber)

30
Stoichiometric (λ = 1.0)
25
100 150 200 250 300 350
Bore (mm)
Figure 14. Typical efficiencies of gas engines. (Reproduced with permission from Theißl et al. (2015). © FEV GmbH, 2015.)
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
5 EMISSIONS for on-road vehicles (EN 590, 15 ppm). Starting from 2016,
the operation in the emission control areas is only permitted
The diversity of the emission standards of off-road engines when operating at <1000 ppm sulfur fuel. This requires a
is great. Mainly, NOx , HC, CO, and particulate matter (PM) high cost operation with the diesel fuel or the use of a sulfur
are limited. For the maritime sector, this is done by the scrubber. Suitable for this are wet scrubbers that wash out
International Maritime Organization (IMO). For land-based the sulfuric acid from the exhaust. This method reduces to
power stations, there is a wide variety of federal authorities some extent also the particle emission. In freshwater areas,
such as EU, EPA, TA-Luft, or World Bank. In contrast to the sodium hydroxide NaOH must be added to the washing
vehicle engines, all emissions are determined not only in the medium. In any case, the waste from the scrubber must be
driving cycles but also for steady-state operating points. disposed of properly in a harbor.
The NOx reduction is based on two principles. Either The emission standards for the high speed engines are
the temperature of the charge air is lowered or the heat of sharper and consist also of more emission species. The laws
combustion is reduced. In the marine business, most of the of the EPA (Tier IV Final) in the United States and EURO
NOx limits can be achieved even inside the engine. Standard (Stage 4) in the European Union set standards and are at the
measures for this are as follows: forefront. Both the limit values for NOx and particulate emis-
sions are extremely low. With Inside the engine technology,
• Miller process (early intake valve closing) they are probably no longer achievable and require exhaust
• Increased compression after-treatment systems. Depending on the limit and applica-
• Maximum charge air cooling tion profile, different paths can be useful (Figure 15).
• Displacement of the combustion retarded.
• Low requirements: strong Miller process, high EGR rate,
Changes in air supply, fuel delivery, or combustion and high injection pressure
chamber shape have little effect on the NOx /BSFC • Medium requirements: strong Miller process, moderate
trade-off. However, they are among the key variables in injection pressure, and SCR
the soot/particulate reduction. The stringent emission limits • Strong requirements: strong Miller process, moderate
for land-based power station, rail, and off-road application EGR, PM filter, and SCR
force the use of after treatment in many cases. With increasing demand for excellent engine performance
Since the external cooling of the charge air has tight limits, and efficiency, it is necessary for the engine manufacturer to
further cooling via the Miller process is helpful. Here, the cover as many variations with a modular engine system. For
intake valves are closed either earlier or later than optimal. In the operator, the total cost (Total Cost of Ownership TCO)
the first case, the intake air is cooled by the volume increasing is of great importance. In this case, all capital and operating
piston movement. In the second case, the not-yet-closed costs are considered, that is, for ships, the route-specific costs
inlet valves allow to push back the air into the intake duct. (€/freight/distance) and for power stations, the specific cost
This has the same effect as a reduced compression ratio (€/MWh). In the maritime sector, a CO2 Emission Index
and reduces the gas temperature during compression. Both (EEDI) is already introduced by the IMO.
measures produce a cooling of the cylinder charge resulting In the field of gas engines, there are many different
in a reduction of NOx emissions. In the upper and middle local emissions standards. As an additional component, the
performance range the resulting lack of air is compensated unburned hydrocarbons such as CO are limited by EPA
by the turbocharger via higher boost. In the low load region, and TA. If running lean, the actual NOx limits are not a
the turbo does not produce enough boost and a high soot real problem for gas engine and can be achieved without
emission and poor load pick-up performance are the result. after treatment. For future emission requirements, an SCR
With stronger Miller cycle, a variable inlet valve drive that or oxidation catalyst may be necessary. An evaluation of
can switch off the Miller cycle at low load is extremely useful the different concepts regarding gas emissions, engine
in this respect. performance, and product cost is shown in Figure 16.
Future emissions standards for marine engines, which As part of the global warming reduction program, all
will come into force by 2015/2016, require after-treatment greenhouse gases are becoming more and more in the focus
systems. These include the SCR catalytic converter or of legislative authorities. Due to methane slip of gas engine,
exhaust gas recirculation for NOx reduction. Due to the low the HC emission is a real challenge and will probably be
exhaust temperatures of the two-stroke engines, the SCR part of future limitation activities. For good operation of a
catalyst has to be placed upstream of the turbocharger. The methane catalyst, the exhaust gas temperatures have to be
worldwide average sulfur content of HFO is in the range of above 550∘ C. The gas temperature after turbine is so low
2.7% (27,000 ppm) and is significantly above the diesel fuel that oxidation catalysts do not perform satisfactorily with
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
14 Marine
EGR 30%
CR 2000+
EGR 15% Miller
PM emission (g/kWh)
SCR 90% CR 2000+
DPF
SCR 90%
NOx emission (g/kWh)
Figure 15. Diesel engine concepts toward low emissions. (Reproduced from Grote and Feldhusen (2014). © Springer, 2014.)
Power NOx THC

Concept Efficiency Cost
density emission emission
A/F = 1, stoichiometric
3-Way Cat and EGR − ++ + − +
Lean burn, open chamber,

spark + + + + ++
Lean burn, prechamber,

spark ++ ++ + ++ +
Lean burn,
diesel spray ++ + +/− ++ +/−
Dual fuel,
open chamber ++ + −− + --
Direct gas injection, SCR ++ + + ++ --
Figure 16. Evaluation of different gas combustion concepts.
adequate efficiency. A preturbo concept could be a good change the direction of the ship by changing in slope of
solution. the propeller blades. High speed engines in smaller ships
basically use fixed-pitch propellers. For maneuvering and
reversing, the gear box is reversible.
6 ENGINE APPLICATION AND Another variant is the drive diesel electric propulsion. The
OPERATION main engines are designed as generator installations. They
form an electrical network, which ensures the supply of all
High speed engines are far more compact than medium speed electrical consumers. The propellers are driven by an electric
engines and therefore easier to install in tight engine rooms of motor. This drive is standard for cruise ships with high
locomotives, off-road vehicles, and small vessels. To go with energy consumption in the passenger area, at Ro–Ro ships
the optimum propeller speed, the engines always require a and off-shore supply vessels. Despite the many operational
reduction gearbox. For maneuvering and reversing, medium advantages of the electrical drive system, the acquisition and
speed engines are operated at variable pitch propellers and operating costs are more expensive than a mechanical drive.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
The operator of seagoing ships has to be assured against a longer duration with high engine power (temperature) is
various damage scenarios. The insurance companies use needed to overcome the pollutants again.
independent surveyors to ensure the quality of the ships. The engine manufacturers give the life and service intervals
Worldwide, there are around 13 classification societies, indicative of their products, which can be achieved with
which are organized under the so-called International adequate care and maintenance. Since the details fluctuate
Association of Classification Society (IACS). They have from the manufacturer to manufacturer, the figures should
largely mutually consistent building codes that must be met be regarded as guidelines. They make it clear that the life
for admission. For all essential engine components such expectancy is significantly greater than in small engines. The
as crankshaft, connecting rod, piston, and cylinder head, expected life time of passenger car engines is ∼5000 h and
component approval test has to be passed. Before the first truck engines ∼20,000 h, and large engines are expected to
delivery of a new engine to the customer, a so-called type last ∼100,000 h.
approval of the engine has to be passed. Each series engine
runs at the end of its production process a special acceptance
test run, in which all operating values are recorded and GLOSSARY
documented. The condition of the propulsion plant will be
evaluated during the operating time at regular intervals by Combustion Energy production after ignition in the
the classification societies. Some important requirements for combustion chamber of an engine.
the approval of engines are as follows: Emissions The characterisation of the chemical
• IMO Resolution A 468 XII to limit the sound pressure at constituants of the exhaust gases.
max. 110 dB A; Engine All part an engine consists of.
• SOLAS Chapter II-2 Requirement, Part A to limit surface components
temperatures in the passage area motors to max. 220∘ C; Gas fuel Methane.
• ISO 10816/6 to limit the vibration velocity for attach- Heavy fuel oil Residual fuel comes from the refinery
ments to max. 70 mm/s; process.
• ISO 3046/1 for the definition of power and BSFC values Operation Running the engine to provide motive
of the nominal point; power.
• ISO 8528/1 for the classification of the applications and
the at site power;
• ISO 8178 for the determination of the NOx emissions of RELATED ARTICLES
engines.
Main Propulsion Arrangement and Power Generation
Another requirement of classification societies is the load Concepts
pick-up performance of generator sets. In case of a black out Lubrication Requirements for Two- and Four-Stroke Marine
scenario, the electrical energy has to be available in a short Reciprocating Engines
time. Tests according to ISO 8528 are required. Depending Machinery Noise and Vibration Sources
on the BMEP, the engine must ramp up in 3 or 4 load steps Slow-Speed Two-Stroke Engines
and achieve full load after 15 or 20 s. The frequency or speed
drop should not exceed 10%. Due to the high charge air
pressure, this is primarily a problem of the air supply (turbo)
to the engine. To reach 100% load in transient operation with REFERENCES
a permitted frequency of max. 10%, the engines power is
blocked to 110%. Usually this overload is allowed for 1 h Anders, F., Montag, T., Rebelein, W., and Zigan, D. (2001) Engine M
in 12 h by the manufacturer. Marine propulsion and off-road 43—Concept, Design, Performance, Operational Results. CIMAC
engines, however, be blocked to 100%. Conference. Hamburg: Conseil International Des Machines a
Combustion, 187–202. Print.
Large engines that were taken into operation under cold
Grote, K.-H. and Feldhusen, J. (2014) Dubbel Taschenbuch Für Den
conditions usually have high running time of 30 min up to
Maschinenbau, Springer, Berlin, p. 94.
rated output. In the preheated mode, this can be done in
Schlemmer-Kelling, U. (2014) in Motoren Für Den Maritimen
2 min. Betrieb (ed S.l. Dubbel), Springer Verlag, Berlin, pp. 93–112.
The low load region is provided normally not for several
Theißl, H., Kraxner, T., Seitz, H.F., and Kislinger, P. (2015)
hours under heavy oil condition. Residues resulting from Miller-Steuerzeiten Für Zukünftige Nutzfahrzeug-Dieselmotoren.
incomplete combustion pollute the combustion chamber MTZ—Motortechnische Zeitschrift MTZ Motortech Z, 76 (11),
components and the exhaust system. Should it be necessary, 18–25.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093
16 Marine
Zitzler, G. and Zeilinger, K. (2003) Magerkonzept-Gasmotoren: FURTHER READING

Vorhaben Nr. 726; Entwicklung Von Verfahren Zur Voraus-
berechnung Der Brennläufe Von Gasmotoren Unter Berücksichti-
gung Der Gasqualität Und -zusammensetzung; Abschlussbericht. ITTC-Recommended Procedures and Guidelines Speed and Power
Frankfurt am Main: FVV. Trials (2014).
DOI: 10.1002/9781118476406.emoe093

Schlemmer Kelling2017

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Schlemmer Kelling2017

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Schlemmer Kelling2017

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Medium Speed Diesel Engines for Maritime

operates in the range of about 450–1000 rpm, and a low speed

Typical values High speed Medium speed

Combustion process – 4-Stroke 4-Stroke

Figure 1. Typical layout data of high and medium speed engines.

Specific weight (kg/kW)

Viebe parameter (‒)

1.0 High speed

Composition CxHx CH3OH H CH4 CxHy CxHyOz CxHy

Density g/m3 730–780 800 0.09 0.72 810−850 880 950−1010

Boiling point °C 30–210 65 −253 −164 200−350 350 > 380

Viscosity cST − − − − 2−4 4−5 380−700

Figure 4. Fuel properties.

Designation - EN 590 RMA10 RMC 10 RMD 15 RMK 55

Short form - Diesel MGO MDO IF 80 IF 700

Viscosity @ 50 °C CST 3 40 40 80 700

Density @15 °C kg m3 840 950 975 980 1010

Pour point °C −20 6 24 30 30

Carbon residue mass% 0.1 12 14 14 30

Ash mass% 0.01 0.10 0.10 0.10 0,15

Water Vol% 0.1 0.5 0.5 0,8 1.0

Vanadium mg/kg 1.0 150 300 350 600

Aluminum + silicon mg/kg 1.0 80 80 80 80

Sulfur vol% 1.0 150 300 350 600

Figure 5. Fuel properties of liquid marine fuels.

20 30 40 50 60 80 100 150 200 300 400 700

(a) High speed engine (b) Medium speed engine

1= ^ 380°C Exhaust valve seat - 420°C

order not to overheat the components, a high air/fuel ratio

and a large valve overlap are necessary. During HFO opera-

of the turbocharger. An effective washing device that injects

Gas admission Gas admission Gas admission

Open chamber Prechamber Open chamber

Heat release (kJ/kg/°)

Figure 11. Combustion process of diesel and gas engines.

High-speed Medium-speed High-and-medium

Stroke bore ratio – 1.2 to 1.35 1.35 to 1.5 1.15 to 1.3

Start of combustion ° b TDC 4 to 8 1 to 4 8 to 12

Center of gravity (50 %) ° a TDC 12 to 15 16 to 19 9 to 12

Air/fuel ratio – 1.6 to 1.8 2.1 to 2.2 2.0 to 2.1

Air flow kg/kWh 5.8 to 6.3 6.4 to 6.9 5.2 to 5.5

Figure 12. Typical thermodynamical layout of diesel and gas engines.

18 • Gas pressure control, which regulates the supply pressure

Besides these necessary control loops, cylinder pressure

Lean burn (λ < 2.2 prechamber)

Lean burn (λ < 1.6 open chamber)

EGR 15% Miller

SCR 90% CR 2000+

NOx emission (g/kWh)

Power NOx THC

Lean burn, open chamber,

Lean burn, prechamber,

Direct gas injection, SCR ++ + + ++ --

Figure 16. Evaluation of different gas combustion concepts.

Zitzler, G. and Zeilinger, K. (2003) Magerkonzept-Gasmotoren: FURTHER READING

You might also like