Abb Turbo Systems News

CIMAC’s Vice President Axel Kettmann died on Monday at the age of 62 after a serious illness. The association has lost a companion who was extremely committed to the interests of the industry for many years, advancing many important topics.Axel Kettmann, Senior Vice President of ABB Turbo Systems in Baden for many years, always had a pragmatic view of what was feasible, without losing sight of the vision of innovative and clean energy generation. Emission reduction, international…

With its most recent acquisition, ABB has further expanded its ABB Ability portfolio of digital products and services with the addition of a new propulsion performance monitoring solution. ABB Turbo Systems Ltd. has signed an agreement to acquire Swiss headquartered Tekomar Group Ltd. ABB said it will further develop Tekomar’s digital solution for engine analytics and advisory systems enabling better performance for marine customers. The transaction is expected to be closed during Q4 2017.

The CIMAC World Congress on Combustion Engine Technology for Ship Propulsion, Power Generation and Rail Traction was held from May 13-16 in Shanghai. The Technical Program of this CIMAC Congress reflected a host of current hot topics, such as CO2 reduction or emissions. It consisted of 193 paper presentations, flanked by 68 poster presentations, from 20 countries – with strong participation from China. The huge amount of technical contributions was based on more than 400 abstracts which have been submitted to CIMAC in preparation of the congress, more than ever before.

The International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC) in collaboration with the Chinese Society for International Combustion Engines (CSICE) will host the 27th World Congress on Combustion Engine Technology. The congress is slated for May 13-16, 2013 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center located in the heart of downtown Shanghai. Devoted to the global fields of marine, power generation and locomotive engine research and development covering state-of-the art technologies, the congress will feature 194 papers to be published during 48 presentation sessions…

The third staging of the CIMAC CASCADES seminar for younger engineers and students took place at the ETH Swiss Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland on June 8, 2012. Organized by the CIMAC National Member Association (NMA) in Switzerland, the Division Combustion Engines of the Swiss Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industries (Swissmem), the event was considered a considerable success by all attendees. In what may become the standard framework for a CASCADES event, the seminar itself was preceded on 7th June 2012 by a visit to a member company’s facility.

Held on 9 September at SMM, more than 150 delegates attended this year's CIMAC Circle, covering the total cost of ownership of marine propulsion engines. Inevitably, the panel of engine builders, engine (vessel) operators and engine system and component makers were strongly influenced by the effects on engine first costs and engine running costs of the upcoming IMO Tier II and Tier III emissions regulations, due in 2011 and 2015 respectively. As Dr. Udo Schlemmer-Kelling of Caterpillar Motoren noted in the title of his lively presentation: IMO III is knocking at our door. The levels of emissions reduction prescribed by IMO Tier III for vessels operating in Emissions Control Areas clearly come at a price…

In March this year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area was adopted by IMO, the International Maritime Organization. The North American ECA is a key part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Which are the time schedules of upcoming emission regulations? How are marine engine manufacturers preparing for the tighter air emission limits being adopted? Henrik Segercrantz explores.

In an extension of their existing cooperation in the development of two-stage turbocharged medium speed diesel engines, Finnish power solutions provider Wärtsilä and Swiss turbocharging specialist ABB Turbo Systems intend to cooperate with a third partner, aftertreatment specialist Hug Engineering, based in Elsau, Switzerland. The object of the new joint project is to develop an innovative compact selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system especially tailored to operation with two-stage turbocharging. Under the envisaged agreement, Wärtsilä, ABB Turbo Systems and HUG Engineering will target a further expansion of flexible engine operation at reduced NOx emissions and optimized fuel consumption, as well as targeting savings in first and life cycle costs.

The 2-stage turbocharging technology being tested on a 20-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engine in the laboratory in Vaasa, Finland. Wärtsilä and ABB Turbo Systems are co-operating in a joint development program for a new application of two-stage turbocharging on large diesel engines. Advanced engine technology, together with two-stage turbocharging, offers significant advantages in fuel consumption and engine emissions. The application of two-stage turbocharging technology on Wärtsilä diesel engines has been developed through close co-operation between Wärtsilä and ABB Turbo Systems.

CIMAC, the International Council for Combustion Engines took advantage of this year’ s major trade show in the large engine sector to stage the latest in its CIMAC Circle series of forums for information exchange. Chaired by CIMAC board member Yasuhiro Itoh, Managing Director, Niigata Power Systems Co., Ltd., the Circle was entitled “Life-Cycle Costs - the Impact of Fuel and Emissions,” and with contributions from a full spectrum of stakeholders gave a timely and comprehensive snapshot of present and predicted costs of engine ownership in the light of tightening marine emissions legislation. Especially significant, the CIMAC Circle took place for the third time in China.

Demonstrating a long-term commitment to its U.K. industrial base, Vosper Thornycroft is scheduled to start production next spring at a new, £40-million ($60-million) shipbuilding facility being created within the Portsmouth Naval Base. The technologically advanced, undercover yard will cut its teeth on the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer program, constructing pre-outfitted blocks of up to 700-ton steelweight for ship assembly elsewhere in the U.K. at yards controlled by BAE Systems. Described as a shipbuilding factory, in keeping with investments in state-of-the-art production machinery and a layout and logistic arrangements conducive to high productivity…

Earlier this year, ABB Turbo Systems of Baden, Switzerland started delivering the latest new product from its well-regarded TPL turbocharger family, the TPL..-B turbocharger. The TPL..-B turbocharger is designed for two-stroke diesel engines as a robust and reliable platform for engine applications ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 kW per turbocharger. The unit is designed for simplicity as much as technical excellence, and the modular design boasts fewer parts than any generation before it, a trait which is designed to equal less and easier service and maintenance, as well as lower life-cycle costs. This concept is plainly evident in the fact that ABB's special TPL inboard plain bearings are designed for 35,000 operation hours, effectively doubling the lifetime of turbocharger bearings.