Wartsila's Largest Common-Rail Engine Tested at Hyundai

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Korea tested a 14-cylinder Wartsila RT-flex96C common-rail low-speed engine on 29 May in its Ulsan engine works. The 14-cylinder RT-flex96C is the world's most powerful diesel engine in production. It develops 80,080 kW (108,920 bhp) at 102 rpm. The official shop test was witnessed by representatives of the shipowner and the classification societies. The engine was built under licence from W�rtsil� Corporation.

The engine will be installed in the first of a series of eight 8600 TEU container ships being built at Hyundai shipyards for operation by the Korean shipowner Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd (HMM). The 14-cylinder Wartsila RT-flex96C engine is already in service in five large containerships, of which the first entered service in September 2006.

The RT-flex96C is a popular engine for the propulsion of large, fast container ships with some 188 engines of this type, with seven to 14 cylinders, now on order or already in service, having an aggregate power totalling 11,273 MW (15.33 million bhp). The first RT-flex96C engine entered service in November 2004. The RT-flex96C is the most powerful engine type in the Wartsila RT-flex engine series which features electronically-controlled common-rail systems for fuel injection and valve actuation. The common-rail systems give flexibility in the way the engines operate, to deliver benefits such as smokeless operation at all operating speeds and lower emissions in general, lower fuel consumption, reduced maintenance costs and lower steady operating speeds for better maneuvering. The RT-flex system also has the potential for adaptation to future needs.