Wärtsilä Introduces 46DF Dual Fuel Engine

Wärtsilä announced the debut of its new dual-fuel 46DF engine which it said offers lower specific fuel consumption, higher output and attractive lifecycle costs compared to other alternatives currently available on the market.

According to Wärtsilä, the introduction of its new Wärtsilä 46DF engine raised the technology bar in the dual-fuel engine market while strengthened its offering in the medium-speed engine sector. The fuel flexible Wärtsilä 46DF engine has been specifically developed for the high-output market segment, including cruise ships and ferries, merchant vessels, LNG carriers and FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit), and offshore vessels and platforms, and is capable of operating on natural gas, heavy fuel oil or marine diesel oil. The manufacturer said this fuel flexibility enables reduced operational expenses, compliance with the most stringent emission standards and full redundancy to ensure uninterrupted operation.

The Wärtsilä 46DF consists of two different versions to meet specific customer needs. The high efficiency version offers drastically lower fuel consumption with a cylinder power of 1,045kW, while the high power version is capable of a cylinder power of 1,145kW with excellent engine thermal efficiency. For LNG carrier applications, the Wärtsilä 46DF can offer fuel savings of as much as 20 tons/day compared to the first introduced DF engines. With up to 14 fewer cylinders installed, the overall lifecycle installation costs are positively impacted by roughly $1,000 (USD) per day.

When operating in gas mode, the Wärtsilä 46DF engine is already compliant with IMO Tier III regulations without any secondary exhaust gas purification systems. When fuelled by gas, the sulphur oxide (SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are notably reduced, and smokeless operation is attained. In liquid fuel oil mode, the Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines are fully compliant with the IMO Tier II exhaust emission regulations set out in Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 convention.

Since introducing its dual-fuel technology in 1995, Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel engines have accumulated 10 million running hours in both marine and land-based applications, the company said, and today, more than 1,000 Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines have been sold globally.

wartsila.com