Good News Comes in Threes

Joseph Keefe, Contributor

Joseph Keefe contributes to New Wave Media titles as needed....

August 12, 2013

Caterpillar, Wärtsilä and Volvo Penta introduce new, efficient and environmentally compliant engines. A crowded market becomes even more competitive.

Forget all the worries about how industry would be able to comply with the coming changes to the regulatory scheme that affects marine propulsion and related emissions. Demand has met supply and it has done so robustly and in impressive form. And, if the past month is any indication, the innovation in the market is more than keeping up. This month, we provide just a sampling of the impressive developments in marine propulsion. Clearly, workboat operators now have a cornucopia of options for the repower and newbuild market, alike.

Caterpillar: Mak Dual Fuel Engine
At the end of May, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems announced the development of a second High Performance MaK Dual Fuel Engine. According to Caterpillar, the MaK M 34 DF, a new marine dual fuel engine platform for the commercial marine industry, boasts a power rating of 500 kW per cylinder at 720 and 750 rpm in diesel and gas modes, and will share the same footprint as the highly successful M 32 C engine series. The M 34 DF will be capable of running on natural gas as an alternative to marine diesel oil or large and complex scrubber installations for Emission Control Areas (ECA) operation as of 2015. First engine deliveries are foreseen for October 2014.
“We’re pleased to continue to deliver on our commitment to bring innovative, efficient solutions to the commercial marine market,” said Carsten Seeburg, MaK product definition manager. “Our customers want a fuel-efficient, sustainable propulsion product with operational flexibility for both IMO and EPA regulated waters and we’re aiming to exceed their expectations with the M 34 DF engine.”
Driven by upcoming fuel sulfur and NOx regulations in ECA, the M 34 DF will provide full flexibility for vessels operating in regulated and/or lesser regulated areas without major changes to the engine room or exhaust gas system, supporting the ease and simplicity of engine installation and certification. Although designed for unlimited operation on LNG, marine diesel oil and heavy fuel oil, the M 46 DF will reach industry- leading efficiency in gas mode.
With a bore of 340 millimeters and stroke of 460, the engine was designed to be the preferred choice for gas electrical and mechanical propulsion applications notably in the offshore and cargo segments. The engine design features new real-time combustion monitoring, Flexible Camshaft Technology functionality as well as a lower valve train and several innovative monitoring and component solutions to ensure maximum safety during operation. Caterpillar will offer its renowned service and support for the new MaK dual fuel engine, including installation and application, system integration support, as well as customer and crew training. The M 34 DF will pass customer acceptance tests and classification approvals in Rostock, Germany and will be sold through Caterpillar’s MaK dealer network.

Wärtsilä Launches New, Powerful 34DF Engine
Wärtsilä has further developed its dual fuel technology and has introduced a more powerful version of its Wärtsilä 34DF engine. The upgraded version of the engine increases the efficiency in both liquid and gas operating modes and offers a power increase up to 500kw per cylinder. When operating in gas mode, the Wärtsilä 34DF engine is already compliant with IMO Tier III regulations without any secondary exhaust gas purification systems. SOx and CO2 emissions are notably reduced and smokeless operation is attained.
When operating in gas mode, the Wärtsilä 34DF engine is already compliant with IMO Tier III regulations without any secondary exhaust gas purification systems. Also when fueled by gas, the SOx and 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 emissions regulations set out in Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 convention. The engine is able to operate efficiently and economically on low sulphur fuels (<0.1% S), making it suitable for operation in emission-controlled areas.
The Wärtsilä 34DF engine has proven to be a highly efficient and reliable solution for a wide range of vessel applications. The latest version is expected to expand that range even further. Lower fuel consumption of this engine will further improve its environmental performance. Since 2003, the Wärtsilä 34DF has paved the way in the LNG-fuelled offshore support vessel market. Today this product is being mainly used in tugs, ferries, Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax and workboats. The new and upgraded version of the Wärtsilä 34DF engine increases the efficiency in both liquid and gas operating modes and offers a power increase up to 500kw per cylinder.
This increased output means that the Wärtsilä 34DF now covers a power range from 2,9 MW to 8 MW. In addition to the increase in power, fuel economy is also enhanced, especially when operating in liquid fuel mode. This, together with the high loading capability and the proven reliability of the Wärtsilä 34DF engine, is seen as giving the new version a strong competitive advantage.
“By improving both the power and fuel efficiency, we aim to maintain the leading position that we have in gas engine technology and as a gas engine manufacturer. It is also important to point out that the environmental performance of the Wärtsilä 34DF is already excellent, and by lowering the fuel consumption we are also lowering the exhaust emissions even further,” said Giulio Tirelli, Director, Wärtsilä Ship Power, 4-stroke Portfolio & Applications.
The engine is able to operate efficiently and economically on low sulphur fuels (<0.1% S), making it suitable for operation in emission-controlled areas. The newly obtained certification of emission standard compliance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (17 January 2013) for the Wärtsilä 34DF further underscores the environmental compliance of this engine. EPA certification applies to United States flagged vessels.
“The Wärtsilä 34DF is the first dual-fuel engine fulfilling the EPA requirements and this is a very important statutory recognition of Wärtsilä dual-fuel technology,” says Andrea Bochicchio, Director, Product Management & Engineering, Product Centre 4-stroke, Wärtsilä PowerTech. With the passing of this compliance milestone, Wärtsilä anticipates that market demand in the USA for its range of dual-fuel engines will further increase. The first engines will equip the ‘Harvey Energy’, an offshore supply vessel built for Harvey Gulf International Marine. Four sister vessels will shortly be supplied with the same Wärtsilä engines, thus further demonstrating both the viability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel and its growing popularity among ship owners and operators. LNG fuelled vessels offer compelling operational cost savings and significant environmental benefits.

Two for the Money: Volvo Penta’s D13 & IPS900
Volvo Penta D13 has now further been developed to meet EPA Tier 3 – the new marine environmental emission standard. The new version of D13 offers improved environmental properties with basically unchanged low-fuel consumption. The D13 is a diesel engine that has been developed within the Volvo Group. It is currently in operation in more than 450,000 heavy-duty applications, including buses, trucks and construction equipment. At Volvo Penta, this engine is further developed for use in industrial applications for both off-road and electricity production and in unique custom marine applications.
The full range of Volvo Penta D13 marine engines is now upgraded to meet the requirements of EPA Tier 3, which will take effect from 1 Jan. 2014. EPA Tier 3 involves a 40 percent reduction in particulate matter in the exhaust gases and a 20 percent reduction in NOx and hydrocarbon. These high standards are met by the new D13 with the same power and basically identical fuel consumption. It is world-class fuel efficiency together with less environmental impact.
The upgrading of the environmental characteristics will neither change the performance, nor the fuel efficiency. Nor does it imply any changes in terms of design, size or installation − in these respects there will be no difference to the boat builder, owner or operator. Volvo Penta D13 is available both as a propulsion engine (D13 MH) or as a marine genset (D13 MG) equipped with different cooling systems as an option.
Separately, Volvo Penta is also launching IPS900 with Rating 3 for commercial boats, allowing more commercial boats to take advantage of IPS benefits – improved fuel economy, better maneuverability and lower overall operating costs. The IPS900 – with a unique IPS, Inboard Performance System – is now available for boats in the Coast Guard & Patrol, Supply Vessels, and Offshore Energy and Passenger Transport segments. This means great handling and operational benefits for boats used by, for example, police, customs, coast guard, rescue boats, pilots and sea ambulance, but also smaller passenger vessels and yachts.
According to Volvo Penta, the new launch also means easier maintenance, longer lifecycle and higher increased uptime. Combined with superior fuel consumption, this provides a lower total cost of ownership; including extended oil change intervals; longer intervals for propeller seal replacement and increased reliability.
The IPS900 package uses the Volvo Penta D13 diesel engine with a power output of 700 hp. It is an ideal solution for boats with Rating 3 (medium-duty use, approx. 2,000 service hours/year). The low-power usage means reduced load, lower oil temperature, lower engine temperature and thus reduced stress on components – and by that increased durability and longer life. It also means longer service intervals for the whole package, for the IPS unit as well as the engine itself.

A Full Suite of Clean & Efficient Engines
In a North American workboat market where the collective fleet is getting progressively older, more – and better choices for operators is always a good thing. That’s because – as we note in this edition’s BY THE NUMBERS report, the percent of the American fleet (alone) which is older than 25 years old has more than doubled during the past twenty years; from 18 to 40 percent. In the workboat market served by the engines described above, the rebuilding of replacement tonnage in all categories, and in some cases, retrofitting existing tonnage to meet more stringent environmental requirements, will continue for the foreseeable future. It simply has to.
Think about it: as many as 15,405 hulls in the domestic brown water trades are now older than 25 years. Certainly, some have enjoyed the benefit of a re-power refurbishment. Most, however, have not. Fortunately, the choices are to get the job done are many; they are fully compliant and they represent the vast array of the world’s best engine OEM’s. Let’s get to work.