WRTSIL RT82 ENGINE SERIES TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

WRTSIL RT82 ENGINE SERIES TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

This is a brief guide to the technical features and benefits of Wrtsil RT-flex82T, RTA82T as well as the RT-flex82C and RTA82C low-speed marine diesel engines.

INTRODUCTION............................................................ 4 DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND .................................... 7 EXTENDED LAYOUT FIELD ............................................ 7 RT-flex: CONCEPT AND BENEFITS ................................. 8 RT-flex COMMON-RAIL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION ...... 8 RT-flex: REAL IN-SERVICE FUEL ECONOMY .................. 10 RT-flex: CLEANER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ................. 10 RTA82C and RTA82T: TRADITIONAL FUEL INJECTION .. 11 ENGINE STRUCTURE .................................................. 12 RUNNING GEAR ......................................................... 12 COMBUSTION CHAMBER............................................ 13 PISTON RUNNING FEATURES ...................................... 14 WRTSIL PULSE LUBRICATING SYSTEM .................... 14 TURBOCHARGING AND SCAVENGE AIR SYSTEM .......... 16 INSTALLATION ARRANGEMENTS ................................. 16 WASTE HEAT RECOVERY: COST SAVINGS WITH REDUCED EMISSIONS ................ 17 SERVICE EXPERIENCE ................................................ 18 MAINTENANCE .......................................................... 21 REFERENCES ............................................................. 22
7RT-flex82T top of rail unit

MAIN TECHNICAL DATA .............................................. 23

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7 RT-flex82T

INTRODUCTION
The Wrtsil RT-flex82C, RTA82C, RTflex82T and RTA82T are low-speed marine diesel engines, with a power range between 21,720 to 54,240 kW. The C-type engine has a stroke of 2646 mm where as the T-type is designed with 3375 mm stroke. The engines are tailor-made for the economic propulsion of the new generation of Panamax container ships and for very large and ultra large crude oil carriers as well as ore carriers (VLCCs, ULCCs and VLOCs respectively). In this role they offer clear, substantial, benefits: Optimum fit to ship, with extended layout flexibility Competitive first cost Low fuel consumption over the whole operating range Low cylinder lubricating oil consumption High reliability and low maintenance costs
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Overhauls only after every three years of operation Low exhaust gas emissions Full compliance with the IMO NOX emission regulation of Annexe VI of the MARPOL 1973/78 convention. The Wrtsil RT-flex82T and RT-flex82C have as additional benefits: Smokeless operation at all running speeds Low ancillary power requirements Extremely low stable running speeds Reduced maintenance requirements with simpler engine setting and extendable time between overhauls. The possibility of meeting the requirements of two distinctly different market segments with engines of the same cylinder bore and cylinder power opened the way for the development according to the platform concept. The Wrtsil RT-flex82C, RTA82C, RT-flex82T

and RTA82T engines have been developed on the basis of a common platform, sharing as many components as possible to bring benefits of rationalisation in the design and manufacturing, lowering manufacturing costs and rationalizing also spare parts stocks. The latest generation of Panamax container ships delivered with capacities up to 5000 TEU uses service speeds of about 24 knots. Studies revealed that such ships can best be served with engines having around 4520 kW per cylinder. The C series engines have been especially designed for this application. They are available with six to twelve cylinders to cover a power range of 21,720 kW to 54,240 kW, while at nominal speed running between 87 and 102 rpm. With view to the new trend to design more economical vessels with a lower design speed, the T series engine, RT-flex82T (long-stroke

version) can be applied. They are available with six to nine cylinders to cover a power range of 21,720 kW to 40,680 kW. New large crude oil tankers and ore carriers range in capacity between 200,000 tdw to more than 350,000 tdw. For this type of ship, the T series engine version is available. Its nominal speed range lies between 68 and 80rpm. The T versions also perfectly suit for container vessel applications if a low shaft speed is required. The shop tests of these newly developed engines started in 2008. By the end of August 2010, already 50 engines passed their shop tests successfully and the market has readily accepted these engines with 32 engines already in service. As of August 2010, orders booked amounted to 130 engines with an aggregate power of around 4.3 GW.

Output bhp 100 000 80 000 60 000 40 000

Output kW

RT-flex96C RTA96C RT-flex82T RTA82T RT-flex82C RTA82C RTA72U-B RT-flex60C-B RTA62U-B RT-flex50-D RTA50-D RTA52U RT-flex35

80 000 60 000 50 000 40 000 30 000 20 000

20 000

10 000 8 000 6 000

RT-flex84T-D RTA84T-D RT-flex68-D RTA68-D RT-flex58T-D RTA58T-D RTA48T-D RT-flex40

60 70 80 90 100

10 000 8 000 6 000 4 000 3 000

120 140 160 180 Engine speed, rev/min

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7 RT-flex82T
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DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND
Wrtsil has a policy of continuously updating its engine portfolio and engine designs to adapt them to the latest market requirements and to deliver the benefits of technical improvements. Much in the design of the new 82 series engines is based on experience gained with the Wrtsil RTA84T engine type that was introduced in May 1991. Continuous cost reduction in the shipping industry stresses the need for the lowest possible capital investment and operating expenditure. Maximum uniformity in design, common parts and excellent manufacturability can substantially reduce costs. The platform concept is well practised in the automotive industry, where cars of completely different brands are designed and built using a common platform with many common parts, even engines and body panels, to reduce costs. Wrtsil successfully applied that principle with engine types of the same 820 mm cylinder bore and the same cylinder power of 4520 kW/cylinder but with a different stroke, while meeting the requirements of two distinctly different market segments. The engines share as many components as possible to bring benefits of rationalisation in the design and manufacturing, lowering manufacturing costs, and optimising spare parts stocks. Similarity in design facilitates a quick familiarisation of the ships crew with the on-board technology while maintenance can increasingly be carried out in a standardised way.

EXTENDED LAYOUT FIELD

During the initial studies for the 820 mm-bore family of engines it became clear that, although the required power could be readily identified, a single running speed range could not be identified as optimum for the two principal markets for these engines. The solution was found to widen the layout fields to provide a range of speeds at the given maximum continuous rated power output. The engine layout fields, usually defined by the power/speed ratings R1, R2, R3 and R4, are thus extended to higher speeds defined by the additional points R1+ and R2+ at the same powers as R1 and R2 respectively but with 5% greater shaft speed. Any power and speed within this whole engine layout field may be selected as the contracted maximum continuous rating (CMCR) point for an engine. With the 5% increase in shaft speed at the R1+ point at the same power as at the R1 point, the engine is running at five per cent lower brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The reduced
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS Engine type Cylinder bore (mm) Piston stroke (mm) S/B ratio Rating point Power/cylinder (kW) Corresponding speed (rpm) bmep (bar) Mean piston speed (m/s) Number of cylinders Power range (kW) R1 4520 97 20.0 8.55 6 to 12 21 72054 240 RT-flex82C RTA82C 820 2646 3.2 R1+ 4520 102 19.0 9.0 R1 4520 76 20.0 8.55 6 to 9 21 72040 680
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BMEP at the unchanged maximum combustion pressure (pmax) gives this R1+ point the benefit of a reduced brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) compared with the R1 point. The extended field offers usefully widened flexibility to select the most efficient propeller speed for lowest daily fuel consumption, and the most economic propulsion equipment, namely the propeller, shafting, etc., together with the appropriate propeller diameter for the projected ship.
Power Engine MCR R1 Engine layout field R1+

R3 Conventional layout field R4 R2 R2+ Extended layout field

RT-flex82T RTA82T 820 3375 4.1 R1+ 4520 80 19.0 9.0

RT-flex: CONCEPT AND BENEFITS

The Wrtsil RT-flex system is the result of a long project since the 1980s to develop lowspeed marine engines with higher efficiency. The system overcomes the constraints imposed by mechanically driven fuel injection pumps and exhaust valve actuation pumps and offers far greater flexibility in engine settings to reach maximum performance, independent of the sailing conditions. Electronically controlled fuel injection offers the possibility to adapt the fuel injection timing and rate as well as the exhaust valve timing for optimum combustion under all circumstances. The objective is to provide ship owners with a system that renders minimum fuel costs while offering full compliance with emission regulations. The Wrtsil RT-flex concept replaces the mechanical camshaft and its gear drive, fuel injection pumps, exhaust valve actuator pumps and reversing servomotors of a slow-speed two-stroke engine, by a common-rail system for fuel injection, exhaust valve actuation and air starting. These functions are fully electronically controlled. That offers also the possibility to switch off one or more fuel injectors per cylinder, resulting in better fuel economy and also smokeless operation at low loads. Moreover, the common-rail system with its volumetric control excellently balances the load over the cylinders and avoids cycle-tocycle fluctuations. The common-rail injection system can handle the same grades of heavy fuel oil as are already standard for Wrtsil low-speed engines. Summarising, the RT-flex system offers a number of interesting benefits to ship owners and operators: Lower fuel consumption Smokeless operation at all operating speeds Lower stable running speeds, in the range of 1015 per cent of nominal speed Longer running times between overhauls Reduced maintenance requirements and costs Higher availability owing to the integrated monitoring functions High reliability from the built-in redundancy, provided by the ample capacity and duplication in the supply pumps, main delivery pipes, crank-angle sensors, electronic control units and other key elements.

RT-flex COMMON-RAIL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

The two common rail pipes are stretched over the length of the engine and housed as a rail unit in an enclosure at just below the cylinder cover level. The common rails and other related pipe work are neatly arranged in an easy accessible rail unit box sitting on top of the main platform and are readily accessible from above. Fuel injection and exhaust valve operation are controlled by individual Injection Control Units for each cylinder. The control units are directly mounted on the single-piece rail pipes and are controlled using servo oil through Wrtsil electro-hydraulic rail valves. The common rail for fuel injection is fed with heated fuel oil at the usual high pressure (nominally 1000 bar) ready for injection. The supply unit has a number of high-pressure fuel supply pumps running on single-lobe
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cams. Fuel oil and servo oil are supplied to the common-rail system by pumps mounted in a very compact arrangement at the after end of the engine. The aft location simplifies access and maintenance. The fuel supply pumps are of the reciprocating plunger type designed by Wrtsil while the servo oil pumps are of proprietary make. The pumps are driven through gearing from the crankshaft. The number of pumps depends upon the number of engine cylinders and engine power output. The fuel supply pumps are grouped in one (six to eight cylinder engines) or two (nine to twelve cylinder engines) Fuel Pump Units and the servo oil pumps in one Servo Pump Unit. The fuel supply pumps make several strokes during each crankshaft revolution owing to the drive gear ratio. Fuel delivery volume and rail pressure are regulated through suction control

of the fuel supply pumps. The servo oil for operating the fuel control units and exhaust valves is drawn from the engine lubrication system through an automatic self-cleaning fine filter and delivered at pressures up to 200 bar. Fuel is delivered from this common rail through a separate Injection Control Unit for each cylinder to the standard fuel injection valves which are hydraulically operated in the usual way, by the high-pressure fuel oil. The injection control units, using quick-acting Wrtsil rail valves, regulate the timing of fuel injection, control the volume of fuel injected, and set the shape of the injection pattern. The three fuel injection valves in each cylinder cover are separately controlled so that, although they normally act in unison, they can also be programmed to operate separately as necessary.

Injection Control Unit (left) and Valve Control Unit (right)

The key features of the Wrtsil RT-flex common-rail system are: Precise volumetric control of fuel injection, with integrated flow-out security Variable injection rate shaping and free selection of injection pressure Stable pressure levels in common rail Possibility for independent control and shutting off of individual fuel injection valves Ideally suited for heavy fuel oil through clear separation of the fuel oil from the hydraulic pilot valves Well-proven standard fuel-injection valves Proven, high-efficiency common-rail fuel pumps. The RT-flex system also encompasses exhaust valve actuation and starting air control. The exhaust valves are operated in much the same way as in RTA engines by a hydraulic pushrod but with the actuating energy now coming from a

servo oil rail at about 200 bar pressure. The servo oil is supplied by high-pressure hydraulic pumps incorporated in the Servo Pump Unit with the fuel supply pumps. The electronically controlled actuating unit for each cylinder gives full flexibility in timing for valve opening and closing. All functions in the RT-flex system are controlled, monitored and executed through the integrated Wrtsil WECS-9520 electronic control system which triggers the electrohydraulic rail valves for the respective functions. This is a modular system with separate microprocessor control modules for each cylinder, which are all connected together by a CANbus. Devices such as rail valves are directly connected to and controlled from these modules. The crankshaft position is detected by a crank angle sensor and provided directly to each control module through a redundant SSI bus. Provision is also made in the control

system for access for machine health monitoring, maintenance, adjustments, and troubleshooting. The control modules are housed in cabinets mounted on the side of the rail unit. All control functions are distributed between the control modules in such a way that if one module fails, the engine remains in operation. The WECS9520 thus has benefits of a single module type, simple wiring, few control boxes of standardized design, good communication within the system, integration with the ship alarm systems, redundancy and easy troubleshooting. The WECS-9520 offers unmatched flexibility for interconnectivity between the RT-flex engine control system and the ships integrated remote control and safety systems according to the DENIS-9520 interface specification.
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RT-flex: REAL IN-SERVICE FUEL ECONOMY

DELTA TUNING AND LOW-LOAD TUNING: A FUEL EFFICIENCY ALTERNATIVE Through their flexibility in engine parameter Whereas Wrtsil RTA-series engines have settings, RT-flex engines also have an alternative excellent fuel consumption in general, the RTfuel consumption curve as standard to give flex system enables further improvements to be lower BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) achieved in the part load range. This is because in what is for many ships the main operating of the freedom allowed by the RT-flex system range. Through Delta Tuning and Low-Load in selecting optimum injection pressure, fuel Tuning, the BSFC is lowered in the mid- and injection timing and exhaust valve timing at all low-load operating range at less than 90 per engine loads or speeds, while ensuring efficient cent engine power. The consequent increase in combustion at all times, even during dead slow NOX in that operating range is compensated by running. reducing NOX emissions in the high load range. In addition the similar freedom in exhaust With the three BSFC curves, the engines comply valve timing allows the RT-flex system to keep with the NOX regulation of the MARPOL 73/78 combustion air excess high by earlier valve convention. closing as the load/speed is reduced. This is not The engines, which are compliant with IMO only advantageous for fuel consumption but also Tier II emission regulations, are available in solimits component temperatures, which would called cost-optimized or efficiency-optimized normally increase at low load. With a fixed valve executions. While the cost-optimized versions timing, lower turbocharger efficiencies at part are equipped with the same turbochargers load normally result in low excess combustion air. as used for the Tier I versions the efficiencyAnother important contribution to fuel optimized versions benefit from the higher economy of the RTA and RT-flex82C and T scavenge pressure of the latest turbocharger engines is the capability for easily adapting generation resulting in lower fuel consumption. the injection timing to various fuel properties, Scavenge air coolers and auxiliary blowers especially for fuels having a poor combustion have to be adapted to the higher pressure level behaviour. whereas the scavenge air receiver is identical.

Engine aft end with supply unit

176 174

RT-flex82C R1+ Tier II Efficiency-optimized tuning

Standard Delta Low load

RT-flex: CLEANER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Exhaust gas emissions have become an important aspect of marine diesel engines. All Wrtsil RT-flex and RTA engines comply with the NOX emissions limit of Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 convention as standard. RT-flex engines, however, come comfortably below this NOX limit by virtue of their extremely wide flexibility in optimizing the fuel injection and exhaust valve processes, together with enabling the engines to use Delta and Low-Load Tuning for improved partload fuel saving. The most visible benefit of RT-flex engines is, naturally, their smokeless operation at all speeds. The superior combustion with the common-rail system is largely because the fuel injection pressure is maintained at the optimum level irrespective of engine speed. In addition, RT-flex engines are able to run stable at very low speeds, slower than

BSFC (g/kWh)

172 170 168 166 164 40% 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0% 25% 50% Load (%) 3 2 nozzle injection Auxiliary blower on/off

50%

60%

70% Load (%)

80%

90%

100%

7RT-flex82C 2 x MET71MA Tier I 7RT-flex82C 2 x MET71MB Tier II Smoke visibility limit

Smoke Bosch 3 ltr. (%)

75%

100%

Smoke curves measured during shop test when tuned for IMO Tier I and Tier II emissions limits. Both curves demonstrate smoke-free operation at all engine loads, even at minimum load.
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RT-flex fuel pump arrangement

RTA fuel pump arrangement

camshaft-type engines. They can run without smoking at about 12% nominal speed. This is made possible by precise control of injection, optimized injection pressures and optimized valve timing. The 820 mm-bore engines, both RT-flex and RTA types, were developed from the very beginning to comply with the forthcoming IMO Tier II and Tier III NOX emissions regulations. These amendments to the MARPOL 73/78 convention were agreed in March/April 2008 by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO (International Maritime Organization). Tests have shown that the RT-flex engines are ready to being adapted to comply with the lower emissions standard. A useful reduction in all exhaust emissions, including CO2, can be obtained with all 82bore engines by combining the engine with a waste heat recovery plant (see page 17). In connection with the investigations of the possibilities of the RT-flex system, Wrtsil is carrying out a long-term research programme

to develop techniques for further reducing exhaust emissions, including NOX, SOX and CO2, in both RT-flex and RTA engines.

RTA82C and RTA82T: TRADITIONAL FUEL INJECTION

The Wrtsil RTA82C and T retain a traditional, mechanical camshaft arrangement for fuel injection pumps and valve drives. One housing combines the fuel injection pump and the actuator pump for exhaust valve actuation for one cylinder of the engine. The camshaft driven fuel pumps are of the well-proven jerk-type (also called Bosch-type). This kind of fuel injection control by a helix in the plunger is applied on many two-stroke and four-stroke engines. The concave form of the cam profile of the fuel pump allows the use of a pneumatically activated swing arm for reversing. This concept is combined

with a dual injection timing (DIT) mechanism, which enables a certain shift of the injection timing. DIT can increase the firing pressure at part load for improved fuel consumption. The fuel pump cover contains suction and delivery valves and a cut out device for emergency stop. The distribution of the fuel to the three injectors is also integrated into the pump cover. The camshaft is assembled from a number of segments, each segment for one of two cylinders of the engine. The segments are flange-mounted together and to the gear wheel. The camshaft drive uses the well-proven arrangement of gear wheels housed in a double column located at the driving end or in the centre of the engine, depending upon the number of cylinders. There are four gear wheels in the camshaft drive. The main gear wheel on the crankshaft is in one piece and flange-mounted.
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Column with cylinder jacket and liners

Bedplate with crankshaft

ENGINE STRUCTURE
Wrtsil RT-flex82C, RT-flex82T, RTA82C and RTA82TT engines have a well-proven type of structure, with a gondola-type bedplate surmounted by very rigid, monobloc doublewalled columns and a cast-iron monobloc cylinder block, all secured by pre-tensioned vertical tie rods. The whole structure is very sturdy with low stresses and high stiffness. Both bedplate and columns are welded fabrications which are also designed for minimum machining. A high structural rigidity is of major importance for todays two-stroke engines with their long strokes. Accordingly, the design is based on extensive stress and deformation calculations carried out by using a full three dimensional finite-element computer model for different column designs to verify the optimum frame configuration. The double-walled column has thick crosshead guide rails for greater rigidity under crosshead guide shoe forces. The dry cylinder jacket, typically of bolted execution, has a high rigidity. Access to the piston under-side in the cylinder jacket is
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normally from the fuel side, but is also possible from the receiver side of the engine, to allow for maintenance of the piston rod gland and also for inspecting piston rings. The tilting-pad thrust bearing is integrated into the bedplate in a very compact and thus stiff housing. Owing to the use of gear wheels for the supply unit drive in the RT-flex and RTA engines, the thrust bearing can be very short and very stiff.

RUNNING GEAR
The running gear comprises the crankshaft, connecting rods, crosshead, piston rods and pistons, together with their associated bearings and piston rod glands. The crankshaft is semibuilt comprising combined crank pin/web elements forged from a solid ingot and the journal pins then shrunk into the crank web. The main, bottom-end and crosshead bearings are all of white metal on steel shells. Each main bearing cap is held down by four hydraulically-tensioned elastic holding down studs. The main bearing saddle and cover are machined together. This results in an

optimal joint face transition zone for the upper and lower bearing shells. The main bearings have thin shells with thick white-metal layers, whereas the thin shells of the connecting rod bottom-end bearings have thin white-metal layers. The crosshead bearing is designed to the same principles as for all other RT-flex and RTA engines. It also features a full-width lower half bearing with the crosshead pin being of uniform diameter. The crosshead bearings have a lower thin-shell lined with white metal for a high load-bearing capacity whilst the bearing covers themselves are lined with white metal. The two guide shoes are single steel castings with white metallined running surfaces. Extensive development work has been put into the piston rod gland because of its importance in keeping crankcase oil consumption down to a reasonable level and maintaining the quality of the system oil. The piston rod glands are of a proven design with highly effective dirt scraping action in the top part and system oil scraping in the lower part. The glands are provided with large drain

Cylinder liner

areas and channels. Losses of system oil are minimized as there is substantially a complete internal recirculation of scraped-off oil back to the crankcase. Hardened piston rods are standard to ensure long-term stability in gland behaviour. In the RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T engines, the fuel supply pumps and servo oil pumps are arranged on the after side of the aftermost column. They are driven by gearing from the crankshaft in two or three separate groups. The crankshaft gearwheel is mounted on the thrust collar. Separating the gear drives splits the drive torque, and thereby reduces the sizes of the intermediate and crankshaft gearwheels and their inertias.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER
The well-proven bore-cooling principle is employed in the cylinder cover, exhaust valve seat, cylinder liner and piston crown to control their temperatures, as well as thermal strains and mechanical stresses. The surface temperatures of the cylinder liner are optimized for good piston-running behaviour.

The cylinder liners are seated in the cylinder block, and are sufficiently robust to carry the cylinder covers without requiring a support ring. A light sleeve is applied to the upper part of each liner to form a water jacket around the respective liner. The solid forged steel, bore-cooled cylinder cover is secured by eight hydraulicallytensioned elastic studs. It is equipped with a single, central exhaust valve in Nimonic 80A alloy which is housed in a water-cooled, bolted-on valve cage of grey cast iron. The exhaust valve is hydraulically actuated and has an air spring. The cylinder cover also carries the electronically-controlled starting air valve. Three fuel injection valves are symmetrically arranged in each cylinder cover. Each fuel injection valve is separately supplied and controlled from the common-rail system. Anticorrosion cladding is applied to the cylinder covers downstream of the injection nozzles to protect the cylinder covers from hot corrosive or erosive attack. The pistons comprise a forged steel crown with a short skirt. The pistons each have three piston rings, all of which are pre-profiled and

have a chrome-ceramic coating. The robust top ring has a gas-tight lock for improved sealing, less gas blow by and thus reduced ring groove temperatures. The gas-tight ring thus results in less carbonized deposits. The two lower rings act as oil distributors and emergency seals. Piston crown top-land height is increased and clearances optimized to improve the sealing properties and to reduce gas temperatures at the top ring level. The whole concept was validated before its introduction over three years operation on five units (9- and 12-cylinder RTA96C). All have safely passed more than 15,000 running hours (about three years operation) in sometimes a hard environment. The short skirt is equipped with two bronze rubbing bands. The piston and its short skirt are secured to the piston rod from below by hydraulically-tightened bolts. The pistons continue with the well-proven combined jetshaker oil cooling of the piston crown which provides optimum cooling performance. It gives very moderate temperatures on the piston crown with an even temperature distribution right across the crown surface.
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Piston

PISTON RUNNING FEATURES

The time between overhauls (TBO) of lowspeed marine diesel engines is today largely determined by the piston-running behaviour and its effect on the wear of piston rings and cylinder liners. For this reason, the 820 mmbore engines incorporate a package of proven design measures that enable the TBO of the cylinder components, including piston ring renewal, to be extended to at least three years, while allowing a low cylinder lubricating oil feed rate. The standard design measures applied to these engines for excellent piston-running behaviour include: Liner of the appropriate material Careful turning of the liner running surface and deep, plateau honing of the liner over the full length of the running surface Chromium-ceramic coated, pre-profiled piston rings in all piston ring grooves Anti-Polishing Ring (APR) at the top of the cylinder liner
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Ample thickness of chromium layer in the piston-ring grooves Wrtsil Pulse Lubricating System for cylinder lubrication. A key element is the deep-honed liner. Careful machining and deep, plateau honing gives the liner an ideal running surface for the piston rings, together with an optimum surface microstructure. The Anti-Polishing Ring prevents the build up of deposits on the top land of the piston which would otherwise damage the oil film on the liner and cause bore polishing. It is also important that the liner wall temperatures are optimized to keep the liner surface above the dew point temperature throughout the piston stroke to avoid cold corrosion. This ensures that the engines are insensitive to fuel sulphur levels. At the same time, the under-slung scavenge air receiver and the highly-efficient vane-type water separators with effective water drainage arrangements ensure that as much water as possible is taken out of the scavenge air.

WRTSIL PULSE LUBRICATING SYSTEM

Cylinder lubrication is provided by the Wrtsil Pulse Lubricating System (PLS). The system doses the right quantity of lubricating oil for good piston-running behaviour. The lubricating oil feed rate is electronically controlled according to engine load and can also be adjusted according to engine condition. The guide feed rate with PLS is 0.70.8 g/kWh for engine loads of 50100% and all fuel sulphur contents greater than 1.5%. Inclined lubricating oil grooves on the cylinder liner ensure optimum oil distribution in the circumferential direction. PLS delivers reduced cylinder oil consumption without compromising piston-running reliability in

Piston ring pack through scavenge ports

Arrangement of the Pulse Lubricating System for one cylinder of an RT-flex engine

order to meet the demand from owners and operators for lower cylinder oil feed rates. Besides reducing operating costs, reduced cylinder oil feed rates are also beneficial for their significant influence on reducing airpolluting emissions in terms of particulate matter. The cost savings achievable with PLS are significant. In case of a Wrtsil 12RT-flex82C engine of 54,240kW maximum continuous output running at 85 per cent load for 7000 hours a year with cylinder lubrication oil costing US$ 2000/tonne, the reduction from a traditional feed rate of 1.1 g/kWh (0.8 g/ bhph) with the existing accumulator system to the PLS guide feed rate of 0.7 g/kWh (0.5 g/ bhph) can generate cost savings of some US$ 260,000 a year.

Such a reduction in cylinder oil feed rate is made possible through the improved distribution of cylinder lubricating oil to the cylinder liner, and the fully flexible, precise, timing of oil delivery. The key feature of the Pulse Lubricating System is that it delivers accurately metered, load-dependent quantities of lubricating oil to the cylinder liner running surface at the precise timing required. Electronic control ensures the accurate dosage and timing, with full flexibility in settings. The 820 mm-bore engine types are equipped with eight lubricator quills in each cylinder. These deliver lubricating oil directly into the piston ring pack. Cylinder lubricating oil is supplied under pressure to the lubricators by a newly-developed dosage pump which is driven by pressurized servo oil, either from the RT-flex engine servo oil rail or, in RTA engines, a separate servo oil supply. There is a single dosage pump unit for each cylinder. The feed rate and timing of the cylinder oil are electronically controlled through a solenoid valve at the dosage pump. There is full flexibility in the volumetric metering of the

cylinder oil delivery across the engines load range. The dosage is precisely regulated even for low feed rates. Service experience with the Pulse Lubricating System has been very successful with excellent liner and piston ring conditions. Trials have been carried out both on the Wrtsil RTX-4 research engine in Winterthur and on shipboard engines. The first production engine fully fitted with PLS successfully passed its shop test in May 2006, with other engines following. Since then, more than 250 PLS have been employed in newbuildings and retrofitted to existing engines.

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7RT-flex82C

TURBOCHARGING AND SCAVENGE AIR SYSTEM

The engines are uniflow scavenged with air inlet ports in the lower part of each cylinder and a single, central exhaust valve in each cylinder cover. Scavenge air is delivered by a constant-pressure turbocharging system with two or three high-efficiency exhaust gas turbochargers depending on the numbers of cylinders. For starting and during slow running, the scavenge air delivery is boosted by electrically-driven auxiliary blowers.
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The scavenge air receiver is of an under-slung design with integral non-return flaps, air cooler, water separator and auxiliary blowers. The turbochargers are mounted on the scavenge air receiver which also carries the support for the exhaust manifold. The turbochargers, air coolers and air receiver are in a compact arrangement that allows optimum gas flows while minimizing engine width. Special attention has been given to removing water condensate before the scavenge air enters the cylinders. Immediately

after the horizontal air cooler, the scavenge air is swung round 180 degrees to the engine cylinders, in the process passing through the vertically-arranged water separator. The highly efficient water separator comprises a row of vanes which divert the air flow and collect the water. This arrangement provides the effective separation of condensed water from the stream of scavenge air which is imperative for satisfactory piston-running behaviour.

INSTALLATION ARRANGEMENTS
Careful attention has been given to facilitating installation of the engine in the ship. The seating involves a modest number of holdingdown bolts and side stoppers, and there are no end stoppers, thrust brackets or fitted bolts. Thrust transmission is by thrust sleeves on a number of holding-down bolts. By this, the engine fixation time and cost could be reduced by about 40 to 45% compared to the corresponding competitors engine. The required specific area of the exhaust gas pipe (mm2/kW) is reduced by about 15% owing to less specific exhaust gas flow. In addition the temperature of the exhaust gas is significantly higher leading to a higher possible waste heat recovery rate. All ancillaries and their arrangement are optimized to reduce installation time and operating costs, with electrical requirements reduced by about 20% owing to lower specific flow rates of cooling water and lubricating oil.

Turbogenerator set for the high-efficiency waste heat recovery plant, with the exhaust-gas power turbine on the left, the generator on the right, and the steam turbine to the right of centre.

WASTE HEAT RECOVERY: COST SAVINGS WITH REDUCED EMISSIONS

An environmentally-clean way to cut operating costs is to employ waste heat recovery (WHR) in a Rankine cycle to generate electricity. With these 820 mm bore engines, the generated electrical power can be sufficient to cover all shipboard services while the ship is at sea. It is the only technology commercially available today that reduces both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions (such as CO2, NOX, SOX, etc.) at the same time. It also avoids the running of auxiliary engines while at sea with the corresponding savings in maintenance and spare parts costs. The waste heat recovery plant follows the well-established concept of passing the exhaust gases of the ships main engine through a exhaust gas economizer unit to generate steam for a turbine-driven generator. The quantity of energy recovered from the exhaust gases can be increased by adapting the engine to the lower air intake temperatures that are available by drawing intake air from outside the ship (ambient air) instead of from the ships engine room. The engine room ventilation system absorbs thus less power because the engine combustion air is coming from outside without aid of ventilators. The overall result of this concept is that the quantity of energy recoverable from the exhaust gas is increased without affecting the air flow through the engine. Consequently, there is no increase in the thermal loading of the engine and there is no adverse effect on engine reliability. Heat is also recovered from the engines scavenge air and jacket cooling water for feedwater heating. The scavenge air coolers are designed in such a way that the boiler feed water can be heated close to the evaporation temperature. For example, a high-efficiency WHR plant associated with a 31,640 kW seven-cylinder Wrtsil RT-flex82T engine in a VLCC could deliver around 1500 kWe at engine full load under ISO conditions with 7.5% exhaust gas bypass using a dual-pressure steam system. As such a vessel would need only 900-1100 kWe for ship services while at sea, the tanker could operate without running its auxiliary engines while at sea under a wide range of ship speeds. It would save more than 1400 tonnes of fuel a year, with corresponding savings in all types of air emissions, especially CO2.

Cross section RT-flex82C

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Piston crown with clean ring pack after 6300 running hours

SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Engine performance By the end of August 2010, 50 RTA and RT-flex 82 engines had successfully passed their shop tests. The 8RTA82C was the first engine shop tested at Hyundai followed by the 7RT-flex82C type in summer 2008. The Type Approval Test of the C-type engine was carried out in September 2008. In spring 2009 the first 7RT-flex82T was successfully shop tested and the type approval test was carried out on the fourth engine of this type by the end of September 2009. Performance measurements of the three engine types, RTA82C, RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T, fully confirmed the calculations made during engine lay-out regarding engine performance, engine vibrations and component stresses. The specific fuel consumption and the NOX values are well within the defined limits. Low smoke values at low load have been measured which confirms the superior common-rail technology of the RT-flex engines.

Injection pipe arrangement of an RT-flex engine

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Excellent condition of the cylinder liner with PLS after 6300 running hours

Temperatures of the principal components around the combustion chamber the cylinder cover, cylinder liner, piston crown and exhaust valve were measured on both C and T type engines. After the final optimization of the fuel injection nozzles, these component temperatures were measured to be well below the target values in the design and development process. It is notable that the temperatures are very consistent with very little circumferential variation around the combustion chamber. Static and dynamic stresses were measured in all principal components of the engine structure as well as in the running gear in both the C version (8RTA82C and 7RTflex82C) and the T version (7RT-flex82T). The structural components measured were the bedplate, column, cylinder jacket, scavenge air receiver, cylinder liner and cylinder cover. The running gear components measured were the crankshaft, connecting rod, crosshead guide shoes, RT-flex supply unit and the supply unit drive. When compared with calculations made during the engine lay-out, the measured values for all components are within the target stress limits. The cylinder cover bolts had to be slightly modified to meet the target values. Torsional and engine vibration measurements were carried out. The torsional vibration calculations of the crankshaft were

very well confirmed by the measurements. The measured engine vibration values are well within the acceptable limits defined by the classification societies. Initially the vibrations of the upper platform in the outer fore corner of the RT-flex 82C were slightly above the limit and had to be reinforced. Additional attention was paid in October 2009 to the first 10RT-flex82C with its two Fuel Pump Units at the rear end of the engine. NOX emissions tests for IMO Tier II have been carried out on both the RT-flex82C and the RT-flex82T engine types during shop tests. The required NOX values of 14.4 g/kwh could be readily achieved by the special engine tuning. Specific fuel consumption figures (SFOC) were within the predicted values and the smoke values well below the visibility limits. Piston running The pistons of these 820 mm-bore engines are each equipped with three piston rings. All three rings are pre-profiled and chromium ceramic coated. The top ring is 24 mm high and gas tight. The running behaviour of rings and liners during shop tests was without complaint. The first 8RTA82C engine entered service in November 2008 in the containership SCI Chennai of Shipping Corporation of India. It has accumulated more than 7000 running hours by the end of January 2010. The SCI

Chennai was chosen for following up in service through regular engine inspections. The piston-running behaviour of this engine is very satisfactory. The piston ring package is very clean and the liners are in good condition. Wear measurements were carried out at 6000 hours. Liner wear of 0.01 mm/1000 hours and radial top ring wear of 0.02 mm/1000 hours have been measured. Cylinder lubrication All the 820 mm-bore engines are equipped with the Pulse Lubricating System (PLS). The time-controlled dosage pumps fitted at each cylinder are behaving well. The cylinder oil feed rates in the engines in service are adjusted between 0.8 and 0.9 g/kWh. It has been clearly experienced that piston ring packages and piston undersides are cleaner when cylinder feed rates are kept according to Wrtsils recommended values. Over lubrication leads to contamination of piston and liner, and must be avoided. Running gear and main bearings The running gears of all engines were inspected after shop tests and later in service. All components are in good condition. The main bearing No.5 of the first 8RTA82C engine was inspected after 5600 running hours. The contact area on the white metal side shows normal running marks and the back
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of the bearing shell is spotless without any fretting marks. The crosshead and bottomend bearings are also showing good running behaviour. Common-rail supply system The RT-flex fuel supply pumps are running well. One fuel pump was completely dismantled for inspection of all components after a shop test. All components were found to be in spotless condition. The same inspection is also planned after 3000 running hours in service. At the same inspection, the servo oil supply pumps and gear wheels of the supply system

were also found to be in good condition. The gear WECS control system wheels showed normal tooth contact marks. The Wrtsil WECS-9520 control system is working well. The RT-flex82 engines are Common-rail unit equipped with the same hardware since Injection control units (ICUs) and valve control introduction of the WECS-9520 concept in units (VCUs) employed in the rail unit are 2004. Some software updates, however, working according to expectations. A complete have been introduced as a result of further inspection of ICUs and VCUs is also planned component developments and when after 3000 running hours. malfunctions were reported from engines in High vibration amplitudes were measured in service. the servo oil rising pipes. The vibration had led The latest released software, build 082, to broken bolts in the pipe connecting pieces incorporates low load and sequential injection to the servo oil rail. This shortcoming was fully operation functions, and an improved cylinder solved when reinforced pipe supports were lubrication algorithm. introduced.

Good condition of the main bearing after 5500 running hours

Crosshead bearing after 3000 running hours

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Bottom end bearing after 8000 running hours

MAINTENANCE
Primary objectives in the design and development of Wrtsil low-speed engines are high reliability and long times between overhauls. Three years between overhauls are now being achieved by engines based on the latest design standards. At the same time, their high reliability gives ship owners more freedom to arrange maintenance work within ships sailing schedules. Yet, as maintenance work is inevitable, particular attention is given to ease of maintenance by including tooling and easy access, and by providing easy-to-understand instructions. All major fastenings throughout the engine are hydraulically tightened. Access to the crankcase continues to be possible from both sides of the engine. The handling of components within the crankcase is facilitated by ample provision for hanging hoisting equipment. The Wrtsil RT-flex system is designed to be user friendly, without requiring ships engineers to have any special additional skills. The system incorporates its own diagnostic functions, and all the critical elements are made for straightforward replacement. In fact, the knowledge for operation and maintenance of RT-flex engines can be included in Wrtsils usual one-week courses for RTA-series engines available for ships engineers. Training time usually given to the camshaft system, fuel pumps, valve actuating pumps, and reversing servomotors is simply given instead to the RT-flex system.
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Gear wheels of the supply unit drive

REFERENCES

7RT-flex82T

8RT-flex82C
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MAIN TECHNICAL DATA

DEFINITIONS Dimensions and weights: All dimensions are in millimetres and are not binding. The engine weight is net in metric tonnes (t), without oil and water, and is not binding. R1, R1+, R2, R2+, R3, R4 = power/speed ratings at the six corners of the engine layout field (see diagram). R1 = engine Maximum Continuous Rating (MCR). Contract-MCR (CMCR) = selected rating point for particular installation. Any CMCR point can be selected within the engine layout field. BSFC = brake specific fuel consumptions (BSFC). All figures are quoted for fuel of lower calorific value 42.7 MJ/kg, and for ISO standard reference conditions (ISO 15550 and 3046). The BSFC figures are given with a tolerance of +5%. Wrtsil RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T engines have a lower part-load fuel consumption than the corresponding Wrtsil RTA82 engines. The values of power in kilowatts and fuel consumption in g/kWh are the standard figures, and discrepancies occur between these and the corresponding brake horsepower (bhp) values owing to the rounding of numbers. For definitive values, please contact Wrtsil local offices. ISO standard reference conditions Total barometric pressure at R1 1.0 bar Suction air temperature 25 C Relative humidity 30% Scavenge air cooling water temperature: with sea water 25 C with fresh water 29 C

WRTSIL RT-flex82C
Main data: Also available as traditional RTA type Cylinder bore ................................................820 mm Piston stroke...............................................2646 mm Speed ................................................... 87102 rpm Mean effective pressure at R1/R1+ ........................................... 20.0/19.0 bar Piston speed at R1/R1+ .......................... 8.6/9.0 m/s

IMO Tier I and Tier II

Fuel specification: Fuel oil .................................................700 cSt/50C ISO-F 8217:2005, category ISO-RMK700

Rated power, principal dimensions and weights

Cyl. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dimensions mm Output in kW at 97 / 102 rpm R1 / R1+ R2 / R2+ R3 27 120 31 640 36 160 40 680 45 200 49 720 54 240 B 4 570 21 720 25 340 28 960 32 580 36 200 39 820 43 440 C 1 600 24 300 28 350 32 400 36 450 40 500 44 550 48 600 D 10 930 87 rpm R4 21 720 25 340 28 960 32 580 36 200 39 820 43 440 E 5 400 Length A mm 11 045 12 550 14 055 16 500 18 005 19 510 21 015 F* 12 700 Weight tonnes 745 840 935 1 005 1 145 1 230 1 335 G 2 310

Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) in g/kWh

Full load Rating point BMEP, bar IMO Tier I IMO Tier II RTA RT-flex RTA RT-flex Standard Tuning Standard Tuning** R1/R1+ 20.0/19.0 171/169 171/169 177/175 173/171 R2/R2+ 16.0/15.2 165 165 171 167 R3 20.0 171 171 177 173 R4 17.9 167 167 174 170

Part load, % of R1/R1+ 85 70 85 70 60 RT-flex tuning variant Standard Standard Delta Delta Low-Load IMO Tier I 168.1/166.1 168.1/166.1 167.1/165.1 166.0/165.0 164.5/162.5 IMO Tier II** 169.8/167.8 169.0/167.0 169.1/167.1 167.5/165.5 166.5/164.5 * Standard piston dismantling height, can be reduced with tilted piston withdrawal. ** These BSFC values are for engines equipped with the latest high-efficiency turbochargers. Application of the previous generation of turbochargers leads to BSFC values that are 2g/kWh higher. Delta Tuning and Low-Load Tuning are only available with the high-efficiency turbochargers.

WRTSIL RT-flex82T
Main data: Also available as traditional RTA type Cylinder bore ................................................820 mm Piston stroke...............................................3375 mm Speed ..................................................... 6880 rpm Mean effective pressure at R1/R1+ ........................................... 20.0/19.0 bar Piston speed at R1/R1+ .......................... 8.6/9.0 m/s

IMO Tier I and Tier II

Fuel specification: Fuel oil .................................................700 cSt/50C ISO-F 8217:2005, category ISO-RMK700

Rated power, principal dimensions and weights

Cyl. 6 7 8 9 Dimensions mm Output in kW at 76 / 80 rpm R1 / R1+ R2 / R2+ R3 27 120 31 640 36 160 40 680 B 5 320 21 720 25 340 28 960 32 580 C 1 800 24 300 28 350 32 400 36 450 D 12 250 68 rpm R4 21 720 25 340 28 960 32 580 E 5 400 Length A mm 11 045 12 550 14 055 16 500 F* 14 750 Weight tonnes 810 915 1 025 1 165 G 2 700

Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) in g/kWh

Full load Rating point BMEP, bar IMO Tier I IMO Tier II RTA RT-flex RTA RT-flex Standard Tuning Standard Tuning** R1/R1+ 20.0/19.0 167/165 167/165 173/171 168/166 R2/R2+ 16.0/15.2 162 162 167 162 R3 20.0 167 167 173 168 R4 17.9 164 164 170 165

Part load, % of R1/R1+ 85 70 85 70 60 RT-flex tuning variant Standard Standard Delta Delta Low-Load IMO Tier I 163.7/161.7 162.5/161.0 162.8/161.0 161.5/160.2 159.7/158.3 IMO Tier II** 164.8/162.8 164.0/162.0 164.1/162.1 162.5/160.5 161.5/159.5 * Standard piston dismantling height, can be reduced with tilted piston withdrawal. ** These BSFC values are for engines equipped with the latest high-efficiency turbochargers. Application of the previous generation of turbochargers leads to BSFC values that are 3g/kWh higher. Delta Tuning and Low-Load Tuning are only available with the high-efficiency turbochargers.

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Wrtsil is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wrtsil maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. Wrtsil is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.

WRTSIL is a registered trademark. Copyright 2010 Wrtsil Corporation.