Service Letter SL09-511/MTS

Action code: WHEN CONVENIENT

Low Load Operation

10% to 40% Engine Load

SL09-511/MTS
May 2009

Dear Sirs Concerns

Owners and operators of MAN B&W
Our Service Letter SL08-501 has triggered an interest for continuous two-stroke marine diesel engines.
running of MAN B&W engines below 40% engine load. This service let- Type: MC/MC-C and ME/ME-C
ter outlines our recommendation for MC/MC-C and ME/ME-C engine
operation in the load area 10% to 40% engine load. In this load area, Summary
ME/ME-C engine performance parameters will be superior to those of Long-term low load operation down to
the MC/MC-C engines, thanks to the hydraulically actuated fuel injec- 10% engine load is generally possible
tion and variable exhaust valve timing. with appropriate precautions and without
major modifications.
MAN B&W two-stroke engines are designed for continuous operation at For application with 3-4 turbochargers,
100% engine load, but with the appropriate precautions, safe and reli- MAN Diesel recommends installation of a
able continuous engine operation down to 10% engine load is possible. turbocharger cut-out system.

However, more frequent inspections, and appropriate reaction to these,

must be accepted by operators, as not one recommendation or solu-
tion is applicable to all two-stroke propulsion plants.

Basic requirements:
• Slide-type fuel valves
• Monitoring of exhaust gas ways for fouling.

Furthermore, electronically controlled cylinder lubrication is advisable.

An important factor during low-load operation is that the operators give

sufficient attention to the condition of engine, turbocharger and exhaust
gas boiler. For further advice and information, operators are welcome
to contact MAN Diesel in Copenhagen by e-mail at Primeserv-cph@
mandiesel.com.

Yours faithfully

Mikael C Jensen Stig B Jakobsen

Vice President, Engineering Senior Manager, Engineering

Encl.

Head office (& postal address) PrimeServ Production Forwarding & Receiving MAN Diesel
MAN Diesel Teglholmsgade 41 Teglholmsgade 35 Teglholmsgade 35 Branch of MAN Diesel SE, Germany
Teglholmsgade 41 2450 Copenhagen SV 2450 Copenhagen SV 2450 Copenhagen SV CVR No.: 31611792
2450 Copenhagen SV Denmark Denmark Denmark Head office: Teglholmsgade 41
Denmark Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Fax: +45 33 85 10 49 Fax: +45 33 85 10 17 Fax: +45 33 85 10 16 German Reg.No.: HRB 22056
Fax: +45 33 85 10 30 [email protected] [email protected] Amtsgericht Augsburg
[email protected]
www.mandiesel.com MAN Diesel – a member of the MAN Group
Service Letter SL09-511/MTS

Contents: A load reduction will also decrease the cylinder lube oil con-
Introduction page 2 sumption per nautical mile.
Benefits page 2
Operation recommendation page 2 The graphs will differ depending on vessel type and layout of
Performance optimisation Page 3 vessel, but the tendency will be the same.

The possibility to reduce engine load down to 10% will

further increase the operator’s possibility to optimise fuel
Introduction consumption and fleet capacity, in order to adapt to market
This Service Letter is issued in continuation of SL08-501 and conditions.
is a supplement to SL07-480.
When long-term operation at between 20% to 40% engine
Until recently, engine operation down to 10% load has not load is expected, it is recommended, and beneficial, to install
been significantly practiced. However, based on the latest a flexible turbocharger cut-out system to improve engine
service feed back from engine operators, we find low-load performance in this load area. This will also be beneficial
operation acceptable, in the general case, in order to adapt in the load range 40-60% engine load. Applications with 3
vessel operation to market conditions. or 4 turbochargers, in particular, would benefit from a tur-
bocharger cut-out system, while other solutions should be
evaluated for applications with 1 or 2 turbochargers.
Benefits
Low-load operation between 10% to 40% engine load is Part-load optimisation and engine de-rating will not have sig-
possible, with a few exceptions, for ME/ME-C and MC/MC-C nificant relevance in these load areas.
engines without any engine modification. Appropriate pre-
cautions must be taken to monitor the engine and exhaust
system condition closely, and the operator, based on such Operation recommendation
observation, must take the necessary action. Continuous operation at low engine load will require more
attention from the operator. Frequent inspections are para-
As described in SL08-501, a power reduction will decrease mount to follow the fouling condition of the engine. Certain
fuel consumption to a higher extent than the actual vessel load areas may have to be avoided so as not to thermally
speed reduction. A further reduction in engine power will de- overload engine components and increase fouling due to
crease fuel consumption and speed as illustrated in the graph lack of air for the combustion.
below. The reduction in fuel oil consumption corresponds to
an equivalent reduction in greenhouse gasses (CO2). If turbocharger efficiency drops significantly in the load area
above auxiliary blower cut-in, continuous operation in this
 area should be avoided, or the auxiliary blower should be

forced in ‘Manual On’. Indication for this wil be increased ex-

haust gas temperatures.

 Below approx. 30% engine load, excessive cylinder lubrica-
 tion can occur and may require adjustment of the cylinder
 lubrication.

 When operating engines in the range between 10% power
 and 40% power, the following recommendations and prereq-
æVESSELæSPEEDæ;KNOTS=
 æFUELæææ#/ææ;MASSææNAUTICæMILE=
uisites apply:

          æ • The engine must be equipped with slide-type fuel valves
%NGINEæ,OAD
in good working order and overhauled according to rec-
ommendations.
Generally, exhaust gas emissions (i.e. NOx and SOx) will de-
crease proportionally to the fuel/CO2 per nautical mile. • The engine should preferably be with an electronically
controlled lubrication system.

Low Load Operation. Page  of 4 pages

Service Letter SL09-511/MTS

• Installation of asymmetric piston cleaning rings should be Enclosed is a proposal for a ‘Two-stroke Low-load Operation
considered in connection with installation of new cylinder – Inspection report template‘. The intention of this template
liners. This in order to minimise oil film scrape down dur- is to make a standard reporting tool to be used in the com-
ing engine load up. munication between the vessel and the operator’s office,
thereby gathering information and experience from the spe-
• Frequent inspection of the scavenge air receiver and cyl- cific vessel during its low-load operation.
inder condition must be performed. Early detection and
removal of soot build up, coke and unburned fuel and Engine load-up/down
lubricating oil is important to avoid scavenge air fires and Engine load up must be minimised when running on low-
jeopardising of the cylinder running condition. load. Based on experience from the specific vessel, engine
Residues inside the scavenge air receiver should be re- load-up frequency to clean the exhaust gas ways should
moved frequently. be minimised as much as possible. Frequent load-up could
jeopardize the cylinder condition.
• The exhaust gas receiver, exhaust valves and turbocharg-
er inlet grids must be inspected frequently. When it is necessary to increase the engine load significantly,
after an extended period of low-load running, the following
• Auxiliary blowers running continuously during operation procedure should be followed.
are subject to more wear than anticipated by designers.
Consequently, the bearings should be frequently lubri- Manual load-up procedure Duration
cated, if not of the closed-type, and should be inspected
Load up, 10 → 40% load 30 minutes
for wear (further information in section below).
Load up, 40 → 75% load 60 minutes (SL08-501)
• Cleaning of turbochargers:
Fouling of the turbocharger gas side must be avoided In addition, the latest MAN Diesel recommendation regarding
by regular loading up of the engine according to the TC the load-up program under normal running conditions must
maker’s recommendations, and the turbine side must be be followed (SL09-503).
cleaned with soft blast (i.e. nutshells) according to the
maker’s instructions. Auxiliary blowers
If the engine is to be operated in the start/stop area of the
• Cleaning of exhaust gas boilers: blowers, avoid frequent start, stop of the auxiliary blowers,
Boiler maker’s recommendations must be followed with and activate the blowers in ‘Manual On’.
regard to cleaning. Special attention should be made with
water tube boilers, as this type of boiler is more sensitive For continuous engine operation in the load area 35% to
to soot build up. An exhaust gas boiler by-pass installa- 45% it should be considered to operate the auxiliary blower
tion could be necessary based on the maker’s recom- in ’Manual On’ in order to decrease exhaust temperatures.
mendation. Maximum current for the auxiliary blowers must be consid-
ered in this running condition.
• The cylinder lube oil feed rate should preferably be kept
below 1.2 g/kWh in order to avoid over-lubrication and Basically, the auxiliary blowers are not designed for continuous
fouling of the scavenge air space. Increased feed rate only running, but service experience obtained so far shows reliable
applies during load changes and manoeuvring, or if the performance. Bearings with lubrication nipple must however
cylinder condition deteriorates. be lubricated more frequently and checked for wear.

• The exhaust gas temperature must be kept below the As a safety precaution, it is recommended to have a com-
alarm limits. It might be necessary to avoid engine load plete spare auxiliary blower on board. A spare electric motor
areas just above auxiliary blower cut-in/out. If the desired alone may be sufficient, but the disassembly of blower wheel
engine load is in this area, it is recommended to switch and motor could be troublesome and time consuming due to
the blowers into ‘Manual on’, so as to reduce the exhaust sticking parts.
gas temperatures.

Inspections Performance optimisation

The operator must monitor the engine condition closely and Running condition in the load range between 20-60% engine
take the necessary precautions if excessive fouling is ob- load can be improved significantly by increasing the scav-
served. enge air pressure.

Low Load Operation. Page  of 4 pages

Service Letter SL09-511/MTS

Turbocharger cut-out is applicable for engines with 3 or 4 Below is shown a layout drawing of a turbocharger cut-out
turbochargers and, in special cases, for engines with 2 tur- system for a 12K98ME with three turbochargers.
bochargers.

The turbocharger cut-out will improve the specific fuel oil %XHAUSTæGASæRECEIVER
consumption, and can reduce the heat load on, especially,
the exhaust valves. The installation will also move auxiliary
blower cut in/out to a lower load area and, thereby, reduce
the electrical power consumed by the blowers.

MAN Diesel can, in most cases, provide a package solution

for a flexible turbocharger cut-out with necessary classifica- #OMP 4URB #OMP 4URB #OMP 4URB
tion, specifications and hardware. The flexible turbocharger
cut-out makes it possible to manually activate and deactivate
the turbocharger cut-out for optimal operation of the vessel.

For engines with 1 or 2 turbochargers other solutions are

available to increase the scavenge air pressure. The installa-
tion of a variable nozzle ring could be applicable. Depending
#OOLER #OOLER #OOLER
on the current turbocharger installation, a possible retrofit on
existing turbocharger application may be possible. Alterna- 3CAVENGINGæAIRæRECEIVER
tively, new turbocharger(s) must be installed. Re-matching of
existing turbochargers, in combination with an exhaust by-
pass, could also be beneficial. Example:
Turbocharger cut-out will save 2-3% in specific fuel oil con-
Please contact [email protected] for further sumption on a 12K98ME engine, with three turbochargers,
information and a quotation for specific applications. running in the load area of 25-50% engine load.

Low Load Operation. Page  of 4 pages

MAN Diesel
Encl. for SL09-511

Two-stroke low-load operation – Inspection report template

The purpose of this report is to define the necessary inspection areas in order to follow and
document the service experience gained during continuous engine operation below 50%
engine load.
The report should be used to optimise low-load operation procedures with regard to engine
load-up for cleaning of boiler and turbocharger, cleaning of scavenge and exhaust space,
and cylinder lubrication optimisation.
The report should be made, preferably, before and after the low-load operation period, or 3
to 4 times a month. This may be reduced based on experience and unchanged load pattern.

As a minimum, the below items should be noted and inspected:

Date of inspection : 2000-01-01

Vessel name : M/V xxxx
IMO number : 90xxxxx
Engine Builder / Number : xxxx / xxxx
Engine Type: : 12K98MC-C
Main engine running hours: : 50,000 hours
Load range [%]: : 22%

Photos, shown as examples, should be inserted in the report, and relevant comments should
be added.

Inspection area No. 1: take photo of non- Inspection area No. 2: take photo of buffer
return valves in scavenge air receiver. space area.
Comment: Comment:

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MAN Diesel
Encl. for SL09-511

Inspection area No. 3: take photo of Inspection area No. 4: take photo of piston
drain line from the buffer spaces. ringlands and topland.
Comment: Comment:

Inspection area No. 5: take photo of Inspection area No. 6: take photo of exh.
piston crown. receiver.
Comment: Comment:

Inspection area No. 7: take photo of exh. Inspection area No. 8: take photo of top part
valves from the exh. gas receiver side. of the exhaust gas boiler.
Comment: Comment:

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MAN Diesel
Encl. for SL09-511

Photo examples from turbochargers are not available, but in some cases, it is possible to get
a view of the nozzle ring, and maybe the turbine blades from the exh. gas receiver side,
through the safety grid. Include such photos when possible.

Information regarding operation, maintenance and observations during low-load operation:

During low-load operation for extended periods, were changes in engine load made to
‘clean’ the engine and exhaust gas ways?
Answer: aa

Was it necessary to increase maintenance intervals during low-load operation?

(Cleaning of receivers, turbochargers, boilers, etc.)
Answer: bb

If temperature indication is available after the boiler, this should be reported in order
to evaluate acid corrosion in the boiler and funnel.
Answer: cc

What was the specific cylinder lube oil consumption, and was the level of cylinder
lubrication satisfactory?
Answer: dd

Are the auxiliary blower(-s) running at the stated engine load?

Answer: ee

Were any changes made to HFO temperature/viscosity?

Answer: ff

Were any problems experienced during low-load operation?

Answer: gg

Based on your experience, do you have any recommendation regarding low-load

operation?
Answer: hh

A performance observation at the stated load and a full scavenge port inspection (photo
report of all cylinders) would be expedient for further evaluation, however, this should be
based on the time available and the necessity as judged by the crew.

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