MAN B&W stops smoking now

Operators wanting ?smokeless? medium-speed diesel engines, can have them now, says MAN B&W. Its 48/60IS and 58/64IS (Invisible Smoke) engines uses 15% water mixed into the fuel to reduce smoke emissions to below the visibility limit across the load range.

The system has been tested by two cruise ships for slow steaming in Alaskan waters. Water fuel emulsion also lowers NOx to around half the IMO limit recording 6.7 g/kWh (+/-20%) on the 514 rev/min 48/60 engine, says the company.

Fuel consumption was unaltered at 176 g/kWh, and the normal mechanical fuel injection equipment is utilised (apart from the nozzles) as the water is mixed into the fuel by a homogeniser (The Motor Ship, January 2000). For running at 10% load and below, an auxiliary blower increases the airflow into the engine, while a low-load bypass is used to speed up the turbocharger.

MAN B&W is delivering six 48/60IS engines for a series of roro paper carriers for Nordic Forest, the first of which has just entered service.