KBB develops two-stage turbocharger

With the focus in the marine industry shifting to efficiency and emissions reduction rather than outright power production, KBB has been continually developing several projects, such as single-stage high-pressure turbocharging, two-stage turbocharging and various exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) concepts.

Dr. Roman Drozdowski, managing director of KBB, said: “As a world class manufacturer of high performance turbochargers, KBB is proud to present the latest innovations at the CIMAC congress 2016 in Helsinki.”

“For many years KBB has used this professional forum to discuss cutting edge research and development topics with our partners,” he added.

KBB’s ‘ST27 series’achieves pressure ratios of up to 5.5:1, and while cost and simplicity are paramount in single stage turbocharging, higher charging pressures are key to meeting both performance and emissions reduction criteria on current engines. This is particularly relevant for dual fuel engines, and diesel engines fitted with exhaust-gas after-treatment or EGR, which can help to comply with IMO Tier III regulations.

2014 saw the launch of a series of engines with KBB’s ‘Knowledge to Boost’ (K2B) two-stage turbocharging system. With intermediate cooling they provide the possibility of turbocharging diesel, heavy fuel oil and gas engines with an engine output up to 5MW. Pressure ratios of 10:1 may be possible when combining both LP and HP turbocharging.

CIMAC 2016 runs from 6-10 June in Helsinki, Finland.