Maersk newbuild to have MAN Diesel & Turbo EGR system

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports the first order for its second- generation EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system. It is to be fully integrated within the MAN B&W 6S80ME-C9 main engine of a 4,500 TEU Maersk Line containership newbuilding.

The system will to be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries’ engine and machinery division.

The EGR system enables compliance with IMO NOx Tier-III emission levels set to come into force by January 1, 2016.

Søren H. Jensen, Vice President and Head of Research & Development at MAN Diesel & Turbo said: “We have taken an important step forward in the development of exhaust gas recirculation with the release of this second-generation system. This configuration will mirror the final design for our Tier-III NOx EGR engine program. The main focus has been on integration of the entire EGR system into one unit which is a part of the engine as a charge-air cooler. The EGR unit comprises a cooler, a scrubber, a water mist catcher and a blower unit, and is designed to be fitted on the engine in the same way as a charge-air cooler. Since the first-generation EGR was tested in service, we have achieved significant technical advances as well as improvement in performance. We have optimized the performance of the EGR so that the system recirculates 40 percent of the exhaust gas so as to meet the Tier-III reduction criterion.”

The new generation EGR has a compact design that entails only minor changes to the engine outline, to the extent that the new engine type does not require any major design changes by shipyards.

The newbuilding on which the EGR is being installed (No. 2358 from Hyundai’s shipbuilding division) is in the C-class series of 22 container vessels ordered by the Maersk Line and will be delivered in early 2013. Upon delivery, the vessel will serve the trade route between East Africa and the Far East. For a test period of three years, the engine will be operated partly with IMO Tier III NOx emission levels.

MAN Diesel & Turbo’s EGR system ensures full fuel flexibility, ranging from HFO to distillates and natural gas, and reduces NOx by directing part of the exhaust gas back into the engine’s scavenge air. This reduces the oxygen content of the air in the combustion chamber, thereby reducing the combustion temperature and, as a result, reduces the NOx formation. Tests at MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Diesel Research Center, Copenhagen have shown that reaching the IMO’s forthcoming Tier III NOx emission requirements is possible with EGR in its own right.

The target market for MAN Diesel & Turbo’s EGR system is owners of ships of over 2,000 dwt, a segment that today comprises some 18,000-20,000 vessels operating globally.

November 9, 2011