Propulsion of VLCCs

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Engine Programme Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Design Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exhaust Gas Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Propulsion of VLCCs

Introduction
Freight rates for crude oil carriers have not recently left any scope for an attractive payback time for newbuildings. Nevertheless, there is an increasing demand for environmentally safer vessels. Many of the vessels from the 1970s will have to be scrapped within a short period of time. Usually, it is not profitable to take a vessel past the 25-year classification test, and to maintain the current volume of sea transportation capacity, some 30-40 VLCCs will have to be delivered per year, over a period of as much as 7-8 years. In view of the above factors and prospects, MAN B&W in 1998 added new VLCC-dedicated propulsion engines to the MC programme.

Engine Programme Development

Over the years, the market leading MC engines, which date back to 1982, have been developed continuously to cater for such changing market requirements. Major milestones in this development can be seen in Fig. 1.

The present MC programme now includes unit powers of 93,120 bhp for the largest model, the 12K98MC-C. The entire MC programme is shown in Fig. 2, and a reference list can be seen in Fig. 3. Pecent models, which have been added to the MC programme when

Mk 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 L35MC introduced Full L-MC programme L-MC upgraded L42MC introduced K-MC introduced S-MC introduced L-MC upgraded S26MC introduced K-MC-C introduced MC programme upgraded K and L-MC S-MC S26MC and L35MC upgraded S35MC and S90MC introduced K90MC/MC-C upgraded S42MC introduced K98MC-C introduced K80MC-C L70MC upgraded S70MC-C, S60MC-C, S50MC-C and S46MC-C introduced S80MC upgraded L80MC upgraded K98MC introduced S80MC-C introduced S90MC-C introduced L90MC-C introduced S35MC upgraded Pmep = mean effective pressure 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 1 2 2

mep bar 15.0 16.2 16.2 16.2 17.0 16.2 16.8 16.2 18.0 17.0 18.5 18.0 18.5 18.2 18.0 18.0 19.0 19.0 19.0 18.0 18.2 19.0 19.0 19.0 19.1

Cm m/s 7.2

7.2

7.6 8.2 8.0

1987 1988 1991

1992 1993 1994 1994 1995 1996 1996 1996 1997 1998

8.2 8.0 8.0 8.3 8.0 8.2 8.5 8.3 8.0 8.0 8.3 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.2

Cm = mean piston speed

Fig.1: The MC programme development

r/min 250 210 173 176 136 129 148 127 127 123 105 105 108 91 91 104 93 79 76 104 94 83 76 104 94 0

S26MC L35MC S35MC L42MC S42MC S46MC-C L50MC S50MC S50MC-C L60MC S60MC S60MC-C L70MC S70MC S70MC-C K80MC-C L80MC S80MC S80MC-C K90MC-C K90MC L90MC-C S90MC-C K98MC-C K98MC 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 kW

Fig. 2: The 1999 MC engine programme

Number of engines Type On order or delivered In service 98 15 0 90 162 129 80 436 378 70 686 560 60 1,415 1,213 50 1,120 919 46 28 10 42 196 172 35 937 800 26 167 155 Total 5,162 4,336 Total: 79,157,300 BHP ~ 58,220,194 kW
As at 1999.01.26

called for by the market, are the S-MC-C compact engines, which respond to requirements for high power and high propeller efficiency together with low fuel consumption.

The K98MC and the K98MC-C offer the highest unit powers available on the market today at the right engine speed required by the very large and fast post-panamax container vessels.

The main data for the three new engines: Engine type L90MC-C S90MC-C S80MC-C Stroke Speed mm r/min 2,916 3,188 3,200 83 76 76 bhp/ cyl 6,650 6,650 5,280 mep bar 19 19 19 pmax SFOC bar g/bhph 150 150 150 123 123 123 Cyl. No. of spacing cyls mm 8.07 6-12 1,602 8.08 6-7 1,602 8.11 6-8 1,424 Cm m/s

Fig. 3: Reference list, MC engine

The S80MC has been widely used in VLCCs, originally in the six-cylinder version and, as the ship speed requirement has grown, the seven-cylinder has become the dominant version. 7L90MC engines have also been used in a number of VLCCs. As an increasing demand for higher power has been seen, an uprated version of the 7S80MC, referred to as the Mk 7, was made available. The mean effective pressure of this engine is 19 bar, and the maximum firing pressure is 150 bar, thus securing an SFOC of 123 g/bhph. Now, with the successful introduction of the compact S-MC-C engines with 46, 50, 60 and 70 cm bores, of which more than 40 are in service and more than 150 have been ordered, the natural approach has been to expand the S-MC-C range and introduce an S80MC-C of similar design to the smaller S-MC-C engines. Today, most VLCC projects are of more than 300,000 dwt, and have speeds in excess of 16 kts. To cater for the increased power requirement of such vessels, we have also updated the S and L90MC as S90MC-C and L90MC-C versions, with different engine speeds to cater for different propeller characteristics. Thus, if a large propeller diameter is used, the low engine speed of the S90MC-C is an advantage whereas, if the propeller diameter dictates a slightly higher engine speed, the L90MC-C is the right choice. Altogether, the L/S90MC-C engines supplement the S80MC-C for power requirements in excess of what can be delivered by a 7S80MC-C. The competitive SFOC is achieved by applying state-of-the-art technology in the fuel injection system together with the use of mini-sac fuel valves in conjunction with an improved combustion chamber configuration.

Power Requirement
As mentioned above, current VLCC projects involve larger and, in particular, faster vessels than earlier specified. With the latest additions to the MC programme, virtually all power requirements for foreseeable ship speeds can be met. The situation is illustrated in Fig. 4 where the power requirement is shown as a function of ship speed and deadweight. The ship speeds obtainable from the various engines are, of course, subject to differences in hull design and to a tolerance. Nevertheless, the figure gives a good indication of what is needed for different ship sizes to reach various speeds, inclusive of the normally applied margins. It will be noted from the above that we have introduced both an S90MC-C and an L90MC-C engine, both offering the same power, but at different speeds, 76 and 83 rpm respectively. The reason for this decision is that we want to

cater for different wishes regarding propeller layout. The issue is illustrated in Fig. 5, which shows that if the propeller diameter normally used on a 15.5 kts VLCC is maintained, and the speed requirement is raised to, say 16.5 kts, the propeller speed will have to increase from some 75-76 rpm to 83 rpm. Hence the need for the 7L90MC-C. If, on the other hand, the propeller diameter is increased, the optimum propeller speed remains at about 75 rpm, thus making the 7S90MC-C the optimum choice. It is worth noting that the L90MC-C can also be used on containerships that can accommodate fairly large propellers. Fig. 4 shows that the diversity of the MC programme is substantial, also when it comes to VLCC propulsion, thanks to the many different models to choose from. For a number of years, 7-cylinder engines have been the preferred choice in VLCCs, but due to the need for increased power, they might be replaced by the 6S90MC-C or, if even more power is needed, the

Shaft power BHP 50,000 7S90MC-C 46,550 BHP 7L90MC-C 46,550 BHP 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 8S80MC-C 42,240 BHP 6S90MC-C 39,900 BHP 7S80MC-C 36,960 BHP 7S80MC Mk 6 34,650 BHP

Incl.: 10% engine margin 15% sea margin

dwt 320,000 300,000 280,000

Ship speed 20,000 14.0 14.5 15.0 15.5 15.4 15.8

Fig. 4: Estimated SMCR power requirement

16.0

16.5

17.0 knots 16.9

16.1 16.4

7S90MC-C. Some owners may prefer 7-cylinder engines owing to the expected vibration behaviour. However, the 6S90MC-C, like all other MC engines, can be fully balanced for the external second-order moment, and torsionals can in virtually all cases be controlled without using a torsional vibration damper, which means that vibrations are easy to handle. The technology of vibration abatement on a 6-cylinder engine is fully developed, a fact underlined by statistics revealing that approx. 55% of all of the some 5,200 MC engines in service are 6-cylinder engines. Yet another possibility for modern VLCCs is a twin-skeg hull design with twin engines and twin propellers. Such vessels have just recently been contracted in Korea. The vessels are specified with very shallow draught which will make it

possible to transport large cargoes into ports where draught is restricted. The vessels differ from the large tankers so far built in the world in that they have in addition to double hulls double, completely separated engine rooms, double rudders and steering gears and double propellers. All these double functions represent an extra safety factor and provide the vessel with a manoeuvrability superior to that of other large tankers. The vessels will be equipped with 2 x 7S60MC-C engines with a combined power of 42,980 bhp, giving them a maximum speed of about 15% above that of most other large tankers. A similar concept is used for vessels which are presently being built in US at Avondale Shipyard for the US oil major Arco. This is the socalled 125,000 dwt millennium tanker featuring 2 x 7S50MC-C, also in completely separate engine rooms.

Design Features
In recent years, a number of features have been successfully introduced, primarily with the aim of further improving the cylinder condition and increasing the time between overhauls. In this context, we are in particular addressing features such as the hightopland piston which protects the piston rings against the thermal load from the combustion gases. This improves the performance of the piston ring pack significantly, and the gradual loss of tension in the piston rings is reduced, resulting in higher TBOs for the piston. A further benefit is that the high topland has made it possible to lower the mating surfaces between cylinder liner and cylinder cover, thus reducing the thermal load on the cylinder liner and thus improving the conditions for the lube oil film. The high heat input is absorbed by the steel cylinder cover, which has a higher thermal stability than the grey cast iron used for cylinder liners. As a consequence, the reliability of the cylinder liner is further enhanced by the introduction of the high-topland piston. Tests with high-topland pistons were started about four years ago on an S80MC engine and showed a significant improvement in the general combustion chamber condition and an increase in the time between overhauls by a factor of 3, making biannual overhauls sufficient. Of other important features, the piston ring pack should be mentioned. The reliability of the combustion chamber components and the cylinder condition depends very much on the performance of the piston ring pack which, accordingly, is continuously being optimised. The two uppermost piston rings are higher, giving these rings greater strength and thermal stability. The piston ring material has been optimised to cope with the increased thermal load that results from the higher rating of the engines.

BHP When going from 15.5 45,000 to 16.7 knots and with M0 and M'0 as two different basic points: 40,000 The increased SMCR power is based on either

Shaft power

-curve

M1 M'1
1 1'

M2 M'2 16.7 knots

1 35,000

1'

2'

-curve
2 Modified Unchanged propeller propeller (curve) (curve)

M0 M'0 2'

15.5 knots

1. Modified propeller 30,000 with bigger diameter or 25,000

2. Unchanged propeller (bigger diameter is 20,000 not possible) 60

Propeller/ engine speed 80 85 90 86.4 r/min

65

70

75

76 83 S80MC-C L90MC-C 79 S90MC-C S80MC Mk 6

Fig. 5: Propeller performance at increased SMCR power output M for 300,000 dwt VLCC

have shown positive results, verifying the hypothesis that bore polish may be a decisive factor in the deterioration of the cylinder condition, especially in high-rated large engines. PC rings are therefore now standard on the most recent large bore MC engines.
Top piston ring with double-lap S-seal and 6 Controlled Pressure Relief (CPR) gaps Even heat distribution on 2nd piston ring 2nd, 3rd and 4th piston rings with oblique cut ring gaps New piston ring material: RVK-C with Alu-bronze coating
Fig. 6: Piston rings for S-MC-C

More than 80 cylinder units with PC rings are currently in service. Protecting and controlling the heatexposed parts in the combustion chamber have always been design priorities. By virtue of a modified combustion chamber geometry, this has been further enhanced. This development was prompted in particular by the K-MC(-C) engines with the narrow combustion space. Over the years, the pistons in these engines have been provided with a welded-on layer of inconel to increase the heat resistance. Even so, heat exposure effects have been experienced on the K-MC(-C) engines in certain cases, indicating that the margins should preferably be higher. With the new geometry shown in Fig. 8, we have obtained more space around the fuel nozzles, and thus a greater distance from the nozzles to the piston top. This means that the fuel injection and combustion give rise to smaller heat input to the piston top and unchanged heat input to cylinder cover and exhaust valve. Measurements have confirmed a temperature reduction of the piston top of some 100 C as well as unchanged temperatures on other combustion chamber components. The heat load on the piston in the new combustion chamber is shown in Fig. 9. The simple shaker cooling principle traditionally applied for the piston can thereby be maintained. This new combustion chamber design has already been introduced on a number of MC engines being produced for container vessels and is the present standard on large-bore MC engines, including MC/MC-C engines applicable

Piston

high topland Cylinder cover Piston

Piston cleaning ring

Cylinder liner

Fig. 7: Cylinder liner, piston cleaning ring

Some years ago, we tested and subsequently introduced a special patented CPR (Controlled Pressure Relief) piston ring as the top piston ring, see Fig. 6. This ring has a double lap joint, and an optimal pressure drop across the top piston ring is ensured by relief grooves. For ease of running-in, an Al-bronze coating is applied on the lower rings.

A third feature introduced is the Piston Cleaning (PC) ring. The purpose of this ring, shown in Fig. 7, is to control ash and carbon deposits on the piston topland and thus prevent contact between the cylinder liner and these deposits, which would remove part of the cylinder oil from the liner wall. Long-term tests on an S80MC engine since 1994

Previous MC design

New design

for VLCCs, i.e. S80MC, S80MC-C, S90MC-C and L90MC-C. Even though the heat exposure of the piston is less pronounced in these engines, the additional margin has been introduced also on these engines.

Exhaust Gas Emission

It goes without saying that, as standard, the new VLCC engines will, like all other MC/MC-C engines, comply with the IMO speed-dependent NOx emission cap of 17 g/kWh.

Conclusion
To meet the increasingly more diversified propulsion requirements, MAN B&W Diesel has continuously introduced up-to-date engines to supplement the well-known MC engine series. Hence our company offers the most comprehensive and versatile engine programme in the market for virtually all commercial vessels, over the full range of sizes and types.

Fig. 8: Combustion chamber, previous MC design vs. new design

Previous piston design

New piston design

Fig. 9: Heat load on piston crown