Wärtsilä Corporation has announced an additional optimised version of the RT-flex58T-D two-stroke engine with reduced power and greater fuel economy to ensure best matching of engines for the increasing demand of Panamax bulk carriers. The engine will be called RT-flex58T-D ER-3 and is planned to be launched to the market in 2013 in collaboration with Wärtsilä’s licensee Diesel United Ltd.
Wärtsilä is further developing the RT-flex58T-D engine due to the strong world-wide interest in environmental issues and greater fuel economy. Shipyards are designing ships that are both environmentally friendly and also having energy saving hull types. This trend is especially prevalent in Japanese shipyards owing to their long-term work on energy-saving technology. This development in turn affects engine builders as the shipyards need to select low-speed two-stroke main engines which are derated and operate at lower speeds for their newly developed ships.
The RT-flex58T-E has a maximum continuous power output of 2350 kW/cylinder at 105 rpm, and the RT-flex58T-D has an output of 2260 kW/cylinder at the same speed. For the ER-3 version this has been reduced to 2035 kW/cylinder also at the same speed.
Although some owners prefer five-cylinder engines for powering Panamax bulk carriers with low power requirements, six-cylinder engines are also of high interest. With an MCR (maximum continuous rated) power of 12,210 kW, the six-cylinder RT-flex58T-D ER-3 neatly fits between the power range of the five- and six-cylinder RT-flex58T-D engines. The matching of the RT-flex58T-D ER-3 to the ship and propeller requirements has been further improved by extending the layout field to a lower minimum speed of 82 rpm, compared to the minimum of 84 rpm for the RT-flex58T-D.
With the addition of the RT-flex58T-D ER-3, Wärtsilä offers three engine types in this size range: two which feature high powers, the RT-flex58T-D and RT-flex58T-E, and the third for lower propeller speeds and lower powers, the RT-flex58T-D ER-3.
For ships in which energy saving and environmentally friendliness are critical, it is extremely helpful to have the extensive outfit of sensors which are standard on electronically-controlled RT-flex engines. This gives detailed operational information of the engines. In combination with Wärtsilä Services products, operators can enjoy more efficient ship operation. These contribute to avoiding engine problems and to reduce the ship’s life-cycle costs.
Speed-Power graph for RT-flex58T Engine Layout Field
For further information please contact:
Norio Ohkubo
Vice President
2-stroke Engines, Licensing
Wärtsilä Japan Ltd.
Tel: +81 78 304 7503
norio.ohkubo@wartsila.com
Ryu Onishi
President
Wärtsilä Japan Ltd.
Tel: +81 3 5159 8701
ryu.onishi@wartsila.com
