---

ABB Turbocharging has today presented its first dedicated turbocharger for marine auxiliary engine applications in a development cooperation with IHI Corporation. Designed for ease of operation and service, it supports a condition-based maintenance concept.

The company's Marine Auxiliary Power (MXP) turbocharger has been designed for auxiliary engines with power output up to 2 megawatts (MW), operating under heavy fuel oil (HFO) conditions. The complexity of parts required in turbochargers with broader usage has also been simplified for the specific operational requirements of this market. These include: ease of maintenance by the crew, based on condition, as well as optimized load response behavior, and improved efficiency at part load, which both contribute to fuel savings, ABB says.

A simplified service approach was a key focus in ABB's product development as MXP is designed to allow for condition-based maintenance, thus optimizing operational costs.

"As a 'user-friendly' turbocharger, it enables easy and fast service preparation and simplicity of replacing parts. Self-service maintenance by the ship's crew onboard additionally lowers costs while maximizing application availability and flexibility," ABB explained.

"MXP maintains the reliable, robust quality of ABB turbochargers, whilst delivering the required auxiliary engine operation performance for vessels such as, bulkers, tankers and mid-sized container ships. In addressing emissions regulations, the new turbocharger enables IMO II compliance of the engine without the need for any additional measures," ABB added.

Oliver Riemenschneider, Head of ABB Turbocharging, remarked: "Continually pushing the boundaries of turbocharging technology is central to our offering, which translates into segment-specific products and solutions, supporting our customers to increase their productivity. With this new turbocharger, we do this through combining the roles and expertise of ABB and IHI.

"Highly conscious of the continuous pressures facing the global marine industry, we believe in a focus on enhancing the operation and maintenance of our customers’ applications. This is demonstrated by the launch of MXP dedicated for auxiliary operation, at the most significant meeting place of the large engine industry; the CIMAC Congress."

Roland Schwarz, Head of Marine Auxiliary Product Group and ABB Turbocharging Japan, commented: "In unveiling MXP, we are delivering a dedicated product in response to true market needs for auxiliary engines: simplified and designed for service; with competitive total cost of ownership; and fully meeting load response and fuel efficiency requirements. The CIMAC Congress is renowned for sharing of technical developments across the large engine industry, so it is ideal for our first presentation of this new product. We look forward to discussing with engine builders and operators the value this turbocharger can bring to their applications through its optimized performance matched to auxiliary engines actual operating profiles."

As part of the technical product launch, MXP was introduced to the large engine industry through the presentation of a technical paper at the CIMAC Congress in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, June 6.

MXP is to be produced in at least three frame sizes, and commercially available in early 2017.