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MAN Diesel & Turbo says that its turbocharger cut-out solution has attracted 'massive interest' from shipowners and managers over the last six months and that the solution has 'proven its worth' during tests and installations.

Developed in response to the perceived need for a more flexible utilization of both full and part load operation, the turbocharger cut-out solution was developed by MAN Diesel & Turbo and, according to the firm, is able to offer optimal fuel consumption at both full and part load.

Flexibility in slow steaming

MAN Diesel explains that the sailing pattern of the largest container vessels, especially between Asia and Europe, has changed recently as a result of factors such as more available tonnage, increased fuel prices and general acceptance of slow-steaming as a viable strategy.

As there are often asymmetrical requirements to the shipping time (and thus engine load levels) on the Europe-Asia trading route, MAN Diesel says that it is beneficial to change between full and part load, depending on route direction.

Turbocharger cut-out with swing gate valves permits a frequent change between full and part load operation without manually having to install and remove blinding plates.

Product Orders

“After the system for retrofit installation has been thoroughly tested and several of the biggest shipowners have placed orders, the interest and determination to install turbocharger cut-out on vessels have soared,” said Peter Rytter Jensen, manager of the retrofit department at PrimeServ Copenhagen.

"The big advantage is that you have a flexible solution to save on fuel oil. A lot of customers need to be able to continue to have the possibility of running on full load, but at the same time saving fuel oil when they are slow steaming,” added Jensen.

The turbocharger cut-out has been on the market for approximately a year, but MAN Diesel says the last six months have been the most hectic in terms of handling enquiries.

"Now we have a handful of installations in service, but there is a huge number of orders from the last few months waiting to be installed. It really has the attention of the biggest shipowners out there,” Jensen said.

Fuel oil savings

According to MAN Diesel, recent tests have proven that large container vessels, powered by e.g. a 12K98MC on slow-steaming at 40% MCR, can save 8 grams HFO per kWh when one out of three turbochargers is disconnected. This corresponds to a reduction of approximately 5 percent.

When there is a need for increasing power to full load, the turbocharger cut-out with swing gate can easily and safely be opened without manual work.

Installation

There is currently about three months delivery time for constructing the necessary parts. The installation itself is completed within around 48 hours and can be carried out at the following PrimeServ locations:

* MAN PrimeServ Benelux
* MAN PrimeServ Dubai
* MAN PrimeServ Hamburg
* MAN PrimeServ Hong Kong
* MAN PrimeServ Portugal
* MAN PrimeServ Singapore
* MAN PrimeServ Spain
* MAN PrimeServ Shanghai