New Technology to Cut Emissions

Wärtsilä and ABB Turbo Systems are developing a new application of two-stage turbocharging on large diesel engines. Advanced engine technology, together with two-stage turbocharging, offers advantages in fuel consumption and engine emissions. In the new engine design, two turbochargers are arranged in series to generate increased air pressure and airflow. This results in an efficiency rating of up to 76%. The increased air pressure, combined with the advanced engine technology, improves the engine output and power density by up to 10% and allows to reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emission.

Further emissions reduction can be achieved with additional engine systems or by the use of exhaust gas after-treatment. A precise combination of fuel consumption levels and reductions in CO2 and NOx emissions can be selected through detailed systems configuration. Intelligent engine control allows optimum operation of the advanced engine design over the whole load range, and a significant reduction in NOx emissions can be reached.

Another driving factor in this development work has been to significantly lower lifecycle costs. The market potential for this technology in power plants is believed to be big. Similarly, the advanced technology for combustion control developed by Wärtsilä will be beneficial to the shipping market, when the market requirements are in place. Here, in addition to costs, the compactness and cost effective design are considered to be of importance. Calculations indicate that in certain power plant applications, the investment in advanced 2-stage engine technology could be regained in less than two years of operation.

Emissions control plays an increasingly important role today, and in particular reducing CO2 and NOx levels is high on the agenda. Today, the market is demanding environmentally sound solutions with competitive lifetime costs. This need continues to pave the way for the introduction of new technologies developed by Wärtsilä and ABB.