Finnish Corporation Wärtsilä signed an agreement to acquire Eniram, a Finland-based technology company providing the marine industry with energy management and analytics solutions, primarily regarding the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Eniram's solutions are installed in over 270 vessels. Eniram is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has subsidiaries in the UK, the USA, Germany and Singapore, with a total of 89 employees worldwide. In 2015, Eniram’s turnover exceeded EUR 10 million. The acquisition will enable Wärtsilä to grow and strengthen its digital offering and in-house capabilities, specifically in data analytics, modelling and performance optimisation. The transaction is valued at EUR 43 million (enterprise value). Ownership of the company will be transferred to Wärtsilä with effect from 1 July 2016.
In the Successful Farming magazine, engineer Ray Bohacz responds to the question why it seems diesel engines are more subject to electrolysis over gasoline engines. Is it simply that gasoline engines are better grounded in most cases?
Electrolysis from a poor ground can happen to any engine. There are many, many gas engines that suffer repeated pinholes in the heater core, radiator, or aluminium intake manifold due to a poor ground. Depending on where the high impedance ground is found, a diesel is usually more prone to electrolysis due to the following:
1. Higher amperage starter motor load. More current flow means the ground is taxed at a higher rate.
2. Extended running time at high working loads.
3. Wet liner design in most applications.
4. A higher rate of aftermarket or upfitter equipment that, when installed, may not be grounded properly.
In contrast, due to the lack of aluminium in many heavy-duty diesel engines, in some ways, they are actually less impacted by electrolysis from a poor ground.
The coolant’s ability to be a conductor of electricity comes into play, too. Please note, the major reason a supplemental coolant additive (SCA) is used with a diesel is due to the nature of the wet cylinder liner to vibrate and create air bubbles in the coolant. These bubbles then attack the cylinder liner and eventually eat it away and ruin the engine. This is known as cavitation erosion, and electrolysis can also eat a cylinder liner in a similar fashion. Electrolysis at the cylinder liner is usually more random in its spacing and not dedicated to the thrust side of the bore. For this reason, use the voltage test as a PM on all engines. If there is a problem, you can determine if it was caused due to a bad ground or due to depleted or poor-quality coolant SCA and catch it before it’s a major expense.
Korean ship-owner, Ilshin, and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard have signed a contract for the construction of an LNG-fuelled, 50,000 dwt bulk carrier. The vessel will be powered by a dual-fuel MAN B&W 6G50ME-C9.5-GI engine, to be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries - Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD) who will also supply the ME-GI and fuel gas supply system.
POSCO, the multinational steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea, has already agreed to charter the newbuilding upon delivery, and will use the vessel to transport limestone for its operations. POSCO will deliver the LNG fuel tank, which will be made of high-manganese steel as an alternative material to the currently widely used nickel alloy.
The ME-GI engine represents the culmination of many years’ work, and depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations, the ME-GI engine gives ship-owners and operators the option of using either HFO or gas – predominantly natural. The properties of the ME-GI engine series make it the most environmental friendly technology available for marine propulsion.
Wärtsilä welcomed cadets from the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College to its Trieste factory. The students use the summer sea term to gain practical experience on board the SUNY Maritime training ship, the Empire State VI.
An extensive agenda was coordinated by Wärtsilä and the SUNY Maritime leadership with the aim of offering the cadets the opportunity to learn first-hand how Wärtsilä manages its production facility. Technical presentations highlighted key topics of interest for the students, including dual-fuel technologies, Wärtsilä Fuel Gas Handling solutions, Wärtsilä’s LNGPac systems, and Wärtsilä technical support team activities. Also, the students were taken on a guided tour of the Wärtsilä manufacturing facility, which offered the group an up-close view of the various stages involved in assembling a Wärtsilä engine. The majority of the engineering cadets on the tour had earlier completed a medium speed diesel engine course, and had experience in performing maintenance work on a diesel engine. This was in part made possible by the donation of a Wärtsilä 26 engine to the university in 2011. The Empire State VI will return to the SUNY Maritime College campus in early August for the start of the new academic year.