Advanced Primary Measures Improve Diesel 11 June 2009

Emissions, Power and Consumption

In an ongoing development project MAN Diesel is achieving high power density

and considerable reductions in both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions
MAN Diesel Group
on its latest four-stroke, medium speed engines using only “primary measures”.
Teglholmsgade 41
DK-2450 Copenhagen SV
In engine emission reduction technology primary measures denotes modifications to DENMARK
www.mandiesel.com
the basic, fully integrated features of any diesel engine – fuel injection, turbocharging,
governing, valve timing, etc. Their variation influences the combustion process and Group Marketing
Further information:
hence power output, fuel consumption and the formation of noxious exhaust Peter Dan Petersen
emissions. Part and parcel of the engine as delivered, combating emissions using Tel.: +45 33 85 14 70
peterd.petersen@man.eu
primary measures involves neither additional work for the engine operator nor the use
of additional equipment and consumables. Graphics and images:
Mia Glarborg
Tel.: +45 33 85 15 90
NOx mia.glarborg@man.eu

A major emphasis of all combustion engine emissions legislation is oxides of nitrogen  

(NOx). Since temperature peaks during combustion are responsible for over 90% of
NOx formation, MAN Diesel’s work with primary measures targets the elimination of
such areas in the combustion chamber without incurring fuel consumption penalties
or, if possible, at improved fuel efficiency.

Hence, in recent years, on engines with progressively lower NOX emissions, MAN
Diesel has adopted a range of interacting primary measures targeting the combination
of cooler combustion per se, making temperatures in the combustion chamber more
homogeneous and cooling the combustion air entering the cylinder. To improve fuel
air mixing the measures include improved re-entrant piston bowls; low swirl inlet ports;
higher compression ratios; higher fuel injection pressures and improved injector
nozzle spray patterns. Measures to reduce combustion temperatures comprise
revised fuel injection timing, improved charge-air cooling and the combination of
revised “Miller Cycle” valve timing and high efficiency, high pressure turbocharging.

Technology Packages
Central to MAN Diesel’s latest, very substantial reductions in NOx combined with
improved power output and fuel consumption are further improvements in the
interaction of separate measures thanks to advanced electronic control, and a further
intensification of the “Miller Cycle” made possible by the introduction of two-stage
turbocharging giving pressure ratios up to 7:1.

 
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The Miller Cycle involves the early closure of the inlet valve, causing the air entering
the cylinder to expand and cool and hence reduce temperature peaks during
combustion. However, the shorter inlet valve opening period would mean a lower
mass of air combustion air entering the cylinder and hence reduced engine power and
torque. To counter this effect, higher pressure turbocharging ensures that an equal –
or in the case of MAN Diesel’s new technology package greater – amount of air can
enter the cylinder in the shorter time available. During trials using an intensive Miller
Cycle under full load conditions and turbocharger pressure ratios of 6.5 to 7, MAN
Diesel has recorded reductions in NOx of over 30%, reductions in fuel consumption as
great as 8% and a 15% increase in specific power output.

Two Versions
To cover a full spectrum of applications, MAN Diesel is developing two versions of the
Miller Cycle engine based on differing technology packages. A version with fixed
Miller valve timing, variable two-stage turbocharging and conventional fuel injection
will cover baseload power generation applications. A variable Miller Cycle version with
variable valve timing targets variable load (load following) applications, e.g. power
supply to rolling mills or other variable load consumers or marine power generation or
marine propulsion, and employs variable high pressure, two-stage turbocharging
complemented by common rail fuel injection and variable inlet valve timing. The latter
is necessary because at low loads, the shortened inlet valve timings in the intensive
Miller Cycle can lead to increased smoke emissions.

The technology packages are based entirely on in-house developed technology at

MAN Diesel. Unique among builders of medium speed engines, MAN Diesel has all
the strategic elements of engine development in-house, including large exhaust
turbochargers, fuel injection equipment, electronic hardware and software for control,
monitoring and diagnosis of engines and driven equipment and has now developed its
own variable valve timing system.

All these technologies come together in the variable Miller Cycle package, where
essentially, MAN Diesel seeks to exploit the enhanced levels of control over diesel
combustion possible using its advanced SaCoSone, microprocessor safety and control
system to manage common rail (CR) fuel injection, two-stage high pressure
turbocharging with variable turbine area (VTA) technology and variable valve timing
(VVT).

 
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In the high pressure two-stage turbocharging system, two turbochargers are arranged
in tandem with an intermediate charge air cooler. The second, smaller turbocharger is
fitted with the VTA control system to enable precise control of the charge air output.
VTA denotes “variable turbine area” control, a system which achieves regulation of
turbocharger compressor output by means of turbocharger nozzle rings equipped with
adjustable vanes instead of the fixed-vane rings used in MAN Diesel’s standard TCA
(axial) and TCR (radial) turbochargers. Adjusting of the vane pitch regulates the
pressure of the exhaust gases impinging on the turbine to vary the output of the
turbocharger compressor. This gives the capability to optimise charge air delivery at
all points on the engines performance map, i.e. it allows the quantity of charge air to
be more precisely matched to the quantity of injected fuel to the benefit of emissions,
fuel consumption and engine response to load changes.

Giving a similar level of parameter setting flexibility on the fuel injection side is MAN
Diesel’s common rail fuel injection system, which allows injection pressure, duration
and timing to be freely selected at all engine speeds and loads.

Completing the package is MAN Diesel’s electronically controlled, in-house developed

VVT variable valve timing system, employing cam followers on eccentric shafts to
enable load dependent valve timing and hence vary the intensity of the Miller Cycle,
particularly to suppress engine smoke at part load.

This combination of technologies - the variable Miller Cycle - has been tested with
excellent results extensively on the inline, six cylinder version of MAN Diesel’s newest
four-stroke engine, the all-electronic 32/44CR. As well as reductions in NOx emissions
of over 30% and a maximum of 8% reduction in specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC),
the greater availability of combustion air in absolute terms has also allowed a
considerable increase in cylinder output from 560 to 640 kW on the 6L32/44CR test
engine. In addition, in part load operation, the VVT system has enabled smoke
emissions comparable with those of the standard 32/44CR engine with single stage
turbocharging – i.e. well within the visibility boundary.
The favourable fuel consumption values are attributable to the increased air-fuel ratios
above 20% rated output and the high efficiency levels of the two-stage charging
system, MAN Diesel states. 

 
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MAN Diesel 6L32/44CR inline six cylinder common rail engine under test with two-stage
turbocharging including VTA technology and VVT.
 

 
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Schematic arrangement of the MAN Diesel Variable Miller Cycle with two-stage turbocharging
on the 6L32/44CR engine.

About MAN Diesel

MAN Diesel is the world’s leading provider of large bore diesel engines for marine and power plant applications. The
company designs two-stroke and four-stroke engines, generating sets, turbochargers, CP propellers and complete
propulsion packages that are manufactured both by MAN Diesel and its licensees. The engines have power outputs
ranging from 450 to 97,300 kW. MAN Diesel employs approx. 8,000 staff, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, the
Czech Republic, India and China. The global after-sales organisation, MAN Diesel PrimeServ, comprises a network of the
company’s own service centres, supported by authorised partners. MAN Diesel is a company of MAN SE, which is listed on
the DAX share index of the 30 leading companies in Germany.

Ref no 6510-0136

 
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