The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C is a

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

low-speed

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish corporation, Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the Marine propulsion, marine and energy markets. The core ...

. It is designed for large

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

s that run on heavy fuel oil. Its largest 14-cylinder version is high, long, weighs over , and produces . It is the largest

reciprocating engine A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of al ...

in the world. The 14-cylinder version first entered commercial service in September 2006 aboard the '' Emma Mærsk''. The design is similar to the older RTA96C engine, but with common rail technology (in place of traditional

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition syst ...

, chain gear, fuel pump and

hydraulic actuator A hydraulic cylinder (also called a linear hydraulic motor) is a mechanical actuator that is used to give a unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke. It has many applications, notably in construction equipment ( engineering vehicles ...

systems). This provides maximum performance at lower

revolutions per minute Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 de ...

(rpm), reduces fuel consumption and emits lower levels of harmful emissions. The engine has crosshead bearings so the always-vertical piston rods create a tight seal under the

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...

s. Consequently, the

lubrication Lubrication is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction and wear and tear in a contact between two surfaces. The study of lubrication is a discipline in the field of tribology. Lubrication mechanisms such as fluid-lubr ...

of the engine is split: the cylinders and the crankcase use different lubricants, each being specialised for its designated role. The cylinders are lubricated by continuous timed injection of consumable lubricant, formulated to protect the cylinders from wear and to neutralise the acids formed during combustion of the high-sulfur fuels commonly used. The crosshead design reduces sideways forces on the piston, keeping diametral cylinder liner wear down to about 30 μm per 1,000 hours.Hanlon, Mike
Most powerful diesel engine in the world
'' GizMag''. Accessed: 24 February 2011. As a piston descends, it compresses incoming combustion air for the adjacent cylinders. This also serves to cushion the piston as it approaches bottom dead centre, thereby removing some load from the bearings. The engine is uniflow-scavenged by way of exhaust valves that are operated by electronically controlled hydraulics, thus eliminating the camshaft. As of 2006, more than 300 RT-flex96C engines and older RTA96C engines were in service or on order.

Technical data (as of 2008)

Notes

References

External links

Wärtsilä.comWärtsilä RT-flex96C / RTA96C
Todd Walke
Gallery of 8 images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wartsila-Sulzer Rta96-C Rta96c Two-stroke diesel engines Marine diesel engines Products introduced in 2006 14-cylinder engines

Technical data (as of 2008)

See also

Notes

References

External links