WÄRTSILÄ RT82 ENGINE SERIES

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
2
 WÄRTSILÄ RT82 ENGINE SERIES
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
This is a brief guide to the technical features and benefits of Wärtsilä
RT-flex82T, RTA82T as well as the RT-flex82C and RTA82C low-speed
marine diesel engines.

INTRODUCTION............................................................. 4

DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND ..................................... 7

EXTENDED LAYOUT FIELD............................................. 7

RT-flex: CONCEPT AND BENEFITS.................................. 8

RT-flex COMMON-RAIL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION....... 8

RT-flex: REAL IN-SERVICE FUEL ECONOMY................... 10

RT-flex: CLEANER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.................. 10

RTA82C and RTA82T: TRADITIONAL FUEL INJECTION . . 11

ENGINE STRUCTURE................................................... 12

RUNNING GEAR.......................................................... 12

COMBUSTION CHAMBER............................................. 13

PISTON RUNNING FEATURES....................................... 14

WÄRTSILÄ PULSE LUBRICATING SYSTEM..................... 14

TURBOCHARGING AND SCAVENGE AIR SYSTEM........... 16

INSTALLATION ARRANGEMENTS.................................. 16

WASTE HEAT RECOVERY:

COST SAVINGS WITH REDUCED EMISSIONS................. 17

SERVICE EXPERIENCE................................................. 18

MAINTENANCE........................................................... 21

REFERENCES.............................................................. 22

7RT-flex82T top of rail unit MAIN TECHNICAL DATA............................................... 23

3
7 RT-flex82T
INTRODUCTION
The Wärtsilä RT-flex82C, RTA82C, RT-
flex82T and RTA82T are low-speed
marine diesel engines, with a power range
between 21,720 to 54,240 kW. The C-type
engine has a stroke of 2646 mm where
as the T-type is designed with 3375 mm
stroke. The engines are tailor-made for the
economic propulsion of the new generation
of Panamax container ships and for very
large and ultra large crude oil carriers as
well as ore carriers (VLCCs, ULCCs and
VLOCs respectively). In this role they offer
clear, substantial, benefits:
•• Optimum fit to ship, with extended layout
flexibility
•• Competitive first cost
•• Low fuel consumption over the whole
operating range
•• Low cylinder lubricating oil consumption
•• High reliability and low maintenance costs
4
•• Overhauls only after every three years of
operation
•• Low exhaust gas emissions
•• Full compliance with the IMO NOX emission
regulation of Annexe VI of the MARPOL
1973/78 convention.
The Wärtsilä RT-flex82T and RT-flex82C have
as additional benefits:
•• Smokeless operation at all running speeds
•• Low ancillary power requirements
•• Extremely low stable running speeds
•• Reduced maintenance requirements with
simpler engine setting and extendable time
between overhauls.
The possibility of meeting the requirements of
two distinctly different market segments with
engines of the same cylinder bore and cylinder
power opened the way for the development
according to the platform concept. The
Wärtsilä RT-flex82C, RTA82C, RT-flex82T
and RTA82T engines have been developed
on the basis of a common platform, sharing
as many components as possible to bring
benefits of rationalisation in the design and
manufacturing, lowering manufacturing costs
and rationalizing also spare parts stocks.
The latest generation of Panamax container
ships delivered with capacities up to 5000
TEU uses service speeds of about 24 knots.
Studies revealed that such ships can best be
served with engines having around 4520 kW
per cylinder. The ‘C’ series engines have been
especially designed for this application. They
are available with six to twelve cylinders to
cover a power range of 21,720 kW to 54,240
kW, while at nominal speed running between
87 and 102 rpm.
With view to the new trend to design more
economical vessels with a lower design speed,
the ‘T’ series engine, RT-flex82T (long-stroke
version) can be applied. They are available with Output bhp Output kW
six to nine cylinders to cover a power range of 80 000
100 000 RT-flex96C
21,720 kW to 40,680 kW. RTA96C
80 000 60 000
New large crude oil tankers and ore carriers RT-flex82T RT-flex82C 50 000
range in capacity between 200,000 tdw to 60 000 RTA82T RTA82C 40 000
more than 350,000 tdw. For this type of ship, RTA72U-B
the ‘T’ series engine version is available. Its 40 000 30 000
RT-flex60C-B
nominal speed range lies between 68 and
RTA62U-B
80 rpm. The ‘T’ versions also perfectly suit 20 000
RT-flex50-D
for container vessel applications if a low shaft RTA50-D
20 000
speed is required. RT-flex84T-D RTA52U
The shop tests of these newly developed RTA84T-D
10 000
RT-flex68-D RT-flex35
engines started in 2008. By the end of August RTA68-D 8 000
2010, already 50 engines passed their shop 10 000
RT-flex58T-D 6 000
tests successfully and the market has readily 8 000 RTA58T-D
accepted these engines with 32 engines 6 000 RTA48T-D
4 000
already in service. As of August 2010, orders RT-flex40
booked amounted to 130 engines with an 3 000
aggregate power of around 4.3 GW. 60 70 80 90 100 120 140 160 180
Engine speed, rev/min

5
7 RT-flex82T

6
DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND
Wärtsilä has a policy of continuously updating its
engine portfolio and engine designs to adapt them
to the latest market requirements and to deliver
the benefits of technical improvements. Much in
the design of the new 82 series engines is based
on experience gained with the Wärtsilä RTA84T
engine type that was introduced in May 1991.
Continuous cost reduction in the shipping
industry stresses the need for the lowest possible
capital investment and operating expenditure.
Maximum uniformity in design, common parts
and excellent manufacturability can substantially
reduce costs.
The platform concept is well practised in the
automotive industry, where cars of completely
different brands are designed and built using a
common platform with many common parts, even
engines and body panels, to reduce costs. Wärtsilä
successfully applied that principle with engine
types of the same 820 mm cylinder bore and the
same cylinder power of 4520 kW/cylinder but with
a different stroke, while meeting the requirements
of two distinctly different market segments. The
engines share as many components as possible to
bring benefits of rationalisation in the design and
manufacturing, lowering manufacturing costs, and
optimising spare parts stocks. Similarity in design
facilitates a quick familiarisation of the ship’s crew
with the on-board technology while maintenance can
increasingly be carried out in a standardised way.

EXTENDED LAYOUT FIELD

During the initial studies for the 820 mm-bore
family of engines it became clear that, although
the required power could be readily identified, a
single running speed range could not be identified
as optimum for the two principal markets for these
engines. The solution was found to widen the layout
fields to provide a range of speeds at the given
maximum continuous rated power output.
The engine layout fields, usually defined by
the power/speed ratings R1, R2, R3 and R4,
are thus extended to higher speeds defined by
the additional points R1+ and R2+ at the same
powers as R1 and R2 respectively but with 5%
greater shaft speed. Any power and speed within
this whole engine layout field may be selected
as the contracted maximum continuous rating
BMEP at the unchanged maximum combustion
pressure (pmax) gives this R1+ point the benefit
of a reduced brake specific fuel consumption
(BSFC) compared with the R1 point.
The extended field offers usefully widened
flexibility to select the most efficient propeller
speed for lowest daily fuel consumption, and the
most economic propulsion equipment, namely the
propeller, shafting, etc., together with the appropriate
propeller diameter for the projected ship.
Power Engine MCR
R1 R1+
Engine layout field
R3

(CMCR) point for an engine. Conventional Extended

layout field layout
With the 5% increase in shaft speed at the field
R1+ point at the same power as at the R1 point,
R4
the engine is running at five per cent lower brake R2 R2+
mean effective pressure (BMEP). The reduced

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS
Engine type RT-flex82C RTA82C RT-flex82T RTA82T
Cylinder bore (mm) 820 820
Piston stroke (mm) 2646 3375
S/B ratio 3.2 4.1
Rating point R1 R1+ R1 R1+
Power/cylinder (kW) 4520 4520 4520 4520
Corresponding speed (rpm) 97 102 76 80
bmep (bar) 20.0 19.0 20.0 19.0
Mean piston speed (m/s) 8.55 9.0 8.55 9.0
Number of cylinders 6 to 12 6 to 9
Power range (kW) 21 720–54 240 21 720–40 680

7
RT-flex: CONCEPT AND BENEFITS
The Wärtsilä RT-flex system is the result of a
long project since the 1980s to develop low-
speed marine engines with higher efficiency.
The system overcomes the constraints
imposed by mechanically driven fuel injection
pumps and exhaust valve actuation pumps and
offers far greater flexibility in engine settings to
reach maximum performance, independent of
the sailing conditions. Electronically controlled
fuel injection offers the possibility to adapt the
fuel injection timing and rate as well as the
exhaust valve timing for optimum combustion
under all circumstances. The objective is
to provide ship owners with a system that
renders minimum fuel costs while offering full
compliance with emission regulations.
The Wärtsilä RT-flex concept replaces the
mechanical camshaft and its gear drive, fuel
injection pumps, exhaust valve actuator pumps
and reversing servomotors of a slow-speed
two-stroke engine, by a common-rail system
for fuel injection, exhaust valve actuation
and air starting. These functions are fully
electronically controlled. That offers also
the possibility to switch off one or more fuel
injectors per cylinder, resulting in better fuel
economy and also smokeless operation at low
loads. Moreover, the common-rail system with
its volumetric control excellently balances the
load over the cylinders and avoids cycle-to-
cycle fluctuations. The common-rail injection
system can handle the same grades of heavy
fuel oil as are already standard for Wärtsilä
low-speed engines.
Summarising, the RT-flex system offers a
number of interesting benefits to ship owners
and operators:
•• Lower fuel consumption
•• Smokeless operation at all operating speeds
•• Lower stable running speeds, in the range
of 10–15 per cent of nominal speed
•• Longer running times between overhauls
•• Reduced maintenance requirements and
costs
•• Higher availability owing to the integrated
monitoring functions
•• High reliability from the built-in redundancy,
provided by the ample capacity and
duplication in the supply pumps, main
delivery pipes, crank-angle sensors,
electronic control units and other key
elements.

RT-flex COMMON-RAIL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

The two common rail pipes are stretched over
the length of the engine and housed as a rail
unit in an enclosure at just below the cylinder
cover level. The common rails and other
related pipe work are neatly arranged in an
easy accessible rail unit box sitting on top of
the main platform and are readily accessible
from above.
Fuel injection and exhaust valve operation
are controlled by individual Injection Control
Units for each cylinder. The control units are
directly mounted on the single-piece rail pipes
and are controlled using servo oil through
Wärtsilä electro-hydraulic rail valves.
The common rail for fuel injection is fed
with heated fuel oil at the usual high pressure
(nominally 1000 bar) ready for injection. The
supply unit has a number of high-pressure
fuel supply pumps running on single-lobe
cams. Fuel oil and servo oil are supplied to
the common-rail system by pumps mounted
in a very compact arrangement at the after
end of the engine. The aft location simplifies
access and maintenance. The fuel supply
pumps are of the reciprocating plunger type
designed by Wärtsilä while the servo oil pumps
are of proprietary make. The pumps are driven
through gearing from the crankshaft. The
number of pumps depends upon the number
of engine cylinders and engine power output.
The fuel supply pumps are grouped in one
(six to eight cylinder engines) or two (nine to
twelve cylinder engines) Fuel Pump Units and
the servo oil pumps in one Servo Pump Unit.
The fuel supply pumps make several strokes
during each crankshaft revolution owing to the
drive gear ratio. Fuel delivery volume and rail
pressure are regulated through suction control
of the fuel supply pumps. The servo oil for
operating the fuel control units and exhaust
valves is drawn from the engine lubrication
system through an automatic self-cleaning fine
filter and delivered at pressures up to 200 bar.
Fuel is delivered from this common rail
through a separate Injection Control Unit for
each cylinder to the standard fuel injection
valves which are hydraulically operated in
the usual way, by the high-pressure fuel oil.
The injection control units, using quick-acting
Wärtsilä rail valves, regulate the timing of fuel
injection, control the volume of fuel injected,
and set the shape of the injection pattern.
The three fuel injection valves in each cylinder
cover are separately controlled so that,
although they normally act in unison, they can
also be programmed to operate separately as
necessary.

8

The key features of the Wärtsilä RT-flex
common-rail system are:
•• Precise volumetric control of fuel injection,
with integrated flow-out security
•• Variable injection rate shaping and free
selection of injection pressure
•• Stable pressure levels in common rail
•• Possibility for independent control and
shutting off of individual fuel injection valves
•• Ideally suited for heavy fuel oil through clear
separation of the fuel oil from the hydraulic
pilot valves
•• Well-proven standard fuel-injection valves
•• Proven, high-efficiency common-rail fuel
pumps.
The RT-flex system also encompasses exhaust
valve actuation and starting air control. The
exhaust valves are operated in much the same
way as in RTA engines by a hydraulic pushrod
but with the actuating energy now coming from a
Injection Control Unit (left) and Valve Control Unit (right)
servo oil rail at about 200 bar pressure. The servo
oil is supplied by high-pressure hydraulic pumps
incorporated in the Servo Pump Unit with the
fuel supply pumps. The electronically controlled
actuating unit for each cylinder gives full flexibility
in timing for valve opening and closing.
All functions in the RT-flex system are
controlled, monitored and executed through
the integrated Wärtsilä WECS-9520 electronic
control system which triggers the electro-
hydraulic rail valves for the respective
functions. This is a modular system with
separate microprocessor control modules for
each cylinder, which are all connected together
by a CANbus. Devices such as rail valves are
directly connected to and controlled from these
modules. The crankshaft position is detected
by a crank angle sensor and provided directly
to each control module through a redundant
SSI bus. Provision is also made in the control
system for access for machine health
monitoring, maintenance, adjustments, and
troubleshooting.
The control modules are housed in cabinets
mounted on the side of the rail unit. All control
functions are distributed between the control
modules in such a way that if one module fails,
the engine remains in operation. The WECS-
9520 thus has benefits of a single module type,
simple wiring, few control boxes of standardized
design, good communication within the system,
integration with the ship alarm systems,
redundancy and easy troubleshooting.
The WECS-9520 offers unmatched
flexibility for interconnectivity between the
RT-flex engine control system and the ship’s
integrated remote control and safety systems
according to the DENIS-9520 interface
specification.
9
 RT-flex: REAL IN-SERVICE DELTA TUNING AND LOW-LOAD TUNING: A
FUEL EFFICIENCY ALTERNATIVE
FUEL ECONOMY Through their flexibility in engine parameter
Whereas Wärtsilä RTA-series engines have settings, RT-flex engines also have an alternative
excellent fuel consumption in general, the RT- fuel consumption curve as standard to give
flex system enables further improvements to be lower BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption)
achieved in the part load range. This is because in what is for many ships the main operating
of the freedom allowed by the RT-flex system range. Through Delta Tuning and Low-Load
in selecting optimum injection pressure, fuel Tuning, the BSFC is lowered in the mid- and
injection timing and exhaust valve timing at all low-load operating range at less than 90 per
engine loads or speeds, while ensuring efficient cent engine power. The consequent increase in
combustion at all times, even during dead slow NOX in that operating range is compensated by
running. reducing NOX emissions in the high load range.
In addition the similar freedom in exhaust With the three BSFC curves, the engines comply
valve timing allows the RT-flex system to keep with the NOX regulation of the MARPOL 73/78
combustion air excess high by earlier valve convention.
closing as the load/speed is reduced. This is not The engines, which are compliant with IMO
only advantageous for fuel consumption but also Tier II emission regulations, are available in so-
limits component temperatures, which would called cost-optimized or efficiency-optimized
normally increase at low load. With a fixed valve executions. While the cost-optimized versions
timing, lower turbocharger efficiencies at part are equipped with the same turbochargers
load normally result in low excess combustion air. as used for the Tier I versions the efficiency-
Another important contribution to fuel optimized versions benefit from the higher
economy of the RTA and RT-flex82C and T scavenge pressure of the latest turbocharger
engines is the capability for easily adapting generation resulting in lower fuel consumption.
the injection timing to various fuel properties, Scavenge air coolers and auxiliary blowers
especially for fuels having a poor combustion have to be adapted to the higher pressure level
behaviour. whereas the scavenge air receiver is identical. Engine aft end with supply unit

RT-flex82C R1+ Tier II Efficiency-optimized tuning

176

Standard RT-flex: CLEANER FOR THE

174
Delta
Low load
ENVIRONMENT
172
BSFC (g/kWh)

Exhaust gas emissions have become an

170 important aspect of marine diesel engines.
168 All Wärtsilä RT-flex and RTA engines comply
with the NOX emissions limit of Annex VI of
166
the MARPOL 73/78 convention as standard.
164 RT-flex engines, however, come comfortably
40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% below this NOX limit by virtue of their
Load (%)
10
extremely wide flexibility in optimizing the
9 fuel injection and exhaust valve processes,
7RT-flex82C 2 x MET71MA Tier I
8 together with enabling the engines to use
7RT-flex82C 2 x MET71MB Tier II
Smoke Bosch 3 ltr. (%)

7 Delta and Low-Load Tuning for improved part-

6 Auxiliary blower on/off
Smoke visibility limit load fuel saving.
5
The most visible benefit of RT-flex engines
4
3
is, naturally, their smokeless operation at
2 all speeds. The superior combustion with
3 2 nozzle injection
1 the common-rail system is largely because
0 the fuel injection pressure is maintained at
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Load (%)
the optimum level irrespective of engine
Smoke curves measured during shop test when tuned for IMO Tier I and Tier II emissions limits. speed. In addition, RT-flex engines are able
Both curves demonstrate smoke-free operation at all engine loads, even at minimum load. to run stable at very low speeds, slower than

10

camshaft-type engines. They can run without
smoking at about 12% nominal speed. This is
made possible by precise control of injection,
optimized injection pressures and optimized
valve timing.
The 820 mm-bore engines, both RT-flex
and RTA types, were developed from the very
beginning to comply with the forthcoming IMO
Tier II and Tier III NOX emissions regulations.
These amendments to the MARPOL 73/78
convention were agreed in March/April
2008 by the Marine Environment Protection
Committee (MEPC) of IMO (International
Maritime Organization). Tests have shown that
the RT-flex engines are ready to being adapted
to comply with the lower emissions standard.
A useful reduction in all exhaust emissions,
including CO2, can be obtained with all 82-
bore engines by combining the engine with a
waste heat recovery plant (see page 17).
In connection with the investigations of the
possibilities of the RT-flex system, Wärtsilä is
carrying out a long-term research programme
RT-flex fuel pump arrangement
RTA fuel pump arrangement
to develop techniques for further reducing
exhaust emissions, including NOX, SOX and
CO2, in both RT-flex and RTA engines.
RTA82C and RTA82T:
TRADITIONAL FUEL
INJECTION
The Wärtsilä RTA82C and T retain a traditional,
mechanical camshaft arrangement for fuel
injection pumps and valve drives. One housing
combines the fuel injection pump and the
actuator pump for exhaust valve actuation for
one cylinder of the engine.
The camshaft driven fuel pumps are of the
well-proven jerk-type (also called Bosch-type).
This kind of fuel injection control by a helix
in the plunger is applied on many two-stroke
and four-stroke engines. The concave form
of the cam profile of the fuel pump allows
the use of a pneumatically activated swing
arm for reversing. This concept is combined
with a dual injection timing (DIT) mechanism,
which enables a certain shift of the injection
timing. DIT can increase the firing pressure at
part load for improved fuel consumption. The
fuel pump cover contains suction and delivery
valves and a cut out device for emergency
stop. The distribution of the fuel to the three
injectors is also integrated into the pump
cover.
The camshaft is assembled from a number
of segments, each segment for one of two
cylinders of the engine. The segments are
flange-mounted together and to the gear
wheel.
The camshaft drive uses the well-proven
arrangement of gear wheels housed in a
double column located at the driving end or
in the centre of the engine, depending upon
the number of cylinders. There are four gear
wheels in the camshaft drive. The main gear
wheel on the crankshaft is in one piece and
flange-mounted.
11
Column with cylinder jacket and liners
ENGINE STRUCTURE
Wärtsilä RT-flex82C, RT-flex82T, RTA82C and
RTA82TT engines have a well-proven type
of structure, with a ‘gondola’-type bedplate
surmounted by very rigid, monobloc double-
walled columns and a cast-iron monobloc
cylinder block, all secured by pre-tensioned
vertical tie rods. The whole structure is very
sturdy with low stresses and high stiffness.
Both bedplate and columns are welded
fabrications which are also designed for
minimum machining.
A high structural rigidity is of major
importance for today’s two-stroke engines
with their long strokes. Accordingly, the design
is based on extensive stress and deformation
calculations carried out by using a full three
dimensional finite-element computer model for
different column designs to verify the optimum
frame configuration. The double-walled column
has thick crosshead guide rails for greater
rigidity under crosshead guide shoe forces.
The dry cylinder jacket, typically of bolted
execution, has a high rigidity. Access to the
piston under-side in the cylinder jacket is
12
Bedplate with crankshaft
normally from the fuel side, but is also possible
from the receiver side of the engine, to allow
for maintenance of the piston rod gland and
also for inspecting piston rings.
The tilting-pad thrust bearing is integrated
into the bedplate in a very compact and thus
stiff housing. Owing to the use of gear wheels
for the supply unit drive in the RT-flex and RTA
engines, the thrust bearing can be very short
and very stiff.
RUNNING GEAR
The running gear comprises the crankshaft,
connecting rods, crosshead, piston rods and
pistons, together with their associated bearings
and piston rod glands. The crankshaft is semi-
built comprising combined crank pin/web
elements forged from a solid ingot and the
journal pins then shrunk into the crank web.
The main, bottom-end and crosshead
bearings are all of white metal on steel shells.
Each main bearing cap is held down by four
hydraulically-tensioned elastic holding down
studs. The main bearing saddle and cover
are machined together. This results in an
optimal joint face transition zone for the upper
and lower bearing shells. The main bearings
have thin shells with thick white-metal layers,
whereas the thin shells of the connecting rod
bottom-end bearings have thin white-metal
layers.
The crosshead bearing is designed to the
same principles as for all other RT-flex and
RTA engines. It also features a full-width
lower half bearing with the crosshead pin
being of uniform diameter. The crosshead
bearings have a lower thin-shell lined with
white metal for a high load-bearing capacity
whilst the bearing covers themselves are
lined with white metal. The two guide shoes
are single steel castings with white metal-
lined running surfaces.
Extensive development work has been
put into the piston rod gland because of
its importance in keeping crankcase oil
consumption down to a reasonable level and
maintaining the quality of the system oil. The
piston rod glands are of a proven design with
highly effective dirt scraping action in the
top part and system oil scraping in the lower
part. The glands are provided with large drain
Cylinder liner
areas and channels. Losses of system oil are
minimized as there is substantially a complete
internal recirculation of scraped-off oil back
to the crankcase. Hardened piston rods are
standard to ensure long-term stability in gland
behaviour.
In the RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T engines,
the fuel supply pumps and servo oil pumps
are arranged on the after side of the aftermost
column. They are driven by gearing from the
crankshaft in two or three separate groups.
The crankshaft gearwheel is mounted on the
thrust collar. Separating the gear drives splits
the drive torque, and thereby reduces the sizes
of the intermediate and crankshaft gearwheels
and their inertias.
COMBUSTION CHAMBER
The well-proven bore-cooling principle is
employed in the cylinder cover, exhaust
valve seat, cylinder liner and piston crown to
control their temperatures, as well as thermal
strains and mechanical stresses. The surface
temperatures of the cylinder liner are optimized
for good piston-running behaviour.
The cylinder liners are seated in the cylinder
block, and are sufficiently robust to carry the
cylinder covers without requiring a support
ring. A light sleeve is applied to the upper part
of each liner to form a water jacket around the
respective liner.
The solid forged steel, bore-cooled cylinder
cover is secured by eight hydraulically-
tensioned elastic studs. It is equipped with
a single, central exhaust valve in Nimonic
80A alloy which is housed in a water-cooled,
bolted-on valve cage of grey cast iron. The
exhaust valve is hydraulically actuated and has
an air spring. The cylinder cover also carries
the electronically-controlled starting air valve.
Three fuel injection valves are symmetrically
arranged in each cylinder cover. Each fuel
injection valve is separately supplied and
controlled from the common-rail system. Anti-
corrosion cladding is applied to the cylinder
covers downstream of the injection nozzles to
protect the cylinder covers from hot corrosive
or erosive attack.
The pistons comprise a forged steel crown
with a short skirt. The pistons each have three
piston rings, all of which are pre-profiled and
have a chrome-ceramic coating. The robust
top ring has a gas-tight lock for improved
sealing, less gas blow by and thus reduced
ring groove temperatures. The gas-tight ring
thus results in less carbonized deposits. The
two lower rings act as oil distributors and
emergency seals. Piston crown top-land
height is increased and clearances optimized
to improve the sealing properties and to
reduce gas temperatures at the top ring level.
The whole concept was validated before its
introduction over three years’ operation on five
units (9- and 12-cylinder RTA96C). All have
safely passed more than 15,000 running hours
(about three years’ operation) in sometimes a
hard environment.
The short skirt is equipped with two bronze
rubbing bands. The piston and its short skirt
are secured to the piston rod from below
by hydraulically-tightened bolts. The pistons
continue with the well-proven combined jet-
shaker oil cooling of the piston crown which
provides optimum cooling performance. It gives
very moderate temperatures on the piston
crown with an even temperature distribution
right across the crown surface.
13
Piston
PISTON RUNNING
FEATURES
The time between overhauls (TBO) of low-
speed marine diesel engines is today largely
determined by the piston-running behaviour
and its effect on the wear of piston rings and
cylinder liners. For this reason, the 820 mm-
bore engines incorporate a package of proven
design measures that enable the TBO of the
cylinder components, including piston ring
renewal, to be extended to at least three years,
while allowing a low cylinder lubricating oil
feed rate.
The standard design measures applied
to these engines for excellent piston-running
behaviour include:
•• Liner of the appropriate material
•• Careful turning of the liner running surface
and deep, plateau honing of the liner over
the full length of the running surface
•• Chromium-ceramic coated, pre-profiled
piston rings in all piston ring grooves
•• Anti-Polishing Ring (APR) at the top of the
cylinder liner
14
•• Ample thickness of chromium layer in the
piston-ring grooves
•• Wärtsilä Pulse Lubricating System for
cylinder lubrication.
A key element is the deep-honed liner.
Careful machining and deep, plateau honing
gives the liner an ideal running surface for the
piston rings, together with an optimum surface
microstructure.
The Anti-Polishing Ring prevents the build
up of deposits on the top land of the piston
which would otherwise damage the oil film on
the liner and cause bore polishing.
It is also important that the liner wall
temperatures are optimized to keep the liner
surface above the dew point temperature
throughout the piston stroke to avoid cold
corrosion. This ensures that the engines
are insensitive to fuel sulphur levels. At the
same time, the ‘under-slung’ scavenge air
receiver and the highly-efficient vane-type
water separators with effective water drainage
arrangements ensure that as much water as
possible is taken out of the scavenge air.
WÄRTSILÄ PULSE
LUBRICATING SYSTEM
Cylinder lubrication is provided by the
Wärtsilä Pulse Lubricating System (PLS). The
system doses the right quantity of lubricating
oil for good piston-running behaviour. The
lubricating oil feed rate is electronically
controlled according to engine load and
can also be adjusted according to engine
condition. The guide feed rate with PLS is
0.7–0.8 g/kWh for engine loads of 50–100%
and all fuel sulphur contents greater than
1.5%. Inclined lubricating oil grooves on the
cylinder liner ensure optimum oil distribution
in the circumferential direction. PLS delivers
reduced cylinder oil consumption without
compromising piston-running reliability in

Arrangement of the Pulse Lubricating System
for one cylinder of an RT-flex engine
order to meet the demand from owners and
operators for lower cylinder oil feed rates.
Besides reducing operating costs, reduced
cylinder oil feed rates are also beneficial for
their significant influence on reducing air-
polluting emissions in terms of particulate
matter.
The cost savings achievable with PLS are
significant. In case of a Wärtsilä 12RT-flex82C
engine of 54,240kW maximum continuous
output running at 85 per cent load for 7000
hours a year with cylinder lubrication oil
costing US$ 2000/tonne, the reduction from
a traditional feed rate of 1.1 g/kWh (0.8 g/
bhph) with the existing accumulator system to
the PLS guide feed rate of 0.7 g/kWh (0.5 g/
bhph) can generate cost savings of some US$
260,000 a year.
Piston ring pack through scavenge ports
Such a reduction in cylinder oil feed cylinder oil delivery across the engine’s load
rate is made possible through the improved range. The dosage is precisely regulated even
distribution of cylinder lubricating oil to the for low feed rates.
cylinder liner, and the fully flexible, precise, Service experience with the Pulse
timing of oil delivery. The key feature of the Lubricating System has been very successful
Pulse Lubricating System is that it delivers with excellent liner and piston ring conditions.
accurately metered, load-dependent quantities Trials have been carried out both on the
of lubricating oil to the cylinder liner running Wärtsilä RTX-4 research engine in Winterthur
surface at the precise timing required. and on shipboard engines. The first production
Electronic control ensures the accurate dosage engine fully fitted with PLS successfully passed
and timing, with full flexibility in settings. its shop test in May 2006, with other engines
The 820 mm-bore engine types are following. Since then, more than 250 PLS have
equipped with eight lubricator quills in each been employed in newbuildings and retrofitted
cylinder. These deliver lubricating oil directly to existing engines.
into the piston ring pack. Cylinder lubricating
oil is supplied under pressure to the lubricators
by a newly-developed dosage pump which is
driven by pressurized servo oil, either from the
RT-flex engine servo oil rail or, in RTA engines,
a separate servo oil supply.
There is a single dosage pump unit for
each cylinder. The feed rate and timing of the
cylinder oil are electronically controlled through
a solenoid valve at the dosage pump. There is
full flexibility in the volumetric metering of the
15
7RT-flex82C
TURBOCHARGING AND
SCAVENGE AIR SYSTEM
The engines are uniflow scavenged with air
inlet ports in the lower part of each cylinder
and a single, central exhaust valve in each
cylinder cover. Scavenge air is delivered
by a constant-pressure turbocharging
system with two or three high-efficiency
exhaust gas turbochargers depending
on the numbers of cylinders. For starting
and during slow running, the scavenge air
delivery is boosted by electrically-driven
auxiliary blowers.
16
The scavenge air receiver is of an under-slung
design with integral non-return flaps, air cooler,
water separator and auxiliary blowers. The
turbochargers are mounted on the scavenge
air receiver which also carries the support
for the exhaust manifold. The turbochargers,
air coolers and air receiver are in a compact
arrangement that allows optimum gas flows
while minimizing engine width.
Special attention has been given to
removing water condensate before the
scavenge air enters the cylinders. Immediately
after the horizontal air cooler, the scavenge
air is swung round 180 degrees to the
engine cylinders, in the process passing
through the vertically-arranged water
separator. The highly efficient water
separator comprises a row of vanes which
divert the air flow and collect the water.
This arrangement provides the effective
separation of condensed water from the
stream of scavenge air which is imperative
for satisfactory piston-running behaviour.
INSTALLATION
ARRANGEMENTS
Careful attention has been given to facilitating
installation of the engine in the ship. The
seating involves a modest number of holding-
down bolts and side stoppers, and there are
no end stoppers, thrust brackets or fitted
bolts. Thrust transmission is by thrust sleeves
on a number of holding-down bolts. By this,
the engine fixation time and cost could be
reduced by about 40 to 45% compared to the
corresponding competitor’s engine.
The required specific area of the exhaust
gas pipe (mm2/kW) is reduced by about 15%
owing to less specific exhaust gas flow. In
addition the temperature of the exhaust gas is
significantly higher leading to a higher possible
waste heat recovery rate.
All ancillaries and their arrangement are
optimized to reduce installation time and
operating costs, with electrical requirements
reduced by about 20% owing to lower specific
flow rates of cooling water and lubricating oil.
Cross section RT-flex82C
Turbogenerator set for the high-efficiency waste heat recovery plant, with the exhaust-gas
power turbine on the left, the generator on the right, and the steam turbine to the right of centre.
WASTE HEAT RECOVERY:
COST SAVINGS WITH REDUCED EMISSIONS
An environmentally-clean way to cut operating
costs is to employ waste heat recovery (WHR)
in a Rankine cycle to generate electricity. With
these 820 mm bore engines, the generated
electrical power can be sufficient to cover all
shipboard services while the ship is at sea.
It is the only technology commercially
available today that reduces both fuel
consumption and exhaust emissions (such
as CO2, NOX, SOX, etc.) at the same time. It
also avoids the running of auxiliary engines
while at sea with the corresponding savings in
maintenance and spare parts costs.
The waste heat recovery plant follows
the well-established concept of passing the
exhaust gases of the ship’s main engine
through a exhaust gas economizer unit to
generate steam for a turbine-driven generator.
The quantity of energy recovered from the
exhaust gases can be increased by adapting
the engine to the lower air intake temperatures
that are available by drawing intake air from
outside the ship (ambient air) instead of from
the ship’s engine room. The engine room
ventilation system absorbs thus less power
because the engine combustion air is coming
from outside without aid of ventilators.
The overall result of this concept is that
the quantity of energy recoverable from the
exhaust gas is increased without affecting the
air flow through the engine. Consequently,
there is no increase in the thermal loading of
the engine and there is no adverse effect on
engine reliability.
Heat is also recovered from the engine’s
scavenge air and jacket cooling water for
feedwater heating. The scavenge air coolers
are designed in such a way that the boiler
feed water can be heated close to the
evaporation temperature.
For example, a high-efficiency WHR plant
associated with a 31,640 kW seven-cylinder
Wärtsilä RT‑flex82T engine in a VLCC could
deliver around 1500 kWe at engine full load
under ISO conditions with 7.5% exhaust gas
bypass using a dual-pressure steam system.
As such a vessel would need only 900-1100
kWe for ship services while at sea, the tanker
could operate without running its auxiliary
engines while at sea under a wide range of
ship speeds. It would save more than 1400
tonnes of fuel a year, with corresponding
savings in all types of air emissions,
especially CO2.
17
 Piston crown with clean ring pack after
6300 running hours

SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Engine performance
By the end of August 2010, 50 RTA and
RT-flex 82 engines had successfully passed
their shop tests. The 8RTA82C was the first
engine shop tested at Hyundai followed by
the 7RT-flex82C type in summer 2008. The
Type Approval Test of the C-type engine was
carried out in September 2008.
In spring 2009 the first 7RT-flex82T
was successfully shop tested and the type
approval test was carried out on the fourth
engine of this type by the end of September
2009.
Performance measurements of the three
engine types, RTA82C, RT-flex82C and
RT-flex82T, fully confirmed the calculations
made during engine lay-out regarding
engine performance, engine vibrations
and component stresses. The specific fuel
consumption and the NOX values are well
within the defined limits. Low smoke values at
low load have been measured which confirms
the superior common-rail technology of the
RT-flex engines.

Injection pipe arrangement of an RT-flex engine

18

Temperatures of the principal components
around the combustion chamber – the cylinder
cover, cylinder liner, piston crown and exhaust
valve – were measured on both ‘C’ and ‘T’
type engines. After the final optimization of
the fuel injection nozzles, these component
temperatures were measured to be well
below the target values in the design and
development process. It is notable that the
temperatures are very consistent with very
little circumferential variation around the
combustion chamber.
Static and dynamic stresses were
measured in all principal components of the
engine structure as well as in the running gear
in both the ‘C’ version (8RTA82C and 7RT-
flex82C) and the ‘T’ version (7RT-flex82T). The
structural components measured were the
bedplate, column, cylinder jacket, scavenge air
receiver, cylinder liner and cylinder cover. The
running gear components measured were the
crankshaft, connecting rod, crosshead guide
shoes, RT-flex supply unit and the supply unit
drive.
When compared with calculations made
during the engine lay-out, the measured values
for all components are within the target stress
limits. The cylinder cover bolts had to be
slightly modified to meet the target values.
Torsional and engine vibration
measurements were carried out. The torsional
vibration calculations of the crankshaft were
Excellent condition of the cylinder liner with PLS after 6300 running hours
very well confirmed by the measurements.
The measured engine vibration values are well
within the acceptable limits defined by the
classification societies. Initially the vibrations
of the upper platform in the outer fore corner
of the RT-flex 82C were slightly above the limit
and had to be reinforced.
Additional attention was paid in October
2009 to the first 10RT-flex82C with its two Fuel
Pump Units at the rear end of the engine.
NOX emissions tests for IMO Tier II have
been carried out on both the RT-flex82C and
the RT-flex82T engine types during shop tests.
The required NOX values of 14.4 g/kwh could
be readily achieved by the special engine
tuning. Specific fuel consumption figures
(SFOC) were within the predicted values and
the smoke values well below the visibility
limits.
Piston running
The pistons of these 820 mm-bore engines are
each equipped with three piston rings. All three
rings are pre-profiled and chromium ceramic
coated. The top ring is 24 mm high and gas tight.
The running behaviour of rings and liners
during shop tests was without complaint.
The first 8RTA82C engine entered service
in November 2008 in the containership ‘SCI
Chennai’ of Shipping Corporation of India. It
has accumulated more than 7000 running
hours by the end of January 2010. The ‘SCI
Chennai’ was chosen for following up in
service through regular engine inspections.
The piston-running behaviour of this engine is
very satisfactory. The piston ring package is
very clean and the liners are in good condition.
Wear measurements were carried out at 6000
hours. Liner wear of 0.01 mm/1000 hours and
radial top ring wear of 0.02 mm/1000 hours
have been measured.
Cylinder lubrication
All the 820 mm-bore engines are equipped
with the Pulse Lubricating System (PLS).
The time-controlled dosage pumps fitted at
each cylinder are behaving well. The cylinder
oil feed rates in the engines in service are
adjusted between 0.8 and 0.9 g/kWh. It has
been clearly experienced that piston ring
packages and piston undersides are cleaner
when cylinder feed rates are kept according
to Wärtsilä’s recommended values. Over
lubrication leads to contamination of piston and
liner, and must be avoided.
Running gear and main bearings
The running gears of all engines were
inspected after shop tests and later in service.
All components are in good condition. The
main bearing No.5 of the first 8RTA82C engine
was inspected after 5600 running hours.
The contact area on the white metal side
shows normal running marks and the back
19
of the bearing shell is spotless without any
fretting marks. The crosshead and bottom-
end bearings are also showing good running
behaviour.
Common-rail supply system
The RT-flex fuel supply pumps are running
well. One fuel pump was completely
dismantled for inspection of all components
after a shop test. All components were found to
be in spotless condition. The same inspection
is also planned after 3000 running hours in
service.
At the same inspection, the servo oil supply
pumps and gear wheels of the supply system
Good condition of the main bearing after 5500 running hours
Crosshead bearing after 3000 running hours
20
were also found to be in good condition. The gear WECS control system
wheels showed normal tooth contact marks. The Wärtsilä WECS-9520 control system
is working well. The RT-flex82 engines are
Common-rail unit equipped with the same hardware since
Injection control units (ICUs) and valve control introduction of the WECS-9520 concept in
units (VCUs) employed in the rail unit are 2004. Some software updates, however,
working according to expectations. A complete have been introduced as a result of further
inspection of ICUs and VCUs is also planned component developments and when
after 3000 running hours. malfunctions were reported from engines in
High vibration amplitudes were measured in service.
the servo oil rising pipes. The vibration had led The latest released software, build 082,
to broken bolts in the pipe connecting pieces incorporates low load and sequential injection
to the servo oil rail. This shortcoming was fully operation functions, and an improved cylinder
solved when reinforced pipe supports were lubrication algorithm.
introduced.
Bottom end bearing after 8000 running hours

Gear wheels of the supply unit drive
MAINTENANCE
Primary objectives in the design and
development of Wärtsilä low-speed engines
are high reliability and long times between
overhauls. Three years between overhauls are
now being achieved by engines based on the
latest design standards. At the same time, their
high reliability gives ship owners more freedom
to arrange maintenance work within ships’
sailing schedules. Yet, as maintenance work is
inevitable, particular attention is given to ease
of maintenance by including tooling and easy
access, and by providing easy-to-understand
instructions.
All major fastenings throughout the engine
are hydraulically tightened. Access to the
crankcase continues to be possible from
both sides of the engine. The handling of
components within the crankcase is facilitated
by ample provision for hanging hoisting
equipment.
The Wärtsilä RT-flex system is designed
to be user friendly, without requiring ships’
engineers to have any special additional skills.
The system incorporates its own diagnostic
functions, and all the critical elements are
made for straightforward replacement. In fact,
the knowledge for operation and maintenance
of RT-flex engines can be included in Wärtsilä’s
usual one-week courses for RTA-series
engines available for ships’ engineers. Training
time usually given to the camshaft system, fuel
pumps, valve actuating pumps, and reversing
servomotors is simply given instead to the
RT-flex system.
21
REFERENCES

7RT-flex82T

8RT-flex82C

22
MAIN TECHNICAL DATA
DEFINITIONS
•• Dimensions and weights: All dimensions are in millimetres and are WÄRTSILÄ RT-flex82C IMO Tier I and Tier II
Main data: Also available as traditional RTA type
not binding. The engine weight is net in metric tonnes (t), without oil Cylinder bore.................................................820 mm Fuel specification:
Piston stroke...............................................2646 mm Fuel oil..................................................700 cSt/50°C
and water, and is not binding. Speed.................................................... 87–102 rpm ISO-F 8217:2005,
Mean effective pressure category ISO-RMK700
•• R1, R1+, R2, R2+, R3, R4 = power/speed ratings at the six corners at R1/R1+............................................ 20.0/19.0 bar
Piston speed at R1/R1+........................... 8.6/9.0 m/s
of the engine layout field (see diagram).
Rated power, principal dimensions and weights
•• R1 = engine Maximum Continuous Rating (MCR). Output in kW at
Length A Weight
•• Contract-MCR (CMCR) = selected rating point for particular Cyl. 97 / 102 rpm 87 rpm mm tonnes
R1 / R1+ R2 / R2+ R3 R4
installation. Any CMCR point can be selected within the engine layout 6 27 120 21 720 24 300 21 720 11 045 745
7 31 640 25 340 28 350 25 340 12 550 840
field. 8 36 160 28 960 32 400 28 960 14 055 935
9 40 680 32 580 36 450 32 580 16 500 1 005
•• BSFC = brake specific fuel consumptions (BSFC). All figures are 10
11
45 200
49 720
36 200
39 820
40 500
44 550
36 200
39 820
18 005
19 510
1 145
1 230
12 54 240 43 440 48 600 43 440 21 015 1 335
quoted for fuel of lower calorific value 42.7 MJ/kg, and for ISO
Dimensions B C D E F* G
standard reference conditions (ISO 15550 and 3046). The BSFC mm 4 570 1 600 10 930 5 400 12 700 2 310
figures are given with a tolerance of +5%. Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) in g/kWh
•• Wärtsilä RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T engines have a lower part-load Full load
Rating point R1/R1+ R2/R2+ R3 R4
fuel consumption than the corresponding Wärtsilä RTA82 engines. BMEP, bar 20.0/19.0 16.0/15.2 20.0 17.9
•• The values of power in kilowatts and fuel consumption in g/kWh IMO Tier I
RTA 171/169 165 171 167
RT-flex Standard Tuning 171/169 165 171 167
are the standard figures, and discrepancies occur between these IMO Tier II
RTA 177/175 171 177 174
RT-flex Standard Tuning** 173/171 167 173 170
and the corresponding brake horsepower (bhp) values owing to the
Part load, % of R1/R1+ 85 70 85 70 60
rounding of numbers. For definitive values, please contact Wärtsilä RT-flex tuning variant Standard Standard Delta Delta Low-Load
IMO Tier I 168.1/166.1 168.1/166.1 167.1/165.1 166.0/165.0 164.5/162.5
local offices. IMO Tier II** 169.8/167.8 169.0/167.0 169.1/167.1 167.5/165.5 166.5/164.5
•• ISO standard reference conditions * Standard piston dismantling height, can be reduced with tilted piston withdrawal.
** These BSFC values are for engines equipped with the latest high-efficiency turbochargers. Application of the
Total barometric pressure at R1 1.0 bar previous generation of turbochargers leads to BSFC values that are 2g/kWh higher.
Delta Tuning and Low-Load Tuning are only available with the high-efficiency turbochargers.
Suction air temperature 25 °C
Relative humidity 30% WÄRTSILÄ RT-flex82T IMO Tier I and Tier II
Main data: Also available as traditional RTA type
Scavenge air cooling water temperature: Cylinder bore.................................................820 mm Fuel specification:
– with sea water 25 °C Piston stroke...............................................3375 mm Fuel oil..................................................700 cSt/50°C
Speed...................................................... 68–80 rpm ISO-F 8217:2005,
– with fresh water 29 °C Mean effective pressure category ISO-RMK700
at R1/R1+............................................ 20.0/19.0 bar
Piston speed at R1/R1+........................... 8.6/9.0 m/s

Rated power, principal dimensions and weights

Output in kW at
Length A Weight
Cyl. 76 / 80 rpm 68 rpm mm tonnes
R1 / R1+ R2 / R2+ R3 R4
6 27 120 21 720 24 300 21 720 11 045 810
7 31 640 25 340 28 350 25 340 12 550 915
8 36 160 28 960 32 400 28 960 14 055 1 025
9 40 680 32 580 36 450 32 580 16 500 1 165

Dimensions B C D E F* G
mm 5 320 1 800 12 250 5 400 14 750 2 700

Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) in g/kWh

Full load
Rating point R1/R1+ R2/R2+ R3 R4
BMEP, bar 20.0/19.0 16.0/15.2 20.0 17.9
RTA 167/165 162 167 164
IMO Tier I
RT-flex Standard Tuning 167/165 162 167 164
RTA 173/171 167 173 170
IMO Tier II
RT-flex Standard Tuning** 168/166 162 168 165
Part load, % of R1/R1+ 85 70 85 70 60
RT-flex tuning variant Standard Standard Delta Delta Low-Load
IMO Tier I 163.7/161.7 162.5/161.0 162.8/161.0 161.5/160.2 159.7/158.3
IMO Tier II** 164.8/162.8 164.0/162.0 164.1/162.1 162.5/160.5 161.5/159.5
* Standard piston dismantling height, can be reduced with tilted piston withdrawal.
** These BSFC values are for engines equipped with the latest high-efficiency turbochargers. Application of the
previous generation of turbochargers leads to BSFC values that are 3g/kWh higher.
Delta Tuning and Low-Load Tuning are only available with the high-efficiency turbochargers.

23
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the
marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation
and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic
performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. Wärtsilä
is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.

WÄRTSILÄ® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 2010 Wärtsilä Corporation.