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Service Bulletin RN-4: Technical Information To All Owners of Sulzer RN and RND..M Type Engines 10.11.77

This document provides guidance for operating Sulzer RN and RND type marine diesel engines at reduced power levels below 20% of nominal power. It recommends measures to maintain adequate combustion and exhaust temperatures to prevent turbocharger overspeed, including adjusting fuel parameters, cooling water temperatures, cylinder lubrication rates, and using special "slow" fuel nozzles. It also discusses experience with retrofitting scavenge air heating to allow for extended low power operation of over 24 hours. Test results show the "slow" nozzles provide better smoke and fuel consumption than standard nozzles at power levels below 60%.

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117 views

Service Bulletin RN-4: Technical Information To All Owners of Sulzer RN and RND..M Type Engines 10.11.77

This document provides guidance for operating Sulzer RN and RND type marine diesel engines at reduced power levels below 20% of nominal power. It recommends measures to maintain adequate combustion and exhaust temperatures to prevent turbocharger overspeed, including adjusting fuel parameters, cooling water temperatures, cylinder lubrication rates, and using special "slow" fuel nozzles. It also discusses experience with retrofitting scavenge air heating to allow for extended low power operation of over 24 hours. Test results show the "slow" nozzles provide better smoke and fuel consumption than standard nozzles at power levels below 60%.

Uploaded by

zbkt07
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RN Engines

Service Bulletin

RN-4
10.11.77

Technical Information to all Owners of


Sulzer RN and RND..M Type Engines

(Reprinted 20.05.98)

Fuel Nozzles for Operation


at Reduced Power
(Slow Nozzles)

Contents:

Page

PO Box 414
CH-8401 Winterthur
Switzerland

3. SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH


PROLONGED LOW POWER
RUNNING

Wrtsil NSD Switzerland Ltd


Wrtsil NSD Schweiz AG
Wrtsil NSD Suisse SA

2. MEASURES FOR OPERATION


BELOW ABOUT 20% NOMINAL
POWER

28.42.71 .40 Printed in Switzerland

1. INTRODUCTION

Tel. +41 52 262 49 22


Fax +41 52 212 49 17
Tlx 896 659 NSDL CH

RN Engines
1.

INTRODUCTION

As stated in the now superseded Service Bulletin RN-7 some reports of turbocharger damage
due to overspeeding of the rotor were experienced. The few cases of such damage to
turbochargers could, in all the cases where we were able to obtain detailed information, be linked
with extended periods of running at very low power. From the reported symptoms, we have
concluded that a fire in the exhaust pipe before the turbocharger was responsible for the excessive
turbocharger speed.
In spite of the fact that there are almost 1700 RND, 570 RND..M, 135 RLA and 330 RLB Type
engines still in service there were practically no turbochargers reported to be damaged because of
overspeed in the last few years.
This fact proves that the operators of large diesel engines have learnt to live with fuels of higher
viscosity and poorer quality and take more care to achieve good combustion results also under
slow running conditions by following the recommendations in the revised edition of the Service
Bulletin RN-7.1.
This Bulletin is intended to remind you once again of the necessary procedures for running the
engine at low power.
2.

MEASURES FOR OPERATION BELOW ABOUT 20% NOMINAL POWER


(concerning mainly RND and RND..M type engines)

If the engine has to be operated for a prolonged period of time (longer than two hours) at less than
20 % nominal power, careful observation of the following measures gain increasing importance
the lower the required engine output is going to be and the longer the low power operating time is
going to last.
The engine must be in good condition, the fuel injectors in particular must show good
atomization and their spray holes must not be eroded.
Careful preparation of the heavy fuel is essential (for your information please consult
Service Bulletin G-3.1).
The fuel booster pressure has to be regulated by the pressure regulating valve at the engine
outlet and not by adjusting the by-pass safety valve of the booster pump in order to maintain
the re-circulation of fuel in the system.
The temperature of the fuel is to be set to the upper limit i.e. the viscosimeter is to be regulated
in such a way that a viscosity of 10 - 13 mm2/s (cSt) is obtained at the fuel pumps of the engine.
In addition the tracer steam to the fuel injector pipes is to be opened in order to maintain
adequate fuel temperature at the fuel injectors.
The jacket and piston cooling water temperatures are to be kept as high as possible within the
normal range (please consult page 025 in the instruction manual), so that the combustion air in
the cylinder does not cool down unnecessarily.
To keep the combustion air and in turn also the exhaust temperature at a higher level during
slow running, the seawater inlet temperature to the air coolers must also be kept as high as
possible maintaining the normal flow rate (the seawater outlet temperature should, however,
not exceed 48C).
For engines which are equipped with a central cooling system, where the air coolers are cooled
with fresh water, the cooling water flow to the air coolers may be throttled to maintain a higher
air temperature after the air coolers.
1/2

RN Engines

On RND and RND..M engines the


cylinder lubricating oil must be reduced
manually by adjusting the fulcrum of the
driving arm (as shown in Figure).
On engines which are equipped with a load
dependent cylinder oil feed rate system it is
also necessary to reduce the feed rate
manually in addition to the automatic
adjustment, especially on variable pitch
propeller installations, when operating
with reduced pitch but with engine speeds
close to nominal r.p.m.
The exhaust gas temperatures after the cylinder should not drop below 200C. Investigations
have shown that with these temperatures the exhaust pipe will remain dry. Should it for some
reason not be possible to maintain the exhaust temperature of 200C after cylinders due to
operational reasons, then the engine must be run up to a higher power level at least twice
within 24 hours until an exhaust temperature of 275C is reached.
The run-ups should be executed in small steps, during which the turbine tachometers must be
kept under close observation. Once an exhaust temperature of 275C after cylinder has been
reached the respective engine speed must be maintained for at least 20 minutes. During this
time the exhaust gas receiver has a chance to dry out. After this exercise the normal low power
running can be resumed or the engine speed may be reset to the value required.
Due to the higher stroke/bore ratio on RL-type engines which results in higher compression
pressures and temperatures, the RL-engines are adapted more easily for running under low
power conditions. Run-ups as described above are only necessary when inspection of the
exhaust receiver, after a typical slow steaming period, shows clearly wet oil/fuel conditions.
"SLOW" nozzles are to be employed for extended operation at low engine power. For your
information please consult Diesel Bulletin RN-4.
3.

SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH PROLONGED LOW POWER RUNNING

In cases where engines have to operate regularly and for extended periods below 20 % of their
nominal power, arrangements for preheating the scavenging air should be contemplated. This
can be accomplished by fitting heat exchangers (steam) into the scavenge air receiver
downstream of the air coolers. The air coolers should preferably be fresh water cooled (central
cooling system).
The observation that the exhaust manifold remains dry when the exhaust temperatures after
cylinder are kept above 200C has been utilized in a shuttle-tanker, which had for operational
reasons to run with 5 - 8% nominal power over a period of 24 - 30 hours during every trip. A
retro-fitted heat exchanger heats up the scavenge air during low power conditions. As a result,
the temperature of the exhaust gases is increased accordingly and the risk of turbocharger
overspeeding is avoided.

2/2

RN Engines
RND / RND..M Type Engines
Comparison of performance results between "SLOW" nozzles for reduced
power and STANDARD R-nozzles
The performance results given are average figures and only show the trend.
"SLOW" Nozzles
STANDARD R-Nozzles

RND Type Engines

10%

Smoke

10g/BHP h

SLOW RANGE

Specific Fuel Consumption

25%

40%

50%

60%

75%

100%

Power

75%

100%

Power

10%

RND..M Type Engines

Smoke

10g/BHP h

SLOW RANGE

Specific Fuel Consumption

25%

40%

50%

60%

RN-4/1

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