Technical Update

PREPARED BY DATE
Technical Organisation / Engineering & Projects / JCT/Technical Services 2009-01-20
Technical Services
DOCUMENT NO. PAGE

SUBJECT: 2-stroke Low Load 2stlowload090114 1/3

Item Issue
The below information/instructions overrule the corresponding text in the Power
Instructions until next Power Instruction Update.

1 Unified APMM Low Load Policy

Due to market conditions in the container business, it has proven necessary to reduce speed
generally. Calculations have shown that the most economical speed for large container
vessels when excluding capital expenditures is around 12-13 knots, resulting in an engine
load of 10-15%. As 2-stroke marine engines are generally designed for 60-100% load, care
must be taken when operating the engines outside that range depending on engine type.

In order to benefit from the operational advantages, low load operation has been practised
for some time although with different lower load limits for the different vessel types (i.e.
engine types). This has proven difficult to manage for the operators, and therefore it has
now been decided to set a common lower limit at 10% load and then deal with the
operational consequences vessel class by vessel class.

Experience shows that the low load performance can be categorized as follows:

MAN ME types (Electronic Control)
Wrtsil Flex types (Electronic Control)
MAN MC/C types (mechanical)
Wrtsil RTA types (Mechanical)
Mitsubishi UEC types (mechanical)
Very good generally no low load issues
Very good generally no low load issues
Acceptable but attention recommended
Acceptable but attention required
Acceptable but attention recommended

MAN Diesel and Wrtsil have both issued a statement that they have No Objections to
operating the engines down to 10% MCR provided a list of general recommendations is
followed.

The general recommendations are quite similar as follows:

1) The fuel valves must be kept in good working order i.e. overhauled within the
recommended intervals or shorter depending on performance. For MAN engines Slide
Valves are required.

2) Cleaning of turbochargers: In order to avoid fouling of the turbocharger gas side, the
engine must be loaded up regularly according to TC Makers recommendations and
the turbine side cleaned with soft blast (i.e. nutshells).

3) The load-up and load-down for TC cleaning must follow a ramp according to Makers
Recommendations (normally at least one hour up and hour down).

4) The FW cooling water must be kept at the highest limit (85-95 deg C) in order to limit
cold corrosion of cylinder liners.

5) The fuel viscosity should be kept in the lower range of 12-17 Cst at engine inlet but
maximum 150 deg C.
 Technical Update
PREPARED BY DATE
Technical Organisation / Engineering & Projects / JCT/Technical Services 2009-01-20
Technical Services
DOCUMENT NO. PAGE

SUBJECT: 2-stroke Low Load 2stlowload090114 2/3

MAN Diesel and Wrtsil general recommendations continued:

6) The Cylinder Lube Oil feedrate should be kept below 1.2 g/kWh if possible under
stable load conditions (increasing feedrate only during load changes/manoeuvring/
running in or if cylinder condition deteriorates) in order to be able to avoid
overlubrication and fouling of the scavenging air space. The application of
electronically controlled cylinder lubrication (Pulse Jet or Alpha) is recommended for
best possible control.

7) Frequent scavenging air port (Piston Underside) inspections must be made in order to
detect early any build-up of soot, coke or unburned fuel, sticking piston rings etc.
Furthermore, the inspections serve to detect residues inside the scavenging air
receiver that must be removed more frequently than under normal operation in order
to avoid the risk of fires.

8) The scavenging air Non Return valves should be checked frequently as they are
subject to more wear when operating the scavenging air blower continuously.

9) The exhaust gas receiver, exhaust valves and TC grids must be inspected frequently
and cleaned for soot build-up as necessary.

10) Scavenging air blowers running continuously during operation are subject to more
wear than anticipated by designers. Therefore, the bearings should be frequently
lubricated if not of the closed-type, and inspected for wear.

11) The Exhaust gas temperature before and after TC must be kept below alarm limits. It
might be necessary to avoid load areas just above Auxiliary Blower cut-out.

12) The exhaust boiler must be inspected frequently and cleaned as necessary, in order to
prevent fires that could in worst case result in total melt-down.
 Technical Update
PREPARED BY DATE
Technical Organisation / Engineering & Projects / JCT/Technical Services 2009-01-20
Technical Services
DOCUMENT NO. PAGE

SUBJECT: 2-stroke Low Load 2stlowload090114 3/3

2 TC cleaning at 50% load

Previously, Power Instructions have specified turbine dry cleaning (nutshells) to be done at
minimum 75% load in order to be sure that it is effective. This has proved inconvenient,
expensive (fuel consumption) and somewhat risky concerning the cylinder condition
(scuffing). Consequently TC Makers now recommend turbine dry cleaning at minimum 50%
load. The TC cleaning loads and intervals are now as follows:

Engine Load Action Load during cleaning Interval Days

10 50% Turbine dry cleaning 50% 1-2
50 75% Turbine dry cleaning Actual Load 12
75 90% Turbine dry cleaning Actual Load 24
10 90% Turbine water cleaning 20-35% (0.3 0.6 bar Pscav) 2 20
10 50% Compressor, water 50% (MAN & ABB) 12
cleaning Maximum 6000 RPM (MHI)
50 90% Compressor, water Actual Load (MAN & ABB) 1 - 15
cleaning Maximum 6000 RPM (MHI)

However, regular inspections of the turbine side are necessary to verify the condition as
APMM experience with cleaning at the lower RPM level is limited.

3 Low Load Condition Inspections

In order to collect know-how on low load operation and be able to exercise constant care the
attached Slow Steaming Inspection Guidance should be sent back to the TVO unit with
copy to TOTECSERENG@MAERSK.COM regularly during Low Load Operation.

The interval for sending the report should not exceed 2 months of Low Load Operation.
Please use the attached report example as template.

Any observations during daily running of poor performance related to Low Load Operation
should be reported to TVO with copy to TOTECSERENG@MAERSK.COM immediately.