Most Powerful Ship Engine-The Gigantic Wärtsilä-Sulzer

The Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C is the most powerful ship engine in the world.

Finnish Manufacturer Wartsila designed this two-stroke, turbocharged, low-speed diesel engine for the world’s largest container ships, which run on heavy fuel oil.

The engine’s biggest 14-cylinder version is 13.5 m tall, 26.5 m long and weighs more than 2300 tonnes, with the crankshaft alone weighing 300 tonnes and each piston weighing 5.5 tons.

It produces 80,08 MW or 107,390 horsepower, making it the world’s largest reciprocating engine.

This version entered commercial service in 2006 on board the Emma Maersk, once the largest container ship in the world when launched.

Its design was quite similar to the old RTA96C engine, but with common rail technology, in place of the conventional camshaft, chain gear, fuel pump and hydraulic actuator systems.

This gives maximum output at lower revolutions per minute, decreases fuel consumption and emits less harmful emissions compared to older mechanically controlled engines.

The engine generates a torque of up to 7,603,850 N·m at 102 rpm and has a thermal efficiency of more than 50%, which is higher than most car engines, meaning more than half of its energy from fuel is converted into motion.

It consumes 1660 gallons of heavy fuel oil per hour. Each of the 14 cylinders has a displacement of 1820 litres, giving the full engine a total displacement of more than 25,000 litres.

The engine has a two-stroke, crosshead design, distinguishing the cylinder from the crankcase, allowing for different lubricants and reducing sideways forces on the piston, which reduces wear.

Apart from this engine, the market for ship engines is dominated by a few players, which have also produced some of the most powerful ship engines ever.

One such is the MAN B&W 11G95ME-C9.5 of Man Energy Solutions, a competitor to Wartsila.

The engineer’s 11-cylinder version produced up to 75,570 kW, or 103,000 horsepower. This low-speed, two-stroke engine was designed especially for modern and ultra-large container ships such as MSC Jade with a capacity of over 19,000 TEUs.

The G in its name stands for G-type, which means a long-stroke engine, a design which allows for a bigger and more efficient propeller that reduces operating costs and fuel consumption considerably.

Another powerful ship engine is also from Wartsila, which has innovated beyond RTA96-C and come up with the Generation X series. A modern engine whose 12-cylinder version of X92 can deliver up to 73,560 kW.

It uses Wartsila’s common rail technology for electronically controlled fuel injection and operating exhaust valves. It provides flexibility in operations, reducing emissions and ensuring smokeless functioning at various speeds.

The X92 was made to meet the IMO Tier II emissions regulations and can be equipped with systems to comply with Tier III standards, which are becoming vital for the maritime industry.

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