Lubricator System for Cutting the Cylinder

Oil Bill and Reducing Emissions on

MAN B&W Two-Stroke Engines

The cylinder lube oil consumption rep- is not always possible with the conven- been in service on a number of engines
resents a large expenditure for an en- tional lubricators of today. MAN B&W for up to 20,000 hours, with good results.
gine operating with the nominal guiding Diesel A/S therefore initiated the devel-
feed rate and, especially for the large opment of the new electronic system, The system is now standard on all
bore engines, even a 0.1 g/bhph re- the so-called “Alpha Lubrication Sys- MAN B&W two-stroke engines with a
duction in the cylinder oil dosage repre- tem” shown in Fig. 1. diameter bigger than 600 mm and is an
sents a significant yearly saving for the option on the smaller engines. The sys-
owner. Cylinder lubrication is therefore The development work for the new tem has been ordered for more than
an important development theme with system was started in 1997, and the 100 engines, and 30 sets are in service.
the aim of reducing the cylinder lube oil prototype entered service on an MAN
dosage while maintaining a satisfactory B&W type 7S35MC engine in 1998. The new lubricating system is based on
piston ring/liner wear rate and main- Since then the system has been the principle of injecting a specific vol-
taining or improving the time between fine-tuned on MAN B&W’s 4T50MX re- ume of oil into the cylinder, via a num-
overhauls. Reduced lube oil consump- search engine, and service tests were ber of injectors, for every four (or every
tion also has a positive impact on the extended to cover several K90MC en- five, six, etc.) revolutions. Furthermore,
environment as emissions will be lower. gines. The first large bore engine with the precise timing ensures that all cylin-
the new lubricator fitted as standard, a der oil is delivered directly onto the pis-
The cylinder oil must be injected into 12K90MC engine, was tested in Korea ton ring pack where it is needed. This
the cylinder at the exact position and in September 1999 with very satisfac- can be seen in Fig. 2, which shows the
time where the effect is optimal, which tory results, and the system has now pressure measured in the oil injector

Cylinder oil
service tank Cylinder Cylinder
liner liner
Feed-back Feed-back Feed-back
sensor sensor sensor
Accumu- Accumu-
lator lator
Lubricator Lubricator Lubricator Lubricator

Solenoid Solenoid Solenoid Solenoid

valve valve valve valve
Pump station
with To other
stand-by pumps cylinders

To other To other
cylinders cylinders

Tacho Alarm
Cylinder lub. system
oil pipes signal
Master control unit and backup control unit
Electrical Index Slow-down
connections signal system
HMI panel

Fig. 1: Principle of Alpha Lubricator System

1
 during a cycle with lube oil injection as
well as during a cycle without lube oil
[Bar] injection. The passage of the four pis-
ton rings is clearly seen in the pressure
20
signal for the cycle without lube oil in-
jection, and the precision of the new lu-
bricator is obvious.
15
Lube oil The lubricator itself, Fig. 3, has a small
injection pressure piston for each lubricator quill in the
cylinder liner, and the power for injecting
10
the oil comes from the system pressure,
supplied by a pump station. A common
Oil quill pressure rail system is used on the driving side,
5 but the injection side has a high-pressure
positive displacement system, thus giving
equal amounts to each quill and provi-
ding the best possible safety margin
0
against clogging of single lubricator quills.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 [ms]

Fig. 2: Injection pattern for Alpha Lubricator System

Signal for lubrication

from control unit
Capacitive feedback
sensor for control of
piston movement

Outlets
for cylinder liner Injection plungers
lube oil points

Solenoid
valve
P

A
P
T A T

Cylinder lube 45 bar cylinder

oil outlet lube oil inlet
Spacer
for basic setting of Adjusting screw Actuator piston
pump stroke

Fig. 3: Alpha Lubricator

2
Fig. 4: 12K98MC-C with Alpha Lubricator

For the large bore engines, Fig. 4, each shaft encoder (which can be shared Both for marine engines and for engines
cylinder has two lubricators (each serv- with the PMI system, or timing system for power generation purposes, very
ing five lube oil quills), while the small on the Intelligent Engine) supplies the low feed rates have been demonstrated,
bore engines, Fig. 5, (with fewer lube necessary timing signal. with oil consumption down to 0.5 g/bhph.
oil quills per cylinder) are served by one Further reductions in wear rates as well
lubricator per cylinder. The pump station The amount of oil injected can be ad- as in feed rates can be obtained by uti-
includes two pumps (one operating, justed automatically or manually as lising fuel-oil-sulphur-dependent lubri-
the other on stand-by with automatic required, e.g. at load changes, start/stop, cation, a principle for which MAN B&W
start up). at reduced engine load (different modes has applied for a patent.
are available), sulphur % in the fuel,
The computer unit comprises a main temperature level on liner surface, vari-
computer, controlling the normal oper- ation in cylinder oil BN, etc. Pre-lubrication
ation, a switch-over unit and a (simple) before start can be made manually or be
back-up unit. The injection function is a sequence in the bridge manoeuvring
controlled by the computer sending system.
an on/off signal to a solenoid valve. A

3
Fig. 5: 7S50MC-C with Alpha Lubricator

MAN B&W Diesel A/S Copyright ©

Teglholmsgade 41 MAN B&W Diesel A/S

DK-2450 Copenhagen SV Reproduction permitted

Telephone: +45 33 85 11 00 provided source is given.
Telex: 16592 manbw dk
Telefax: +45 33 85 10 30 MAN B&W Diesel A/S
manbw@manbw.dk Reg. No: 39 66 13 14
www.manbw.dk
August 2001
P.384-01.08