Caterpillar MaK M 45 dual-fuel engine
Caterpillar Marine Power Systems has developped a new marine dual-fuel engine platform for the commercial marine industry — the MaK M 46 DF. The engine boasts a power rating of 900 kW per cylinder at 500 and 514 rpm in diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) modes, and is available in an in-line or vee configuration. The engine is currently being tested at Caterpillar’s medium-speed engine facility in Rostock, Germany. The M 46 DF will be manufactured in Rostock, Germany and distributed and sold through Caterpillar’s MaK dealer network. First engine deliveries are foreseen for 2014.
“Our customers want a fuel-efficient, sustainable propulsion product with operational flexibility for both IMO and EPA regulated waters and we’re aiming to exceed their expectations with the M 46 DF engine,” said Bob Hallengren, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems product manager.
Able to alternate from LNG to diesel mode during operation, the M 46 DF offers the flexibility to operate vessels reliably in all geographical areas, whether the fuel in use is LNG, marine diesel oil (MDO) or heavy fuel oil (HFO). In LNG mode, the M 46 DF features industry-leading fuel consumption and will comply with IMO III as well as EPA Tier 4 regulations. The engine has been designed to allow retrofitting of current M 43 C engines.
“It was important for us that M 46 DF and M 43 C share the same footprint features, and the same system interfaces. The M 46 DF was designed to provide operators with industry-leading thermal efficiency for lowest total cost of operation,” said Detlef Kirste, MaK product definition manager. “The engine offers optimized load response and load stability in addition to numerous support features, such as remote monitoring and engine system diagnostics, helping engine operators with their daily service and maintenance work. Our target was to keep the typical MaK marine engine attributes like reliability, safety and efficiency while striving for an engine design that is easy to service and maintain.”
With a bore of 460 millimeters and stroke of 610, the engine was designed for electric drive propulsion systems as well as mechanical propulsion systems. Although designed for unlimited operation on LNG, marine diesel oil and heavy fuel oil, the M 46 DF will reach ‘industry-leading’ efficiency in gas mode.
(This article compiled using information from a Caterpillar Inc. press release)
