Volvo Penta has introduced a pod system for planing applications, such as fast workboats, pilot boats and patrol boats on its Inboard Performance System (IPS).
The IPS programme is now being expanded still further. With new and larger drive units coupled to the 13-litre marine diesel, Volvo Penta is launching a new power class, IPS1050.
With forward-facing and counter-rotating propellers, the first stage of the IPS system was based on Volvo Penta's six-litre diesel engine. Last year, a new power class was launched with larger drive units and powered by Volvo Penta's eleven-litre engine.
This year, Volvo Penta is launching a third stage based on its 13-litre marine diesel. The new IPS package generates the equivalent of 780kW, compared with conventional inboard installations. This means that Volvo Penta can now offer the IPS system for workboats, passenger ferries and patrol boats up to 30 metres and 40 knots.
More powerful pods
Larger engines with higher power output and higher torque make big demands on the drive units. With this in mind, Volvo Penta has developed a larger and even more powerful IPS unit as well as a completely new series of propellers for the IPS1050.
The larger drive unit has all the advantages and features that made the original IPS system so successful.
The underwater body and propellers have been developed with the help of advanced computerised models together with extensive cavitation tunnel tests and tests in boats. The result is a highly efficient integrated system for propulsion.
Cleaner and quieter
Higher efficiency than inboard shafts gives the IPS1050 better performance combined with lower fuel consumption and – not least – lower total emissions. In addition, noise and vibrations are substantially lower.
Volvo Penta covers the whole speed range for the IPS1050, from about 28 to about 40 knots, with seven highly efficient propeller packages, which are available as standard products. This gives significant advantages for both shipyards and owners.
Thirteen-litre engine
The engine for the new power class is Volvo Penta's 13-litre marine diesel D13, equipped with dual-stage turbo-charging technology and developing 595kW. This 13-litre engine has been developed with the help of ultramodern diesel engine technology.
The dual-stage turbo-charging system has a first-stage twin-entry turbine that enables pulse-charging, which results in a very high torque from low rpm. At higher rpm, a second turbo gradually takes over, so the engine retains high power even at high rpm. The charge air is both inter-cooled and after-cooled.
EMS 2, the new engine control system developed by Volvo Penta, regulates fuel injection timing and pressure. The system controls the unit injectors, one per cylinder, which operate at a pressure of as much as 2000 bar and atomise the fuel for optimum combustion.
Total emissions satisfy – by a wide margin – the EU Inland waterways stage 3A, US EPA tier 2 for Marine Commercial and IMO tier 2, in force from January 2011.
Functions for easy manoeuvring
All Volvo Penta IPS models are available with a joystick. This lets the driver control the boat by simply moving the joystick in the direction he or she wants the boat to move – a great help in docking and other low-speed maneuvering. Also available is the Dynamic Positioning System that holds the boat's heading and keeps it within a very limited area. Twin high-precision GPS receivers determine the boat's position and heading. Special software transforms the data into steering angles, gear shifts and throttle positions to keep the boat still.
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