Germany: Nearly six months before the enactment of the IMO regulations, Caterpillar Motoren has announced the advance availability of the IMO II-compliant configuration of the M 20 C medium speed engine.
"After months of work on the smallest MaK engine series, the M 20 C is available for purchase globally in both 6- and 8-cylinder configurations, both which meet the IMO guidelines. Based on the configuration, the M 20 C engine will produce between 1020-1520 kW at 900-1000 rpm and is capable of operating on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) or Marine Diesel Oil (MDO)," said the company in a statement.
With the implementation of IMO II regulations for the marine industry, engine manufacturers are finalising strategies and development for modifications on engines to meet the strict requirements. Caterpillar Motoren, the manufacturing arm of Caterpillar, which manages the manufacture of MaK engines, has been working for nearly three years on a strategy for each of its four medium-speed engine series.
"Manufactured at the Kiel Engine Center in Kiel, Germany, the M 20 C has been a very popular engine for a variety of applications around the world due it its high power output at a relatively small footprint," said the company.
Since its initial manufacture in 1992, more than 1,200 M 20 C engines have been manufactured and sold through the global MaK dealer network for marine and petroleum applications.
To meet the additional regulations, which are aimed at reducing engine emissions, specifically NOx, MaK engineers were able to make minor modifications to the engine to achieve the desired emission levels.
The focus of the design changes to the engine is the injector pump, depending on the application, which was redesigned with a new plunger for emission optimisation in alignment with new timing for fuel injection, combustion inlet, and exhaust outlet. Additionally, the IMO II-compliant configuration uses redesigned gas piping to optimise the flow of exhaust gas.
Along with new builds coming from the Kiel Engine Center, a retrofit kit is also available for existing 6- or 8-cylinder M 20 C customers who are looking to meet the IMO II regulatory requirements.
The other MaK medium-speed engine series are currently in the testing phase of the New Production Introduction (NPI) process and will be fully IMO II-complaint and available for sale worldwide on by the end of 2010.
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