Wärtsilä 50DF engine to power icebreaking LNG carriers

South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) yard ordered a total of 54 Wärtsilä Corp. dual fuel engines to power 172,600cbm icebreaking LNG carriers.

The icebreaking LNG carriers for the Yamal LNG project will be equipped with Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines. From Wärtsilä.

The LNG carriers are being built for use in arctic conditions to serve the Yamal LNG project in Northern Russia.

The Wärtsilä machinery is capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG), heavy fuel oil (HFO), or low-viscosity marine diesel oil (MDO) but LNG will be the main type of fuel to be used. When operating in arctic waters the engines will be operating in ambient temperatures of as much as minus 50 degrees Celsius on LNG carriers breaking through ice more than 2m thick, in operating modes that allow dramatic variations in engine load within a limited period of time.

For each LNG carrier Wärtsilä will supply 12-cylinder and 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines. The total power output from the Wärtsilä engines is 64,350kW per vessel. 



Wärtsilä has to date supplied more than 160 ships with its Wärtsilä 50DF machinery. The Wärtsilä 50DF engine is manufactured in various configurations from a 6-cylinder in-line version to an 18-cylinder version in V-configuration, giving 950/975kW per cylinder and a total maximum mechanical output of 17,100kW. The engine speed is 500 or 514 rpm with 50Hz and 60 Hz applications. The maximum thermal efficiency is higher than with any other gas engine.

When operating in gas mode, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are at least 85% below those specified in the current IMO regulations, and CO2 emissions are some 25% less than those of a conventional marine engine running on diesel fuel. Additionally, the sulphur oxide (SOx) and particle emissions are negligible at almost 0%.

The ships will be owned by a joint venture between Teekay LNG Partners of Canada and China LNG Shipping (CLNG), and another joint venture between China Shipping LNG Investment Co. Ltd. (CSLNG) and Japan-based Mitsui O.S.K.

The order for engines was placed with Wärtsilä's Korean joint venture company, Wärtsilä Hyundai Engine Co. (WHEC) in October.