SWDiesel's SW 280 V-12 Engine Passes Tilt Performance Test

—Literature A v a i l a b l e— SWDiesel's SW 280 engine meets the operating capability required for mobile offshore installations, and is said to have been the first engine to pass a performance test in the output range from 2,000 to 8,000 bhp under conditions where inclinations to the horizontal and vertical axis of as much as 35 degrees are experienced.

One of the major features of life aboard ships and other floating installations is that in the case of emergencies the demand for energy becomes critical, as any lack of energy means that the vessel is at the mercy of the elements. Analyses of recent accidents with offshore installations and ships have shown that life at sea could have been saved if the power generator sets had stayed operational despite being subjected to considerable angles of inclination.

The SWDiesel SW 280 engine, which is built in several configurations— 6, 8, and 9 cylinders in-line and 12, 16, and 18 cylinders in Vee form—and has a power range of 2,000 to 8,000 bhp, is well suited to these applications. To qualify for use in generating sets for mobile offshore installations, the engine was subjected to an inclination test at an angle of 33 degrees in the longitudinal direction and 15 degrees in the transverse direction, resulting in an angle in the longitudinal direction of 35 degrees. In this tilting position the engine had to be in operation for 12 hours at a full load and at maximum speed.

The test was conducted with a 12- cylinder SW 280 Vee engine. The thrust bearing of the crankshaft, which plays a very important role under these conditions, was loaded with an additional force, simulating the load exerted by an 18-cylinder SW 280 crankshaft on the thrust bearing.

The test program comprised a startup, operation, and shutdown, and a test at full load and maximum running speed for 12 hours. During the last six hours these tests were witnessed by officials from the American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, Det norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, and Lloyd's Register of Shipping.

The successful results of the inclination test proved the SW 280 to be reliable even under the worst of conditions under full load and at maximum speed. Consequently, it was given type approval for use in mobile offshore generating sets.

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Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 68, Nov 1986

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