Page 47: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2004)

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Q&A with Wartsila CTO Matti Kleimola

Prof. Matti Kleimola, Chief

Technology Officer (CTO) for Wartsila

Corporation, was recently elected as

President of CIMAC. He is a member of

Wartsila Board of Management,

Technology and Environment, and Head of Corporate Technology, including

R&D. MR took a few moments to dis- cuss with him emerging trends in the marine propulsion market.

Q What is your area of responsibili- ty as the new president of CIMAC.

A The aim of CIMAC is to promote exchange of technical and scientific knowledge, to improve understanding between manufacturers, users and sup- pliers, to promote the work and activi- ties of national associations in the field of combustion engines technology (pis- ton engines and gas turbines) in marine/ship propulsion, power genera- tion, rail traction and industrial applica- tions. The President is the chief officer of CIMAC and presides over meetings of the CIMAC Council and the CIMAC

Board. The President is elected by the

Council at the meeting held during the period of the Congresses and is selected from present or past Vice-Presidents.

CIMAC Board has a responsibility for the provision of management direction.

The Council consists of representatives from the NMAs, NMGs and CMs and is responsible for the technical, financial and administrative policy of CIMAC.

Q Briefly discuss the importance of

CIMAC in the advancement of propulsion technologies.

A CIMAC provides a forum for tech- nical interchange with all parties con- cerned with piston engines and gas tur- bines. The organization promotes the development of combustion engines and their applications. Congresses are held every three years and that activity has been ranked very important and valu- able for delegates (engine manufactur- ers, users, scientists etc.). The Working

Groups are established by the Council to prepare recommendations and actual reports on subjects of combustion engine technologies. Some examples of working areas will be: Emissions, Fuels,

Automation, Classification, Lubrication,

Users etc. The activity will give direct benefits to manufacturers and engine users.

Q What are the top three or four issues that have, in your opinion, had the most significant impact in driving marine propulsion development?

A 1. The rising fuel oil prises during 70's and 80's speeded up the engine effi- ciency development and development of heavy fuel engines dramatically; 2. Ship sizes have shown a tendency for tremendous growth and that has cre- ated the market for largest two-strokers and trend is continuing; 3. Customer need for smokeless oper- ation in cruise business initiated the fast development of 4-stroke common rail engines; 4. The emission legislation has been one of the main driver to develop clean engines.

Q What technologies do you count as having the most significant positive impact on marine propulsion in the last decade?

A Focus on the environment has encouraged the development of novel technologies for fuel injection and com- bustion development. Electronic control systems will become standard and the common rail technology is optimized for new two-stroke and four-stroke engines. The common rail technology has established clear performance bene- fits for ship-owners like smokeless oper- ation, reduced fuel consumption, lower noise and lower, stable running speeds.

The engine industry will work actively to develop products of modern design in order to comply with the increasing demand for reduced emissions.

Additional devices and processes are needed to reduce NOx emissions. The introduction of Miller cycle was very efficient in decreasing the NOx content of exhaust gases and that technology has been implemented widely. The CASS and HAM technologies and Direct

Water Injection, where water is added into the intake until the air is saturated or into combustion chamber, have been found very efficient by reducing NOx emissions.

The anti polishing ring technology effi- ciently removes any onsets of deposits formation from the piston top land. The technology will reduce dramatically the wear of cylinder liner and piston rings and prolong the life time of components.

The solution has been implemented in modern heavy fuel engines.

Q In comparing marine propulsion to other markets, what are the chal- lenges unique to this business?

A Shipyards around the world will concentrate on their core know-how and business. This is the result of tough competition, because there is more ship- building capacity than demand for new tonnage. There is a clear demand from shipyards for partners who can provide complete functional systems. Ship-own- ers are also increasingly asking for long- term relationships with their main sup- pliers. The suppliers must cover the full range of systems on board. The partner- ship requested includes everything from advice on the optimal solutions for a specific ship business concept to main- tenance and service throughout the life- time of the ship in all over the world.

This means that strong presence, confi- dence and responsibility are crucial fac- tors for a long-range partnership.

Q What do you consider to be the top challenges facing the marine propulsion industry?

A Our long term investigations through year 2030 show that reciprocat- ing engines will continue to dominate with more than 90 percent of all vehicles on land and at sea. There is no other prime mover technology that could override piston engines in marine use.

The success of diesel engines is based on very good efficiency and the ability to burn fuel of poor and high quality.

The big challenge will be to comply with the continuous trend to reduce the exhaust emission. The fact is that in the coming decades more than 80 percent of energy needed in the world will contin- ue to be based on conventional fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal.

Q How is Wartsila preparing now to meet those challenges?

A Wartsila Corporation is a leading supplier of machineries and total ship- power packages for our customers. We have a strong network service outlets and offices in more than 60 countries throughout the world. We will continue to bring new products and new tech- nologies to the market while at the same time improve performance of the old ones. We are also a leading supplier of common rail engines, both 2-stroke and 4-stroke. Wartsila has good know-how and resources to develop engines to comply future emission standards and outstanding performance. In addition to that we can offer the first-class service for our customers in all over the world. 46 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News