Technology review

2
Technology review
This is a summary of the technical features and performance
of the Wärtsilä 32 engine.

Design philosophy .......................................... 4

Efficient low-emission combustion ................ 4

Crankshaft and bearings ................................ 5

Wärtsilä Wetpac humidification ...................... 6

Engine block ................................................... 6

Piston ............................................................. 6

Piston rings..................................................... 7

Cylinder liner and anti-polishing ring .............. 7

Connecting rod ............................................... 8

Cylinder head ................................................. 8

Multiduct ........................................................ 8

Fuel injection system ...................................... 9

Turbocharging system .................................. 10

Cooling system............................................. 10

Lubricating oil system .................................. 11

Automation system ...................................... 12

Easy application ........................................... 14

Easy maintenance ........................................ 14

Main technical data ..................................... 15

3
The passenger ferry Finnmarken is equipped with two The submersible heavy load ship Blue Marlin is equipped
Wärtsilä 9L32 main engines and two Wärtsilä 6L32 auxiliary with three Wärtsilä 8L32 engines.
engines.

Design philosophy Efficient low-emission

The WÄRTSILÄ® 32 is based on the latest achievements
combustion
in combustion technology; it is designed for flexible Hydrocarbons can be burned under a wide range of
manufacturing methods and long maintenance-free conditions. To burn them efficiently with low emissions,
operating periods. The engine is fully equipped with all in particular thermal NOX, Wärtsilä has used the Low-
essential ancillaries and a thoroughly planned interface to NOX combustion method since 1994 in all its diesel
external systems. The main qualities of the Wärtsilä 32 engines. This combustion process, which reduces thermal
are: NOX caused by high combustion flame temperatures, has
! Low-NOX combustion been further enhanced on the Wärtsilä 32 to meet not
! Reliability and low maintenance costs only current IMO limits and World Bank guidelines, but
! Integrated monitoring and control or basic automation even lower NOX emission limits, such as IMO-30% and
system
! Ergonomic interface
! Minimized consumables.

Wärtsilä 20V32 engine.

4
The combined heat and power plant ItalGreen is equipped The oil power plant Yue Yuen is equipped with twelve
with three Wärtsilä 18V32 engines running on liquid biofuel. Wärtsilä 18V32LN and three Wärtsilä 18V32 engines.

Development of engine performance

0 1200

-2 World Bank / IMO limit 1000

SFOC (g/kWh)

-4 New Asian limit 800

NOX
-6 600 NOX

-8 SFOC 400

-10 200

-12 0
Wärtsilä Vasa 32 Wärtsilä 32 Wärtsilä 32 Wärtsilä 32
economy optimized emission optimized

710 ppm @ 15% O2. This also results in significantly for the overall length of the engine, is minimized.
improved engine efficiency. The enhanced Low-NOX Besides low bearing loads, the other crucial factor for
combustion process features: safe bearing operation is oil film thickness. Ample oil film
! High combustion air temperature at the start of thicknesses in the main bearings are ensured by optimal
injection, which radically reduces ignition delay balancing of rotational masses and, in the big end bearing,
! A late start of injection with short duration and by ungrooved bearing surfaces in the critical areas. All the
optimized injection rate to fuel the engine, avoiding factors needed for a free choice of the most appropriate
temperature peaks during combustion bearing material are present.
! New combustion chamber optimized for low emissions
! High pressure ratio turbocharging with optimized valve
timing, which reduces flame temperature and increases
engine efficiency.

Crankshaft and bearings

The latest advances in combustion development require a
crank gear that operates reliably at high cylinder pressures.
The crankshaft must be robust and the specific bearing
loads kept at an acceptable level.
This is achieved by careful optimization of crankthrow
dimensions and fillets. The specific bearing loads are
conservative and the cylinder spacing, which is important

5
Wärtsilä Wetpac
humidification
The new NOX reduction technology developed by
Wärtsilä is named Wetpac humidification. The principle
of Wetpac humidification is to introduce water with
the intake air to reduce the combustion temperature
and thereby the formation of NOX. Pressurized water is
injected directly after the compressor of the turbocharger.
The high temperature of the compressed air evaporates the
water, which enters the cylinders as steam. A water mist
catcher prevents water in liquid state from entering the
cylinders. The maximum NOX reduction is typically 30-
50% depending on application specific limitations, and
the water consumption is normally up to two times the
fuel oil consumption.

Compressor
Water mist catcher

Saturated air comes to reliability, there is no real alternative today for

70...90°C
Water modern engines running with high cylinder pressures
injection and combustion temperatures. Wärtsilä-patented skirt
lubrication is applied to minimize frictional losses and
Principle of Wetpac humidification. ensure appropriate lubrication of both piston rings and the
piston skirt.

Engine block
Nodular cast iron is the natural choice for engine blocks
today thanks to its strength and stiffness properties, along
with all the freedom offered by casting. The Wärtsilä
32 makes optimum use of modern foundry technology
to integrate most oil and water channels. The result is a
virtually pipe-free engine with a clean outer exterior.
Resilient mounting is state-of-the-art in many
applications and requires a stiff engine frame. Integrated
channels designed with this in mind can serve a double
purpose.

Piston
For years, the outstanding piston concept for highly rated
heavy fuel engines has been a composite piston with a
steel crown and nodular cast-iron skirt. More than 20
years of experience has fine-tuned the concept. When it

6
Piston rings
In Wärtsilä´s three-ring concept each ring has a specific
task. They are dimensioned and profiled for consistent
performance throughout their operating lives. To avoid
carbon deposits in the ring grooves of a heavy fuel engine,
the pressure balance on top of and underneath each ring is
crucial. Experience has shown that this effect is most likely
achieved with a three-ring pack. Finally, it is well-known
that most frictional losses in a reciprocating combustion
engine originate from the rings. Thus a three-ring pack
is the obvious choice in this respect, too. The top ring,
which bears the greatest load, is provided with a special
wear-resistant coating.

Cylinder liner and

anti-polishing ring
The thick high-collar type cylinder liner is designed to
have the stiffness needed to withstand both pre-tension
forces and combustion pressures with virtually no
deformation. Its temperature is controlled by bore cooling
of the upper part of the collar to achieve a low thermal
load and to avoid sulphuric acid corrosion. The cooling
water is distributed around the liners with simple water
distribution rings at the lower end of the collar. At the
upper end the liner is equipped with an anti-polishing
ring to eliminate bore polishing and reduce lube oil
consumption. The function of this ring is to calibrate
the carbon deposits formed on the piston top land to a
thickness small enough to prevent any contact between
the liner wall and the deposits at any piston position.
Since there is no contact between the liner and piston
top land deposits no oil can be scraped upwards by the
piston. The other positive effect is that the liner wear is
significantly reduced at the same time. The strength of
the wear-resistant liner materials used for years in Wärtsilä
engines has been further increased to cope with the high
combustion pressures expected in the future.

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Connecting rod Multiduct
A three-piece connecting rod with all the highly stressed Multiducts replace a number of individual components in
surfaces machined is the safest design for engines of this traditional engine designs. Their functions are:
size intended for continuous operation at high combustion ! Air transfer from the air receiver to the cylinder head
pressures. For easy maintenance and accessibility the ! Exhaust transfer to the exhaust system
upper joint face is placed right on top of the big-end ! Cooling water outlet after the cylinder head
bearing housing. A special hydraulic tool is developed for ! Cooling water return channel from the engine.
simultaneous tensioning of all four screws.
To eliminate any risk of wear in the contact surfaces, Additional functions are:
an intermediate plate with a special surface treatment is ! Introduction of an initial swirl to the inlet air for
placed between the main parts. optimal part-load combustion
! Insulation and cooling of the exhaust transfer duct
! Support for exhaust system and its insulation.
Cylinder head
The cylinder head design is based on the four-screw
concept developed by Wärtsilä and used for more than
25 years. Its internal structure is designed for maximum
stiffness, which is essential for obtaining both liner
roundness and even contact between exhaust valves and
their seats.
A four-screw cylinder head design also provides all the
freedom needed for designing inlet and exhaust ports with
a minimum of flow losses. Computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) analysis in combination with full-scale flow
measurements has been used for port design optimization.
The vast amount of experience gained from heavy fuel
operation all around the world has contributed greatly to
exhaust-valve design and development. Put together, this
means that a valve material and geometry with superior
performance is now available.

8
Fuel injection system Common rail fuel injection

The ultimate safety in low-pressure fuel system design The common rail system comprises pressurizing fuel
is achieved with the Wärtsilä-patented multihousing pumps, fuel accumulators and electronically controlled
principle. With this system the fuel line consists basically fuel injectors. The fuel pumps are driven by the camshaft
of drilled channels in cast parts clamped firmly on the and each pump and accumulator serve two cylinders.
engine block. In the Wärtsilä 32 these parts are: Adjacent accumulators are connected with small bore
! The pump housing piping in order to reduce the risk of pulsation in the
! The tappet housing rail. The engine can operate with one or two fuel pumps
! The fuel transfer housing disconnected, should this ever be necessary. A safety
! The multicover. feature of the system is that there is no pressure on the
For easy assembly/disassembly these parts are connected injection nozzles between injections. All functions are
to each other with slide connections. Since both the controlled by the embedded control system on the engine.
whole low-pressure system and the high-pressure system The main advantage of the common rail system is that
are housed in a fully covered compartment, the safety the injection pressure can be kept at a sufficiently high
standard is unbeatable. The high-pressure system was level over the while load range, which gives smokeless
designed and endurance tested at 2000 bar. Injection operation also at low load.
pressure is around 1800 bar.
With a wear-resistant low-friction coating on the
plunger no lubricating oil is required for the pump
element. Thanks to the profiled plunger geometry the
clearance between plunger and barrel can be kept small,
thereby allowing only a minimum of oil to pass down the
plunger. This small leakage is collected and returned to
the fuel system. Any likelihood of the fuel mixing with the
lube oil is eliminated. Both nozzle holders and the nozzle
are made of high-grade hardened steel to withstand the
high injection pressures. Combined with oil cooling of the
nozzles this guarantees outstanding nozzle lifetimes.

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 Cooling system
The cooling system is split into two separate circuits,
the high-temperature (HT) and the low-temperature
(LT) circuits. The cylinder liner and the cylinder head
temperatures are controlled through the HT circuit. The
system temperature is kept at a high level, about 95 °C,
for safe ignition/combustion of low-quality heavy fuels,
also at low loads. An additional advantage is maximum
heat recovery and total efficiency in cogeneration plants.
To further increase the recoverable heat from this circuit
it is connected to the high-temperature part of the
double-stage charge air cooler. The HT water pump and
thermostatic valve are integrated with the pump cover

Turbocharging system Engine

Every Wärtsilä 32 engine is equipped with the

turbocharging system that best fulfils the requirements of
57–66 °C
each specific application. The standard alternatives are:
! Spex (single pipe exhaust) system with exhaust waste
gate
! Spex system with exhaust waste gate and air bypass for Charge air Lube oil
38–47 °C

cooler cooler
variable speed engines
The Spex system is designed for minimum flow losses on LTC
both exhaust and air sides. Exp.
0.7–1.5 bar
central
cooler

The charging systems are designed to give high

efficiency and extremely good load acceptance. Spex is
designed for the best possible full-load performance. Spex
Optional
combined with exhaust waste gate and air bypass meets for.CHP
93–102 °C
the well-known good low-load performance of pulse Charge air
cooler

charging. With its unique design its load acceptance is

close to pulse charging. HTC
Exp. central
Non-cooled chargers with inboard plain bearings 0.7–1.5 bar cooler

lubricated from the engine´s lube oil system are used. All
this makes for longer intervals between overhauls and
reduced maintenance. Engine

The turbocharger technology is going through a period Pre-

heater

of intense design and performance development. Only

the best available charger technology will be used on the
Wärtsilä 32.
module at the free end of the engine. The complete HT
circuit is thus virtually free of pipes.
The LT circuit serves the low-temperature part of the
charge air cooler and the built-on lube oil cooler. It is fully
integrated with engine parts such as the LT water pump
with pump cover module, the LT thermostatic valve with
the lube oil module and transfer channels in the engine
block.
Spex charging.

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Lubricating oil system
All Wärtsilä 32 engines are equipped with a complete lube
oil system, i.e. an engine-driven main pump, electrically
driven prelubricating pump, cooler, full flow filter and
centrifugal filter. The engine may also be fitted with
special running-in filters before each main bearing. The
pumps, pressure regulation and safety valves are integrated
into one module fitted at the free end of the engine. Filter,
cooler and thermostatic valves make up another module.
On in-line engines this is always located neatly on the
back side of the engine whereas on V-engines it is either at
the flywheel or free end, depending on the turbocharger
position.
The lube oil filtration is based on an automatic back-
flushing filter requiring a minimum of maintenance. The
filter elements are made of seamless sleeve fabric with high Cooler Pump
Filter
temperature resistance. An overhaul interval of one year is
recommended. The expected lifetime is four years. A special
feature is the centrifugal filter, connected to the back-
flushing line of the automatic filter. This provides the means
for extraction of distant wear particles from the system. Priming
pump

11
Automation system UNIC system components
ESM Engine Safety Module
MCM Main Control Module
The Wärtsilä 32 engine is equipped with the Wärtsilä
TCM Thermocouple Module
unified controls (UNIC) engine automation system. The
IOM Input Output Module
different systems available for Wärtsilä 32 engine are
PDM Power Distribution Module
UNIC C1 and C2, described as follows.
LCP Local Control Panel
LDU Local Display Unit

UNIC C1
In the UNIC C1 engine automation system, the ! Speed and load control (electronic speed control by
fundamental aspects of the engine control and safety MCM if engine equipped with actuator, otherwise
are handled by the embedded control and management by mechanical governor)
system. This includes engine speed and load control ! Start/stop management
as well as overspeed protection, lube oil pressure and
cooling water temperature protection. For the other The engine control system is designed to:
parts, the design requires the majority of the sensors ! Achieve the highest possible reliability, with
to be hardwired to an external alarm and monitoring components, e.g. sensors, designed specifically
system. for the on-engine environment,
The UNIC C1 system provides the following ! Reduce cabling on and around the engine, with a
functionality: clear point of interconnection and a standardized
! Fundamental safety (overspeed, LO pressure, cooling interface, and
water temp.) ! Provide high performance with optimized and
! Basic local monitoring pre-tested controls.
! Hardwired interface to external alarm and
monitoring systems

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UNIC C2

The UNIC C2 engine automation system provides a The engine control system is designed to:
complete embedded engine control and monitoring ! Provide a compact embedded engine control and
system. UNIC C2 is a distributed and bus-based management system for space-saving applications,
system in which the monitoring and control function is ! Reduce installation and commissioning time by
placed close to the point of measurement and control. providing a very simple fieldbus-based interface that
This significantly simplifies both the on- and off- is delivered pre-tested and fully operational from the
engine wiring. Additionally, the advanced functions factory,
in the system, e.g. for diagnostics and control, provide ! Achieve the highest possible reliability with
outstanding performance and reliability, and the need components, e.g. sensors, designed specifically for
for off-engine systems is significantly reduced. the on-engine environment,
! Considerably reduce cabling on and around the
The UNIC C2 system provides the following engine through a bus-based architecture, with a clear
functionality: point of interconnection and with a standardized
! Complete engine safety system hardwire and fieldbus interface, and
! Complete local monitoring, including all readings, ! Provide high performance with optimized and pre-
events and diagnostics tested controls.
! Speed and load control (electronic speed control by
MCM if engine equipped with actuator, otherwise UNIC C2 shares the same mechanical design as the
by mechanical governor) UNIC C1, and can therefore easily be retrofitted when
! Complete engine control, including start/stop, load needed. Common components and functionality also
reduction request, etc. simplifies operator training and spare parts logistics,
! Alarm signal provision since all UNIC options use the same basic design and
! Full system diagnostics components.
! Fieldbus interface

13
Easy application Easy maintenance
An important design principle of the Wärtsilä 32 is to Efficient and easy maintenance is incorporated into the
build as much auxiliary equipment as possible on the design. In combination with the long intervals between
engine. This goes for lube oil and water pumps, lube overhauls, the hours spent on maintenance are reduced to
oil cooler and filter, engine control and monitoring. a minimum. The lube oil filtration is one good example.
Application work is thus reduced to a minimum. Hydraulics are used for pre-tension of the cylinder head
However, the engine still needs connections to external screws, all the connecting rod screws, and the main
systems. The trend is increasingly towards standardized bearing screws. The distinctive Wärtsilä feature with
modules. To make full use of this from the installation individual hydraulic jacks for each main bearing is of
cost point of view, the engine should support smooth course adopted. The unique fuel line design enables
interfacing. The Wärtsilä 32 comes in a number of injection pump exchange with a minimum of work with
standard options, e.g. a turbocharger at either end of the less risk of error.
engine and one- or two-stage charge air cooling, without The multiduct arrangement allows the cylinder head to
sacrificing the easy interfacing principle. be lifted without removal of water pipes, while the slide-in
connections on the manoeuvring side allows it to be lifted
without removal of oil or air pipes. The water pumps are
easy to replace thanks to the cassette design principle and
water channel arrangement in the pump cover at the free
end of the engine. There is greater accessibility to all the
above components thanks to a minimal number of pipes
and an ergonomic component design.

14
Main technical data
Marine engines Power plant engines
Cylinder bore 320 mm Cylinder bore 320
Piston stroke 400 mm Piston stroke 400
Cylinder output 480, 500 kW/cyl Rated speed 720 / 750 rpm
Engine speed 720, 750 rpm Mean piston speed 9.6 / 10.0 m/s
Mean effective pressure 24.9, 24.9 bar BMEP 23.3 / 22.9 bar
Piston speed 9.6, 10.0 m/s Cylinder output 450 / 460 kW/cyl
Voltage 0.4 - 13.8 kV Fuel HFO
Generator efficiency 0.95 - 0.97 Emissions 970 ppm @ 15% O2
NOX emissions Within IMO limits or 712 ppm @ 15% O2
Fuel specification:
Fuel oil 730 cSt/50°C
7200 sRl/100°F
ISO 8217, category ISO-F-RMK 55
SFOC 175-180 g/kWh at ISO conditions
Rated power for mechanical propulsion Rated power: Power generation
720 rpm – 480 kW/cyl 750 rpm – 500 kW/cyl 50 Hz/750 rpm
Engine type Engine type
kW BHP kW BHP Power, electrical kW Heat rate kJ/kWh Electrical efficiency %
6L32 2 880 3 910 3 000 4 080 6L32 2 636 8 240 43.7
7L32 3 360 4 570 3 500 4 760 8L32 3 533 8 197 43.9
8L32 3 840 5 220 4 000 5 440 9L32 3 990 8 155 44.1
9L32 4 320 5 870 4 500 6 120 12V32 5 327 8 155 44.1
12V32 5 760 7 830 6 000 8 160 16V32 7 124 7 961 45.2
16V32 7 680 10 440 8 000 10 870 18V32 8 032 7 944 45.3
18V32 8 640 11 740 9 000 12 230 20V32 8 924 7 944 45.3

Engine dimensions (mm) and weights (tonnes) 60 Hz/720 rpm

Engine type A* A B* B C D F Weight
6L32 3 579 8 155 44.1
6L32 5 108 5 297 2 268 2 268 2 300 2 345 1 153 35.5 8L32 3 456 8 112 44.4
7L32 - 5 758 - 2 490 2 300 2 345 1 153 41.5 9L32 3 908 8 070 44.6
8L32 6 478 6 510 2 438 2 418 2 300 2 345 1 153 45.0 12V32 5 211 8 070 44.6
9L32 6 968 7 116 2 438 2 418 2 300 2 345 1 153 48.5 16V32 6 970 7 877 45.7
12V32 6 795 6 435 2 350 2 390 2 870 2 120 1 475 60.5 18V32 7 857 7 860 45.8
16V32 - 7 890 - 2 523 3 293 2 120 1 475 76.0 20V32 8 730 7 860 45.8
18V32 - 8 450 - 2 523 3 293 2 120 1 475 82.5
*Turbocharger at flywheel end.

Rated power: Generating sets Generating set dimensions (mm) and weights (tonnes)
720 rpm/60 Hz – 480 kW/cyl 750 rpm/50 Hz – 500 kW/cyl Engine type Length Width Height Weight
Engine type
Engine kW Gen. kW Engine kW Gen. kW
6L32 2 880 2 760 3 000 2 880 6L32 8 766 2 418 3 738 58
7L32 3 360 3 230 3 500 3 360 8L32 9 750 2 418 3 740 78
8L32 3 840 3 690 4 000 3 840 9L32 11 200 2 410 3 740 87
9L32 4 320 4 150 4 500 4 320 12V32 10 030 3 050 4 420 90
12V32 5 760 5 530 6 000 5 760 16V32 N/A N/A N/A N/A
16V32 7 680 7 370 8 000 7 680 18V32 11 500 3 300 4 220 128
18V32 8 640 8 290 9 000 8 640 20V32 12 660 3 670 4 640 137

Generating set dimensions (mm) and weights (tonnes)

Engine type A* E* I* K L* Weight*
6L32 9 029 2 290 1 450 2 345 3 718 58.5
7L32 9 368 2 690 1 630 2 345 4 122 71.0
8L32 10 463 2 690 1 630 2 345 4 055 75.0
9L32 10 612 2 890 1 630 2 345 4 025 79.5
12V32 9 992 3 060 1 700 2 120 4 089 100.5
16V32 11 692 3 060 1 850 2 120 4 373 115.0
18V32 12 007 3 360 1 850 2 120 4 373 132.5
* Dependent on alternator type and size.
Subject to revision without notice.

15
 05.2006 / Bock´s Office / Fram
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them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating
better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä
focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and
solutions as well as services.

Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to

be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is
achieved by the dedication of more than 12,000 professionals
manning 130 Wärtsilä offices in over 60 countries around the
world.

For more information visit www.wartsila.com

WÄRTSILÄ® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 2006 Wärtsilä Corporation.

Wärtsilä Finland Oy
P.O. Box 252, Tel. +358 10 709 0000
FI-65101 Vaasa, Fax Ship Power +358 6 356 7188
Finland Fax Power Plants +358 6 356 9133