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JM ' POWER REVIEW OS During the 1960s and early 70s, the focus of diesel engine design, development, and manufacture was on ever-increasing power outputs per unit in order to satisfy the pro- pulsion needs of the huge tankers and the very highspeed container- ships that were being designed and constructed in abundance during that period. The rapid escalation of fuel costs following the oil crisis of 1973, as well as the trend away from super- large tankers and 23-33 knot speeds for containerships, shifted that em- phasis. All of the major diesel en- gine manufacturers turned their design and R&D efforts to improv- ing fuel economy and the capabil- ity to burn heavy, poorer quality fuel safety and efficiently. Some of the engine designs introduced re- 18 cently have made remarkable prog- ress towards those objectives. FOR MORE INFORMATION MR/EN asked the diesel manu- facturers to provide data on their latest developments in fuel-effi- cient engines. The following re- view is based on the replies that we had received at press time. Product literature and technical reports are available free from the manufacturers included in this re- view. Just circle the appropriate Reader Service number on the card in the back of this issue. If you wish to receive informa- tion from all the manufacturers and suppliers of diesel engines and systems included in this review, Circle 40 on Reader Service Card ALCO POWER Circle 10 on Reader Service Card Alco Power Inc. is currently in- volved in a project that will add increased fuel efficiency to its model 251 diesel engine, as well as de- crease the amount of time re- quired to achieve rated horse- power and speed from engine idle speed. This is accomplished by the application of the model 131 tur- bocharger on the Alco 16-cylinder, model 251 CE diesel engine. This is now being tested in towboat ser- vice on the lower Mississippi and is receiving very favorable results. Alco is also involved with the development of a new piston de- sign to further increase fuel effi- ciency over its current valve-pock- eted design. Although this is in its preliminary stages, Alco hopes to have it out in the marketplace shortly. Other developments on the ho- rizon include continued experi- mentation with heavy fuels, cam- shaft design changes, and experimentation with turbochar- ger application, all of which will add up to increased fuel efficiency. Alco is now utilizing its new $2.8-million production test facil- ity at its Auburn, N.Y., manufac- turing plant to test current pro- duction model 251 engines. The engines are loaded by a micropro- cessor-controlled, fluid friction dy- nomometer and engine fluids. The new facility incorporates state-of- the-art instrumentation, allowing most engine parameters to be measured remotely in its control Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
