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Investment in Design um-ceramic top piston ring. The Tri- boPack improvements are being imple- mented as standard design changes in all newly-developed types, such as the Sulzer RTA68T-B and RTA60C low- speed models, and will also come into play on larger-bore RTA machinery and progressively also as a retrofit package. Carnival, Wartsila Clearing The Air As the world's cruise lines grow expo- nentially larger and are increasingly falling under the gaze of environmental and regulatory bodies, the push to ensure that ships are run safely, effi- ciently and environmentally sound gains new importance each day. The world's largest cruise ship company — Carnival Corporation (CCL) — has hooked up with one of the premier builders of marine diesel engines — Wartsila NSD — to develop a smokeless diesel-elec- tric propulsion system for cruise ships. Code-named "project enviroengine," prototypes of the new engine are expect- ed to be available later this year for lab- oratory testing and are expected to be available commercially in 2001. Fol- lowing successful completion of testing, Carnival plans to utilize those engines on its future newbuilds. According to Captain Jim Drager, Carnival's vice president of corporate shipbuilding, when complete, the envi- roengine, installed in a diesel-electric propulsion system, will be one of the most environmentally friendly power plants available for ships. "We have studied the attributes of gas turbines, which we are considering installing on several Carnival Corporation newbuilds now under contract, but still believe that eventually our current diesel-electric systems can be as environmentally friendly as gas turbine alternatives," he said. Drager pointed out that because of efficiency, diesel-electric systems are far less taxing on precious fossil fuel assets and also emit substantially less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which is the number one contributor to global warming. According to Daniel Paro. Wartsila's group vice president - technology, the enviroengine is being created by com- bining "common rail technology" with a direct water injection system. Common rail technology uses an electronically controlled method to inject the precise amount of fuel at exactly the right time, resulting in greater engine operating efficiency and virtually eliminating smoke emissions. Direct water injection reduces nitrous oxide emissions by spraying water into the combustion chamber to cool it down immediately prior to injecting the fuel. Cooling down the chamber reduces nitrous oxide formation, which occurs at high temperatures. This method reduces nitrous oxide emission value to the same level as gas turbine engines. Paro said, "The cruise industry has made its desire to have the most envi- ronmentally friendly ships sailing the seas well-known to its suppliers, and we are happy to have Carnival working with us on this exciting development. Since the mid-1980s, Wartsila NSD has spent more than $100 million (U.S.) on emis- sion reduction research." He added that Wartsila will have spent more than $10 million (U.S.) on the enviroengine development before the prototype test- ing models are even built. Drager said that in addition to being utilized on future newbuild orders, power plants on several vessels current- ly under construction, including Carni- val Cruise Lines' "Spirit-class" ships and the Costa Atlantica, could be converted to the enviroengines. Additionally, Car- nival plans environmental conversions on several of its existing vessels, includ- ing Holland America's Alaska-based ships. REVOLUTIONIZING DATA CONNECTIVITY • jmHB :: :-• j|| Vy ^ I ta a The RACE is on! Imagine a connection that delivers the speed and performance you enjoy in your office... while at sea. RACE* from DCS Marine Data provides a super-fast, secure connection to your Email, the Internet, Corporate networks and more Satellite dialup while at sea has never been easier. Passengers, Captains, and crew will be thrilled with RACE*'s unmatched convenience as if they're in the next building. Welcome to the neighborhood. MARINE DATA T: +1.51 6.683.3700 W: www.dcsmarine.net E: sales@dcsmarine.net * Remote Asynchronous Communication Emulator Circle 220 on Reader Service Card real needs real time real solutions 10 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
