Sandfirden Technics supplies LNG gensets for EcoLiner

The EcoLiner, an inland navigation vessel which is being built by Damen Hardinxveld, will be equipped with four dual-speed Powered by Scania Marine LNG Generator Sets of Sandfirden Technics.

Sandfirden Technics has more than 70,000 operating hours experience with marine gas engines, the company said in a statement.

The EcoLiner will be supplied with four LNG engines, each gas engine being able to generate a maximum continuous power of 300 kWm at 1,800 rpm. In Den Oever, the generator and the LNG engine will be joined into a genset. By means of remote monitoring, the four generator sets can be monitored 24/7, allowing all messages to be received both on board and in Den Oever.

In order to extend the maintenance interval of the engines, the crankcase has been enlarged to 70 litres and an automatic oil replenishing system has been installed. The oil will only need to be renewed once every 1,200 operating hours, whereby – sampling – may extend the useful life. The gas spark plugs developed by Sandfirden have a runtime of 2,400 hours, according to the statement.

The use of LNG as a fuel enables considerable emission reductions of the gensets. The emission of nitrogen oxide is reduced by 25 percent, the emission of sulphur dioxide by 100 percent while the emission of carbon dioxide and particulate matter is reduced by 25 percent and 99 percent respectively.

HTP electric propulsion drive system

The EcoLiner will be equipped with an electric propulsion drive system, which reduces the fuel bill of the ship-owner and contributes significantly towards the necessary reduction of harmful emissions, the statement said.

There is, however, still room for further reductions and improvements, according to Erik de Wit, Sales Director at Sandfirden Technics. “The gensets can also feed the High Torque Power Drive HTP system of Torque Marine IPS, in which the required power is automatically matched to demand. The performances in the series permanent magnet generator / inverter / DC bus / inverter / HTP drive motor are softly connected by 100 percent defined power take-off. This also prevents unacceptable loading of the motor. It allows you to use the electric power as efficiently as possible. Only the energy actually needed by the drive system is used, ensuring that even less energy is needed and even more underlining the environmentally-friendly nature of this vessel.

The main difference with the existing electric drive systems is that the High Torque Power Drive HTP™ system is supplied as a gearless system coupled through a DC bus to a random genset or battery set,” explains De Wit.

Gearless means that the customary gearbox is absent. The electric motor is coupled directly to the propeller shaft, with only a so-called ‘flexplate” installed to bridge any angle between the electric motor and the propeller shaft. As with any other electric drive, a reversing gear is not needed. The hull of the EcoLiner has already been launched and it is hoped that the vessel will be put into service after the summer.

Image: Sandfirden Technics