IS THERE A FUTURE FOR DIESEL ENGINES OF OVER 1000 RPM ON SEAGOING CARGO SHIPS

The paper is introduced by some discussion of the views of shipbuilders and ship operators on the subject in 1955. At that time it was believed that problems of reliability and maintenance precluded the use of highspeed Diesel engines for long-haul cargo ships. The trend away from Diesel-electric propulsion in 1955-57 towards the first installations of high-speed Diesels in refrigerated ships is discussed. Analyses of Diesel engine production in Europe for 1970 and in the Federal German Republic for 1967-1974 are presented to illustrate the trend towards higher speeds. Specific mention is made of the contribution made by the Authors' firm, Motoren- und Turbine Union Friedrichshafen, towards the supply of high- speed Diesel Engines for cargo ships both as main propulsion units and as auxiliaries. Reliability anslyses for four consecutive series of MTU engines are summarised to show how the application of planned maintenance has reduced the failure rate . Brief details of the MTU 956 series and its future development are given to indicate the upper performance limits which can be expected. The advantages of high-speed Diesels for the shipbuilder are that, because of their favourable power/size ratios, smaller engine rooms are possible. Examples of installations in a supply ship and a container ship are shown. Measures for noise and vibration reduction are briefly described. It is concluded that there is a considerable future for the high-speed Diesel engine particularly from the aspects of one-man ship control and handling, unattended engine-room operation, reliability, and the 'open engine-room' concept.