Engineering

Engine Lab Cranking

There is a powerful roar coming from the new Andrews waterfront laboratory.

In the spring of 2017 the Marine Engine Testing and Emissions Laboratory (METEL) began its first testing with a medium speed diesel engine. The lab utilizes a Wartsila 6L20 engine coupled with a 1200 KW generator along with associated monitoring equipment to evaluate the operational and combustion performance of alternative fuels and emissions, along with after-treatments. The system is seawater-cooled and set up to operate like an actual shipboard diesel generator set.

“So far,” says Rich Kimball, Professor, Engineering and director of the lab, “we have brought the Wartsilla medium speed diesel lab online and successfully performed tests for industry clients on new fuels and lube oils, including heavy fuels. There are few independent laboratories in the world that have our capabilities,and it is becoming important as the maritime industry is developing new technologies to meet the emissions regulations dictated by the International Maritime Organization, slated to come into effect in 2020 worldwide.”

The engine, which is the heart of the $1.5M facility, was primarily funded by a DOT University Transportation Center grant and is engineered to utilize light and heavy fuel oils, as well as emulsification and continuous fuel-switching capabilities to serve the broadest range of emerging alternative fuel technologies. The lab’s exhaust piping system allows installation of various emissions after-treament technologies, and the emissions measurement system is state-of-the-art in characterizing gaseous emissions (NOx, SOx, CO, etc), as well as particulate emissions.

The METEL lab is set up to conduct test work for industry clients, as well as high-quality engine research on fuels, lube oils, fuel and intake pre-treatment systems and post-treatment emissions systems.

“The lab is a critical component to the training of our students in areas of engine emissions and performance,” says Kimball.█

Photo: Billy Sims

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