Wartsila SP Tech 2011 ICC

-8th annual Green Ship Technology conference in Oslo March 2011Intelligent Combustion Control of Wrtsils two-stroke engines
Sebastian Rolle, Axel Hussler, Lars Hansen, Raphael Ryser, Thomas Thurnheer, Peter Hug
Wrtsil Switzerland Ltd.
Paper Abstract:
In this paper, the latest development of
Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control (ICC)
system is presented. Furthermore, performance
data of test installations are discussed and the
potential of the whole system is demonstrated.
Currently, engine control parameters, such as
start of injection or exhaust valve timing, are
optimized manually within their allowed range
depending on measured peak firing and
compression
pressures.
This
manual
readjustment procedure is not carried out
regularly and thus further optimization potential
can be exploited by permanently working
closed loop control.
The ICC system will be integrated optionally in
the next WECS-9520 version (Wrtsils
Engine Control System) for the electronically
controlled RT-flex engine series [4]. The
system is also available for retrofit solutions on
existing vessels. Adjustments of engine firing
pressure are done in reference to set-point
values derived from the shop test, which are
site corrected by taking also ambient variations
into account.
The ICC system balances the compression and

firing pressures of all cylinders which results in
an equal exploitation of each unit, and thus
reduces torsional vibrations of the complete
engine. Additionally, the system protects the
engine against potential manual operating
errors e.g. by limiting the maximum cylinder
pressure rise.
Due to this functionality the engine operation is
always as optimized as possible. This is even
more pronounced since the fuel has to be
changed when entering SOx Emission Control
Areas or when fuels of different qualities are
used.
Compared to an engine operated with a Fuel
Quality Setting (FQS) of zero the measured
reduction in fuel oil consumption with activated
ICC was approximately 2.5g/kWh on board a
vessel over the whole engine load range.
As a result, a positive effect on the overall CO2
emission is achieved.
For such a control system it is important to

have very reliable and highly accurate pressure
sensors with a long life time especially for
Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) usage on two-stroke
engine applications.
Green Ship Conference 2011, Oslo
Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control
INTRODUCTION
The focus of todays vessel operation is the
reduction of fuel oil consumption and
maintenance effort as well as compliance with
current emission legislation.
The ICC system ensures that the engine in
service is operated according to its original
shop test performance. This is done
automatically in real time and independently of
the fuel used on board a vessel at that moment
(e.g. HFO).
Almost all two-stroke diesel engines in service
are operated in a open loop control mode.
Manual adjustments of the injection timing by
means of a Fuel Quality Setting (FQS) are not
often done on a regular basis. As an input for
these manual adjustments of the injection
timing,
the
in-cylinder
pressure
and
performance data have to be taken (e.g. after a
new fuel was bunkered or after an engine
overhaul) by the crew on board a vessel.
Often only a single pressure measurement
device is available on board a vessel, therefore
simultaneous measurements of all cylinders are
not possible. During a certain measurement
time for in-cylinder pressure measurements in
multiple cylinder engines it is very unlikely that
no engine speed or torque variations occurred.
Furthermore, such single pressure measurements can only be executed at one particular
engine operating point. As a result, adjustments
to the injection and exhaust valve timing of the
engine can only be done according to this
single operating point.
All this allows the exploitation of further
optimization potential by real time closed loop
control.
Lately, many vessels powered by Wrtsil main
engines were equipped with Intelligent
Combustion Monitoring (ICM), measuring real
time in-cylinder pressure in all engine cylinders.
This package offers a broad range of data post

processing tools for performance evaluation or
helping to determine engine malfunctions
(extensive blow by, exhaust valve operation,
fuel injection) [1].
This ICM system is already a significant
improvement compared to just one pressure
sensor available on board a vessel.
Nevertheless, the potential of this system in
view of more efficient engine operation is often
not exploited on board a vessel e.g. the FQS is
often found to be zero in practice.
ICC - FUNCTIONALITY
The ICC system is an optional part of WECS9520 [3], which adjusts the peak firing pressure
of the engine according to engine design
criteria. Furthermore, the firing and the
compression pressure of all cylinders are
balanced by modifying the injection timing and
exhaust valve closing timing in their allowed
operation range. All modifications of engine
control parameters [5] by activated ICC are
compliant with the vessels IMO certificate and
have the same limits as for manual adjustment.
The ICC system also limits the pressure rise of
the engine as an included safety functionality,
which also reduces excessive wear of engine
components, risks of overload and also avoids
potential manual wrong adjustements in case of
open loop control.
Pressure transducers
The precise and continuously measured incylinder pressure of all units forms the basis of
the ICC system.
Wrtsil decided during the early development
phase of the project to use the ABB pressure
transducers (Pressductor technology, based
on a magneto-elastic measuring principle) [1].
The transducers are mounted on the cylinder

head just below the indication cocks (one on
each cylinder) of a two-stroke engine. Also
other transducer types (mainly piezo) were
tested but found not to have the required long
time stability.
Compression pressure:
The compression pressure cannot be
measured directly due to combustion and fuel
injection that might occur before TDC.
In ICC, the compression pressure [2] of each
cycle is calculated with the formula illustrated in
figure 2.
The engine speed signal as well as the crank
angle position with 0.1 CA resolution already
exists in WECS-9520.
Compared to membrane type transducers,

these ABB sensors have a unique blow through
design as illustrated in figure 1. Usually before
main engine start, the indication cocks are
opened while slowly turning the engine. During
that time, all potential combustion residuals
(especially from HFO usage) are blown out.
This cleaning function guarantees precise
measurement data over long time operation
(Mean Time Between Failure = 10 years [1]
with roughly 6500 yearly operating hours of
main engine) and reduced maintenance effort.
Another benefit of this transducer type is the
independence of temperature (heat flash) [1],
as a result no compensation or recalibration is
required in service.
pCompressio n
poly
VCylinder ,
Figure 1 : ABB pressure transducer
pCylinder ,
VTDC
Figure 2 : compression pressure calculation
Firing pressure:
The peak firing pressure [2] is the highest
measured pressure value in the crank angle
range between start of injection and
approximately 20CA after TDC as shown in
figure 3.
The pressure rise, which is limited in the ICC
function to an adjustable value e.g. 40 bar, is
the difference between firing pressure and
compression pressure.
Firing pressure
14 0
12 0
Pressure at 0CA
10 0
In-cylinder pressure evaluation
80
Since this in-cylinder pressure sensor (similar

to membrane based sensors) does only
measure relative pressure signals, the
measured pressure at BDC is subtracted from
the signal and the actual measured scavenging
pressure is added.
60
40
20
0
-18 0
-1 50
-120
-90
-60
-30
30
60
90
120
150
180
CA
Figure 3 : cylinder pressure trace of a two-stroke engine
This signal evaluation is processed by the ICC

part of WECS-9520.
Pressure set-point site correction
Additional temperature and pressure sensors

are installed upstream compressor and in the
scavenge air receiver which are directly
connected to the WECS-9520. This real time
continuous ambient condition adaptation takes
care for the regional climate, diurnal variations
and current overall engine performance.
GN-14/C1AU4
( 4 Pt 100 inputs)
GN-14/C1AX4
( 4 inputs 4-20mA)
Pt 100 sensors Kongsberg MN524
Can M bus
measurements f rom TC3 and TC4
FCM20
online spare
FCM20 - 14
FCM20 - 13
FCM20 - 12
FCM20 - 11
FCM20 - 9
FCM20 - 10
FCM20 - 8
FCM20 - 7
FCM20 - 6
FCM20 - 5
FCM20 - 4
FCM20 - 3
FCM20 - 2
FCM20 - 1
PT 14
PT 13
PT 12
PT 11
PT 10
PT 9
PT 8
PT 7
PT 6
PT 5
PT 4
PT 3
PT 2
4 -20 mA
Power supply
Cylinder Pressure
Suction air temperature

Scavenge air temperature
Injection Begin offset
Setpoint
correction
Barometric Pressure
Engine Load
Setpoint
Firing 5 : pressure control strategy
The signal is initially filtered in WECS-9520 and

further routed into a controller. Adjustments of
this actual measured pressure value to its
corrected set-point value at a certain engine
load are done accordingly. This real time site
correction and comparison, shown in figure 5,
is performed for each individual engine cycle.
Blower inlet temperatures

Scavenge air temperatures
CANopen system bus
PT 1
Cylinder Press. Sensor
Activation of ICC
measurements f rom TC1 and TC2
Barometric
pressure
Actual Value
Comparison
The desired firing pressure, derived from shop

test, is converted back (by a reverse ISO
correction) to site conditions at each actual
operating point of the engine. This ensures that
the engine firing pressure is adjusted according
to its design criteria and the engine is not
overloaded while the full potential is exploited.
dynamic cylinder pressure signals
In the WECS-9520 it is possible to activate or

to turn off each individual sub function of the
ICC system, represented in figure 6. The
system is able to adjust the desired mean value
of firing pressure to its site corrected set-point
value (FQS control), to balance the firing
pressure of all units (firing pressure control)
and to balance the compression pressure
(compression pressure control).
Figure 4 : ICC installation overview
ICC - Installation and control

The cylinder pressure raw data of each unit is
taken as an analogue input signal from the ABB
pressure transducer into WECS-9520 as
illustrated in figure 4.
Figure 6 : WECS-9520 software switch
In the case of deactivation of a sub-function the

engine operates in a conventional open loop
control mode, explained in figure 7:
The analogue signal itself is drift compensated

(certain logic of ABB transducer) and equal to
the separate bus communication based signal
processed in the ICM system [1].
Figure 7 : activation / deactivation of ICC functions
Initially it was planned to activate ICC

automatically above 50% engine load up to full
load. Due to the economic crisis that started in
2008, basically all vessels (engines) are
operated these days at much lower loads /
speeds than they were originally designed for.
As a result, the activation range of ICC has
been modified towards lower loads / speeds.
Vessels with two-stroke main engines should
not be operated with activated auxiliary blowers
(area of maneuvering speed) for a long time
due to economical reasons.
The latest ICC
activated above
auxiliary blowers
hysteresis) if all
activation are met
control).
version is automatically
this operating range of
(including an adjustable
other prerequisites for its
(validity of input signals for
WECS-9520 display
hardware issues of certain cylinder units and

should be further investigated.
RESULTS
The ICC system was initially installed on the
4RT-flex60C lab engine in Winterthur, where it
was extensively tested. After completion of all
necessary tests the ICC system was installed
on two vessels (one with 7RT-flex96C and
another one with 12RT-flex96C engine). The
complete installation took place during port
stays of both vessels and the ICC system was
commissioned during a short voyage between
European ports without influencing the vessels
schedule. Commissioning included functionality
checks and performance testing. The FQS was
just on one of both vessels in use before WCH
engineers went on board for ICC installation.
An increase in firing pressure which strongly
depends on the ignition delay (mainly fuel
influenced) is equivalent to Specific Fuel Oil
Consumption (SFOC) reduction. Thus the
correctly adjusted firing pressure by means of
FQS is most important during engine operation.
Closed Loop control OFF
Closed Loop control ON

COMPRESSION PRESSURE - CLOSED LOOP CONTROL ON
COMPRESSION PRESSURE - OPEN LOOP CONTROL

66
66
65,5
65,5
65
Compression Pressure (bar)
Compression Pressure (bar)
65
64,5
64
63,5
63
64,5
64
63,5
63
62,5
62,5
Average of Pcomp
62
0
20
Compression Pressure Cyl. 1
40
60
Compression Pressure C yl. 2
Compression Pressure Average
62
80
100 time (sec)

C ompression Pressure Cyl. 3
120
20
Closed Loop control OFF
Figure 8: WECS-9520 ICC adjust card
Significant differences of single unit values for

exhaust valve operation and injection timing
compared to other units are already a hint for
80
100 time (sec)

120
FIRING PRESSURE - CLOSED LOOP CONTROL

104
102
102
Firing Pressure (bar)
104
100
Firing Pressure (bar)
60
Compression Pressure Average
Closed Loop control ON
FIRING PRESSURE - OPEN LOOP CONTROL
The balanced compression and firing pressures

are achieved by individually adjusting the
exhaust valve timing and injection timing of
each unit. The resulting differences between
the mean exhaust valve and injection timings of
each unit and their respective mean values are
also shown in figure 8.
40
98
96
100
98
96
Setpoint
94
94
Cyl. average PMax

92
92
0
20
Firing Pressure C yl. 1
40
60
Firing Pressure Average
80
100 time (sec)

Firing Pressure Setpoint
120
20
40
60
Firing Pressure Average
80
100 time (sec)

Firing Pressure Setpoint
120
Figure 9: activation of ICC (7RT-flex96C)
Figure 9 outlines the changes of compression

and firing pressure while activating ICC at a
constant engine speed / load operating point. It
is evident that the deviations between cylinders
are reduced. Activated ICC also raises the

mean value of firing pressure to the set-point
value.
97
P_MAX [bar]
P_MAX [bar]
98
86
85
84
83
82
Closed Loop Combustion

standard Open Loop FQS =0
81
96
SFOC measurements on board
95
94

93
80
92
1
4
Cylinder No.
max. deviation Closed Loop = 1.4 bar Open Loop = 2.0 bar
50 % LOAD P_MAX 50 Cycle average
110
109
108
107
106
105
104
103
102
101
100
4
Cylinder No.
138
OPEN LOOP (FQS=0)

CLOSED LOOP
2
137
P_MAX [bar]
P_MAX [bar]
99
87
SFOC [g/kWh]
88
reduced SFOC with activated ICC is the

increased peak firing pressure (according to
set-point curve from engine shop test) at each
speed / load point, expressed in figure 13.
4
Cylinder No.
135
134
10000

133

1
136
15000
132
4
Cylinder No.
20000
25000
POWER [kW]
30000
35000
Figure 12 : SFOC measurement on board
Figure 10: firing pressure deviation over 50 cycles (7RT-flex96C)
ISO corrected Firing Pressure
130
P_MAX [bar]
The deviations of the firing pressure over 50

corresponding engine cycles (eliminating cyclic
variations) for the same seven cylinder engine
are shown in figure 10. With activated ICC
these deviations are much lower compared to
the Open Loop Control.
140
120
110
OPEN LOOP (FQS=0)
100
CLOSED LOOP
90
80
10000
15000
20000
25000
POWER [kW]
30000
35000
Figure 13 : ISO corrected firing pressure

90
100
88
98
P_MAX [bar]
86
P_MAX [bar]
102
84
82
80
94
92
86
84
76
1
10
11
12
Cylinder No.
10
11
12
130
Cylinder No.
135
129
134
128
133
132
P_MAX [bar]
127
P_MAX [bar]
Extended low load operation
90
88
78
96
126
125
124
123
131
130
129
128
127
122

121
120
126
125
124
10
11
12
Cylinder No.
10
11
12
Cylinder No.
Figure 11: firing pressure deviation over 25 cycles(12RT-flex96C)
In figure 11, the same deviation trend is

illustrated for the twelve cylinder engine (with a
different tuning), whereas in open loop control
at 82% load one cylinder is already at a
pronounced high firing pressure. This balancing
of firing pressure results in an equal
exploitation of each cylinder unit.
Figure 12 shows the measured fuel oil
consumption of activated ICC compared to the
original setting with zero FQS of the standard
Open Loop Control. The main reason for the
Wrtsil offers Slow Steaming Upgrade Kits

(SSUK) for extended low load engine operation
as a variable or fixed solution for Turbocharger
blinding. Another approach in the past was a
complete engine / vessel layout for waste heat
recovery, bypassing T/C turbines at certain
exhaust mass flows. For operation of both
systems together with ICC an adaptation had to
be made to get this engine operation
information into WECS-9520. The ICC system
then distinguishes between current operations
of the engine and accordingly chooses the
proper set point curve.
CONCLUSION
The equal exploitation of each cylinder unit of
the engine by balancing compression and firing
pressure reduces potential overload and
abnormal wear rates of engine components.

ICC ensures that the engine is always operated
according to its design criteria, as safely and as
efficiently as possible. This is even more
pronounced when fuel of different quality is
bunkered or when the fuel has to be changed in
certain areas. The ICC system helps to reduce
the workload of the crew on board but also the
effort for data evaluation in offices of vessel
owners, since all adaptations are done
automatically with all ambient corrections. The
installation of ICC is not only beneficial as a
retrofit on engines installed in vessels or power
plants. Already during engine commissioning
before shop test, it reduces engine running time
(with diesel fuel) just to balance compression
and firing pressure.
NOMENCLATURE
pcompression
pcylinder
Vcylinder
VTDC
- compression pressure [bar]

- in-cylinder pressure at CA [bar]
3
- cylinder swept volume at CA [m ]
3
- cylinder volume at TDC [m ]
- polytropic exponent [-]
ICC
ICM
HFO
FQS
SOx
CO2
WECS-9520
T/C
SSUK
SFOC
CA
TDC
BDC
ISO
- Intelligent Combustion Control

- Intelligent Combustion Monitoring
- Heavy Fuel Oil
- Fuel Quality Setting
- Sulphur Oxides
- Carbon Dioxides
- Wrtsil Engine Control System
- Turbocharger
- Slow Steaming Upgrade Kits
- Specific Fuel Oil Consumption
- degree crank angle
- Top Dead Center
- Bottom Dead Center
- International Organization for
Standardization
REFERENCES
[1] Stroke by stroke measurement of diesel
engine performance on board; CIMAC 2004
Lars Karlsson, Jarl Sorbel ABB Sweden AB
[2] Thermodynamik der Verbrennungskraftmaschine H. List; Springer Verlag 09/2009 ;
R. Pischinger, M. Klell, T. Sams
[3] The new Wrtsil 820 mm - bore engine
series - advanced design and first running
experience CIMAC 2010; Marc Spahni,
Heinrich Brunner, Ronald de Jong, Wrtsil
Switzerland Ltd.
[4] Common-Rail Wrtsil Two-Stroke Engines
in Practice, CIMAC 2007; Heinrich Brunner,
Michael Betschart, Stefan Frankhauser,
Wrtsil Switzerland Ltd.
[5] Taking the next steps in emissions reduction
for large 2-stroke engines, CIMAC 2007; Rudolf
Holtbecker,
German
Weisser,
Matthias
Amoser, Wrtsil Switzerland Ltd.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to thank all involved
colleagues within Wrtsil Switzerland and
ABB Sweden for their valued support,
contribution and cooperation.

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-8th annual Green Ship Technology conference in Oslo March 2011Intelligent Combustion Control of Wrtsils two-stroke engines

Wrtsil Switzerland Ltd.

The ICC system balances the compression and

For such a control system it is important to

Green Ship Conference 2011, Oslo

Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control

Green Ship Conference 2011, Oslo

This package offers a broad range of data post

Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control

The transducers are mounted on the cylinder

Compared to membrane type transducers,

Figure 1 : ABB pressure transducer

Figure 2 : compression pressure calculation

In-cylinder pressure evaluation

Since this in-cylinder pressure sensor (similar

Figure 3 : cylinder pressure trace of a two-stroke engine

This signal evaluation is processed by the ICC

Green Ship Conference 2011, Oslo

Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control

Pressure set-point site correction

Additional temperature and pressure sensors

Pt 100 sensors Kongsberg MN524

measurements f rom TC3 and TC4

Suction air temperature

Injection Begin offset

Firing 5 : pressure control strategy

The signal is initially filtered in WECS-9520 and

Blower inlet temperatures

CANopen system bus

Cylinder Press. Sensor

measurements f rom TC1 and TC2

The desired firing pressure, derived from shop

dynamic cylinder pressure signals

In the WECS-9520 it is possible to activate or

Figure 4 : ICC installation overview

ICC - Installation and control

Figure 6 : WECS-9520 software switch

In the case of deactivation of a sub-function the

The analogue signal itself is drift compensated

Green Ship Conference 2011, Oslo

Wrtsils Intelligent Combustion Control

Initially it was planned to activate ICC

hardware issues of certain cylinder units and

Closed Loop control ON

COMPRESSION PRESSURE - OPEN LOOP CONTROL

Compression Pressure (bar)

Compression Pressure (bar)

100 time (sec)

Closed Loop control OFF

Figure 8: WECS-9520 ICC adjust card

Significant differences of single unit values for

100 time (sec)

FIRING PRESSURE - CLOSED LOOP CONTROL

Firing Pressure (bar)

Firing Pressure (bar)

Closed Loop control ON

FIRING PRESSURE - OPEN LOOP CONTROL

The balanced compression and firing pressures

Cyl. average PMax

100 time (sec)

100 time (sec)

Figure 9: activation of ICC (7RT-flex96C)

Figure 9 outlines the changes of compression