Long-term Operational Test of VTA TurbochargerLaunched on Coal CarrierBulk Carrier Corona Queen

Tokyo, March 8, 2012—Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" Line) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that they will launch a long-term operational test of a Variable Turbine Area (VTA) turbocharger. The VTA turbocharger, designed to reduce CO₂ emissions, will be mounted on the KHI-MAN B&W5S60MC-C7 main engine powering an 85,400-ton coal carrier to be commissioned on March 8, 2012.

Amid accelerating environmental conservation efforts, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has mandated that marine vessels sailing international waters reduce CO₂ emissions in stages starting in 2013. The new VTA turbocharger boosts the combustion efficiency of the main engine as part of the effort to meet IMO's requirement.

The conventional turbocharger employs fixed turbine stator vanes in order to realize high combustion efficiency under high load. With this type of turbocharger, however, the level of air pressure delivered to the main engine decreases at low vessel speeds, resulting in reduced combustion efficiency. The VTA turbocharger allows the angle of the turbine stator vanes to be adjusted so that the optimal pressure can be delivered at a broader range of speeds, thus improving the overall combustion efficiency.

In a land-based test, a main engine outfitted with a VTA turbocharger demonstrated a reduction of over 1-2% in CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption in all partial load ranges, including the normal operating load. In the long-term operation test, the performance and durability of the turbocharger will be evaluated.

"K" Line and Kawasaki will continue to develop new technologies that will help conserve and improve the global environment.