MHI to Install Marine Diesel Engine Testing Equipment at Kobe Shipyard, To Meet IMO Tier III NOx Emission Regulations, Targeting 80% Reduction

The "4UE-X3" testing system will be manufactured based on MHI's Mitsubishi-UE Diesel Engine "UEC60LSE-Eco" model, an electronically controlled 600 millimeter cylinder-bore four-cylinder engine. In preparing to satisfy Tier III regulations, MHI has already begun verification of the company's de-NOx system that adopts selective catalytic reduction (SCR)* and will verify elemental technologies such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and stratified water injection by the new testing system. In operating the testing equipment, MHI also plans to test technology for MEET - the Mitsubishi Marine Energy & Environmental Technical Solution System, a scheme whereby the company is aiming to propose various MHI marine-use machinery products as a package.

MHI has been operating a single-cylinder testing machine at its Nagasaki Research & Development Center, but opted to introduce multi-cylinder large-size testing equipment in order to accommodate the need for the company's engines to satisfy increasingly stringent environmental regulations in the coming years. Through introduction of the new testing system MHI will also accelerate further development of energy-saving related technologies as a global leader in the low-speed marine diesel industry, toward commercialization of even more reliable and efficient products.

Adjoining the new testing equipment, MHI will set up a training facility where disassembly maintenance work of major components of both electronically and mechanically controlled diesel engines can be practiced. By locating the training center near to the testing system, trainings of engine operation and maintenance using the test machine will be possible. With these two facilities, MHI will be able to respond to customers' needs and provide enhanced high-quality services globally, at the same time upgrading after-sale service capability of UE engine licensees in Japan and other countries. Leveraging its comprehensive strength in handling all processes from engine development and design to manufacture, the company will thereby further strengthen its services to customers and licensees in both production and maintenance technology.

Note: Selective catalytic reduction is regarded to be a cost-efficient method that has minimal negative impact on fuel efficiency and eliminates the need for platinum, a precious metal, in a de-NOx catalyst. Used in combination with other methods, SCR achieves high de-NOx capability.