Oslo-based shipping company Bulkship Management has agreed a contract to implement Berg Propulsion’s ‘EPL for EEXI’ power limitation system across 10 ships trading in the US Gulf and Caribbean.
Rather than using a governor for engine derating or ShaPoLi (shaft power limitation), Berg’s EPL (engine power limiter) is a software-based system that connects with the supplier’s MPC800 control system to limit propeller pitch.
Requiring no additional sensors, signals are sent to the ship’s controllable pitch propeller (CPP), where brake torque is reduced until the engine power reaches its approved range. The information can be used to verify that attained EEXI matches required EEXI, once entered into the IMO Data Collection System (DCS).
“On a CPP installation, it is more natural to limit the engine power output by the accurate governance of the propeller than by limiting the engine rpm setpoint,” said Magnus Thorén, Sales Manager Energy & Efficiency, Berg Propulsion.
“We use the main engine signal interface to limit the brake torque created by the propeller. Although it’s for a different purpose, this is based on the well-established practice of using a propeller pitch setpoint for overload protection.”
Crew can override the function in cases where full power is needed on a password-protected basis, although exceeding the pre-set limit results in automatic logging for later reporting purposes.
