Waste heat is the key to reducing fuel consumption and emissions

Voith has developed a new technology in order to respond to the concerns of global warming and its impact on the society: “Voith SteamTrac“, a compact, state-of-the-art modern waste heat recovery system for combustion engines used in marine applications as well as for rail-, road- and industry applications, achieving a significant reduction of fuel consumption and emissions of toxic and hazardous gases (f.i. Carbon Dioxide). Apart from its ecological advantages and lower fuel consumption the SteamTrac system also enhances the economy of ship’s drivelines.

The operating principle of our system can be resumed as follows: the heat from the exhaust system is used to warm up the operating medium in the evaporator to superheated steam. The steam is expanded into the expander and generating mechanical energy which can be fed back into the combustion engine’s crankshaft or to a gearbox power take in (PTI). The operating medium is liquefied downstream the piston expander in a condenser followed by storage into an operating medium tank. The entire process is controlled and monitored by a control module.

"The effect is significant and appeals to many ship owners," says Marcel Flipse, Executive Vice President of Voith Turbo Marine SteamTrac B.V. based in Twello, Netherlands, which was newly founded on 1 October 2011. In future, the new company will sell Voith SteamTracs to all over the world. Flipse underlines that the new technology is suitable for both new marine developments and retrofits. "In principle, SteamTracs can be installed to all combustion engines." Possible marine applications can be for example inland waterway vessels, short sea ships, fishing boats and ferries.

Voith Turbo