Scania announced last month that after five years research and development they were implementing a unified global engine platform based on the latest technology for all markets and for all emission standards. One of this new generation of engines, the Scania 13-litre  marine diesel has been chosen by the U.K.’s RNLI to power its forthcoming Shannon all-weather life-saving craft. Scania New Generation 13-litre Marine Diesel Engine: Photo courtesy of Scania The rescue craft will be powered by two Scania 13-litre marine engines, each rated at 650 hp. The entire design of these engines is modular, engineered for easy servicing and maximum uptime for operators. Interestingly, Scania say that the vast majority of their diesel engines can operate on up to 100% biodiesel fuel. Mikael Lindner, Sales Director, Scania  said: “RNLI and Scania (Great Britain) Ltd worked closely together to find the best possible solution for their new life-saving vessels. The choice ... [More]

If a British RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) ‘Severn-class’ lifeboat bent on a lifesaving mission in foul weather were to capsize, it is designed to upright within seconds (the righting lever must be a long one) but how can the engine keep running after the boat has ‘looped the loop’? Inverting a running diesel engine would likely cause engine oil to enter the cylinders through the crankcase ventilation system, causing uncontrolled combustion as surely as pressing the self-destruct button. A few years ago, the RNLI was looking to re-engine its ‘all weather’ boats and asked MTU if they could tackle the problem.The Revolving Cradle Test-bedMTU design engineers took their Series 2000 M94 engine and fitted it to a special-purpose cradle that would rotate it through 360 degrees about its own longitudinal axis in order to study closely and practically the effectiveness of modifications they made to the design of the crankcase ventilation and oil... [More]