Cummins Marine took their time so as to make doubly sure before releasing their new EPA Tier 3 compliant engine to the market; just in time to breast the tape before the deadline for the EPA standard for 2.5 to 3.5-liter per cylinder engines took effect on New Year’s Day. That was because they needed time to give their new QSK50 EPA Tier 3 engine a thorough work-out in a real marine working environment (and a tough one at that, as we shall see) on top of earlier test-bed trials in the factory.What better than to install the new engine in a working towboat – which is just what they did last August –  so that by mid-December 2012 the engine under test had done its job for about 1720 hours, in one of Enterprise Marine’s towboats, the  Eugenie, under the sharp eye of Cummins’ engineers. Towboat 'Eugenie': Photo courtesy of photographer Ron Richardson/Dick's Towboat Gallery The Eugenie’s  natural habitat as a push boat working the US inlan... [More]

Cruise ship Mount Washington, resumes service this month after her annual winter lay-up in frozen Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, but this season the old lady will be powered by a pair of newly installed forward-looking Caterpillar C32 ACERT marine diesel engines when she leaves home port Weirs Beach. Mount Washington – PropulsionThe majestic Mount Washington, launched way back in the early days of WWll is of 230 ft LOA (lengthened by 24 feet in 1982) with a 1250 passenger-capacity for daily excursion cruises to five different ports of call around the picturesque, unspoiled lake. She was originally propelled (until stripped of machinery appropriated by the U.S, Government for war use) by two Herreshoff Manufacturing Corporation 3-cylinder triple-expansion engines powered by steam from oil-fired water-tube boilers. Subsequently, in 1946, a re-engined Mount Washington was served reliably for an incredible 64 years (itself a tribute to the engine builders) by a pair of 8-cylinde... [More]

A new engine is being developed in the sleepy Sussex countryside of England, an engine that according to Managing Director  Chrissie Wilkins, of ULTRaMo (derived from ‘Ultra Large Temperature Ratio Motor’)  —  “ … has the potential to be the biggest breakthrough the industry has seen since 1876 when Otto built the first practical four-stroke internal combustion engine.” This lofty claim is worthy of a closer look.The New Engine Claims to Offer Thermal efficiency of 60% – double that of conventional IC engines Exhaust gas emission level halved using present-day fuels Able to run on any combustible fuels Adaptable to run on sustainable and carbon-neutral fuels as they become available An estimated 8dBA reduction in noise level Novel Engine Design The company is keeping the patented design of its new engine a closely guarded secret, but the basic concept is to capture heat that is usually lost through the exhaust and co... [More]