By Wu Xiuxia

Amidst increasingly fierce competitive shipbuilding market, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine Co Ltd works hard to maintain survival and seek development,based on actual conditions, speeds up structural adjustment, continuously strengthens innovative drive, prepares the development strategy of diesel engine as the main body and “one body with two wings” . Specifically, with small and medium cylinder bore medium and high speed engine and key parts manufacturing main business as “one body”, builds strong, refined, good quality, appropriate,multi-brand and multi-model small and medium cylinder bore medium and high speed engines; with distributed energy,building power station and relevant diverse industries relying on ACD320 gas/dual fuel engine, Daihatsu diesel engine, etc. as “two wings”, blazing a trail of development led by science and technology, long-term and short-term combination and moderate diversity.Meanwhile, in the course of production introduction and independent R&D,Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine persists in enhancing quality and making competitive products, boosting corporate high quality development.

From DE-18 to DE-23, speeding up product upgrading

Since 2015, facing complicated and fiercely competitive shipbuilding market situation, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine Co Ltd has centered on CSSC strategic orientation, constantly conducted product upgrading and technical innovation,introduced Japan’s Daihatsu Diesel Engine’s newest generation more environment-friendly, safer and more economical DE-18 diesel engine and DE-23 diesel engine representing international most advanced technology and taken key steps in localization.

In May 2015, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine and Japan Daihatsu signed DE-18 diesel engine introduction basic agreement. On November 13, 2015,the first domestic DE-18 diesel engine prototype trial production succeeded at Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine, obtained Japan Daihatsu’s quality accreditation certificate and passed CCS field inspection. Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine only took six months from concluding the introduction agreement to the successful trial production, not only manifesting“Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine speed”,but also showing its urgency in propelling production upgrading.

“The smooth rolling off line and being marketed of the first prototype of DE-18 diesel engine only had a time gap of 2-3 years with Daihatsu being marketed, and such a short time difference was the first instance in the Company’s patent cooperation history.Previously, the time spent in patent engine introduction and being marketed would be 8-10 years later than the patent owner’s new product going to market,”said an executive of Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine.

In December 2017, CSSC released new generation 38800t smart ship at the 19th China International Maritime Exhibition, and the ship generator set adopted DE-18 diesel engine manufactured by Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine. The engine had high reliability and endurance, high efficiency, high automation, low nitrogen oxygen emission among other advantages, able to meet IMO Tier Ⅱ emission standard and had better adaptability to Tier Ⅲ emission standard.

In the course of DE-18 diesel engine R&D and manufacture, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine made comprehensive improvement in process flow, production field and quality management. At the same time, with “building new model withe the same quality as the original engine quality” as the penetration point, the Company comprehensively benchmarked Japan Daihatsu Shoushan Workshop. During the DE-18 first prototype assembly assembly, Daihatsu sent two experts for all-process guidance on the assembly and test run site, effectively guaranteeing the first diesel engine quality.

If the DE-18 diesel engine R&D and manufacture was the first step to improve Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine competitive strength, shorten“technical time difference” with international advanced product and realize “business reengineering”,then the introduction of DE-23 diesel engine was a brand new milestone in Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine patent introduction development history. On July 5, 2017, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine and Daihatsu signed the DE-23 diesel engine license contract.Before official signing of the license contract, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine had signed 6DE-23 diesel engine generator set contract for 400000 dwt VLOC. The generator set power was 980～1425kW, fuel consumption was only 186g/kW, enjoying many advantages such as high reliability and endurance, high efficiency, low nitrogen oxygen emission, low fuel consumption among other advantages, representing the most advanced technical level on the current international diesel engine market.

DE-23 diesel engine has now become a very competitive type for VLOC, VLCC, and medium-sized container shipbuilding market and has been successfully installed on board 400000 dwt VLCC and medium-sized container ship of COSCO Shipping Group Co Ltd, China Merchants Group,etc. To date, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine has secured orders of 78 DE-23 diesel engines and delivered 45.

From gas engine to dual fuel engine, developing independent brand engine

ACD320 gas engine was a State research project undertaken by Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine.The engine had advantages of small volume, big power, high power, easy operation and modularization, able to meet IMO Tier Ⅲ emission standard,complete engine design indexes reached domestically leading and international first class level.

In December 2013, the project was officially kicked off. Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine only tool a bit more than one year to complete conceptual design, 3D detailed design and 2D detailed design. In the course of independent development, the Company organized an R&D team to take key technologies of gas engine air-fuel ratio control and efficient combustion. On March 20, 2017, ACD320 gas engine passed CSSC type test. At present,Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine is actively boosting ACD320 gas engine “three variables and three orientations” --variable cylinder bore, variable fuel and variable arrangement, implementation of serialization, through engineering approaches and marketization.

Moreover, another State research project undertaken by Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine -- ACD320 dual fuel engine development project also made substantial progress, smoothly completed the dual mode efficient combustion system development and realized free switchover of oil and gas mode. ACD320 dual fuel engine features 320mm cylinder bore, 420mm stroke, 720/750r/min,405kW singly cylinder power, filling a domestic gap in 1600～3645kW power range. The model adopted common rail micro jet ignition system, multi-point gas injection system, gas real-time pressure governing supply system, dual fuel engine electronic control system among advanced technologies, realized high performance indexes through precise air-fuel ratio control. In the gas mode,ACD320 dual fuel engine can meet IMO Tier Ⅲ emission standard and it is a genuine green power product.

On January 10, 2018, Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine and a company signed the LNG tank carrier main engine contract. According to the contract requirements, the main engine will adopt ACD320DF dual fuel engine,single power is 2430kW. The contract is China’s first contract on independently developed big power medium-speed dual fuel engine, indicating China’s independent brand marine mediumspeed engine development has won market approval. The contract signing also marks the ACD320DF dual fuel engine independently developed by Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine realized transformation from research results to engineering application and it is the Company’s concrete practice of persisting in innovation-driven development and supporting innovativetype country construction.★