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Ai-MAST Conference

A STUDY ON MAIN ENGINE POWER LIMITATION SYSTEM BY SHAFT POWER

METER METHOD
Duc-Phuc Vuonga, Manh-Cuong Nguyenb, Anh-Dung Tranc
a
Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Enginnering, Vietnam Maritime University, Vietnam, [email protected]
b
Dept. of Navigation, Vietnam Maritime University, Vietnam, [email protected], Corresponding Author
c
Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Enginnering, Vietnam Maritime University, Vietnam, [email protected]

Abstract
The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) has been in effect since 2023. EEXI compliance is verified
during the first annual, intermediate or renewal survey of the IAPP. To satisfy this condition, shipowners need to
adjust the ship's emissions to the required level through many synchronous measures. The solution that ships
currently apply to ships in operation is to install the main engine power limitation system (EPL). When using EPL
sets from foreign companies or manufacturers, it takes a lot of time to set up the governor, it is difficult to remove
the restriction pin and especially the installation cost is very high, causing economic difficulties for ship owners.
This article analyzes the power limitation systems of existing manufacturers. It proposes the manufacture in
Vietnam of an equivalent system that is cheaper, easier to install and fully meets the requirements of the
classification society.

Keywords: EEXI, Engine power limitation, Shaft power meter, MEPC.350

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1. Introduction To solve this problem, ships are currently

mainly relying on Maker's instructions to adjust the
The EEXI is a technical measure that sets new
power, speed of the Diesel engine and fuel consumption.
minimum requirements for the energy efficiency of
However, these parameters are confidential and not
existing ships. Like the Energy Efficiency Design Index
provided, so it is difficult to access and change. On the
other hand, the time to adjust and replace according to
Maker's instructions takes a lot of time and the cost is
high. This is a very big problem for ship owners,
especially at present.
Adjustment can follow many methods. According to the
method of limiting the main engine speed on the
governor combined with a mechanical stopper, which is
often used by companies because it is suitable for the
machines in operation, the installation of the equipment
is feasible, but all of these solutions require the ship
Figure 1 EEXI score by main engine power and evaluation owner to hire for installation, thus affecting the time and
point for a 10,000 TEU container ship.
cost of operating the ship. On the other hand, this method
(EEDI) for new buildings, the EEXI is assessed based on is not accurate because it is based on the parameters of the
the design parameters of the ship such as equipment and machine when it is new, not according to actual
technical data. The EEXI is developed by the conditions. In this method itself, when installed, the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the parameters of the fuel rack can still be adjusted even
greenhouse gas emissions of ships and is a measure though the stopper is sealed. In research [3], the group of
related to the technical design of ships. An assessment authors manufactured a fuel limiter by adjusting the input
clause requires IMO to review the effectiveness of the signal to the electronic governor combined with a
implementation of the CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator) mechanical stopper. Here, the operations are simpler,
and EEXI requirements by 1 January 2026 [1] and, if with full monitoring parameters according to the
necessary, to develop and adopt further amendments. The requirements of specialized agencies, management, etc.
EEXI requirement applies to both ships constructed to The next method is to measure the actual power on the
EEDI and ships constructed without EEDI. main engine shaft and then limit it according to the
However, most ships built before 2013 (Pre-EEDI ships) requirements set by the inspection (ShaPoLi). Because
do not meet the EEXI requirements [1]. In addition, it is this method has a very high installation cost compared to
analyzed that more than 80% of ships with a gross previous options, in the long run, it will be widely applied
tonnage of 400 tons or more do not meet the EEXI because of its accuracy. The following part of the article
requirements [2]. According to statistics in Vietnam and focuses on the analysis, manufacture and operation of the
in the world, there are still many ships that cannot meet power limit system according to this option. For newly
these requirements [2]. built ships, the EPL system is integrated right on the
governor, which includes a part for calculating the actual
Table 1. Results by ship type and build year, 75% MCRlim
power, the limitation will be set by the manufacturer
evaluation condition [2]
according to the actual requirements of the ship type,
capacity, and operating conditions [4].
2. Engine power limitation by measuring Shaft
power (ShaPoli method)

2.1. Building a comprehensive system model

The system shown in Figure 2 includes:
- The panel located on the cockpit is responsible for
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Figure 2: Main engine power limit system based on shaft power measurement method

monitoring the real power signal of the main engine

and the override button in case of emergency; Begin
- Controller located in the machine control room: This
unit is powered by 220VAC, and is responsible for
receiving signals from the main machine including Input parameters
speed signals, fuel rack position, load signals, from
which it calculates and gives values for the operator to
observe and operate accordingly;
- The implementing mechanism is located in the In range? No Input again

engine room, the mechanism will send a signal to the

governor to control the speed to match the design.
Yes

In general, the system may not need to use all the Real power calculation
above signals to suit the ship owner's requirements
regarding cost, installation time , etc.
2.2. Algorithm
Over limit? Yes Alarm and keep speed
When starting the system, the program will check
the input information. If it is the first installation, the
parameters will be loaded according to the actual ship. No
Other times, the system will check the information
from the sensors installed on the machine (speed, load, Governor work as normal
rack position). If this data is valid, the system will
calculate the actual capacity of the machine and
display it on the controller while outputting a signal to Governor
the electronic or mechanical governor according to the
4-20mA signal standard
End
. If the main engine capacity has reached the limit,
the system will send a warning signal and keep the Figure 3: Flowchart of system
governor signal so that the capacity is limited to the
previously set limit. The actual power P of the machine (kW) can be
The actual capacity of the machine can be calculated by the formula:
calculated by the formula:
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𝑃 =𝑀∗𝜔 (1) program writing is tested in the practice room. The

results are stable according to the simulation.
Where M is the torque on the engine shaft (Nm); ω
The input signal from the remote control was
limited by the power limit controller when the signal
was greater than the set threshold value.
Set threshold: 80%
When the signal from the controller has not
exceeded the 80% threshold, the limit controller has
not yet acted, the output signal is still the input signal
from the controller, the NOMAL light is still GREEN
(figure 5) . The machine still operates normally.
When the signal from the remote control
exceeds the 80% threshold, the limit controller
compares it with the set threshold and starts to act,
controlling the output signal by the set threshold of
is the rotation speed (rad/s). 80%. OVER-LIMIT light turns RED (figure 6). Thus
In addition, the power can also be calculated by the the output signal is limited.
formula: Figure 5: Input signal smaller than the threshold limit
𝑃 =𝑘∗𝑙∗𝜔 (2)

Where l is the fuel rack position (mm); k is the

coefficient.

2.3. Device selection and programming

Figure 6: Input signal when exceeding the threshold limit

3.2. On-board testing
The system is installed for the main engine of
WÄRTSILÄ [5] as shown in table 1. In engines
without governors, it is necessary to limit the pure fuel
Figure 4: Program is written on PLC software rack “load indicator” corresponding to the “Engine
With the development of programming sets, torque”.
choosing a PLC is suitable for durability, working A new electro-pneumatic (I/P) converter is
environment, and compactness. PLC sets can be used installed. This converter supplies air pressure to the
from different brands, including Siemens, Omron, PGA governor, depending on the PLC electrical signal.
Mitsubishi, Delta, etc. To monitor, use an HMI set If the sweep air pressure signal rises above the limit
synchronized with the PLC. The control and threshold, the electro-pneumatic (I/P) converter
monitoring set designed by the author team includes control signal remains at the limit. This allows the
two main parts: an HDMI display screen and a PLC PGA governor to artificially set a maximum fuel limit.
set for control. There is also a box to protect the device. The governor will therefore limit the engine power
Based on the algorithm in Figure 3, it can be easily output.
programmed on the software of PLCs of various In the event of EPL bypass, the limiter is cancelled
brands. Figure 4 shows programming on Omron PLC and the Scav air signal is relayed 1:1 to the PGA
software. After programming the PLC, the interface governor over the full range. This allows the governor
will be programmed on the HMI. to increase the engine power. Any changes to the EPL
3. Installation and testing state (e.g. limiter canceled) are recorded in the
controller PLC. The EPL does not affect the speed
3.1. Laboratory testing
range within the allowable limit, so the factory Nox
The main engine power limit controller after readings remain valid.
completing the work contents such as installation, The EPL system includes an 'EPL override
connection, HMI display screen design and control panel' which allows the officer to bypass the EPL in
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abnormal weather conditions, emergencies etc. This 2. Tại bảng điều khiển trung tâm tại ECR:
panel is mounted on the cockpit. The central control - “Low Power”;
cabinet is mounted at the ECR. - “Limited Power”;
EPL Lock and Monitor: The EPL function is - “Low Power (override active)”;
implemented in the PLC software of the central
- “High Power (override active)”.
control cabinet. All operations are saved in the log of
the monitoring screen. The EPL function can be 3. Operation in practice
monitored in two locations: During operation, when the machine capacity is
1. At the bridge: The ‘EPL Override Panel’ is within the allowable limit, the system is considered to
equipped with the following indicators: be ignored, it acts as a monitor of the main machine
parameters including speed, power, torque, etc. When
Table 2. The parameters of set main engine
the machine capacity is over the limit (63.2%), the
Engine Type 5RTA72 system will limit the speed to 80.7 rpm through the
Manufacturer Maj'Motori impact on the governor. This system is designed based
Dizalice dd- on the standards for installation on ships with intuitive
Croatia operation and monitoring methods. During operation,
Serial Number 730254
Rated Installed Power 13700 kW
(MCR)
Rated Engine Speed 94 rpm
(NMCR)
Limited Installed Power 8663 kW
(PMCR,LIM)
MCRLIM in % of 63.2%
MCR %
Limited Engine Speed 80.7 rpm
(N MCR,LIM) Figure 7: Connection box

Figure 7: RTA72 - Load Diagram

- “Engine Power Limitation active”;
- “Engine Power Limitation cancelled”;
- “Engine Power Limitation exceeded”;
- “Override Switch Failure”.

Figure 8: Installing the sensor on the main shaft

if an incident occurs, it is easy to fix due to the master
technology, in addition, the device can also connect to
the internet to check errors and provide remote
consultation.
Figure 8: EPL Override panel 4. Conclusions
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The article's content focuses on introducing the

power limiters that companies are using in practice.
The trend will be to use limiters due to the
disadvantages of old systems. From there, build an
open, accurate power limit system. When installing
this system, with current requirements, ship owners
only need to invest at a minimum level. When
increasing accuracy, ship owners only need to install
additional sensors to meet all the criteria expected to
be revised in 2026. To limit engine power, the power
limit controller can store data, quickly handle
situations when wanting to restore to the original state
by using a very flexible push button. In addition to the
technical advantages, the controller also brings high
economic value. Currently, each ship when following
the maker's calculation instructions, the cost for each
ship is at least about 300 million. If this system is
applied, the cost will be only about 50 million for a
ship. This will be a good solution for ship owners to
satisfy the conditions of EEXI at a reasonable cost,
helping ships to quickly put into operation and use.

References
[1] RESOLUTION MEPC.350(78) (2022) “2022
Guidelines on the method of calculation of the
attained energy efficiency existing ship index
(EEXI)”.
[2] Dan Rutherford, Ph.D. ( 2020), Xiaoli Mao, and
Bryan Comer, Ph.D., “Potential CO 2 reductions
under the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index”
2020 International Council On Clean
Transportation.
[3] Tran Manh Tuan, Vuong Duc Phuc (2023),
"Manufacturing a main engine power limit
controller on ships that satisfies EEXI regulations",
Transport Magazine, No. 70 (August 2023).
[4] KONGSBERG AutoChief 600, “Digital Governor
System (DGS) and on CanMan, Kongsberg
Maritime”, 2024.
[5] WÄRTSILÄ engine power limitation solution,
“Onboard Management Manual, Document name
EEXI-EPL_OMM_PLIB”, Wärtsilä Services
Switzerland Ltd.