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Voith Turbo has launched a new waste heat recuperation system that is said to reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions by between 4 and 12 percent.

In the Voith SteamTrac, heat losses from the drive engine are converted into mechanical energy. Some of this energy is redirected into the driveline.

Voith SteamTrac builds on a closed steam circuit. In the hot exhaust stream of the diesel engine, steam is generated via a heat exchanger and fed to a piston expander. This means that exhaust heat created during the combustion process is converted into usable torque and redirected to the drive. As a result, Voith Turbo says fuel consumption and consequently CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced and the engine output is increased without the need for extra fuel.

According to Voith Turbo, conventional engines can utilize only 40 percent of the energy in the fuel during the combustion process. This means that 60 percent of the energy is lost either as heat or in the cooling water. While there are already several efficient heat recuperation systems for high-performance engines, Voith Turbo says there is still no adequate unit for smaller marine applications.

"For combustion engines with a power consumption between 300 and 2 000 kW, a steam turbine would be ineffective. Apart from that, such an investment would also not be financially feasible," the company said. Voith Turbo says it developed the SteamTrac in order to provide an efficient and economic solution for smaller marine applications. The SteamTrac is said to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 4 to 12 percent.