Like many other utilities, Senelec depends heavily on the high reliability and performance of its Wärtsilä 18V46 engines fitted with ABB TPL 77 turbochargers. Because of the extreme heat, the engines are often derated, that is, operated at less than their full capacity. Such a situation may be improved by a turbocharger upgrade.
The head of production at Senelec was initially unsure about the benefits of a turbocharger upgrade: “I was dubious at the beginning about the real gains a turbocharger upgrade could bring to our engines. My colleagues at Senelec, as well as myself, showed some hesitation and asked ABB and Wärtsilä to give some performance guarantees.”
He was very pleased with the outcome: “After the upgrade, the exhaust temperature was down by 40 to 45 K and we had a reduction of the specific fuel oil consumption of about two percent. We were very satisfied.” he continued, “not only did we get the temperature and fuel reduction but it now seems we can also get an extra 500 kW from each of our Wärtsilä 18V46 engines.”