Caterpillar Marine Power Systems October 2011

Product News Application and Benefits of WOSR Ratings

Market Marine

Application Marine Propulsion Engines with WOSR Ratings

Engines designed with Wide Operating Speed Range, or WOSR, have
Description many different application benefits for customers. This document will
provide basic definitions of WOSR and will describe example
applications with potential customer benefits. This is not intended to be
an all-inclusive list and will not replace proper design, engineering, and
testing of the vessel.

Features/Benefits WOSR engines were first developed by Caterpillar for the 3500 marine
platform in 2004 in dredge pump applications. The goal was that the
engine needed to be capable of running at full power over a larger
operating speed range. This gave the pumping application more
flexibility and enabled customers to meet the pumping demands
throughout the operating cycle of the engine.
Caterpillar currently designs and tests engine with WOSR ratings to
meet the applicable advertised rating guidelines. An “A Rating,” for
example, is developed and tested along the propeller demand curve at
the lower WOSR rpm. This means that a WOSR engine advertised as
1600 – 1800 rpm is fully tested at 1600 rpm and meets ALL Caterpillar
guidelines for exhaust temperatures, cylinder pressures, engine
acceleration, and torque at a given rating tier.

Availability For a complete list of current WOSR ratings consult the Marine Engine
Selection Guide (LEXM3457).

General Comments During sea trials, always ensure that the engine is capable of reaching
the designed maximum engine power within the WOSR speed range,
and that the engine operates within published guidelines throughout the
normal operating range. Questions regarding the application of marine
engines, WOSR, Torque limit, or adjustable idle points should be
directed to the ASC.

Information contained in this publication may be considered confidential. Discretion ©2011 Caterpillar
is recommended when distributing. Materials and specifications are subject to change All rights reserved.
without notice. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the Printed in U.S.A
“Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are
trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

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 PRODUCT NEWS – Applications and Benefits of WOSR Ratings October 2011

Typical Wide Operating Speed Range Performance Curve

Application Examples and Potential Customer Benefits

Listed below are several proven applications of WOSR engine ratings and resulting potential customer
benefits. These benefits can range from ease of installation for a shipyard to operating efficiency for the
operator. Actual applications and vessel designs may vary. These examples are intended to promote broader
applications where the full potential of the WOSR rating can be utilized.

1. Fixed Pitch Propeller sized for operation at rated speed (WOSR High RPM) - Standard
Installation

Properly loaded engines will operate along the propeller curve with full load achieved, under
design conditions, at the WOSR High RPM.
Potential Benefits: If the propeller is delivered with too much pitch and the engine achieves
maximum power at a speed within the WOSR range, the installation falls within Caterpillar’s
recommended guidelines. For this example, there would be no need to re-pitch the propeller, as long
as vessel speed is acceptable to the customer.

2. Fixed pitch propeller sized for operation at speed less than rated (WOSR High RPM), designed
for normal operation between WOSR Low and WOSR High RPM

Properly loaded engines will operate along the propeller curve with full load achieved, under
design conditions, at between WOSR Low and the WOSR High RPM.
Potential Benefits: Propellers can be sized for a point in the middle of the WOSR range. During
sea trials, as long as the engine achieves full power somewhere within the WOSR RPM range there is
no need to re-pitch the propeller, as long as vessel speed is acceptable to the customer.

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3. Repower of an engine with a different rated speed that falls within WOSR range

In repower opportunities, the rated speed of the engine being replaced often times does not
directly match an advertised rated speed of a current Caterpillar propulsion engine. If the required
power of the installation can be met and the speed requirement falls within the WOSR range, the
application should meet Caterpillar’s installation guidelines. Adjustable High Idle can be used if gear
box or shaft speed limits are exceeded by the engine accelerating to the factory High Idle set point.
The High Idle point can be adjusted in the ECM to a lower set point to ensure the safety of the driven
equipment.
Potential Benefits: Ability of Cat® Dealer to pursue more repower opportunities without the
need for Special Rating Requests (SRR’s). Customer has more flexibility to repower without the need
to change gear box or gear ratio. The engine can be safely and more easily installed by not having to
rely on throttle limits to protect the driven equipment.

4. Speed optimization for free running vessels with varying displacement

Vessels that typically operate in free running conditions can benefit from the proper application
of a WOSR engine by maximizing speed / load. The propeller can be sized for operation under full
vessel load conditions at the WOSR Low RPM and as vessel displacement decreases or conditions
improve, the engine will automatically increase rpm while maintaining full power, up to the WOSR
High RPM.
Potential Benefits: Customers can maintain maximum vessel performance across a wider range
of engine / propeller speeds. The engine is capable of delivering full power at a range of rpm,
allowing vessel speed and performance to be optimized.

5. Optimization of vessel performance in Bollard conditions (pull or push / non free-running

vessels)

Vessels that are designed for pushing or pulling operations can benefit from WOSR designed
engines. As vessel speed drops, the propeller demand curve will naturally shift to the left. WOSR
allows the vessel to maximize Bollard Rating in these conditions, while also allowing higher speeds
in free running conditions.
Potential Benefits: The engine will not lug down in slower vessel speed conditions such as
towing. Performance in applications such as tug boats will naturally see higher performance and
power availability in Bollard Conditions while still seeing unloaded free running benefits.

6. Potential replacement of Controllable Pitch Propellers

Some customers have found that with the increased power availability range of WOSR engines
that they can avoid the usage of Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP’s) while maintaining the desired
vessel performance. Depending on the application, this desired performance could be improved
Bollard push/pull or vessel speed.
Potential Benefits: Initial cost avoidance of the complete CPP system including props, shafting,
controls, etc. Some customers perceive higher reliability in having a WOSR engine with a traditional
propeller in place of a CPP system.

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7. Variable Speed pump drives for differing viscosity fluids (i.e. dredge pump applications)

Pump / engine size matching can be done very specifically for the application and expected
media. WOSR engines provide “lug” capability below the WOSR High RPM to allow for higher
viscosity fluids or slugs of material that differ from the design point.
Potential Benefits: Greater flexibility of engine / pump package for fluid pumping across a wider
speed range.

Programmable Performance Features

The following are programmable software features within the ECM to assist in the application of WOSR
propulsion engines.

Torque Limit – Allows limitation of maximum torque available from the engine to any point between
full load torque and peak torque.

High Idle Adjust – Allows the limitation of maximum engine speed available to any point between
WOSR Low RPM and the factory set High Idle RPM that is typically 5-8% above rated speed. This
feature is currently available only on the C32 ACERTTM WOSR engines.

Low Idle Adjust – Allows the changing of the factory preset low idle point, within the specified range.
This change can be necessary for specific clutch-in speeds or other low rpm needs.

Note: Whenever Low or High Idle speeds are adjusted in the ECM, the throttle input is scaled
accordingly; 0% throttle input will always correspond to the actual Low Idle RPM while 100%
throttle will always correspond to the actual High Idle set point.

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