Powering curiosity: doctoral researchers got a look under the hood at Wärtsilä

What does a doctoral researcher take away from a visit to an engine factory? In my case: new questions about how research becomes a protected invention, process efficiency in a busy factory with large portfolio and how flexible generation could support a changing power system.

In September, our DSII group visited Wärtsilä’s Sustainable Technology Hub (STH) in Vaasa (Finland). The day brought together three perspectives that we rarely get to see in one place: intellectual property rights (IPR), engine manufacturing and testing, and energy systems decarbonization.

Wärtsilä’s business focuses on the decarbonization of marine and energy technology and the STH premises are the home base to over 3,800 of approximately 18,100 employees worldwide. To get an idea about the business scope, Wärtsilä has energy installations in over 180 countries and one in three large vessels in the world has some of their solutions onboard (such as power and propulsion).

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) presentation

Mikael Mäkelä (Director, Intellectual Asset Management) and Isak Nyholm (Trainee, Intellectual Asset Management) led an insightful discussion on patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets. For us researchers, the practical questions were especially useful: When should an idea be documented or disclosed?

How can an invention be shared while protecting its creator’s rights? And does the protection offered on paper work in practice? I also appreciated the reminder to pay attention to the terms of different documentation, such as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

Tour of the production facilities

During the factory tour, led by Juha Päivike (Director, Logistics Chains & Ecosystems), we saw where engine components are machined and engines are built and tested before delivery. The test cells stood out to me: their flexibility allows both factory and R&D testing with different fuels and project requirements. Assembly of the engines needs to happen efficiently to maintain the tight schedule.

Here, large and small innovations take place – from building a new engine type to 3D printing a new useful assembly tool to mapping out the location of a special tool at the factory. The level of operations and attention to detail is striking.

Decarbonization solutions presentation

Rasmus Teir (Director, Technology Strategy & Decarbonization) closed the visit with a presentation on Wärtsilä’s business and decarbonization solutions. From my power systems perspective, the discussion of future fuels and rapidly starting engines was particularly interesting to support current energy demand and as it grows in the future, for example due to the significant capacity added from data centres.

In the future energy systems, as wind and solar generation grow, flexible engines can help to meet demand when renewable output is low. That raises questions about which fuels they will use and what role they should play in a decarbonized system.

The development of Wärtsilä’s fuel portfolio over the years was discussed and it was interesting to see in retrospect which options have prevailed and try to understand future market trends with future fuels such as methanol, ammonia and hydrogen.

The STH feels like a small city of specialists working under one roof. Our doctoral research topics differ, but I suspect each of us left Vaasa with something new to think about on the journey back to Tampere and Helsinki.

Thank you to everyone at Wärtsilä who shared their time and expertise with us!