IHI Turbocharger
Spare Parts Supplier
RH-series machines on Yanmar and NIIGATA medium-speed diesel engines · RH133–RH283 · RHB · RHC · RHE
IHI ranges a turbocharger RFQ can reference
IHI Corporation — formerly Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, renamed in 2007 — has built turbochargers since 1953, with a marine and power-generation range spanning roughly 270 to 30,000 kW. The RH series is the core marine family, sized from small-frame units on auxiliary gensets up to large-frame units on bigger medium-speed engines, and a separate small-frame line is built specifically for Yanmar engines under its own type codes.
RH-family marine turbochargers
The core marine range — RH133, RH143, RH163, RH183, RH203, RH233, RH253 and RH283 — sized across a small, medium and large frame family. Requests typically open with a rotor shaft assembly, nozzle ring or bearing set rather than a single fastener.
RHB, RHC and RHE small-frame variants
A separate small-frame line built specifically for Yanmar marine diesel engines: RHB31, RHB52, RHC61 and RHE62, for example RHB31GW fitted to the Yanmar 4JH-HTE and RHE62W fitted to the 6LP-STE. Copy the full type suffix exactly as stamped — it is not interchangeable with the RH133-283 frame family.
RH133 / RH143 / RH163
The smaller-to-medium RH frames, most often requested against auxiliary genset and workboat duty. State the exact frame number as it appears on the nameplate before a rotor or bearing line is quoted.
RH183 / RH203 / RH233 / RH253 / RH283
The larger-frame RH machines, typically overhaul-driven: nozzle ring, turbine blade and bearing casing lines quoted together against one docking window.
Yanmar marine diesel engines
Yanmar marine diesel engines are OEM-fitted with IHI RH-series turbochargers across auxiliary and propulsion duty. Provide the Yanmar engine type alongside the turbocharger plate — the same RH frame is built to different specifications for different engine applications.
NIIGATA-brand HX and AHX engines
NIIGATA-brand medium-speed diesel engines — the HX and AHX series used on tugs, offshore support vessels and harbour craft — are built by IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. (formerly Niigata Power Systems, now part of the IHI Group). A turbocharger request against a NIIGATA nameplate is reviewed with that corporate link in mind.
RU series
IHI also lists an RU high-pressure-ratio family (RU110, RU120/122, RU124, RU125). Ratings and dimensions are confirmed against the specific plate before anything is quoted — this page does not carry assumed specifications for the RU line.
Four-stroke, medium-speed duty
The IHI RH-series turbochargers described here serve four-stroke, medium-speed engines on auxiliary gensets, workboats, fishing vessels and tugs. IHI's separate Diesel United business licence-builds large, slow-speed two-stroke MAN B&W and WinGD main engines — a different business, unrelated to the RH-series turbochargers on this page.
Component groups quoted on IHI machines
An IHI RH-series or RHB/RHC/RHE unit is quoted across the rotating assembly, the hot gas path, the air path and the oil supply that keeps the bearings alive. A request grouped that way stays readable when one docking covers several engines on different overhaul records.
- Rotor shaft assemblies, balanced as one unit
- Turbine (gas) casings
- Compressor (air) casings
- Bearing casings
- Nozzle rings — full rings and vane segment repairs
- Floating bearings — turbine-end (turbine bearing) and blower-end (blower bearing)
- Thrust bearings and axial-location hardware
- Seal plates and labyrinth seals
- Heat shields
- Impellers matched to the frame build record
- Diffusers for the compressor air path
- Turbine blades and blade sets
- Oil pumps and lube oil system components
- Filter silencer bodies and replacement elements
- Overhaul and repair kits — gaskets, bearings and seal rings
Marine turbocharger — general arrangement
A licensed photograph of IHI equipment was not available at publication, so this technical reference illustrates the general arrangement shared by this equipment class.
Illustrative technical reference, not a photograph of IHI equipment or a Vessel Core installed reference — a licensed photo of this maker's equipment was not available. Vessel Core has no dealership, distribution or partnership agreement with IHI; it operates as an independent spare parts supplier.
The plate data that makes an IHI line quotable
IHI turbochargers are identified by designation plus frame size, and the same RH frame can appear on units built to different specifications for different engines. Rotor shaft assemblies are balanced, so the serial number and rotation direction carry as much weight in review as the designation itself.
- Designation and frame size exactly as stamped (RH, RHB, RHC, RHE or RU, plus the frame number)
- Machine serial number from the nameplate
- Engine make, type and installed duty — the Yanmar model (e.g. 4JH-HTE, 6LP-STE) or the NIIGATA engine type, plus main, auxiliary or propulsion duty
- Direction of rotation, stated with the end it is viewed from
- Casing arrangement, inlet and outlet orientation
- Whether the rotor has been overhauled, re-bladed or renewed before
- Photographs of the nameplate, of the impeller and diffuser on the air side, and of the nozzle ring and turbine blades on the gas side — the views that separate compressor-side fouling from gas-side fouling
- Clearance records, overhaul reports or surge and vibration notes if held
How an IHI turbocharger RFQ is handled.
An IHI line is worked backwards from the machine rather than forwards from the requisition — plate first, rotation second, then the item. Where an old part number exists it is treated as a clue, not as the answer.
Assembly-level reading of the request
A line written as “turbine blade” is read back to you as what it actually is — a blade set, a nozzle ring or a full rotor shaft assembly — so the quotation answers the actual repair rather than the wording of the requisition.
Which IHI lines survive an alternative route
A rotor shaft assembly or nozzle ring going back into a class-surveyed machine normally stays on the OEM route, because balance and drawing records have to travel with the part. Filter silencer elements, casing hardware, gaskets and seal rings are where an alternative route is usually worth reviewing. Whichever route is offered, the balance grade and rotation hand it was matched against are written into the line.
Breakdown lines reviewed first
When a machine is opened and the vessel is waiting, surging symptoms are read back against compressor-side or gas-side fouling first, so the rotor, nozzle ring and blading lines need not wait while casing hardware and filter silencer elements are still being priced.
Ranges listed here are RFQ context
RH, RHB, RHC, RHE, RU and NIIGATA references on this page describe the equipment a request may concern. They do not imply holdings, compatibility between frames, or any status with the manufacturer.
Handover reviewed against the docking window
A rotor shaft assembly is a balance-sensitive item before it is a freight item — crate dimensions, weight and whether the yard has the lift are checked against the docking window before a handover point is written down. Nothing about the date is treated as settled until it is in the quotation.
EU-registered counterparty
An IHI rotor shaft assembly or nozzle ring is an order most purchasing departments want the counterparty checked against before it is raised. Estonian registry 17028043 and VAT EE102773714 are open entries, and the buyer-verification page carries the documents a vetting request usually asks for.
What buyers ask before sending an IHI list
Which ships and engines run IHI marine turbochargers?
Yanmar marine diesel engines are OEM-fitted with IHI RH-series turbochargers, covering auxiliary gensets, workboats and fishing-vessel propulsion in the medium-speed, four-stroke class. NIIGATA-brand HX and AHX medium-speed engines, used on tugs, offshore support vessels and harbour craft, are built by IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. (formerly Niigata Power Systems, now part of the IHI Group) — a corporate connection worth noting when a NIIGATA nameplate is involved. IHI's RH-series turbochargers are not fitted to large, slow-speed two-stroke main engines; IHI's separate Diesel United business licence-builds those under MAN B&W and WinGD designs.
What IHI marine turbocharger series exist?
The core marine range is the RH series — RH133, RH143, RH163, RH183, RH203, RH233, RH253 and RH283 across a small, medium and large frame family. A separate small-frame line, built specifically for Yanmar engines, carries its own type codes: RHB31, RHB52, RHC61 and RHE62, for example RHB31GW on the Yanmar 4JH-HTE and RHE62W on the 6LP-STE. IHI also lists a high-pressure-ratio family under the RU designation (RU110, RU120/122, RU124, RU125); confirm ratings against the specific plate rather than assuming a spec from the model number alone. Note that IHI Turbo America, a separate wholly-owned IHI subsidiary, makes automotive and light-truck turbochargers — a different product line from the marine RH series covered here.
What causes an IHI turbocharger to surge, and how is it diagnosed?
Surging usually traces to fouling on one of two sides of the machine. Compressor-side fouling — a blocked intake filter, a dirty charge-air cooler, or deposits on the impeller and diffuser — restricts air flow and pushes the compressor toward its surge line. Gas-side fouling — ash and deposits on the nozzle ring and turbine blades — changes the flow balance from the exhaust side instead. Left uncorrected, surging shows up as bearing wear, compressor-wheel and turbine-blade damage and a fuel penalty, so distinguishing which side is fouled — from inspection photographs of the impeller and diffuser against the nozzle ring and turbine blades — decides whether the fix is a clean, a bearing set or a full overhaul kit.
What IHI turbocharger spares are worth keeping on hand?
The parts most requested against an RH-series or RHB/RHC/RHE unit are the rotor shaft assembly, turbine and compressor casings, the bearing casing, the nozzle ring, floating and thrust bearings, seal plates and labyrinth seals, the impeller, diffuser and turbine blades, the oil pump, filter silencer elements and an overhaul kit of gaskets, bearings and seal rings. Overhaul timing is scheduled or condition-based rather than a fixed interval, so having the casing hardware and seal kit available ahead of a planned opening avoids a second wait once the machine is stripped.
Why the maker name appears on this page
Maker names help identify equipment and prepare an RFQ. They do not imply that Vessel Core is an authorised dealer, representative or partner of the manufacturers named on this page. IHI is referenced solely so that a buyer can describe the machine on board and the component required.
Send the plate, then the list.
Give the RH, RHB, RHC, RHE or RU designation with frame size, the machine serial number, the Yanmar or NIIGATA engine it serves, the direction of rotation and the components concerned — rotor shaft assembly, casing, nozzle ring, bearings, seals, impeller, diffuser or blading — plus the port and yard window. The designation, frame number and rotation note are read back to you before anything is priced, so a line written as “turbine blade” does not come back quoted as one blade when the machine needs a set.
