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 the 1950s and has held a turbocharger licence from BBC, now Accelleron, since 1958. Its large turbochargers for marine and land engines are sold and serviced in Japan through Turbo Systems United, IHI's joint venture with Accelleron. That range lists IHI's AT14 for medium-speed engines, the earlier RH, RU and AT23 as conventional models, and Accelleron designs such as TPL and TPS. The small RHB, RHC and RHE units on Yanmar and other small diesels come instead from IHI's vehicular turbocharger business, so the type on the plate decides which route a request takes.
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
Small-frame units from IHI's vehicular turbocharger range, which also serves truck, construction and industrial engines — the same RHB31 model sits on Yanmar industrial engines in John Deere machinery. On Yanmar marine diesels one example is the RHE62W on 6LP-series engines. Copy the full type with its suffix, the short IHI specification code and the Yanmar part number where shown, because one model is built in several specifications; this line is not interchangeable with the RH133–RH283 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
A high-pressure-ratio family that IHI described in 1980 with the RU110, RU130 and RU160, and that Turbo Systems United now lists among its conventional models. 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. Large, slow-speed two-stroke main engines are a different business, unrelated to the RH-series turbochargers on this page. Diesel United, which licence-builds such engines to WinGD designs, was once part of IHI but has belonged to the Mitsui E&S group since April 2023 as Mitsui E&S DU.
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.
- Type exactly as stamped — AT14, AT23, RH, RU, RHB, RHC or RHE with its frame number and suffix, or the TPS or TPL type where IHI built an Accelleron (formerly ABB) design under licence
- Machine serial number from the nameplate; on the small RHB, RHC and RHE units also the short IHI specification code (such as MYEV) and the engine maker's part number where the plate or records show them, since these separate builds of one model
- 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
Tools for this equipment: the Pt100 and thermocouple reader for the exhaust gas thermocouples. Where the engine runs in humid air, the charge air condensate calculator estimates the water that condenses out of the charge air after the cooler.
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 for which most purchasing departments want the counterparty checked 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. Diesel United, which licence-builds such engines to WinGD designs, left the IHI group in April 2023 and now trades as Mitsui E&S DU, part of the Mitsui E&S group.
What IHI marine turbocharger series exist?
Turbo Systems United, IHI's joint venture with Accelleron, lists IHI's AT14 for medium-speed main and auxiliary engines, introduced in 2002, and the RH, RU and AT23 as conventional models; the RH series runs RH133, RH143, RH163, RH183, RH203, RH233, RH253 and RH283 across a small, medium and large frame family. The small RHB, RHC and RHE units come from IHI's vehicular turbocharger range, which also serves truck, construction and industrial engines; on Yanmar marine diesels one example is the RHE62W on 6LP-series engines. IHI described the high-pressure-ratio RU family in 1980 with the RU110, RU130 and RU160; confirm ratings against the specific plate rather than assuming a spec from the model number alone. IHI also builds Accelleron (formerly ABB) TPS and TPL types under licence, so an IHI plate does not always mean an IHI design.
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 do you ask for the direction of rotation on an IHI turbocharger?
Because turbine blading and nozzle ring vanes are handed, and the casing and inlet orientation are fixed by the build. A rotor shaft assembly is supplied as a balanced item, so the serial number and the rotation note usually carry more weight than a partial number copied from an old requisition. State the rotation with the end it is viewed from.
Which IHI turbocharger parts can go on an alternative route?
Filter silencer elements, casing hardware, gaskets and seal rings are where an alternative route is usually worth reviewing. 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. Whichever route is offered, the balance grade and rotation hand it was matched against are written into the line.
Is Vessel Core connected to IHI?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no dealership, distribution, representation or partnership agreement with IHI, and quoting a component against one of its designations implies no approval by the maker and no claim of interchangeability.
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 type exactly as stamped — AT14, RH, RU, RHB, RHC, RHE or a licence-built TPS or TPL — with frame size, the machine serial number, the 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.
