Mitsubishi MET Turbocharger
Spare Parts Supplier
Axial machines on two-stroke main engines · MET-MB and MET-MBII · MET-MA · MET-SD and MET-SE still in service · MET33–MET90 frames
MET generations a turbocharger RFQ can reference
MET is the turbocharger line of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME). MHI was selling water-cooled turbochargers in the 1950s, developed the non-water-cooled turbocharger that preceded the MET series in 1965, and by 2022 counted more than 39,000 MET units delivered. Six decades of production is the reason a MET request needs the series suffix as well as the frame number: machines from four different generations are trading at the same time, and they do not share a parts route.
Current axial machines for two-stroke engines
MET-MB entered MHI's line-up in 2010 and runs to ten frame sizes — MET33MB, MET37MB, MET42MB, MET48MB, MET53MB, MET60MB, MET66MB, MET71MB, MET83MB and MET90MB. MET-MBII followed in 2020 as a more compact machine for the same duty, in nine frame sizes from MET33MBII to MET83MBII; the catalogue lists no MET90MBII. The MB family is applicable across all three two-stroke engine brands: J-ENG, Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) and WinGD.
The high-efficiency generation MET-MB replaced
MET-MA is the axial generation MHI dates from 2004, between MET-SEII and MET-MB. Its plates carry the frame number with the MA suffix, as in MET71MA, and they are still common on vessels built before the MB changeover.
Earlier axial generations still in service
Before MET-MA, which MHI dates from 2004, came MET-SB from 1979, MET-SC from 1985, MET-SD from 1990, MET-SE from 1995 and MET-SEII from 2000. All are axial machines and all are still found on trading vessels. The impeller and blading design changed across these generations — compressor wheels went from two-piece to backward-swept two-piece, then to one-body impellers and one-body impellers with split blades, while turbine blading went from damping-wire designs to free-standing blades — so a part identified only by frame number can land in the wrong generation.
Radial machines for four-stroke duty
Alongside the axial line, MHI-MME builds radial-flow turbochargers for four-stroke main and generator engines; MHI dates MET-SR from 1988, MET-SRII from 2001, MET-SRC from 2003 and MET-ER from 2020, so an older auxiliary engine can carry an SR or SRII plate that the current catalogue no longer lists. A radial machine on an auxiliary engine and an axial machine on the main engine can both carry MET on the plate while sharing nothing in the parts book.
Component groups quoted on MET machines
A MET unit is quoted across the rotating assembly, the hot gas path, the air path, the oil supply that keeps the bearings alive, and the cleaning arrangement that keeps both paths from fouling. A request grouped that way stays readable when one docking covers a main engine turbocharger and an auxiliary machine on different overhaul records.
- Rotor shaft assemblies, balanced as one unit
- Turbine (gas) casings and gas outlet casings
- Blower (compressor) casings
- Bearing casings
- Nozzle rings — full rings and vane segment repairs
- Journal bearings, turbine-end and blower-end
- Thrust bearings and axial-location hardware
- Seal rings, seal air arrangements and labyrinth seals
- Heat shields and casing insulation
- Compressor impellers matched to the frame build record
- Diffusers for the compressor air path
- Turbine blades and blade sets, with the blade damping arrangement where the build has one
- Lube oil pumps, sight glasses and oil system components on self-lubricating frames
- Silencer bodies and suction filter elements
- Water-washing and dry-cleaning device components
- Overhaul and repair kits — gaskets, O-rings, bearings and seal rings
Marine turbocharger — general arrangement
A licensed photograph of Mitsubishi MET 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 Mitsubishi 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 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; it operates as an independent spare parts supplier.
The plate data that makes a MET line quotable
A MET machine is identified by frame number plus generation suffix, and the same frame number appears across generations that do not share parts. Rotor shaft assemblies are supplied balanced, so the machine serial number and the direction of rotation carry as much weight in review as the designation itself.
- Designation exactly as stamped — frame number and generation suffix together, for example MET53MB, MET71MA or MET66SE
- Machine serial or manufacturing number from the nameplate
- The builder shown on the plate — MHI-MME or a licensee — because MET units are produced under licence as well as in-house
- Engine make, type and duty — the MAN B&W, WinGD or J-ENG two-stroke main engine with its model and engine number, or the four-stroke main or generator engine where the machine is a radial one
- Direction of rotation, stated with the end it is viewed from
- Casing arrangement, gas inlet and outlet orientation
- Whether the machine has the MET-VTI option or an integrated exhaust gas bypass (EGB) — both can be retrofitted, VTI at the nozzle ring and gas inlet casing, EGB between the gas inlet and gas outlet casings
- Whether the rotor has been overhauled, re-bladed or renewed before, and by whom
- 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 water collects after the charge air cooler, the charge air condensate calculator works out how much the intake air gives up at the charge air pressure and the cooler outlet temperature.
How a Mitsubishi MET turbocharger RFQ is handled.
A MET line is worked backwards from the machine rather than forwards from the requisition — plate first, generation second, rotation third, then the item. Where an old part number exists it is treated as a clue, not as the answer.
The generation suffix is read before the frame number
MET33 through MET90 exist in more than one generation, and a line that names only the frame number is ambiguous across sixty years of production. The suffix is confirmed back to you — MB, MBII, MA, SE, SD or earlier — before anything is priced.
Which MET lines survive an alternative route
A rotor shaft assembly, nozzle ring or blade set going back into a class-surveyed machine normally stays on the OEM route, because the balance record and drawing revision have to travel with the part. Silencer and suction filter 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 the 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 elements are still being priced.
Ranges listed here are RFQ context
The MET series and frame numbers on this page describe the equipment a request may concern. They do not imply holdings, compatibility between frames or generations, or any status with the manufacturer.
Handover reviewed against the docking window
A rotor shaft assembly for a large frame 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
A MET 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 a MET list
Which engines run Mitsubishi MET turbochargers?
MET is the turbocharger line of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME), and its current MET-MB series is applicable to all three two-stroke engine brands: Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG, the former Mitsubishi UE line), Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) and WinGD. That is why a MET plate is most often found on a slow-speed main engine rather than on an auxiliary. MHI-MME also builds radial machines for four-stroke main and generator engines — MET-SRC from 2003 and MET-ER from 2020, after the earlier MET-SR and MET-SRII. Read the plate rather than the engine: the same engine model can leave different yards with different turbocharger makes.
Which MET series exist, and which are still in service?
MHI was selling water-cooled turbochargers in the 1950s and developed the non-water-cooled turbocharger that preceded the MET series in 1965; by 2022 more than 39,000 MET units had been delivered. MHI's own history of the axial line runs from the original MET of 1965 through MET-S and MET-SA from 1976, MET-SB from 1979, MET-SC from 1985, MET-SD from 1990, MET-SE from 1995 and MET-SEII from 2000, then MET-MA from 2004, MET-MB from 2010 and MET-MBII from 2020. All of these are axial. A MET-SD or MET-SE plate is not unusual on a vessel still trading, and the parts route for those generations differs from the current one, so the series suffix matters as much as the frame number.
What does the number in a designation such as MET53MB mean?
It is a frame size — a size class in a ladder, not a power rating. The MET-MB family has ten frame sizes: MET33MB, MET37MB, MET42MB, MET48MB, MET53MB, MET60MB, MET66MB, MET71MB, MET83MB and MET90MB. MET37MB was added to the family later specifically to cover the air-flow range between MET33MB and MET42MB, which shows how the ladder works: the number rises with flow capacity and neighbouring frames overlap. Two machines carrying the same frame number but different series suffixes are not the same machine, and output should be read from the engine and the turbocharger specification rather than inferred from the frame number.
Which MET lines are worth reviewing on an alternative route?
A rotor shaft assembly, a nozzle ring or a turbine blade set going back into a class-surveyed machine normally stays on the OEM route, because the balance record and the drawing revision have to travel with the part. Silencer and suction filter elements, casing hardware, gaskets, O-rings and seal rings are where an alternative route is usually worth reviewing on price and availability. Whichever route is offered, the line states the balance grade and the direction of rotation it was matched against, and where no acceptable alternative exists the line is quoted OEM only and says so.
Why do you ask for the direction of rotation on a MET turbocharger?
Because turbine blading and nozzle ring vanes are handed, and the casing and gas inlet orientation are fixed by the build. Rotor shaft assemblies are supplied balanced, so the machine serial number and the rotation, stated with the end it is viewed from, carry as much weight in review as the designation itself. Whichever route is offered, the line records the rotation hand the part was matched against.
The plate on our MET names a builder other than Mitsubishi. Is it still a MET?
Yes. MET turbochargers are produced under licence as well as by MHI-MME itself: MHI-MME lists HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (licensed from 2002), Hanwha Engine and STX Heavy Industries (both from 2011) in Korea, and Mitsui E&S in Japan (from 2022), so a MET on a Korean-built main engine may carry a Korean builder's name while the design designation stays MET. Send the plate as it reads, builder name included, since it is part of the identification.
Is Vessel Core connected to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no dealership, distribution, representation or partnership agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and quoting a component against the MET designation 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 any dealership, distribution, representation or partnership agreement between Vessel Core and the manufacturers named on this page; there is none. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the MET designation are referenced solely so that a buyer can describe the machine on board and the component required.
Send the plate, then the list.
Give the full designation with its generation suffix, the machine serial number, the builder shown on the plate, the engine the machine 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, generation 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.
