2 Stroke Diesel Engine & Slow Speed Diesel Engine Maintenance Equipment Significantly Reduces Downtime

Make a significant contribution in the fight against costly downtime in 2 stroke diesel engines.

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2-stroke diesel engines and slow speed diesel engines are typically used as the main propulsion unit for merchant ships. They are very efficient and are able to burn residual fuel oil grades. However these benefits also impose some lubricant related problems.

Cylinder oil in 2-stroke diesel engines and slow speed diesel engines
Cylinder oil is a high Base Number, high viscosity oil that is injected into the cylinder liners through one or sometimes two rings of injectors. The oil serves three roles; lubricating the liner, neutralizing acids from combustion and removing debris from the rings and liner surface to drain via the scavenge space. The oil is used once only and not recovered. IMO MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI and EU Directives aim to control the sulphur content of marine fuel used in sensitive areas. This places some interesting demands on the cylinder oil, in that there may be a necessity to change the Base Number of the oil to better match the fuel sulphur content.

Additionally, there is a move to reduce the feed rate of cylinder oil resulting in significant savings in operating costs. The problem is that it is difficult to predict just what the minimum should be, as it changes with sea state, power, fuel, cylinder number etc... The average insurance claim for a lost liner is over $500,000 and so to adjust the lubricant rate without accurate analysis is not recommended.

However, Kittiwake have two sets of solutions for engine condition monitoring in slow speed and 2-stroke diesel engines:

The ExxonMobil MSA Scrapedown analyser and Shell's ANALEXAlert both utilise Kittiwake patented techology to provide rapid and accurate ferrous wear results onboard and in seconds.
LinerSCAN is an online monitoring package currently in use onboard many vessels worldwide. For more information visit www.LinerSCAN.com

Crankcase Oil in 2-stroke diesel engines and slow speed diesel engines
System oil is used in the crank space of slow speed and 2-stroke diesel engines. It is a low BN oil with a primary purpose of lubrication, as it does not contact the combustion spaces.
Water is a major contaminant and is easily identified through testing. Base Number (BN) and insolubles levels can also rise, which is an indication of leaks around the piston gland. Again, both are easy to test for using Kittiwake equipment. Viscosity only really changes if the engine is topped up with the wrong oil grade but testing is still recommended.

A recent addition to the Kittiwake range is the DieselSCOPE - Diesel Performance Analyser. DieselSCOPE monitors the combustion process in 2-stroke diesel engines and slow speed engines in real time and allows you to tune the engine while measuring. Using the DieselSCOPE as part of a predictive maintenance program is an extremely useful tool in the fight against costly downtime.

Portable or On-line analysis will;
> Make a significant contribution in the fight against costly downtime.
> Reduce the feed rate of cylinder oil resulting in significant savings in operating costs.

Call Kittiwake Call us now on +44 1903 731470 to discuss your specific needs, or visit our global network page for offices or dealers near you.

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