Condition monitoring solutions company CM Technologies (CMT) has developed a new tool to assess the condition of lubricants and cylinder liners.
The company's new WBS IR Analyser is an advanced, all-in-one infrared-based solution designed to assess base number, soot and moisture content of cylinder and system oils, while the new CMT Scuffing Sensor can detect sudden and severe wear in engine cylinder liners and piston rings long before other systems detect it.
“Modern engines cannot withstand the harsh conditions of offshore operation as well as the workhorses of yesteryear and require proper maintenance and lubrication to prevent failure,” said Matthias Winkler, Managing Director at CMT. “Engine technology has advanced significantly in recent years, but lubricant failure remains the most common cause of engine damage, accounting for 28% of all machinery insurance claims and an average cost of $1.2 million per claim. The condition monitoring technology we have developed helps optimise engine performance, prevent costly engine damage and downtime and reduce insurance claims.”
The WBS IR Analyzer responds to market demand for an easy-to-use lubricant condition monitoring tool that does not require expensive refill chemicals and reagents common in existing lubricant test kits. Unlike current methods, the CMT solution provides results within seconds.
Capable of instantly measuring three key parameters simultaneously (moisture, BN and soot), this small, handheld analyzer employs the same infrared technology used for laboratory-grade oil screening to provide fast, reliable results in the field.
A small oil sample is exposed to infrared wavelengths to test for additives and other substances, providing more reliable data on the oil's composition.
“The WBS IR analyzer enables engine room crew to quickly monitor oil degradation, allowing ship managers to schedule oil changes more efficiently, reducing operational costs and potential damage to engines,” Winkler said.
Cost and damage limitation were also key drivers in the development of the CMT scuffing sensor.
“The primary cause of sudden, severe wear of cylinder liners, or scuffing, is an insufficient lubricant film on the liner wall, but current monitoring methods such as drain oil analysis, liner wall temperature measurements and visual inspection of ports are often too slow and time-consuming,” said David Fuhlbruegge, operations manager at CMT.
Replacement liners can cost more than $10,000 each, but if cylinder liner scuffs aren’t detected in time, they can lead to serious, potentially catastrophic, engine damage and costly downtime over a long period of time.
“Regular monitoring using the CMT scuffing sensor can prevent this as it measures the cylinder liner friction while the engine is running. It is a unique approach which uses an Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) to monitor cylinder liner wear and temperature,” he said.
Fuhlbruegge says one of the main problems with traditional cylinder liner monitoring tools is that scuffing cannot be visually detected while the engine is running, “But with the CMT scuffing sensor, we can notice subtle changes in vibration while it's running. There's no need to shut the engine down for readings, individual cylinders can be evaluated, and regular readings will reveal any lubrication issues that need to be addressed.”
The EMAT sensor incorporates an on-board amplifier and signal conditioning technology optimized to detect sound waves in the 300-700KHz range. Acoustic emissions are evaluated using CMT's proprietary analysis software.
