How HYDAC optimises the heavy diesel engines in the maritime industry by improving oil conditioning and filtration with retrofit solutions!
HYDAC – your partner for tailor-made retrofit solutions in the maritime industry. Find out more here!
Successful retrofits in maritime technology: how HYDAC optimizes large engines by improving filtration and oil conditioning!HYDAC – your partner for tailor-made retrofit solutions in the maritime industry
The maritime industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. The safety of ships and their crews is the top priority—which is why the international regulations for ship design and operation are very strict. Emissions reduction is a key component of these regulations, and this affects heavy diesel engines in particular. In recent years, the requirements that ship engine exhaust emissions have to meet have continuously increased. In response to the Tier III standard that came into effect in 2016, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is setting tighter limits for greenhouse emissions such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. Ship engine builders have therefore started using common rail systems to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This has led to new requirements for efficient fluid management in ship engines. The modern large two-stroke engines are also equipped with hydraulic systems, and failure of these systems may result in the machine coming to a complete stop. Most ships have only one main engine, however, which is why the availability of the engines is the top priority for shipping companies.
To meet these requirements, engine manufacturers constantly have to develop their engines. They need to ensure that their engines meet the latest emission requirements, while working reliably and economically. Key components such as hydraulic oil filters play a major role here, especially those for use with servo oil in large engines. HYDAC supplies many filtration solutions for oil conditioning to tackle the above-mentioned challenges effectively—find out more about them here.
A case study: How HYDAC optimizes the heavy diesel engines in the maritime industry
One year ago, a shipping company turned to HYDAC for help with a problem they were having: the existing hydraulic components from a market competitor were failing to provide the desired service lives due to the ingress of contamination and inadequate hydraulic oil conditioning in the main engine. This meant that the two-stroke main engine had a high risk of failure, resulting in increased maintenance for the hydraulic system and greater costs.
For this application, the market competitor was only using one 6 µm oil filter with a purely protective filter function—HYDAC, on the other hand, offered the customer a 3 µm filtration solution with automatic contamination discharge via the filter cartridge. A filter cartridge, also known as a Sludge Treatment Unit (STU), was inserted in the back-flush line of the HYDAC oil filter. This solution offers better engine protection while enabling optimal oil conditioning via the filter cartridge. It was also necessary to keep levels at or below the engine manufacturer’s specifications for servo oil (XX/16/13) in accordance with ISO 4406. In addition, the customer wanted the service lives of the Fuel Injection Valve Actuator (FIVA) and hydraulic pumps to be extended to achieve greater system availability while reducing maintenance costs and ship operating costs for the engine.
The HYDAC solution: retrofitting heavy diesel engines with the AutoFilt® RF9
What sets the HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 apart is its globally unique, patented hydropneumatic back-flushing technology with secure media separation.
The technological approach taken by our HYDAC marine diesel power experts was to optimize the engine’s lubrication oil circuit with the HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 system. Our experts proceeded as follows: the first step was to assess the existing system—this resulted in the decision to retrofit the existing engine system with the HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9. The strategy involved using a HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 with 3 µm filter elements to protect the engine’s hydraulic components and a Sludge Treatment Unit (STU) with fine filter elements as a contamination trap to condition the lubrication oil.
The HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 for servo oil was retrofitted into the existing system. The system parameters were checked using the HYDAC CMU data logger. Our experts from the Fluid Care Center (FCC) checked and assessed the hydraulic oil quality. In the final stage, we worked with the customer to examine all the tests and sample analyses—the final approval and acceptance with the “Certificate of Approval” was performed by the engine manufacturer.
The result
The result is a system that is more efficient and reliable than conventional systems. After just one successful installation, additional orders were placed for the HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 solution. The manufacturer’s international franchise engine builders have also started using the HYDAC solution in their hydraulic oil circuits. The HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 can be used both as a retrofit and in new systems. Maintenance costs are minimized and oil quality is improved with the comprehensive design that combines protective filters and oil conditioning.
You too can benefit from robust filtration technology and high-efficiency back-flushing—all combined in one system. HYDAC represents 60 years of experience in hydraulics, systems, and fluid engineering—experience the benefits first-hand.
Your advantages with the HYDAC AutoFilt® RF9 solution
Improvement in lubrication oil quality
by reducing the contamination content in the hydraulic oil—verified by particle measurements.
Reduced component wear
by avoiding premature failure and extending the service lives of the Fuel Injection Valve Actuator (FIVA) and hydraulic high-pressure pumps.
Operating cost savings for the shipping company
thanks to a low-maintenance and service-friendly filtration design—with no unscheduled maintenance.
