Total Lubmarine develops automatic lubricant monitoring

In a paper presented at CIMAC Congress in June, Jean-Philippe Roman, technical director of Total Lubmarine, noted that current methods of sampling are either time consuming – if analysis is conducted by an onshore lab – or potentially unreliable and demanding on crew if conducted onboard.

The Online Reporting System (ORS) conducts continuous, automatic oil sampling from engine cylinders. It monitors six parameters: temperature, density, viscosity, water content and the crucial cylinder condition indicators of residual basicity and iron content.

The system can be easily connected to the cylinders’ drain oil pipes and requires little maintenance, except for the exchange of parts and software upgrades. The unit contains two specifically developed sensors, for base number (BN) and iron content, patented by Total Lubmarine.

In a basic configuration, the data are acquired continuously, processed and presented visually in the engine room through the vessel management IT system. More sophisticated data treatment and management can be tuned to user requirements.

“The ORS is ideal for the chief engineer to monitor in real time the critical parameters of cylinder lubricating oil on-board the vessel,” said Roman, “but for the fleet managers as well because data can be sent on-shore.”

The system has been tested in service on the 13,800 teu CMA CGM containership Corte Real, which is powered by a Doosan-built Wärtsilä 14 RT-flex 96C-B engine fitted with a CLU4 lubricator. The ORS was shown to function well in tests under a variety of operational conditions and oil types. Another vessel, fitted with a MAN B&W 6S70 ME-C.7 engine is also being readied for a service test.

Readers interested in reading the full paper can find details through CIMAC’s technical paper database.