Be well prepared for Slow Steaming (cylinder lubrication)

[Mikkelsborg]

In today’ shipping industry, operation at low load of vessels is becoming more and more common - in some cases even slow steaming is being used.
This poses a few challenges to the cylinder lubrication. With the traditional RPM dependent cylinder lubrication solution, there is a risk of over- or under lubrication, with resulting wear on liners and piston rings – or even cold corrosion.

One of the solutions to dealing with these challenges is our well known MEP or BHP dependent regulation. (additional info - http://www.scandic-diesel.com/cylinder- ... gulations/)

However, the most optimum operation is only obtained if the system is well maintained, worn parts are replaced and the regulation properly adjusted.
(Professional adjustment, not minor adjustments by crew as experience show a lot of different opinions on how to lubricate correctly, and that can be costly.)

With a well-functioning MEP regulation system, the advantages are obvious: reduced cylinder oil consumption at part load, which means considerable costs savings, better cylinder condition and less pollution.

Based on our general observations and experiences gained from service inspections on similar installations, we recommend that clients order a service engineer to attend vessels for inspection, overhaul and adjustment.
(The savings in correct settings are very significant)

Basically the Hans Jensen lubricators have durability as long as the diesel engine, but like the engine, the HJ lubricators require proper maintenance, and we have made inspections for a large number of ship owners with extremely good results. In practice, it turns out that the costs involved in a service visit have a very short pay-back period as a result of the work done by our experienced service engineers.

Among our observations are the following:

- Incorrect adjustment of output
- Incorrect setting of timing
- Oil leakages due to improper tightening
- Sludge deposits in the oil reservoir of the lubricator
- Wear on MEP cam and cam follower
- Defective alarm devices
- Defective heating elements

The consequences of the above mentioned observations are:

- Insufficient lubrication of the liner > Increased liner wear
- Increased wear of the lubricator pump mechanism > A reduction in the volumetric efficiency of the lubricator
- Excessive cylinder oil consumption > Deposits in the combustion chamber of the diesel engine
- Incorrect timing > Random time of lube-oil injection > Increased liner wear
- Reduced efficiency of the MEP-regulation > Increased cylinder oil consumption
- Insufficient monitoring of the cylinder lubrication

The above observations consequently result in unfavorable operating conditions which can be avoided with a scheduled inspection from one of our service engineers. After such an inspection you can be sure that the cylinder lubrication is performing correctly, and thereby you will obtain an optimum operating condition on your engine ensuring minimum operating costs regarding cylinder lube oil consumption and liner wear.