4 Technology Trends that are transforming Diesel Engine Maintenance in Shipping

By Nikhil PurohitBlog, Marine Trends

1. Artificial Intelligence to help decarbonization:

Companies like Windward are providing AI-decision support platforms to provide go/no recommendations for different elements of risks such across security, safety, compliance, ocean, freight, and carbon.

Data is taken from various sources such, in form of “deep learning” as companies “contribute” data so that the AI algorithm builds more accurate models.

“Collaborative Digitalization” from sources such as ships, charts, and banks leads to accelerated  decarbonization drives

2. Methanol Powered Ships:

Over the last 3 years, an increasing number of shipowners have invested in Methanol-powered ships globally, some of them are already class approved by the likes of DNV-GL.

MAN and Wartsila have certified that powering ships with methanol required no structural changes, with the exception of new fuel rail systems and injectors.

 Conversions costs are 1/4th for a Methanol-powered ship than an LNG-powered Ship.

Methanol is far less toxic in the event of a spill with its higher biodegradability.

3. Engine Condition Monitoring through Torsional Vibration Analytics:

With a single speed sensor, shipowners can get holistic real-time health data on their engines and their cylinders Peak Pressure of all cylinders with the help of just one sensor on one cylinder with the engine in off condition! Fault detection at the root cause: on the shaft, rather than the body of the machine. Complete isolation from ambient vibrations!

4. Predictive Maintenance of Diesel Engine to avert Oil Spills

Between 1970 and 2016, over 5.73 million tonnes of oil was spilt into the earth’s oceans as a result of tanker accidents and shipping incidents. Governance Support: Artificial Intelligence is helping identify root causes of oil spills by establishing probable timeframes of the spill and identifying perpetrators based on the type of vessels that were within the spill area at the time Preventing accidents: AI can help seafarers avert choppy waters, alert them of potential harsh weather conditions in the sea, trigger alarms for malfunctioning parts and pre-empt equipment failure onboard Early Response to Crisis: AI technologies help ship operators assess oil particles floating in the water, and faster communication with coastal emergency responders. Site Discovery and Exploration: AI solutions can also identify pressure during drilling activities and assess the integrity of offshore infrastructure by analyzing subsea and seismic data, rock and fluid dynamics subsea to achieve a higher output of oil exploration with fewer sites