Home » Case Studies » Major Faults Accurately Pinpointed on Naval Ship Engine During its Operation with Engine Condition Monitoring System by Neptunus
Table of Contents
Case Study
Major Faults Accurately Pinpointed on Naval Ship Engine During its Operation with Engine Condition Monitoring System by Neptunus
Table of Contents
Background
Industry
Defence
Solution
Engine Condition
Monitoring System
(ECMS)-VIB360
Make & Model
Port & Starboard
Main Engines,
Propeller Shafts
Asset
Naval Fleet
Tanker
Objective
To test Vib360’s ability to provide accurate diagnostic data, pinpoint existing and emerging faults in naval ship engines, and demonstrate its potential for fleet-wide adoption.
Challenge / Problem Context
Need for accurate and proactive fault detection in naval ship engines: Without early detection, minor issues could escalate into critical failures during missions.
Difficulty in monitoring engine health during varying load conditions: Engines behave differently at low loads versus high loads, making diagnosis complex.
Absence of direct provision for installing TDC sensors: Limiting the ability to capture detailed combustion data.
Requirement for extended monitoring and validation by Naval Command: Ensuring the system’s reliability before long-term adoption.
What Did We Do?
Installed 8 MPU sensors across both engines and propeller shafts to capture real-time vibration, torque, and health data.
Deployed a dual-cylinder diagnostic setup due to the absence of TDC sensor mounting options, ensuring effective monitoring despite hardware limitations.
Configured Vib360 to store and trend data periodically, allowing detailed analysis of operational conditions over time.
Facilitated remote monitoring and centralized control to provide naval engineers with a single dashboard view of asset health.
Ran a six-month trial under Naval Command supervision, enabling continuous validation of system accuracy and reliability.
Results That We Achieved
System successfully identified worn piston rings and fuel leakage in the Stbd engine, later validated by physical inspection.
Discovered that the Port engine efficiency was higher at high loads, with a power loss of 2.3% at low load versus only 0.9% at high load, giving actionable insights to optimize engine use.
Allowed reliable detection of torsional twist and non-uniform power strokes at 359 RPM, insights critical to early fault detection.
The Navy validated Vib360’s accuracy, leading the Diesel Testing & Tuning Team (DTTT) in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam to begin procurement for permanent inclusion in their diagnostic toolkit.
Conclusion
The Vib360 Engine Condition Monitoring system proved its ability to deliver precise, real-time diagnostic insights for naval ship engines. By identifying emerging defects, enabling remote monitoring, and providing data-backed recommendations, Vib360 has positioned itself as a critical tool for extending engine life, reducing downtime, and enhancing operational readiness of naval vessels.
