Fuel Inefficiencies Accurately PinPointed On a CAT 3516 C HD Engine On Board an Offshore Jack Up Rig with an engine condition monitoring system by Neptunus

CASE STUDY

Fuel Inefficiencies Accurately PinPointed On a CAT 3516 C HD Engine On Board an Offshore Jack Up Rig with an engine condition monitoring system by Neptunus

Background

Maintenance is essential for the continual operation of an offshore oil rig and involves regular inspections, repairs, and upgrades. By monitoring the condition of the rig’s engines, operators are able to identify potential problems before they become serious.

Industry Segment

Oil & Gas

Arm Solution

Engine Condition Monitoring System

Equipment

Oil Rig Diesel Engine

Objectives

Check the accuracy of our system to provide information about the engine’s overall mechanical and operational state as well as test its capability to pinpoint faults, if any, within the engine.

Highlights Of Our Product

Engine
Agnostic

The System Uses Two Non-Invasive MPU Sensors.

The Sensors Requires Once-In-A-Lifetime Calibration.

Pin-point existing And Emerging Faults At The Component level

Remote Monitoring of all Assets Under a Single Central Command

Scientifically Extend Overhaul Intervals with Significant Cost Savings

Easy To Install And Operate

Evaluation Process

  • The Vib360 condition monitoring system was installed on Engine 4 of the vessel to identify problems and monitor the real-time health of the asset.
  • MPU sensors were installed on the flywheel to monitor the crank speed signal and TDC signal.
  • The system was used to perform an analysis before and after overhaul, at 65% load

Discovery/Insights from Our System

  • Before TOH, our system indicated that although the condition of the crankshaft & injectors was satisfactory, there were issues in the injection timing & compression (especially in units R5, L4, R9 & R13)
  • After TOH, as expected the mechanical health improved from 70% to 100% post-TOH indicating the engine is healthy & operating optimally.
  • Our engine condition monitoring system indicated that the power loss factor has been improved from 1.51% before overhauling to 0.66% after overhaul indicating significant fuel savings.
  • Operating condition, Injection timing & compression indicators are at an optimum level indicating that the engine is running at optimum fuel efficiency.
  • Data from our system co-related with the operating parameters of the engine

Before And After Overhauling Summary

AFTER OVERHAUL
BEFORE OVERHAUL
PARAMETERS BEFORE OVERHAUL AFTER OVERHAUL
Mechanical health 70 100
Operating condition 55 99
Mechanical stress 100 100
Mounts 88 83
Torsional angle 100 100
Harmonic damper 83 84
Power loss 1.51 0.66
Compression issues R5-L4-R9-R13 NIL
Injection timing issues L2-L4-L6-L15-L8 NIL

Conclusion

The system can be used as a mechanism to identify fuel loss.

It is a reliable tool to defer unnecessary maintenance action.

The system helps to accurately to pin-point issues of any rotating machines