TimCl

TOLL Shipping has 2 new builds each with 2 slow speed HYUNDAI MAN B&W 9S40ME-B9.5-TII main engines

Each main engine has an ABB A170L37 turbocharger with a fabricated steel Air Filter Silencer with a diameter of 1280mm x inlet area of 520mm.

The standard air mat is used over the top of a metal mesh and a fine nylon screen. The company wanted to reduce waste as well as maintain the efficiency of the engines, which is important on a time critical service.

A framework of steel flanges and spacer bars is used to hold and support a PMAX Filter in place on the AFS. No modifications to the OEM, AFS was necessary to fit the PMAX Filters.

Manufactured in 2 pieces, the PMAX Filter fits very easily on to the carriage assembly.

Running with the standard OEM filter plus wrap the DP was over 200mm water gauge, (WG). The PMAX filter reduced to differential pressure to 140mm water gauge. The OEM manometer seen here at normal full away load is reading 140mm WG whilst the PMAX manometer is reading 80mm WG. The reason for the difference in the 2 manometers is due to where the sensing points on the AFS’s are. Water gauge is a very sensitive and light medium to measure air differential pressure.

The OEM filter is a simple wrap, measuring 4M in length while the length of the PMAX filter with it’s pleated form is 12.6M. The extra material is not only important for air flow but also allows a greater dirt load to be carried within the element, without reducing air flow. The PMAX filters are washed once a month and have now been in constant use for over 2 years with absolutely no issues at all.

Dole is the largest reefer ship company in the world, operating 19 ships. We met the senior ship managers at the 2022 SMM who expressed an interest in trialing PMAX Filters on one of their vessel.

Dole Caribbean engine details Main engine MAN B&W 8L70ME Turbos MET 53MB x 2      

Some say why have an air filter on a ship at sea. Unfiltered engines have poor efficiency, high fuel consumption, less power and high exhaust temperatures.

A PMAX Filter fitted to the fwd main engine. An innovative securing arrangement was supplied to fit the filter with minimal work required by the excellent engineering crew.

The pleated filter is in 2 pieces, washable and expected to last for 5 years or 30,000 engine hours.

MS Stena Europe has Wartsila 12V32 Vasa engines with older ABB VTR 250 turbocharger on both the main engines and AE’s. PMAX Filters were first fitted to all the engines in 2008.

PMAX filters were first fitted on all the VTR 250 turbochargers in 2008 with a view to increase engine efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, reduce maintenance costs and reduce exhaust temperatures.

Stena Europe has 4 Wartsila VASA 32 V12 engines  3 x Wartsila VASA 32 4R alternators a total of 11 x ABB VTR 250 turbochargers

The following are emails sent by the Chief Engineers

8/6/2008

Tim,

We received the filters in good order and have had them fitted to the main engines. They look great and are very simple to install.

Under our normal operating parameters we have found the exhaust temperatures have dropped around 20-30 degrees and T/C revs increased by 1000 and boost pressure increased by 0.15 bar. Needless to say we are well impressed with improvement and obvious fuel savings we should make.

No.3 ME has just had two reconditioned T/C’s fitted and clean air coolers so should be a good indicator for the cleaning cycle of the air coolers.

I have copied this e-mail to our Technical Manager and Fleet superintendent for their assessment.

An email from Stena Europes Chief Engineer received 5/4/2023

At a guess would say the filters last for around the 25000-30000hours, but could be more. As they get swapped around its hard to keep track.

Cleaner we use is Enviromate 2000 from drew marine which is not too aggressive which seems to work well for us giving us little bother.

The main engines themselves are getting close to 175,000 hours and generators 250,000 hours and still plodding away. Great engines!

OEM filters are a coarse copper gauze which cannot filter out dust, exhaust fumes, oil and other pollutants. PMAX Filters are washable and will increase engine efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and remove the cost and need to remove charge air coolers to be cleaned in acid baths.