Oil Mist Detection System

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Press article HEINZMANN (July, 2010)

HEINZMANN is glad to present its new Oil Mist Detection System – a new product timed to coincide with the ‘SMM 2010’ maritime trade show.

Oil mist is created by engine oil coming into contact with very hot surfaces, such as in the case of overheating main and connecting rod bearings or imminent piston seizures. This mixture is explosive from an oil mist concentration greater than 50mg/l.

Oil mist explosions are amongst the worst accidents that can occur for large engines and mechanical equipment, with more than enough well-known incidents throughout history. Oil mist monitoring systems are required, for example, on ships with engines with a power output in excess of 2,250 kW or a piston diameter from 300 mm (SOLAS Chapter 11-1, Regulation 47.2 [1981]).

The new HEINZMANN Oil Mist Detection System is based on oil mist being visually detected in the engine. For this, an oil mist sensor is fitted in each crank chamber and each additional area to be monitored within the engine, such as the gear housing. A warning signal is generated as of a predetermined oil mist concentration and forwarded to a central evaluation unit via a rapid, redundant and reliable CAN bus. This evaluation unit then forwards a corresponding message to the bridge or control room. This message specifies the exact location at which oil mist has developed and at which there is an imminent risk of damage/failure that could lead to an explosion. Up to 16 independent sensors can be connected to an evaluation unit. This enables an engine with 24 cylinders in a V arrangement (12 crank chambers), for example, plus the front and rear gear housings and the crankcase ventilation to be reliably monitored for the development of oil mist.

The HEINZMANN Oil Mist Detection System is characterised by its ability to operate in harmony with the engine without any additional and complex pipework, without the need for any contamination-sensitive extraction systems and with virtually no maintenance. In addition to the diesel engine variant, an explosion-protected, APEX-certified variant for gas or dual-fuel engines is also available.

This system has enabled HEINZMANN to expand the product portfolio for control and monitoring systems for engines to include a new important system, thereby offering the customer another product in HEINZMANN‘s renowned quality from a single source.