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Swedish firm Chris-Marine has launched a measurement device for on-line monitoring of cat fines in the fuel oil system of vessels operating on heavy fuel oil (HFO). The device is called Chris-Marine Fuel Analyzer (FAR) and will be presented at the SMM 2012, due to be held in Hamburg on 4-7 September.

The Fuel Analyzer is based on CATGUARD technology and measures the cat fine concentration in up to eight sampling points in the fuel oil system, whereof one is manual.

The measurement data is presented through a touch screen on the device or remotely through internet access. This means that the performance of a vessel’s fuel system may be continuously monitored allowing for efficient and safe maintenance of the fuel oil system.

Cat fines are hard and abrasive aluminum and silicon oxide particles normally present in heavy fuel oil. The particles are produced during the refinery process and may cause wear in fuel pumps, fuel injectors, cylinder liners, piston and piston rings in main engines and auxiliary engines if not filtered out by the fuel treatment system. HFO bunker oil may contain as much as 60 ppm cat fines whereas the engines are designed to withstand a level of only 15 ppm cat fines. This means that the cat fine concentration must be efficiently reduced by the vessel’s fuel oil treatment system.

The Chris-Marine Fuel Analyzer monitors the cat fine level throughout the fuel treatment system allowing for preventive maintenance actions of critical components well before an increased wear level is detected in the main engine.

Technical Features

The Chris-Marine Fuel Analyzer is based on NMR technology capable of accurately measuring the Aluminum content in the fuel oil. The measurement time is only a few minutes for each sample and the device is capable of monitoring up to seven fixed sampling points. There is also a manual sample analyzer allowing for oil analysis during bunkering. The standard configuration includes three sample points, whereof one is manual. The device measures the cat fine concentration with an accuracy of ±2 ppm (95% confidence) and is capable to analyze sample points at 1-10 bar and 25-140 °C.

The device is designed for engine room conditions and is free from consumables. Typical sampling lines from purifiers are kept at 12mm o.d. / 10 m i.d. and the outlet to the waste oil tank is typically 25 mm o.d. pipe diameter. The oil consumption is around 4 litres/hour, when the device operates.

The Fuel Analyzer is self-calibrating and said to be easy to maintain, leading to low service costs and precise measurement results over long periods.

The device takes 90-264 V / 1000 W (average 300W) single phase electricity and may optionally be connected to the Internet through an Ethernet connection. Measurement data may then be reviewed either directly on the touch screen or remotely from any computer over the Internet.

The Fuel Analyzer consists of a main unit weighing 125 kg and an oil pump/valve array giving a total weight of around 200kg. is divided into three components: An analysis cabinet, a sample taker and a valve board. The total space needed for all components is approximately W2000 x H1500 x D400 mm