Oil analysis stands as an indispensable tool in upholding the reliability and performance of marine engines. By diligently monitoring the condition of engine oil, marine operators gain the power to swiftly identify potential issues, allowing them to enact corrective measures before the onset of failure. This article embarks on a comprehensive exploration of oil analysis within the marine industry, encompassing a holistic overview of the process, key tests applied to used oil, prevalent challenges, quality assurance, real-world case studies, and the return on investment.

The Core of Oil Analysis

The essence of oil analysis lies in the comprehensive evaluation of a sample of used oil, which unveils the engine's condition and unveils lurking issues. This evaluation unfolds through a battery of pivotal tests:

  • Viscosity: Assessing oil thickness and its lubrication efficiency.
  • Wear Metals Analysis: Identifying the presence of metals signaling component wear.
  • Particle Count: Quantifying contaminants residing in the oil.
  • Total Acid Number (TAN): Gauging oil acidity, flagging potential corrosive processes.
  • Total Base Number (TBN): Determining the oil's neutralization ability against acids to curb engine degradation.
  • Water Content: Detecting water presence, a factor that hampers lubrication and fosters corrosion.

By meticulously observing these parameters, marine operators can proactively intercept early indications of wear, contamination, and other factors that may imperil engine performance and reliability.

Benefits and Insights

The adoption of oil analysis bestows several advantages:

  • Enhanced Reliability: Swift detection ensures uninterrupted marine engine operation.
  • Cost Savings: Timely actions mitigate hefty maintenance expenditures.
  • Prolonged Engine Life: Proactive care extends the longevity of marine engines.

 

 
  • Challenges
  • Production Quality
  • Used Lube Tests
  • Case Studies and ROI
  • Customers and Testimonial

Being at sea for long periods of time makes the use of on-shore oil analysis labs impractical for marine vessels. By the time results are received back on board the equipment being analyzed might have failed already. 

Spectro Scientific offers a set of solutions to transform the vessel owner’s onboard oil analysis program. As instrumentation size decreases and becomes more portable, oil analysis devices are now being put in the hands of the end user. It has been proven that these new smaller devices do not sacrifice analytical performance. This brings the end user closer to the vessel and its problems, enabling time-sensitive, critical decision making.

Cold Corrosion - Large, two-stroke diesel engines are used in over 30,000 ships worldwide. Due to over lubrication, they waste in excess of US$2 billion of cylinder oil every year.  This creates more than 1.25 million tons of contaminated drain oil that needs proper disposal. This over-lubrication in slow speed, two-stroke marine diesel engines can cost ship managers and owners more than $100,000 per year per ship.

Cylinder under-lubrication leads to cold corrosion and early failure of expensive engine components like pistons, piston rings and cylinder liners. Careful monitoring of cylinder oil BN allows the operator to use enough oil to prevent cold corrosion without wasting valuable oil and additives.

  • Recommended by the engine designer
  • Allows quick adjustment of cylinder oil lubrication rates when entering or leaving Sulfur Emission Control Areas.
  • Battery powered portable analyzer can be carried to the test site rather than having to send oil samples back to a central laboratory
  • FluidScan software can store up to 5000 measurement results and export these results by .csv file. This allows the operator to track and store measurements by cylinder for their records and enables trending of measurements. 
  • Upgradeable software allows the user to monitor lubricating oil condition on a wide variety of shipboard equipment. The FluidScan Q1230 can monitor lubricating oils for TAN, TBN, oxidation, sulfation, water and soot.
  • Cold corrosion is best avoided by tightly controlling BN using a simple, easy to use, accurate analyzer like the FluidScan 1200. Measuring corrosive iron is UNNECESSARY if you properly control residual cylinder oil BN and never let it fall below 15 (Wärtsilä recommended limit).
  • See Wärtsilä Services technical bulletin RT-161 

Typical Tests

TBN - One of the biggest issues facing two-stroke engine makers and operators is cold corrosion due to slow steaming. Monitoring and maintaining proper BN is vital to avoid the effects of cold corrosion while minimizing lube oil consumption. 

 Wear

Particle count - a high particle count or a rapid increase in particles can foreshadow an imminent failure. 

 Chemistry

Total Base Number (TBN) - TBN measures the amount of active additive left in a sample of oil. The TBN is useful for people who want to extend their oil usage far beyond the normal range. The TBN of a used oil can aid the user in determining how much reserve additive the oil has left to neutralize acids. The lower the TBN reading, the less active additive the oil has left.

Viscosity - The main function of lubrication oil is to create and maintain a lubrication film between two moving metal surfaces. Insuring the viscosity is within recommended ranges is one of the most important tests one can run on lube oil. 

Oxidation, Nitration, Sulfation - Lubricating oil at elevated temperatures can react with oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere, as well as sulfur in fuel, to form undesirable by-products that can affect the oil's viscosity and lead to corrosion or damage of equipment. 

 Contamination

Fuel Dilution - Fuel dilution in oil is a condition caused by excess, unburned fuel mixing with engine oil in an engine crankcase. Hydrocarbon-based fuel, usually with a lower vapor pressure than the lubricant, has a thinning effect, lowering the oil viscosity. Oil film strength is reduced, increasing the cylinder liner and bearing wear.

Glycol - Glycol is found in engine coolant. If glycol is found in engine oil it typically indicates there is a leak in the engine that can cause catastrophic damage to the cylinder or cylinder wall. 

Water - Water contamination in industrial oils can cause severe issues with machinery components. The presence of water can alter the viscosity of a lubricant as well as cause chemical changes resulting in additive depletion and the formation of acids, sludge, and varnish.