lubrication
in increased potential for corrosion. On the other hand, an excess
of basicity within
conventional BN 70 marine cylinder lubricants further exacerbates the risk of calcium deposits, leading to potential bore polishing and lubricating film breakdown. At the entry and departure points of emission control areas, therefore, the suppliers of
conventional marine cylinder lubricants
recommend the use of two different products, switching from one oil to another, depending on whether the ship is using a high or low level sulphur fuel oil. They advise using a BN 40 oil (low basicity lubricant) with a low sulphur heavy fuel oil and a BN 70 oil (high basicity lubricant) with a high sulphur HFO. Although engine OEMs agree with such an approach for users of conventional BN products, Serge Dal Farra reports, they also recognise that Talusia Universal is a cylinder lubricant compatible with the
requirements of engines
burning fuels with sulphur levels from 0.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent. “OEMs therefore support the Total Lubmarine product as an interesting alternative to switching lubricants; indeed, Talusia Universal is approved by leading two-stroke engine designer/licensors MAN Diesel & Turbo, Wärtsilä and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. “Furthermore, whereas the classical BN
70 products lead to excess deposits when used with very low sulphur fuels, Talusia Universal’s patented chemistry ensures it does not. This has been proven not only in the laboratory and during a 4,200-hour engine test for OEM approval, but also through the accumulation of hundreds of thousands of running hours at sea, serving different types of ships on different routes and in diverse operating conditions.”
In considering the operational pressures on marine engines today, however, other variables must be addressed. While bunker prices continue to rise, for example, slow steaming looks set to stay.
Most container ships have cut service speeds from 22-25 knots to 18-20 knots while other tonnage, such as bulk carriers and tankers, have reduced speeds to as low as 8-12 knots, significantly increasing the stresses on two- stroke main engines.
(Slow steaming, however, is not a new unknown phenomenon: the practice was widely adopted after the oil shocks of the 1970s. Suppliers thus already have experience of the demands placed on marine cylinder lubricants by such operating conditions.)
In addition to the well known challenges posed by fuel quality, key engine operating parameters are changed by slow steaming: for example, engine speed and load, cylinder liner temperature and lube oil feed rate
120 I Marine Propulsion I February/March 2012 making it far from cost effective. Talusia
Universal, however, is a tried, tested and approved marine cylinder lubricant for universal use, proven to effectively manage the breadth of all these operating conditions. It has been tested according to OEM requirements for hundreds of thousands of hours since 2008, lubricating almost 4,000 two-stroke low speed engines in all running conditions, burning the full range of sulphur content fuels. Over 70 per cent of Total Lubmarine’s low speed engine customers are now using Talusia Universal, a number growing through existing and new clients.
Serge Dal Farra: “Analysis was widely regarded as the sole quality parameter”
The original and primary goal for the product, designed in 2008, was to be more efficient in neutralisation performance. As the only cylinder lubricant compatible with fuel having sulphur levels from 0.5 per cent up to 4.5 per cent, Talusia Universal eliminates the need to switch lubricants to match different sulphur levels. This greatly simplifies onboard procedures and increases efficiency as only one cylinder oil has to be managed. Removing the need to change cylinder oils
at ECA entry and departure points not only negates the time and effort otherwise involved but improves safety because there is no risk of mismatching cylinder oils. Furthermore, adopting a single marine cylinder
lubricant
maximises storage space and eliminates the extra cost
of and pipelines.
Operational feedback from the market has fostered further product development
settings. Crucially, when slow steaming, the
engine temperature is lower, which means that optimisation and completion of internal combustion may be reduced, compromising the ‘perfect’ diesel effect. Put simply, sufficient pressure at the right temperature enables self-combustion. Without this, self-combustion is not quite achieved and any cylinder lubricant can only do so much. Nevertheless, the extensive experience accumulated with Talusia Universal under slow steaming conditions demonstrates an equal performance in cylinder lubrication, says Serge Dal Farra. The
The right choice of lubricants has become increasingly significant in ensuring both efficient ship operation and environmental regulatory compliance. Ship operators are under pressure to deliver against current and forthcoming SOx and NOx emissions
regulations, reduce bunker
costs through slow steaming and meet safety standards to protect their personnel and the environment. All of which can place conflicting demands on engines. A single oil solution, compatible
installing additional oil tanks
with
different levels of fuel sulphur and varying ship speeds, may appear to turn conventional wisdom on its head; and those of a conservative persuasion may lean towards the attitude: ‘if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.' If that was always the case, however, then
challenge is that the conventional approach views the use of traditional lower basicity cylinder lubricants within ECAs as running directly counter to the lubrication requirements for slow steaming or other conditions outside ECAs, which call for high basicity lubricants with specific performance requirements.
A low BN lubricant is rarely adopted outside ECAs because it requires a higher feed rate,
Christopher Columbus and the Santa Maria might never have departed for the West Indies. Progress in the evolution of marine lubricants is no different, Serge Dal Farra suggests: “Talusia Universal represents a new era in marine cylinder lubricant technology, with further advances already under development. If operational simplicity and cost reduction are unavoidable byproducts of this evolution, then surely we should embrace rather than fight it. Progress, after all, is unstoppable.” MP
www.mpropulsion.com
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