Viswa Lab Purifier Efficiency Determination
Why Determine Purifier Efficiency?
• Bunker fuel can contain up to 80 ppm of cat-fines. Engine makers restrict the cat-fines content to 15ppm or less. The purifier is the single most important onboard treatment equipment to achieve this reduction.
• The claims of purifier manufacturers of 90% cat-fines removal rates do not bear out in real life situations. Purifiers are fitted on every ship. Unless they are monitored and adjusted, their efficiency can vary from 20% to 60+%. If the purifier efficiency is not known, there is a high risk of admitting fuels with impurities and cat-fines into the engine and risking costly damage.
• The removal of water and impurities will significantly improve the engine performance and increase the MTBO by as much as four times.
• It is important to remove the particles in fuels. It is even more important to check if the critical particle sizes (6 microns to 14 microns) have been removed by the purifier. Particles in critical range can enter the gap between rubbing surfaces (such as fuel pumps and fuel nozzles), get embedded on the components and cause high wear damage.
Viswa Lab has successfully developed and patented a method to measure and count particle size in thick black bunker fuels. This is a significant advantage in determining the purifier performance efficiency.
APED (Advance Purifier Efficiency Determination) by Viswa Lab first measures the reduction in the element content in ppm, reduction in water and sediment content while the fuel passes through the purifier. Subsequently, the particles are sized and counted before and after the purifier to determine the efficiency for particle removal, including particles of critical size.
The only lab to have two methods to determine purifier efficiency, Viswa Lab also provides a Purifier Efficiency Number (PEFN). This simple and easy benchmark will jump by 7 to 8 points if the purifier efficiency is up to the mark.
Note: Correct sampling is essential for correct determination of purifier efficiency.
Purification system requires fine tuning with every new bunker fuel. VL will provide detailed instructions.
THE LAB
Creative Ideas and R&D
Viswa Lab believes that when customers suffer fuel-related problems, they should be provided with all possible assistance. With this objective in view, Viswa Lab is equipped with state of the art instruments to identify and quantify contaminants and adulterants in fuel as well as to determine in-depth Ignition & Combustion properties of the fuel. All fuel problems are also connected to lubes, cylinder oils, material properties of the machinery, etc. In order that the customer with a problem finds a complete solution under one roof, Viswa Lab provides the following services.
Bunker fuel oil analysis | |
Lube oil analysis |
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Tribology and particle morphology studies | |
Ignition & Combustion studies (Fuel Tech instrument) | |
Under piston cylinder oil drain analysis | |
Material Failure analysis | |
Bunker Quantity Surveys in major ports | |
Special packages of services | |
Total Fuel Management | |
Support for Bunker dispute and bunker claims | |
R&D in marine fuels and marine diesel engines |
Special Package of Services
Since 1991, Viswa Lab has established itself as a problem solving lab specializing in Total Fuel Management (TFM). Major shipping companies who use fuel testing services of competitors still send all their problem fuels to Viswa Lab for detailed investigation.
BUNKER FUELS – IDENTIFYING AND QUANTIFYING CONTAMINANTS / ADULTERANTS
– Nine (9) specialized non-standard investigations using state of the art instrumentation offered through Viswa Lab.
ASSET PROTECTION
through CBM (Condition Based Maintenance program)CONDITION MONITORING
(for asset protection, meeting classification requirements)QUANTIFICATION OF FUEL QUALITY AND FUEL WORTH TO HELP WITH FUEL PURCHASE
(A proprietary fuel quality indexing services consisting of Engine Friendliness Number and True Worth Index – published in Bunkerworld.com, well-known published data in proprietary to Viswa Lab)
THE TEAM
Viswa Lab consists of a dynamic, entrepreneurial team of scientists, engineers, and support professionals with a long-standing reputation for technical excellence in the field of Fuel oils, Lubes, Hydraulic oils, Environmental analysis, NDE, and Failure Analysis.
Viswa Lab has been testing fuels since 1991. During this period petroleum products and engineering materials have been tested by VL using the latest instruments and to the highest level of quality and accuracy. Innumerable failure analysis studies have been carried out by VL to determine the cause of material failure and fuel related failure.
Viswa Lab has created a niche position for itself with a one stop shop concept of chemical testing, mechanical testing, destructive testing, non-destructive testing to determine the cause of a failure or the prognosis of a machinery related problem. The fuel buyer will not have to go to different places to get all aspects of a failure analysed.
Dr. Vis, whose name the lab carries, is a Phd. In Metallurgical Engineering, a Masters in Internal Combustion Engineering and a Bachelors in Marine Engineering. He has worked as Chief Engineer on ships, Senior Surveyor to the classification society American Bureau of Shipping.
Since 1991, he has been associated with the materials evaluation activity of metals, composites and petroleum products. It is this unique combination of all three facets that has propelled him as one of the top experts in this field.