Condition based maintenance in new buildings a ship owners perspective

Michael B. Kennedy, SB, SM, PhD MIT Ocean Engineering

Hellespont Steamship Corporation

SYNOPSIS

Condition based maintenance and thus implicitly condition based monitoring (CBM) is becoming more common for both safety and economic reasons. Ship owners at the time of new building orders and during the construction of the ship can incorporate CBM requirements that can enhance safety, operational efficiency and maintenance economics. This paper discusses condition based monitoring and maintenance (CBM) from the viewpoint of a ship owner who is considering new buildings. CBM is considered to encompass voyage performance and coating condition in addition to rotating machinery vibration. It discusses where onboard CBM is already being performed and how one could expand its scope using existing equipment. The difficulties of CBM are discussed and desirable features in Alarm Monitoring Systems and Portable Vibration Monitoring Equipment are given.

INTRODUCTION Ships are complex. A tanker or a platform supply vessel(PSV) is a self-propelled tank farm in a corrosive harsh environment whose maintenance includes steel, coatings, pumps, valves, engines, electric motors and electronics. A PSV(crew 14) has hundreds of major components and 100,000+ parts. The ISM code requires a maintenance programme and emphasizes critical equipment but given the numbers above, is it any wonder that maintenance ends up being breakdown or corrective maintenance? Some systems are too critical to fail and there must be preventive maintenance either planned or condition based. This paper gives an owners new building perspective on condition based maintenance. Many of the views given also apply to operating ships.

BACKGROUND What Does Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) Mean? Condition based maintenance is maintenance when needed. Maintenance is needed when: (1) (2) the condition of equipment or systems is such that the equipment is failing, working unacceptably, or where delay in maintenance will result in a significantly higher cost of overall operation or of future maintenance required to restore good operation.

Condition based maintenance inherently includes condition monitoring. Condition monitoring means to regularly check Authors Biography
Dr. Kennedy has worked in ship owning, management and construction since MIT (1971/79). From 1982 he has been associated with the Papachristidis controlled Hellespont group and has at various times been a MD, CFO, Technical Manager, IT Manager, chief number cruncher and auditor. Although a tankerman, he recently recruited the leader of Hellesponts Offshore Fleet and delivered five Offshore Vessels. Dr. Kennedy handles all of Hellesponts NB design and constructions. He represents Hellespont at industry forums including the Tanker Structure Cooperative Forum. He was a supporting actor (the ship is the star) in Discovery Channels Superships "Building the Hellespont Fairfax".

the performance, safety, and operation of the equipment to fully know its condition. The implementation and operation of the specific condition monitoring plan will determine the plans value and its cost. Too much monitoring will not give value for money - too much monitoring of some equipment will either over emphasize indicators being monitored or will effectively ignore other equipment. Too little monitoring can result in long periods of substandard operation or breakdown. Ideally condition based maintenance, when properly implemented, will direct maintenance actions to minimize the cost of off-hire, spare parts and labor - crew and shore service engineers. Condition based maintenance/monitoring and new buildings Condition based maintenance requirment will not determine the key aspects of a new building negotiation. But within the building specification, one will find opportunities to specify condition monitoring features, condition maintenance requirements and additional documentation (e.g. equipment makers must provide service engineer passwords). During New Building plan approval and equipment maker selection the precise sub-model and options - including documentation and training - can be chosen. During maker selection, one should discuss and make explicit agreements that include condition monitoring and condition maintenance requirements and equipment options. Good site team supervision should provide extensive measurements, photographic records, nameplate/model details, collection of documentation and operating parameter "data dumps". This will allow creation of a condition monitoring baseline and understanding of the various high/low and high-high/low-low alarm set points.

CONDITION MONITORING - PRACTICE AND EQUIPMENT Typical Good Practice Using Existing Equipment A prudent operator is already doing condition monitoring. Voyage performance indicators - speed and fuel consumption, discharge and loading times, off-hire - allow an overall assessment of hull, engine, pump and piping condition. For example, knots, rpm, m3/hour and tonnes/day when analyzed over time and when compared with ideal or sea trial values can direct more detailed investigation and scheduling of restoration works (e.g. engine overhauls, hull scraping, dry docking, impeller replacement). An operator is commonly performing many condition monitoring activities. Typical condition monitoring activities are lube oil, water and fuel analysis, impressed current system outputs, visual inspection of pump leakages, Megger testing of electrical equipment, visual monitoring of tank coatings, and steel thickness gaugings. A common thread to the above activities is that the monitoring - recording and analysis - is scheduled either by time or by an event that is not tied to the condition of equipment being monitored. Lubes, water and impressed current systems are typically sampled monthly with samples or data sent ashore for analysis and maintenance instruction. In such cases shore analysis - the time interval between a deteriorated condition and its remediation can be one or more months. While a condition check (and fixing as needed) every few months may be OK for some machinery, it will not be OK for others. For many operating machines, their normal wear and tear requires weekly or daily checks in order to analyze, detect and maintain to prevent breakdown or unacceptable performance. Monitioring lubes and water analysis, knots, tonnes/day, and so on requires little in additional sensors or data/measuring equipment. Some of the measurements (e.g. speed and consumption) are always made - the analysis and actions may not be - and others are easy to implement with little training and investment. For example, makers give clear guidance on what constitutes acceptable contaminant levels for lubes or waters and lube makers will generally note elevated metal levels and suggest specific problems. The Alarm Monitoring System (AMS) - Getting More More can be done just by using existing gauges and recording and tracking their data on a regular basis. Cargo pump bearing temperatures can be tracked, as can engine exhaust gas temperatures and differential pressures and temperatures. Engine cylinder pressures can be measured with Maihak pressure paper recorders. A good plan and a diligent crew can do extensive condition monitoring with very few tools if the proper data is recorded regularly and the trends analyzed against a baseline. However there are many gauges and although many are on-line, most are not. The AMS often records so frequently that

non-alarm data will not be retained beyond a few months unless there is an incident. Often there is more data recorded than the crew is trained to analyze. Documentation on-board is minimal and more than superficial equipment access passwords are usually not provided. I believe that the AMS is important for condition monitoring. Now days most AMS use common computer standards both in their IO modules, the network inter-communications and in the use of Internet browsers to both monitor and command the AMS. Unfortunately most are not well documented and the makers often charge very high prices for additional sensors interfaces and monitoring stations (e.g. CEs cabin). Table I below shows the features I would recommend in a good AMS system.
Table I 1. 2. AMS requirements

Cabins/Smoking Rooms Call Alarm Integration. Alarms must display their ID, description and set points. E.g. MEP.T103 Port Eng. Cyl 3 Exh Temp. 500C > 490C. All Display Stations must have all display functions. The Chief Engineer and others must be able to interrogate fully the AMS including past sensor and alarm histories. At a minimum the duty engineers must be able to know if the alarm is an aberration or a trend. The C/Es station should allow full reporting as if he were in the Engine Control Room. Measurements should be automatically recorded with the GMT time (time sync may be manual if necessary) but be able to be displayed in ships local time. In other words two times - GMT and LOCAL. Retrieval of Sensor History - past history up-to at least one year and with more on line. Data display to allow zooming, display of multiple sensors on the same graph, display of alarm set points, etc. Data Dumping to Memory Sticks. Able to dump all or selected portions of the data by sensor(s) and by time windows. Dumped data to include time and values in engineering units. Data to be in text or spreadsheet formats. Be able to dump and save the complete AMS configuration including description, set points (alarms), and data scaling (e.g. 4-20ma 0 to 10 bar) in text or spreadsheet formats. The AMS should be able to import its configurations from such data files. Screen Dumps and Screen Printing with User Labeling/File Naming. Simple "programming" of alarm rules. E.g. High level alarm if the Discharge pump pressure is more than 8 bar for more than 10 seconds. Able to add new sensors without needing the makers service engineer. Creation of virtual sensors such as differential pressures (Pin-Pout) and average temperature deviations (e.g. AveExhGasT.Cyl3).

3. 4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9. 10.

With enough data including that taken from times of good operation, an engineer can create AMS condition monitoring rules using equipment manuals, shop tests and sea trial data. Depending upon the AMS, there may be detailed documentation and AMS options that would enable the "end-user" to analyze all sensors through long period of past operations. This detailed documentation and often the secret service engineer passwords required to fully access the data are usually not freely given and they are needed. One must determine what documentation and passwords (and their data access levels) are available at all and the negotiate for that required with your "purchase". The goal is to have all measured data, including historical data, available to the CE and 2E to allow them to investigate current conditions and to determine if the present operations are likely to fail. Not AMS Condition Monitoring Visual inspection of the hull, cargo holds and tanks, machinery and equipment is the most common condition monitoring. A good AMS will record important temperature and pressure measurements. Regular Megger testing and low insulation indicators will handle electric faults. Whats left? Vibration Common condition monitoring records clearance (or wear down) and vibration measurement. Excessive clearance and vibration are related and will often cause high bearing temperatures but proximity sensors are expensive and their installation and operation difficult. They are used in critical equipment. Vibration measurement is the most traditional condition monitoring procedure and with a few exceptions of permanent sensors connected to the AMS, vibration is measured using portable instruments at marked spots near the journals of rotating machinery. Both averaged root mean square (rms) Velocity(rms), Acceleration(rms), power spectra, and shock pulse measurements are examples of vibration measurements that may apply depending on the machine. A cargo pump with turbulent flow

noise requires different measurements and alarm levels then a lube oil pump. Many vibration sensors are uni-axial and both the location and the measurement axis(s) must be specified. In common with all condition monitoring is the need to record and compare with past measurements on a consistent and regular basis. Many recording machines allow programming of a daily measurement "walk" complete with "how-to" measure descriptions and photos. For example, these could show show the data taker the measurement point (e.g. diesel generator No.1s coupling between engine and alternator) and how he is to position the sensor (e.g. top of the journal forward of the coupling). These machines have memory for thousands of measurements and many can graph the present value versus past measurements. A measurement programme can have hundreds of daily readings and will need a comprehensive monitoring procedure. Most of the above AMS requirements will also apply to the portable data recorders. In addition, there must be a training and handover period when the data takers change. Unlike the case with installed sensors one can not assume, for example, that a new engineer will measure vertical Velocity(rms) at the red paint dot on the forward journal of FW(Fresh Water) Pump 1. Table II below summarises the requirements of a portable vibration monitor.
Table II 1. Portable vibration monitor requirements

Allow easy engineering data upload to on board computers in documented format (text, xls). The recorders analysis software may be proprietary but the data itself should be able to be completely saved in text or spreadsheet formats and be able to be analyzed with any software. Be able to save or "dump" the equipments configuration (e.g. scaling, recording points, bandwidth) into text or spreadsheet files. This will allow detailed documentation of the equipments setup and implicitly the sensor being measured. The equipment should be able to load its configuration from such files in case it is needed to reset or replace this measuring equipment (e.g. someone drops the portable vibration unit). GMT time to be kept accurately by the unit which must allow regular time syncing. Display time may be in local time or GMT. Unit to allow skipping of points but with clear "SKIP" or N/A values (e.g. -9999). The unit must allow adding "in the middle" data points that do not confuse past history or data uploading. Sensors(e.g. accelerometers) and recorder unit need to be matched to the equipment (which may allow more than one sensor) - it must have good bandwidth over the frequency range needed. The bandwidth should be sensor dependent and it should be adjustable (e.g. 10-1000 Hz, 1-3kHz, 10-10kHz, 0.5Hz to 40kHz, etc.). Calibration shaker or other field measurement verification unit. A single point check (e.g. 1 g at 150 Hz) check is usually enough to confirm that the unit is operating accurately. Digitization, sampling rate and measurement time and corresponding averages to be programmable with a button to allow "RECORD NOW" recording for the daily "walk". Other features that support data beyond that needed for ISO 2372 such as RPM measurement, high frequency measurements (e.g. SPM), etc. Support for other ISO standards such as ISO 10816. Equipment programming to be possible by any trained engineer. Videos, documentation, courses, etc. to be available. Generally walking data points will be measuring Velocity(rms) or Acceleration(rms) values - Vrms or Arms. These measurement must be able to be saved in text or spreadsheet formats that will allow other software to be used for trend analysis. The unit should also allow saving of power spectra files, also in text or spreadsheet formats, that show band limited average vibration power spectra. The units complete configuration parameter data should also be "dumpable" to allow a comprehensive analysis ashore.

2.

3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

While there is extensive vibration literature, the crew do not have advanced engineering degrees and they have limited time for data collection and analysis. A go/no-go approach is almost mandatory. Fortunately the conditions that need to be detected are almost always the obvious ones such as misalignment, excessive clearance, etc. Any vibration monitoring needs reliable consistent data which can be compared with a good performance benchmark. The measurement points must be well selected and the type of measurement well described and easy to do. Non-Vibration Condition Monitoring Now consider the condition monitoring of the hull and its coatings. Besides visual inspection records, the measurements that I have found useful are: steel thickness, coating thickness (DFT), cathodic voltage potentials, and adhesion testing (hammer and sharp knife). The first three are non-destructive and easily made. (1) Measure steel thickness at same position regularly over time. CAPS/CAS requires such measurement at many positions every 5, 2.5 or annual intervals depending on the steel corrosion or paint condition. These measurements are made with a one sided contact ultrasonic probe that ignores rust and scale. Measure paint dry film thickness(DFT) at same position regularly. Paint film does not usually erode unless

exposed to the chalking effect of the suns ultra-violet radiation. Blistering, inter-coating coating detachment, substrate detachment and edge failures are common and besides visual observation (to be recorded photographically) DFT measurements can help determine coating condition. (2) Cathodic monitoring (hull and tanks) requires regular measurements at the same water levels and positions - daily and preferably every 4 hours - to determine the maximum voltage potential and the speed at which it was reached. Voltage potential (Ag-Cl cells) should reach 850 mV in a day for ballast tanks - if it doesnt then there is too little "paint insulation", not enough protective zinc anodes and probably both. Small local destructive coating tests by knife/scribe scratching and by chipping can give a qualitative assessment which when photographed over time in nearby similar places (the scratched and hammered areas should be repaired) can give guidance. Built-in Machinery Diagnostics Measurements of machinery capacity, temperatures and pressures during operation can be compared with ideal performance or shop/sea trial measurements. Why wait to replace an impeller if the measured flow rate is well below design and the discharging time excessive? Many new machines have built-in self-diagnostic functions which may interface (NMEA 183 and now NMEA 2000) to the AMS or another data collector. Conceptually such facilities can extend condition based maintenance but the incorporation of disparate equipment into a unified scheme will not be simple. For Hellesponts new building programmes I have sourced, selected, inspected verified and modified the commissioning of new machinery from main engines to pumps to gas detectors. Now days service engineers make a quick visual inspection of the installation and then plug their laptops into the machinery, type in service engineer passwords and read the data and modify the equipments operating parameters. The data possibilities are extensive but they require non-end-user documentation, extensive training and the secret passwords (most equipment has 3 and more levels of passwords). It reminds me of the change in car engines in the last 40 years. The data is much more extensive if you have the special equipment, training and documentation but the number of visible gauges and mechanical adjustments is fewer. Machinery set-points, technician passwords, configuration data dumps and technician documentation are vital in creating a condition maintenance programme that is either independent of maker service engineer visits or one that at least allows understanding and oversight of such visits. A new building programme should have a plan approval and maker selection team which should be part of the owners yard site team. Recording and documenting discussions, disclosures and later commissioning procedures and "tricks" are critical to for operations and future monitoring and maintenance. Common Features of Condition Monitoring Doing condition monitoring requires: history, consistent data recording and knowledge of the equipments good performance and alarm values. Without these, conditioning monitoring is not possible or it is too risky. History Data history, including data from times of good operation, allows analysis of how the equipment works in many operating conditions. Data trends and their graphical features can be seen over time and one can estimate the speed of changes and the needed maintenance. Data history may also be sent to consultants and experts for their advice. Consistent Data Recording Data must be taken with calibrated equipment, used in the same manner, at the same location. Viewers of the data must be able to assume that changes, trends and spot values are not artifacts. E.g. Todays 450C degrees must mean the same last years. Alarm Values Critical or important operating values must be known. Equipment documentation and discussion with the maker and service engineers should obtain the needed values. Note that deviations from shop trial and sea trial data may not be enough to identify defective or bad operation. All the above are true for temperature, pressure, fuel consumption, vibration, thickness or clearance measurements. A computer will be needed because of data quantity. One can plot daily values on graph paper and quickly spot obvious aberrations but it is difficult when there are many such graphs or graphical overlaying is needed. Manual graphs data

(3)

reformatting or subsequent calculation is a a tedious job. The ship operators ashore may need to see the data and pass it to makers or Class. This is another reason for electronic data collection in a standardized format - to allow the shore to see and use the original data.

DISCUSSION When to do CBM Maintenance using condition monitoring may make sense: (1) (2) (3) (4) If one knows what and how often to measure "it" in order to determine equipment condition. Can equipment performance and safety be quantified by a set number of sensor points measured at set intervals? If the time interval between measurements is short relative to the expected deterioration in performance or reliability. i.e. no surprises. If the time required to obtain material and repair or overhaul a machine is short compared to the time between measurements. Alarm levels can be set appropriately. If the cost of condition monitoring (data collection and analysis including management time and consultants) plus the expected cost of works and parts is significantly less than a maintenance plan based on time or failure. Do not forget the cost of implementing and operating a condition based scheme - it will be more complex. If the cost of condition based maintenance is not cheaper than a scheduled or corrective maintenance plan it still may be required for critical equipment. Equipment whose breakdown or wear-down is not regular may require condition based maintenance to maximize on-hire and safety.

(5)

Condition monitoring requires procedures and training that incorporates crew rotation - make sure these include handover procedures and training. Consistently measuring and recording data with complex tools and its analysis is more complex then just changing parts at scheduled times. Machinery makers and Class acceptance of CBM Many machinery makers do not like or trust the end user to do maintenance based on condition monitoring. Warranties may be voided if condition maintenance is followed. The makers service engineers when attending for one problem onboard may require major replacements of many associated parts if their hours are exceeded even if the equipment is running well. He may report to his factory the running hour details of all the makers equipment onboard. Makers sell overhaul kits and that steady income is a good after sales income. (a) Complex machinery, especially models (or sub-models) produced in limited numbers, may not have enough history generally to allow the maker to fully understand his own design in long time operation. Is measuring a few pressures, temperatures, or clearances enough to characterize the condition of a machine completely enough to specifye its overhaul schedule? Makers also believe that crew are often not dependable and that they may not take reliable measurements or that they will push them for economy or a lesser work load. Many times I have seen a chief engineer near his contract end ignore warning signs and save jobs for his relief.

(b)

Class believes the maker and if the maker does not trust condition monitoring then neither will Class. Class wants maintenance - overhauls, replacements - to follow the makers recommendations. Good consistent historical data records, discussion with makers and sound engineering reasoning may allow conditioning monitoring to supplement and extend maker time guidelines. Relative importance and logistic/legal difficulties There are many machines on-board that one will check and replace/fix only when they have failed or obviously will soon fail. E.g. the pump doesnt pump well anymore or has seized. For other machinery it is likely that the makers planned maintenance overhaul times will be at times close to conditions that would trigger maintenance anyway. Or the maker will not give assurance that a condition maintenance programme will allow long time safe operation.

For some machinery one can record measurements and attempt to justify condition based maintenance from the beginning or argue for condition based maintenance after following (and recording detailed measurements) the makers scheduled maintenance works. Showing condition trends before and after maintenance through several "cycles" might be enough with spare part availabilities (e.g. spares on-board) to argue that specific equipment can be "condition maintained". If the equipment is big or important (e.g. tail-shaft) then the maker and Class may have the needed requirements and parameters for that machine to be in a condition based maintenance plan. Equipment is becoming increasingly sophisticated in alarm and self-monitoring functions. But condition based monitoring and using sophisticated equipment requires crew that is capable of making and analyzing the measurements and who can "override" the makers time based maintenance. Ships travel among many jurisdictions and putting spares and technician on-board when needed instead of when scheduled is difficult. Skilled and experienced crew is becoming ever more difficult to find and shrinking crew sizes and shorter employment contracts make ship maintenance progressively more difficult. Knowing what is happening onboard requires good crew that have been with the company a long time.

CONCLUSIONS The following are both conclusions and overall guidance suggestions. 1. Condition based maintenance is more complex than other types of maintenance. In the new building specification get the condition monitoring features and right to additional vendor documentation (what the technicians have). During maker selection and equipment commissioning get the service passwords. During commissioning, obtain the configuration data (dump the data) and document the machinery configuration data. Modern machinery and ships have or can have condition monitoring data output. Makers (especially AMS makers) need to inter-operate better. The makers must open up their black boxes. Makers must provide extensive documentation and training. Many makers (and Class) will not accept condition maintenance schemes by crew. Reasons for this include: belief the crew will not be able or willing to report correctly on a reliable schedule; belief that the equipment condition will be pushed too hard or not replaced when really needed; and the desire for a steady after sales income. It is difficult to find experienced crew. Short contracts and the coming and going of crew make it difficult to train and trust the crew to do correct and reliable condition monitoring. With a good well trained crew using the equipment already on-board (AMS), the ships operators can create a condition maintenance programme for some of the equipment. But a more complete CBM will require additional equipment. Training and procedures will be necessary to ensure that the this equipment is used correctly within a well structured maintenance programme. Given a ships complexity, growth in condition maintenance programmes will be slow and will continue to coexist with time scheduled and breakdown maintenance programmes.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hellespont (www.hellespont.com) and in particular Basil Ph Papachristidis for his long time support and to the Center for Tanker Excellence (www.c4tx.org).