Caterpillar Marine - Marine Engines Caterpillar

parallel have sufficient
capacity for driving the
bow thruster as well as
supplying the accommodation
rooms.
Instead of modifying
the original switchboard,
a completely
new switchboard with
state-of-the-art control technology
was designed and installed by Canal
Marine from St. Catharines for optimal
control of the higher electricity
requirement. This permits complete
remote control of the gensets in both
automatic and hand operation. Various
electric motor control consoles were
also replaced, as many components
had meanwhile become obsolete. The
new control consoles were designed
to cope with the higher potential fault
currents of the plants working with
increased capacity.
A new Caterpillar C9 6-cylinder
series engine with radiator cooling
and an output of 200 kW as stand-by
unit replaced the original V12-cylinder
unit. The engine can be started with
compressed air and electrically, thus
providing a completely redundant
start system in accordance with the
regulations of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.
The stand-by unit installed in
the area immediately below the ship
funnel can feed the network within
five seconds to supply important electric
plants.
All new Caterpillar engines are
equipped with fuel and lube oil systems
conforming with SOLAS and offer
an extra degree of safety, although
this was no requirement. All engines
are built in accordance with the high
requirements of the quality assurance
programme of Lloyd’s Register
of Shipping. Since its refit, the
“M/S Chi-Cheemaun” has been subject
to inspection by Transport Canada and
with the renewal of the engine plant
has been covered by classification
under Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.
Improvements in environmental protection
included replacing all exhaust
gas insulation with asbestos-free
materials and cleaning the ventilation
shaft unit to remove dust and particle
deposits. New diesel-fired Fulton
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The three new Caterpillar 3508B engines will provide a
total power of 1800 kW
boilers featuring the latest burner
technology and much higher efficiency
were provided for generating
steam for heating the accommodation.
The work on the exhaust gas systems
also included increasing the capacity
of the main engines. Four 6-cylinder
C280 Caterpillar main engines are to
be installed in the second phase after
the end of the 2006 operating season.
In a pre-audit carried out by Toromont,
the supplier of the entire engine
package, it became evident that four
new funnel shafts with a diameter
of 500 cm as well as exhaust silencers
with a bore of 550 cm and high
damping factor have to be provided
in order to meet the physical requirements
of the new propulsion engines
with 1,730 bkW/900 1/min. These
changes were already implemented in
phase one of the new engine installation,
and thus no further work in this
respect will be necessary in phase two,
except for providing the direct connection
required to the new propulsion
engines.
As Brian Pyke notes: “Enhanced
plant management was one of the
main factors determining our selection
of the electronically controlled
main and auxiliary engines. The possibility
of being able to call up operating
and diagnosis data for review
purposes and in real time will help us
optimise our maintenance management
programme, cut costs and maximise
operating reliability. We were
very impressed by the capability of the
Caterpillar ADEM engine control modules
to display critical information.
Our maintenance management programme
is based on fuel consumption,
operating material analysis and nondestructive
tests and measurements
instead of mere operating hours. The
reduction in the use of lubricants and
wet filters with the relevant disposal
costs will considerably
lower operating
costs and the environmental
impact without
thereby impairing
engine service life and
operating reliability”.
Following the successful
completion of
the first phase of the project, planning
is already well under way for
phase two of the replacement of the
propulsion plant. The Caterpillar C280-
6 engines will be delivered from the
Caterpillar plant in Lafayette, Indiana
(USA) in the third quarter of 2006.
New engine room and bridge consoles
designed and built by Prime Mover
Controls Inc., based in Vancouver, will
be installed and the entire alarm and
monitoring system upgraded to digital
technology. Two new twin reduction
gears with integrated clutch
have been delivered in advance by
Lufkin Industries Inc. (Lufkin, Texas) to
replace the existing single reduction
gearbox.
In this connection, Susan Schrempf,
the manager of OSTC, notes: “We’ve
formulated very clear objectives
for extending the service life of the
‘M/S Chi-Cheemaun’. The ship makes
a key contribution to the economy in
Ontario, and our aim was not only to
maintain the vessel in full working
order, but also to operate it in a costefficient
and environment-friendly
way for another 25 years. The ship’s
technical crew is also enthusiastic
about the new technology installed
on board, as it makes it possible to
run units according to the latest technical
standard, which has become
increasingly infrequent in the Great
Lakes area. We expect to achieve an
immediate reduction in operating
costs, making the vessel very competitive
for the remainder of her service
life. The “M/S Chi-Cheemaun”, after
all, belongs to the people of Ontario.
We thus have to maintain as well as
increase her value. Our results to date
would certainly please every shipping
line aiming to achieve the best possible
return on capital and environmentfriendly
operation, no matter whether
in private or public ownership”.