Offshore staff
DUBAI, UAE – Topaz Energy and Marine will collaborate with Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) on deploying the latter’s lubricant condition monitoring system VitalyX on Topaz’s offshore support vessels.
The aims are to improve maintenance and upkeep of the fleet of vessels and to increase field time for each vessel.
VitalyX will be deployed across Topaz’s entire module-carrying vessel fleet later this year.
Real-time data (via a combination of Internet of Things, sensor advances and condition monitoring software) will provide Topaz with information on the condition of its vessels and the maintenance needed to optimize performance.
The sensors will be applied to the engines, thrusters, and generating sets to monitor the lube oil for contaminants such as metal particles and soot.
In addition, the system will check for the presence of water, salt water, glycol, fuel dilution, TBN and TAN index, assisting in predicting equipment failures and improving the lube oil life cycle.
Topaz expects VitalyX to improve its ability to predict and prevent breakdowns before they happen, helping to reduce costs and refine condition-based maintenance for more efficient dry-docking.
Ed J. Boufarah, global commercial vice president for Measurement & Controls, BHGE said: “By embracing digital-driven real-time condition monitoring for lube oil, we are helping the marine industry move from solely time-based maintenance to a more performance-based maintenance plan, and the benefits can be truly game-changing.”
05/10/2019
