Avoiding failure at sea

Stuart Melling, manager for marine and crane service, ABB Ltd

Top concerns for the marine sector Avoiding failure at sea Š ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 1

Avoiding failure at sea Investing just the right amount in maintenance 



© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 2

A carefully planned and risk-based maintenance strategy: 

minimises risk of unexpected repairs



costly off-charter

Achieved through: 

preventive maintenance



proactive equipment condition monitoring



corrective interventions

Avoiding failure at sea Investing just the right amount in maintenance 



© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 3

ABB assessment delivers: 

complete strategic maintenance plan for on-board equipment



tailored to customers market, vessel operating profile and budget

ABB service contract: 

predictable annual costs that clarify maintenance budget



allocates maintenance tasks optimally between supplier and crew

Avoiding failure at sea Planned preventive maintenance 

Co-ordinated and planned maintenance programmes are: 

designed to provide lifetime reliability to electrical plant and systems



customised with:



© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 4



technical support



correct spares



maintenance kits for upgrades

planned around a vessels sea-going time and plant schedules

Avoiding failure at sea Planned preventive maintenance 

Benefits include: 

Minimising risks of lost operation



Improving environmental and safety issues



Premature replacement of parts is avoided



Extended life cycles reduce capital spend 



© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 5

investment can target more critical areas

Unplanned disruption avoided

Avoiding failure at sea Inspection technologies lower maintenance needs

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 6



Failure or unplanned maintenance of large generator or induction motors must be avoided



Lead time for replacement units can be long and capital cost high



Cost is higher if vessel: 

is taken ‘off-charter’



cannot operate to performance levels

Avoiding failure at sea Condition monitoring

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 7



Provides valuable maintenance information



Can be carried out while equipment is running



Measuring on a regular basis, trends can be observed



Allows overhaul to be planned ahead



ABB has range of service technologies that: 

analyse condition of many electrical items



avoids need for costly dry dockings



avoids general system outages



accurately pinpoints condition of rotating machines



offers new ways to: 

improve operations



increase vessel availability



reduce maintenance costs

Avoiding failure at sea LEAP (Life Expectancy Analysis Program) 

Provides precise information on remaining lifetime of stator windings of a high voltage machine



Significantly reduces risk of shut downs caused by unforeseen failures



Standard preventive maintenance can be planned around a vessel docking 

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 8

avoids rigidly sticking to manufacturer’s preventive maintenance guidelines

Avoiding failure at sea MACHsense P

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 9



New condition monitoring service for large machines



Holds three patents



Provides early-warning to plant engineers



Saves considerable costly downtime



Detects potential failure well in advance including: 

trouble with bearings



rotor winding defects



imbalances



internal misalignments



voltage abnormalities

Avoiding failure at sea MACHsense P 

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 10

Available as: 

‘Standard’ service - part of regular 6-month maintenance plan



‘Advanced’ service - one-time intervention to troubleshoot a specific problem



Key is ABB's intelligent software



Analyses vibrations and other data collected from motor with remarkable accuracy



Analysis system uses algorithms that pick out specific signals



Algorithms used to estimate defect indices and criticality for each specific machine



Service extends working life of thousands of motors running in critical applications worldwide

Avoiding failure at sea MACHsense P 

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 11

Service provides 

accurate diagnosis



reports quickly, with a summary delivered on-site



includes integrated analysis for current, voltage and vibration



rates defects clearly, by severity



recommends specific repairs



considers machine design in judging defect severity



reduces unplanned downtime



issues early warnings, allowing time for planning maintenance

Avoiding failure at sea MACHsense P

© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 12



Technicians at ABB service centres in 35 countries



Technician attaches sensors to motor being tested at customer’s site



Certain sensors, using accelerometers, convert vibrations into electrical signals



Others measure electrical data



Signals are picked up by a data collector, which is connected to laptop



In one day, a technician can usually test between four and six motors

Avoiding failure at sea MACHsense P 

Customer immediately receives an on-site summary of motor’s performance



Presented as a colour-coded report rating four key areas



© ABB Inc. February 25, 2013 | Slide 13



anti-friction bearings



cage rotor



installation



power supply

Customer receives more detailed report for those motors highlighted in initial site summary as being of concern

© ABB Group February 25, 2013 | Slide 14