When a vessel has just changed hands, the crew is being handed over and the anchorage window is short, how can the wear condition of the main engine cylinder liners be established quickly and accurately? Tecway engineers recently used the Dr. E. Horn Cylinder Liner Diameter Measurement (CLDM) system to measure the liner diameters of all six cylinders of a bulk carrier's main engine through the scavenge ports, and delivered a complete inspection report.
01 The inspection challenge in a short stop window
The vessel served
The vessel in question was a recently delivered bulk carrier. With the ship and crew changeover under way and only limited time available alongside and at anchor, checking the wear of every main engine cylinder liner by conventional means would have required considerable manpower and time, together with the cost of dismantling, inspection and spare parts.
At the same time, ports and anchorages on the Yangtze River generally do not offer the time or working conditions needed for large-scale main engine overhaul work. The customer therefore needed an inspection solution that requires no dismantling of core components and can be completed within a short stop window.
The main engine and engine room
02 Six cylinders measured through the scavenge ports
Tecway engineers boarded the vessel with the dedicated Dr. E. Horn CLDM equipment and measured the cylinder liner diameters of all six cylinders of the 6S60ME main engine.
The measuring probe is operated through the scavenge ports, so no core components of the main engine need to be dismantled. On-site data is automatically acquired, analysed and compiled into a report by the CLDM software, allowing the inspection to be completed efficiently while the vessel is at anchor.
Tecway engineer carrying out liner diameter measurement on site
03 From measurement data to a complete report
After several hours of on-site measurement, the engineers completed data acquisition for all six cylinders and provided the customer with an inspection report in PDF format. The report clearly presents:
- The measured diameter at each measuring height
- The amount of wear (mm) compared with the original bore diameter
- Differences in wear between measuring directions
- Ovality, taper, wear curves and a 3D model of the cylinder liner
CLDM data report: wear curves and 3D liner model
04 Less downtime, better-informed maintenance decisions
Under the operating conditions of this job, each cylinder took approximately one hour to measure, meaning the liners of an entire main engine can be inspected at anchor or during a short stop. Compared with conventional dismantling and inspection, the on-site assessment reduced downtime by more than 80%, significantly lowering the operating losses caused by taking the vessel out of service.
Dr. E. Horn CLDM system: a clear picture of liner wear, and a sound basis for planning overhauls.
Going forward, Tecway will continue to draw on its professional engineering team and field service experience to provide customers with more timely, reliable and professional technical support.
Tecway's engineering team - always on site.
About Tecway
Tecway International Limited was founded in Hong Kong in 1993 and is a leading technical consultant and quality agent in the global maritime industry. Building on more than three decades of industry experience, the group has developed five core business segments: marine equipment, petrochemical storage and transportation, diesel and internal combustion engines, marine technical services and maritime consultancy services, covering key markets including China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
We are deeply engaged in the diesel and internal combustion engine manufacturing industry, supplying products such as the CLDM system together with the associated technical support. From sales consultation and installation and commissioning to after-sales training, our fast-response service network provides customers with professional, reliable support across the full process.
We also focus on the low-carbon transition of shipping companies, offering EU ETS, UK ETS and FuelEU compliance consultancy, support for green hydrogen shipping projects, industrial drone solutions, export solutions for Chinese-made marine equipment and FGSS technical services for vessels.