Comparison: Vicmar and Existing Washing Systems
Washing of the Turbocharger (blower)
Disadvantages of existing washing systems
from a design point of view
Cold water is used for cleaning.
Insufficient amount of water utilized as standard water pots are only 1.5 -3.0 L.
Scavenging air used to inject water. Resulting pressure is very low and not sufficient for removal of deposits
Disadvantages of existing washing systems
from an operational point of view
Water is not connected to the water pot. It is necessary to manually fill the pot which results in the deferral of the washing by the crew
Cold water used which does not completely dissolve oily deposits, resulting in the blower operating in fouled conditions.
Existing systems are designed by the turbocharger manufacturers only for cleaning the blower. Blower deposits are transferred to air cooler, plugging the fins, resulting in increased exhaust gas temperature and fuel consumption
Advantages of Vicmar’s Washing System
from a design point of view
Hot water used for cleaning
The water tank is customized according to the size of the turbocharger
Compressed air of optimum pressure is used to inject water in order to provide sufficient water pressure to remove deposits.
Advantages of Vicmar’s Washing System
from an operational point of view
Water is connected to the water tank resulting in simple filling of the tank by opening the water supply valve
Hot water is used for washing which removes the deposits from the blower, maintaining clean blower conditions
The Vicmar Washing System safely cleans the blower simultaneously with the air cooler ( at engine full load)
Washing of the Air Coolers
Disadvantages of existing washing systems
from a design point of view
Cold water is used for cleaning
Size of the water tank is insufficient for cleaning as it does not take into consideration the size and the number of air coolers
Water is injected inside the air cooler trunk via two pipes, which have very few orifices. These orifices do not cover the entire surface of the air cooler and can not effectively complete full washing
In many instances, water and/or compressed air is not connected to the water tank and thus it is necessary to complete this manually
Disadvantages of existing washing systems from an operational point of view
The cleaning procedure of the air cooler occurs when the engine is shut down or on reduced load.
Cold water can not dissolve and remove the deposits
Chemicals can be used for cleaning of the air cooler (while shut down) which increases the maintenance cost and human error with mixing and preparation. Blocked fins will result if chemicals are not properly rinsed from the air cooler
Existing washing systems have proven it necessary to remove the air cooler for cleaning during the dry-dock period. This is a costly procedure with increased risk of fin damage during transportation
Advantages of Vicmar’s Washing System
from a design point of view
Hot water is used for cleaning
The water tank is customized to the size and number of air coolers. Engine output power is considered for the size of the water tank
The water is injected inside the air cooler via 8 – 10 specially designed injectors, each of them equipped with 120- 150 orifices. The entire surface of the air cooler is reached by the water
Hot water and compressed air are connected to the water tank
Advantages of Vicmar’s Washing System
from an operational point of view
Washing procedure takes place on the daily basis simultaneously with the blower and it is performed while the engine is operating at full load
Hot water is more effective in dissolving and removing the deposits
No chemicals are used for air cooler cleaning
No need to remove and clean the air cooler during dry-dock thus reducing maintenance costs