Easy access to condition monitoring data from marine gensets

By installing an eWON VPN router and using the Talk2M internet-based remote access system, a manufacturer of marine generating sets is now able to securely monitor and report on the condition of its diesel-electric generating sets located onboard an oil platform supply vessel, with communication being via a cellular (3G internet) connection.

The generating sets are installed in the engine room of the ship and are critical assets because they are responsible for supplying power to all onboard electrical systems including lighting, heating and the ship's thrust motors. With the eWON Talk2M system provided by M.A.C. Solutions (UK) Limited, as the vessel moves closer to the shoreline and within 3G range, the manufacturer's engineers can download the condition monitoring data - such as torsional vibration, thermal and power quality data - remotely from the gensets. Any abnormal or unusual events in the data can be identified quickly, investigated by the engineers and reported to the customer. The cost of the eWON Talk2M system is more than offset by eliminating the need for service engineer call-outs to the vessel, and this also avoids costly disruptions or delays for the vessel operator.

A much lower-cost alternative

Prior to investing in the eWON Talk2M solution, the genset manufacturer would need to send a service engineer to the vessel, wherever it was located in the world, in order to upload condition monitoring data manually from the generating sets. Not only was this costly, but also very time-consuming when uploading weeks or months of condition monitoring data.

On the oil rig supply vessel, an eWON VPN router is installed on the inside of the exhaust stack, as this location provided the most effective 3G signal. The eWON is connected to the genset manufacturer's own data acquisition system. When the ship comes back towards land and within 3G range, the genset manufacturer can upload the data that its system has been logging since the last upload. This provides the company with a fast, efficient and cost-effective means of baselining (for setting alarms and triggers) the data coming off the gensets, which is particularly important in the first few days and weeks after installing new marine gensets.

According to the genset manufacturer, eWON Talk2M was the most suitable system because it provides two-way communications and is cost-effective, secure, modular and mobile. The genset manufacturer can now communicate with the equipment onboard the vessel as if one of its service engineers were sitting there right next to the equipment with a laptop.

What is Talk2M?

eWON's Talk2M (Talk to Machines) is an internet-based remote access support and diagnostics service, available in the UK through industrial data communications company M.A.C. Solutions (UK) Limited. The software offers a professional platform with all the security, reliability and traceability required by industrial and marine applications. Talk2M is a secure and affordable service that enables OEMs, machine builders and system integrators to provide remote maintenance, support and diagnostics for machines in remote locations - including onboard marine vessels. Talk2M can be accessed anywhere in the world, using secure broadband and other secure wireless connections.

The router installed on the oil platform supply vessel is an eWON 2005CD industrial-grade router with dual LAN/modem connectivity. As well as being equipped with an Ethernet port, the router also has a SIM card that enables the genset manufacturer to access its equipment via a 3G cellular network.

Together, eWON and Talk2M provide another important differentiator for the genset manufacturer. Once the eWON Talk2M system is installed, the genset manufacturer can evaluate the application, investigate the condition monitoring data, pass regular reports to the customer and analyse the data itself. In addition, the data helps when the manufacturer is considering what improvements to make to the equipment designs in the future.

Follow the link for more information about eWON Talk2M, telephone +44 (0)1527 529774 or email [email protected] (please mention MachineBuilding.net).