PrimeServ Customer Information

Action Code:
When convenient

Change in Emission
Operational risks with MGO/MDO Control Areas
Since January 2015, all vessels within the Emission Control
Area (ECA) of the Baltic Sea, North Sea, English Channel
PrimeServ Customer Information
and waters within 200 nautical miles of the coastline of
No. 346 / May 2015
USA and Canada, are required to use fuels with a
maximum sulphur content of 0.1 % only.
Concerns
We have highlighted this topic already with our Customer MAN Diesel & Turbo four-stroke engines
Information no’s: 236, 254, 258 and 295. in marine applications
L+V32/40, L+V32/40CD, L+V32/44CR,
Now in 2015, we would like to use this customer L40/54B, L+V48/60, L+V48/60B, L+V48/60CR,
information to indicate the most important requirements L+V51/60DF, L58/64, L58/64CD
related to the operation of the main engines on distillate
and low-sulphur heavy fuel oils as well as so-called “hybrid Filing Advice
Assembly group / work card 302
fuels”.

Please consider the following questions:

• Has the installation of an MGO upgrade kit taken place
on engines that were originally supplied for normal
operation in HFO? (Customer Information 295)

• Have the fuel system requirements been verified /

checked for operation on alternate fuel oils?

• Does the fuel comply with the specification ISO8217

quality ISO-F-DMA, DMZ or DMB?

MAN Diesel & Turbo SE PrimeServ PrimeServ PrimeServ

Head office (& postal address) After Sales Augsburg After Sales Technical After Sales Commercial
Stadtbachstraße 1 Stadtbachstraße 1 Stadtbachstraße 1 Stadtbachstraße 1
86153 Augsburg 86153 Augsburg 86153 Augsburg 86153 Augsburg
Germany Germany Germany Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 821 322 0 Phone: +49 (0) 821 322 3509 Phone: +49 (0) 821 322 1499 (24-h-hotline) Phone: +49 (0) 821 322 1799 (24-h-hotline)
Fax: +49 (0) 821 322 3382 Fax: +49 (0) 821 322 1530 Fax: +49 (0) 821 322 3838 Fax: +49 (0) 821 322 3574
mandiesel-de@mandieselturbo.com primeserv-aug@mandieselturbo.com primeserv-aug-technical@mandieselturbo.com primeserv-aug-commercial@mandieselturbo.com
www.mandieselturbo.com
MAN Diesel & Turbo – a member of the MAN Group
PrimeServ Customer Information

• Fuel temperature must be kept below 45°C for MGO-operation, respectively 60°C for operation with
MDO. Is a suitable cooling system available to maintain the correct operating temperature? Are all heating
sources for HFO switched off (e.g. pipe heating system)?

• How is the condition of the high pressure fuel injection systems? Has it been maintained in accordance
with manufacturer’s details? Internal leakage due to worn injection pump plunger / barrel assembly can
lead to distillate leakage into the oil system and reduced or limited engine performance.

• Is the low pressure side of the fuel system tight? Operation on distillate fuels will highlight any flaws in the
injection systems and leakages can occur more easily if systems are not tight.

• Is the engine lubricating oil of the correct specification and quality as recommended for long term
operation on low sulphur fuels? (Customer Information 295)

• Are the procedures for switching between HFO and distillate fuels clear and well practiced? Please also
refer to operating manuals for guidance.

Details

From an engine manufacturer’s point of view, the reduction of sulphur in the fuel leads to reduced lubricity
at the inlet and exhaust valve seats in comparison to using a standard HFO/IFO, when the sulphur in
combination with the combustion residues and ash leads to sufficient lubricity. The reduced lubrication
due to low-sulphur fuel leads to a higher wear rate of the valves and valve seats and can eventually result
in premature failures of the parts.

In order to counteract the reduced lubrication when operating on low-sulphur fuels, it is necessary to
install a supplementary valve seat lubrication system which is part of our upgrade kit as detailed in our
Customer Information 295. The upgrade kit also contains a sealing oil system for the fuel injection pumps
to prevent distillate leakage into the lube oil system. The valve of the sealing oil supply is opened manually
by the operator after having switched over to distillate from HFO. It is important however, that the valve of
the sealing oil supply is closed again when switching back to HFO operation, in order to avoid lacquering
of the pump barrel / plunger assembly and potential pump seizure.

Lubrication Oil

If the engine is operated with low-sulphur diesel fuel (grade DMA, DMZ or DMB) for less than 1,000 hours,
a lubricating oil which is suitable for HFO operation (BN 30 – 55 mg KOH/g) can be used during this
period. If the engine is operated provisionally with low-sulphur diesel fuel for more than 1,000 hours and is
subsequently operated once again with HFO, a lubricating oil with a BN of 20 must be used. If the BN 20
lubricating oil from the same manufacturer as the lubricating oil is used for HFO operation with higher BN
(40 or 50), an oil change will not be required when performing the changeover. It will be sufficient to use
BN 20 oil when replenishing the used lubricating oil.

If you wish to operate the engine with HFO once again, it will be necessary to change in due time to
lubricating oil with a higher BN (30 – 55). If the lubricating oil with higher BN is by the same manufacturer
as the BN 20 lubricating oil, the changeover can also be effected without an oil change. In doing so, the
lubricating oil with higher BN (30 – 55) must be used to replenish the used lubricating oil roughly 2 weeks
prior to resuming HFO operation.

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PrimeServ Customer Information

If it is planned to operate within ECA zones using distillate fuel for more than 1,000 hours without the
prospect of changing back to HFO, a complete oil drain is advised, using lubricants suitable for diesel
operation only, according to MAN Diesel & Turbo’s current approval list.

Low Sulphur Fuel Oils or “Hybrid Fuels”

Besides the use of distillate fuels according to ISO 8217 class ISO-F-DMA, DMZ or DMB, we have seen
alternative fuels, showing low-sulphur content complying with ECA regulations on the one hand, but not
complying with distillate grades according to ISO 8217. These fuels show properties of a residual and a
distillate fuel at once. We have seen a number of these fuels appearing in the market. Until today none of
these fuels has been officially tested in a MAN Diesel & Turbo large bore four-stroke medium speed engine.
Therefore no official approval or non-objection letter has been issued.

These fuels differ strongly in their physical and/or chemical properties. Therefore we recommend to avoid
two different suppliers, as compatibility issues between the two fuels may arise, leading to deposits in the
bunker or the fuel system.

Compatibility issues may appear also during the switchover process, when switching from HFO to hybrid
fuels. Asphaltene precipitation and lacquering in the fuel system may be one result, plugged filters another.
The viscosities and pourpoint of these fuel grades are mostly higher, comparable to residual grades. This
means in some cases the fuel needs to be heated to assure pumpability. Fuel storage bunkers may require
heating as well. The injection viscosity of min. 2 cSt and max. 14 cSt has to be assured by cooling or
preheating, if applicable. Additionally, nozzle cooling water may be required, depending on the fuel’s
properties. Furthermore the whole fuel system (incl. leak oil system) has to be kept 10°C above the fuel’s
pourpoint to avoid clogging of the system.

We have also experienced a strong difference in the density of the different fuels. In some cases a lower
density than distillate grades is observed. Also the energy content of the fuel is sometimes lower compared
to distillate fuels. This means that less energy may be transferred into the combustion chamber with each
stroke of the injection pump, thus leading to limited engine performance.

Due to their nature in the refining process, some of these fuels contain catfines. Therefore an efficient fuel
purification is mandatory for some of these fuels to ensure a safe diesel engine operation. Catfines are very
abrasive particles, causing severe damage on moving engine parts or in the fuel injection system. After
purifier and before injection pump, only 15 ppm catfines (Al+Si) are permissible.

SOLAS

The increased flammability of distillate fuels involve an higher risk of fire through unforeseen leakage or
component failure.

In order to reduce the potential for fire, it must be ensured that the exhaust coverings are in accordance with
the requirements of SOLAS Chapter II. Please refer to Customer Information 211.

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PrimeServ Customer Information

Support

For further information on the above and for the supply and installation of the MGO/MDO upgrade kits
necessary for your engine application, we are available for assistance. Please use the following contact for
further information:

Marcel Lodder
Senior Manager Emission Upgrades
Tel: +49 (0) 821 322 1181
Fax: +49 (0) 821 322 3838
E-mail: marcel.lodder@man.eu

Contact
Should you have any queries, our Technical Service will be pleased to be of assistance:

MAN Diesel & Turbo SE

86224 Augsburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 821 322-1731
Fax: +49 (0) 821 322-3838
E-mail: primeserv-aug-technical@mandieselturbo.com

Stefan Eefting Jörn Holst

Vice President Senior Manager
After Sales After Sales Technical

Please forward this information to your technical operating personnel and

remember to inform us of the current operating hours of your MAN Diesel & Turbo engines.

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