Like most marine technologies, boilers and burners are under constant development. Advances are incorporated into new equipment that make it even more reliable and easy to use. Through upgrade kits, Alfa Laval’s service experts make these advances available for existing equipment as well.

Among those who have discovered the kits are Greek ship owners Euronav Ship Management and Tsakos Columbia Shipmanagement (TCM), who have ordered them in substantial numbers. TCM has purchased upgrade kits for 29 of its vessels – almost half of its fleet. EuroNav, the world’s largest independent quoted tanker platform, has purchased kits for upwards of 15 vessels in the first half of 2016 alone.

Easy but valuable improvements

“The upgrade of the auxiliary boiler on the pilot vessel went really smoothly. It’s obvious that the reliability of the auxiliary boiler improved, and that’s why we decided to continue the retrofit project on more vessels. This project combined with a broader one for retrofitting the fleet with mass flow meters,” says Zois Dagkaris, Head of Fleet Energy Management at EuroNav.

The kits used by both Greek operators are the following burner-related upgrades:

• Fuel oil valve upgrade kit
  An electrically operated fuel oil valve has no quality requirements for the control air supply. So upgrading from pneumatic to electric actuation makes a burner insensitive to control air quality. Moreover, it practically eliminates maintenance and the consumption of spare parts. Alfa Laval’s reliability-enhancing fuel oil valve upgrade is a 1:1 exchange with complete documentation, making it possible for the crew to install.

• Coriolis flowmeter upgrade kit
  A Coriolis flow meter is a highly reliable and accurate measuring system that secures uptime. It contains no rotating parts, which means practically no wear and maintenance – and no risk of flow meter jamming. Alfa Laval’s Coriolis flow meter upgrade kit allows replacement of a burner’s original flow meter without any complicated mechanical modifications.

• Electric FD fan actuator upgrade kit
  Upgrading a burner’s forced-draught (FD) fan actuator from pneumatic to electric operation results in a maintenance-free and highly accurate damper positioning system with minimal airflow fluctuations and no control air quality requirements. Alfa Laval’s electric FD fan actuator upgrade is easily installed and requires no calibration.