Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2020)

HEAT & VIBRATION MITIGATION

Taming of the

Engine Killers

Effectively Mitigating Heat &

Vibration in the Engine Room teffen Cronauer, an 18-year Thermamax veteran, believe in the axi-

While the size, shape om that ‘you get what you pay for’ is particularly true in machinery and purpose of maritime insulation: “In some parts of the world, insulation mattings are used, vessels varies widely, a

Sand while they are cheaper from the beginning and can pass tests on the bench, they are not as effective in the long haul.” common concern for every

Thermal and acoustic insulation is the business of tmax Holding GmbH, shipowner is ensuring the a holding of six companies in Europe, USA and China with headquarters in

Mannheim, Germany, a company of about 500 people working to provide long-life, ef? cient and safe engineered solutions to the automotive, on- and off-highway sectors, power operation of a vessel’s sports vehicles, stationary power generation, ships, and oil platforms, both biggest capital expenditure: on land and at sea. For the marine industry, Thermamax is a solution provider for SOLAS-compliant insulation solutions for engine rooms. The company the propulsion machinery. engineers and supplies insulation claddings for most of the leading engine

Heat and vibration are and turbocharger OEMs. In addition, Thermamax is able to design, manu- the two main culprits in facture and install SOLAS-compliant retro? tting insulations also for engines that are already in service for a longer period of time and that eventually do cutting machinery life short not meet latest safety standards. and raising maintenance cost. Maritime Reporter &

Something Old, Something New ...

According to Cronauer, the number one driver for Thermamax products in

Engineering News was in the maritime and offshore sectors is safety, and in fact it was the Deepwater

Mannheim, Germany late last

Horizon accident that served as an in? ection point with potential custom- year to visit Thermamax, a ers understanding that “sheet metal insulation cladding is the better product when it comes to safety onboard, whether it is a rig or a propulsion engine for specialist in the design and a vessel.“ According to IMO SOLAS the surface temperature of modern ma- manufacture of thermal and rine engines must not exceed 220°C. In addition, engine builders are striving for better fuel ef? ciency, mainly by increasing the engine`s power density acoustic insulation solutions what typically leads to higher exhaust gas temperatures. Due to higher charge for diesel engines, spark air pressures even the area of the compressor outlet of the turbocharger be- ignited engines, exhaust comes a concern in terms of surface temperatures. Consequently, every new engine has to be equipped with a highly ef? cient insulation system. “We also aftertreatment systems and have to look at and consider the aftertreatment devices, as large SCR systems electric storage systems. become more common on ships,“ he said. “For example the aftertreamtment system is almost as big as the engine itself. They too are hot, they too must meet SOLAS requirements.“

By Greg Trauthwein

While new engines are a central focus, the larger market opportunity comes in the retro? t sector, as there are many engines 20 years or older that could 38 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • September 2020

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