Marine diesel engines

Marine diesel engines are often very large assemblies which generate a great deal of heat during operation. Frequently, these engines are cooled directly with seawater. Seawater contains sodium and calcium carbonate. These sodium and calcium carbonates are deposited, together with other seawater constituents, in the cooling circuit of the engines. This impairs cooling of the engines and consequently, the engines can no longer be operated at full output so as to avoid overheating. For this reason, the engines must be cleaned chemically at regular intervals in order to ensure optimum cooling again.

New build vessels it is tried to avoid using seawater direct for the cooling of the engines. So the problem of scaling is shifted to the heat exchanger, where seawater is used to cool down the cooling water in the second loop, which will then cool the engine. As this solution is the more expensive there are still vessels build, where the seawater is used direct in the cooling loop.

Merus has proven at several diesel engines big and small, either on ships or on offshore platforms,  where seawater is used direct for the cooling of the machines, the problem of scaling and corrosion can be reliable solved. See as well the case study offshore platform.

In addition to the control of the scaling, barnacles or other sealife which is passing the filters are treated also. It can be seen in several applications, there are far less or no barnacle able to settle in the system and start growing. This has been done and proofed in either onshore applications, where seawater is used for cooling purposes in plants, or offshore on cooling facilities on offshore platforms or even on ships.

The picture above shows the disassembled sea water filter ahead of the diesel engine. It can be easily seen, there is no scale at all left on the filter. The corrosion, which is normally a big problem has entirely stopped and no marine growth found.
The picture to the left shows the engine of a small ferry which sails the channel from France to UK. The vessel is rather old, and the cooling is done direct with seawater.