Iron concentration in cylinder drain oil is an important parameter to measure regularly in terms of the determination of engine wear condition, and in particular wear rate of cylinder components.
Changes in the operation of two-stroke marine diesel engines such as lower operating temperatures and modified design of such engines may lead to the phenomenon of ‘cold corrosion’ and increased level of iron content caused either by mechanical abrasion (iron particles) or acid corrosion (iron salts).
For regular on-site monitoring of iron content in cylinder drain oil samples, Martechnic® developed new digital test kit IRON CHECK E with optimised semi-automatic test procedures and direct digital test results. Total iron and corroded iron can be measured in a similar way.
Before testing the selected drain oil samples, the glass vials with prepared reaction liquid have to be pre-heated in two chambers A and B of the test device IRON CHECK E up to the default temperature of 70˚C. Then the oil samples can be added into the glass vials to proceed with digital evaluation.
In the process of chemical reaction of iron in cylinder lubricant (corroded or abrasive state) and special reaction liquid, the derived colour of the fluid in the glass vials will be automatically assessed by means of the built-in chroma meter with LED transmitted light source. The colour can vary from light blue to dark blue directly depending on the iron concentration in cylinder drain oil samples. The darker the hue of the fluid, the higher level of iron concentration the cylinder lubricant contains.
The degree of iron concentration ranging up to 1100mg/kg (ppm) will be shown on the display of the IRON CHECK E. The measured values will be then automatically saved on the internal memory chip.
Through a combination of iron test and BN measurements with Martechnic®’s TWIN CHECK 4.0 test kit proper lubrication of cylinder components and therefore optimal engine performance can be ensured.
Key benefits of the IRON CHECK E include:
- Precise semi-automatic measurement of iron content
- Processing of two samples simultaneously (effective time-saving technique)
- Easy to read, digital display of test results
- No need to use colour reference chart
- Early warning of corrosion problems in case of regular application
- Efficient adjustment of lubrication of crosshead engines