We were recently approached by one of Germany’s leading shipping companies, who operate a fleet of 28 vessels and over 450 crew, for support on one of their MAN NR29/S Turbochargers installed on an MAN 7L32/40 engine.
The turbocharger was due for overhaul, however based on the previous experience of crew on board, there were fears that various components may have seized together. Time was of the essence as the vessel was only to be docked for 3 days in Fennet, Ireland, before continuing it’s journey. In preparation for the potential difficulties ahead and strict time constraints, we manufactured special tooling in-house and supplied a full set of spares including a brand new rotor assembly, nozzle ring and bearings to cover all eventualities.
Once our engineer was on board it was found that the nozzle ring was seized to the cartridge, therefore, the engineers heated and quenched numerous times in order to release the nozzle ring. As a result of the excessive heat that was needed in the removal, it was advised that this nozzle ring is not used again.
All of the internal components were cleaned thoroughly once removed and upon further inspection of the parts, it was found that the turbocharger casing was extensively blocked with oily carbon due to the fact that the labyrinth seals had been leaking. Fortunately there was no evident damage seen on either part.
The cartridge was successfully reassembled using the new spares and measurements were taken as per the manufacturers specification. Once the turbocharger was fitted, the vessel crew started the oil priming pump in order to warm the oil and check for leaks from the turbocharger – success! No leaks were found. The engine was then run at full speed and approved by the Superintendent.
It was a pleasure working alongside our client and all their crew and we look forward to future successes.
