2007 Seatrade "New IT Applications for the Shipping Industry" award.

Overview

RCM Voyager is the first system to provide real time, exception based condition monitoring for marine machinery combined with cutting edge satellite communications. This means that not only is the ship's staff informed of the actual diagnosis of a developing fault but the same coded message is simultaneously transmitted via a simple D+ satellite link to Purplefinder® and can be displayed on the web based vessel tracking system.

The Purplefinder® system can also automatically initiate email and/or SMS alerts to the vessel's management, in addition to providing visual fault indication on a fleet map. Trend data can be automatically send by email attachment either periodically and/or in an alarm situation

Machinery is monitored 24/7 by the Voyager hardware rather than PC software, thereby significantly improving reliability over computer based monitoring systems. This also means that there is no requirement for staff training.

Voyager is primarily designed to monitor operational and safety critical machinery, such as propulsion systems and cargo machinery. There is, however, no practical limit to the number of machines monitored by a single alarm panel.

Applications

RCM Voyager online systems are the cost effective solution for monitoring expensive capital equipment.

The major advantage of RCM Voyager is its ability to reduce the probability of catastrophic failure on high-value equipment and thereby, minimising mechanical and operational losses caused as a result.

The RCM Voyager system is highly adaptable and is capable of simultaneously monitoring multiple equipment. Voyager's intelligent data management means that it works 24/7, monitoring every state change and nuance, whilst signalling alarms (including UMS alarms) only when they're needed. Voyagers ability to interrogate data intelligently, ensures near zero nuisance alarms.

Whilst keeping a constant check on machinery, Voyager's ability to provide intuitive trending analysis and be integrated into Purplefinder ® , the industry's leading satellite enabled asset tracking systems, is what really sets Voyager apart from the competition.

Examples of cost and safety critical Voyager applications include:

. Turbocharger monitoring

. LNG vessel steam turbine plant monitoring

. Gas compressor monitoring

. Tanker cargo pump monitoring

. Pump room ventilation fan monitoring

. Inert gas fan monitoring

. Main reduction gearbox monitoring

. Shaft alternator monitoring (on medium speed propulsion systems)

KEY FEATURES

Exception based 24/7 monitoring, requiring minimal expert monitoring.

Simple alarm panel provides Duty Engineer with an instant, simple statement showing the machine generating the alarm and the dignosis of the fault

Alarm and diagnosis can also be automatically transmitted via Pole Star Purplefinder to company web based reporting system, providing a very effective management tool.

Automatic 'Still Alive' calls via Purplefinder also ensure that critical machinery is still under surveillance, even though no alarm calls may be received.

Trend data can be sent from the Voyager system automatically by email from the ship

Great care is taken in development of the system to utilise alarms via hardware and firmware and not a computer application. Thus, in our experience, minimising 'spurious' alarms which could otherwise occur.