Service Letter SL2016-633/JAP
Action code: WHEN CONVENIENT
Hard-Coated Piston Rings
for Operation on Ultra-Low
Sulphur Fuel
Including gas and liquefied gas
Dear Sirs SL2016-633/JAP
November 2016
Since 1 January 2015, the specified fuel sulphur limit in SECAs (sul-
phur emission controlled areas) has been 0.1% sulphur or lower. The Concerns
owners of engines operated on ultra-low sulphur fuel (ULSF) (0.1% Owners and operators of MAN B&W
sulphur or lower) face certain challenges with scuffing between the two-stroke marine diesel engines.
cylinder liner and piston rings. Type: MC/MC-C, ME/ME-C and ME-B
Operation on gas or liquefied gas containing no sulphur gives Summary
challenges similar to those faced when operating on ULSF in a New cermet hard-coated piston rings for
SECA. Prolonged operation on ULSF may lead to bore polished continued operation on ultra-low sulphur
liner surfaces and increases the risk of liner surface smearing fuel including gas and liquefied gas.
with a subsequent risk of liner scuffing as the consequence.
Reference is made to: SL12-562/JAP,
To increase the margin against damage to the piston rings and SL2014-593/DOJA and SL2016-611/
cylinder liners, which will lead to overhaul of the engine on short no- JAP.
tice, we have introduced a piston ring configuration that incorporates
cermet hard-coating on the running side of all the piston rings.
Cermet hard-coating on the piston ring running surface increases
the reliability of the main engine. In many cases, the cermet-coated
rings continue to perform after an episode with seizures, provided
the seizures are stopped. This ensures that the engine can continue
in normal operation until the next planned overhaul.
Additionally, special attention should be paid to ensure a proper
running-in of new rings in liners suffering from polishing. Wave-cut
grinding or honing may be needed in such cases.
Yours faithfully
Mikael C Jensen Stig B Jakobsen
Vice President, Engineering Senior Manager, Operation
Head office (& postal address) PrimeServ Production Forwarding & Receiving MAN Diesel & Turbo
MAN Diesel & Turbo Teglholmsgade 41 Teglholmsgade 35 Teglholmsgade 35 Branch of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE,
Teglholmsgade 41 2450 Copenhagen SV 2450 Copenhagen SV 2450 Copenhagen SV Germany
2450 Copenhagen SV Denmark Denmark Denmark CVR No.: 31611792
Denmark Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Head office: Teglholmsgade 41
Phone: +45 33 85 11 00 Fax: +45 33 85 10 49 Fax: +45 33 85 10 17 Fax: +45 33 85 10 16 2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
Fax: +45 33 85 10 30 PrimeServ-cph@[Link] manufacturing-dk@[Link] shipping-cph@[Link] German [Link].: HRB 22056
info-cph@[Link] Amtsgericht Augsburg
[Link]
Service Letter SL2016-633/JAP
Operation on ULSF increases the risk of bore polishing Cermet is a composite, part-ceramic, part-metal material.
of the liner surface and may lead to smearing of the liner. It combines the best properties of a ceramic, i.e. high tem-
perature-resistance and hardness, with those of a metal, for
Under normal conditions, when operating on fuel containing example the ability to undergo plastic deformation.
sulphur, the sulphuric acid formed during the combustion
process will ensure a controlled amount of corrosion. This When applying cermet hard-coating to the piston ring run-
corrosion causes the liner surface to sustain adequate ning side, see Figs. 1 and 2, an incident with contact be-
level of wear that ensures a high number of open graphite tween piston rings and liner surface will not lead to irrecov-
lamellas in the cast iron matrix. erable seizures. The cermet rings will generate high friction
and heat, but the risk of seizures is reduced. Furthermore,
When operating on ULSF the level of corrosion is very low the cermet will recover after the incident, provided the situ-
and the liner wear is negligible in most cases. Over time, this ation is timely discovered and action is taken to ensure that
will lead to polishing and, possibly, smearing of the surface. it stops (increased lubrication and reduced load). However,
When the liner surface is smeared, the open graphite lamel- the liner will need machining at the next overhaul to ensure
las are closed making it difficult to keep a proper oil film. proper running-in of the new rings.
When the oil film is compromised, the cast iron piston rings,
which are in contact with the cast iron liner, may generate
high friction and seizures that will not recover (liner scuffing). Please note that for 50 bore engines and smaller, the cermet CPR
During scuffing, the surface of the liner is hardened and will top rings will be of the CPR-CL not the CPR-POP type. For more
need machining to recover before new rings can be run in. information on the CPR-POP type please see SL12-562/JAP.
Double S-lock Double S-lock
Alu coating
Alu coating
High ring
CL-groove
CL-groove Cermet
Cermet
Low ring
High ring
Low ring
Em
Oblique
High ring cut
Low ring
Fig. 1: The CPR ring pack containing 3 high rings Fig. 2: The CPR ring pack containing 1 high ring
with cermet-coating on all rings for 70 bore and and 3 low rings with cermet-coating on all rings.
above (SL2016-611/JAP).
Hard-coated Piston Rings for Operation on Ultra-Low Sulphur Fuel. Page 2 of 4 pages
Service Letter SL2016-633/JAP
NEW ENGINES with continued service in a SECA or running on is able to facilitate running-in of the new rings.
gas/liquefied gas
New engines still retain the original wave-cut machining Honing is an alternative to wave-cut grinding. We recom-
marks on the liner surface. The wave-cut retains oil and mend that qualified workshops are used if honing is chosen,
provides a reliable operation of the engine on ULSF. The and that honing with diamond stones is followed by honing
liner wear on clean ULSF is very low, but the wave-cut marks with grinding stones. According to instructions from the hon-
will maintain safe operation for a long time. However, if the ing machine maker, at least 0.1 to 0.2 mm to the diameter
wave-cut marks are worn away the liner surface may be- should be removed to ensure that the damaged surface is
come polished. removed. In case of liner scuffing, at least 0.5 to 1 mm (to
the diameter) should be removed to condition the liner. The
At the first scheduled overhaul, it is recommended to install finished surface roughness after honing must not exceed Ra
cermet-coated rings to raise the safety margin against liner 1.6.
seizures.
Choice of cylinder oil and piston cleaning (PC) ring
Machining of the liner surface may be needed to open up the The deposits that build up on the piston crown have a big
surface and facilitate easy running-in of the new piston rings. influence on liner polishing and smearing. Most engines
If the wave-cut surface has been worn away, it can be re- built after year 2000 have PC rings installed in the top of the
freshened by wave-cut grinding, see Fig. 3. liner to scrape away excessive deposits which build up on
the piston crown topland. PC rings are recommended for
OLD ENGINES with continued service in SECA or running on engines operating in a SECA and can be retrofitted on most
gas/liquefied gas older engines.
Older engines, which have been operating on HFO, have
normally lost the wave-cut marks in the top of the liner. It is also important to choose the right cylinder oil. Operating
In addition, prolonged operation in SECA before 1 January for longer periods on high-BN and low-sulphur fuel, or with
2015 on 1% sulphur may also have led to some degree a high feed rate, may lead to a build-up of deposits and/or
of polishing, depending on feed rate and type of cylinder liner polishing. We recommend using a low-BN cylinder
lube oil. oil when operating on ULSF, see the current guideline
on lubrication and SL2014-593.
We recommend installing cermet-coated piston rings at the
first opportunity and to wave-cut grind the liners to re-fresh-
en the liner surface.
Vessels trading in and out of SECA or gas/liquefied gas engines
using HFO containing sulphur for pilot fuel
Vessels trading predominantly outside SECAs, and thus
burning HFO containing sulphur, do not face a great risk
of suffering polishing of the liner surface, if our guidelines for
lubrication are followed.
However, it is very important to keep a correct level of
lubrication and not to overdose, both when operating
on high-sulphur fuels as well as on ULSF. Lubrication ac-
cording to the adaptive cylinder-oil control (ACC) factor
(feed rate factor) is recommended. Otherwise, polishing and
smearing of the liner surface may occur and, thereby, in-
crease the risk for seizures.
Conditioning the liner surface
When overhauling after prolonged operation on ULSF, the
liner surface may not be in an adequate condition to facilitate
the running-in of new piston rings as is the case when oper-
ating on high-sulphur fuels. It may therefore be necessary to
wave-cut grind the liner surface if the machining marks have
been worn away. This is done to ensure that the liner surface Fig. 3: Cylinder with wave-cut pattern
Hard-coated Piston Rings for Operation on Ultra-Low Sulphur Fuel. Page 3 of 4 pages
Service Letter SL2016-633/JAP
Group recess system (GRS) - alternative liner machining
As an addition to wave-cut grinding, a special kind of This type of machining may be a benefit for engines operat-
machining can be applied where pockets are ground ing in and out of SECAs as well as for engines operated on
into the surface to secure retention of oil even if the wave ULS hybrid fuels. These may contain cat fines and, therefore,
cut is worn away. The machining provides a pattern with be the source of wear that will remove the wave-cut pattern.
pockets that are deeper than those obtained from wave
cut grinding and, therefore, will last even if there is Currently, this machining can only be applied as a retrofit to
wear on the liner surface, see Fig. 4. existing liners, and it cannot be ordered for new liners unless
they are brought for machining before delivery to the vessel.
GRS pattern
Fig. 4: Liner with remachined
wave-cut pattern and the GRS
pattern, which is applied in the
bottom of the wave-cut groove.
Hard-coated Piston Rings for Operation on Ultra-Low Sulphur Fuel. Page 4 of 4 pages
MAN B&W
Plate Special Instruction
8872-2272-0004
1 (2)
8872-2272-0004
8872-2272-0004 MAN B&W
Item No. Qty Item Designation
Special Instruction
414 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
426 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
438 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
Note: 1)
When ordering, please state IMO no., engine type and
height of each ring.
8872-2272-0004
Plate
2 (2)
MAN B&W
Plate Special Instruction
8872-2272-0005
1 (2)
8872-2272-0005
8872-2272-0005 MAN B&W
Item No. Qty Item Designation
Special Instruction
510 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
522 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
534 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
546 - Piston ring, cermet type 1)
Note: 1)
When ordering, please state IMO no., engine type and
height of each ring.
8872-2272-0005
Plate
2 (2)
