To fulfill Marine Class requirements on-board engines are required, for safety reasons, to run without a shutdown facility regardless of mechanical problems or engine efficiency.  There are circumstances where this is crucial but it can lead on to extensive engine damage which can be costly in both repairs and time off the water for the vessel.

 With the sophisticated level of control offered by DSE’s M840 Programmable Controller this Turkish vessel was able to overcome the dilemma and still fulfill the requirements of its Marine Class.

 The vessel was fitted with dual Cummins engines Port and Starboard and additional sensors were fitted to communicate engine information from the engine ECUs to the DSEM840.  The information is gathered and presented on the M840’s large display screen in easy-to-read graphical, text and icon format improving access and visibility of engine status and operational data.   As an added protection, all sensor values and warning or shutdown conditions are also transmitted to the Main Alarm Panel over CANBUS, MODBUS TCP/IP or MODBUS RTU through a converter.  

  Engine Shutdown is programmed in the event of certain conditions occurring: Over Speed; Low Oil Pressure; High Engine Temperature; Low Gearbox Pressure etc. For security and safety reasons the shutdown and warning set points can only be adjusted within the DSEM840 by authorised technicians via a password protected settings page. A Shutdown override facility is made available.

  “The M840 is programmed for Warning and Shutdown Outputs. If an engine is stopped, the Shutdown Output can be overridden by keeping the related front fascia button [on the M840] depressed for 2 seconds: the screen background colour will change and all Warning and Shutdown Outputs are silenced. The captain and crew can continue to run the engine(s) in Shutdown Override Mode with no limitation, however, the date and time are recorded on the M840’s internal memory. With a second password, our authorised technicians are able to download logged data for analysis.”

Sinan Aslanyurek, Engineer.

 The ability to have this shutdown and override facility enables the Captain or crew to make a decision on whether the circumstances and/or load are suitable for the vessel to continue on one engine until repairs or maintenance can be carried out.