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ME783

Main Engine Alpha Lubricator System Trouble

Technical Committee
Ship type Bulker
Date of completion
Navigation route
Damaged machinery
Category Main Engine
Name Alpha Lubricator System
Type
Maker
Date of trouble

1. The summary of the trouble

While the captioned vessel was underway, the engine slowed down due to the M/E ALPHA SYSTEM
ABNORMAL alarm.
The moment the alarm went off, the following indicator lights on the HMI HUMAN MACHINE
INTERFACEpanel came on: MCU POWER FAILURE, BCU POWER FAILURE, COMMON ALARM,
MCU FAILURE, and BCU FAILURE. After this, FEED BACK FAILUREand OIL PRESSURE LOW
lights came on and the main engine slowed down.
The alarm on the HMI panel showed ALR 47MCU PARAMETER LIST NOT LOADEDand the battery
alarm light on the SMART UPS inside the power unit box was on.

2. The summary of the damage

After stopping the main engine, and following the trouble shooting procedure in the operation manual, the
Alpha lubricator system was switched on, but the problem remained and the crew gave up repairing the
unit.
Since the captioned vessel uses both the Alpha system and the mechanical system, the crew increased the
HJ (i.e. mechanical) lubricator oil supply following the emergency operation procedure and restarted the
main engine after setting the Alpha -HJ switch to the HJ side and switching off the Alpha lubricator system.
Since ALR 47, which indicates loss of the MCU parameter list, appeared on the HMI, the main engine
manufacturer concluded that the MCU printed circuit board was damaged, and recommended that the board
be replaced. The MCU POWER FAILURE alarm, BCU POWER FAILURE alarm, and SMART UPS
battery alarm were considered to have been caused by the low level of the UPS battery installed on each
power unit.

3. Check and Repair

A service engineer from the main engine manufacturer visited the ship when the MCU printed circuit board
and UPS batteries were delivered. After installing the new units, the lubricator was fully functional again.

4. Countermeasures
Although it took one month to have the printed circuit board delivered, the ship was able to continue her
voyage since she was equipped with a mechanical lubricator as well. For vessels with main engines without
a mechanical lubricator system, including engines equipped only with the Alpha lubricator system, we
decided to replace electronic parts earlier than the manufacturers recommendations.

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The Marine Engineer Dec.2014
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UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power System, and this auxiliary power (battery) system supplies
electricity even when the systems main power is interrupted by a blackout.

Fig.1The Structure of Alpha Lubricator System

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The Marine Engineer Dec.2014
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Fig.2Cylinder Liner Lubricating System

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The Marine Engineer Dec.2014