Topaz completes first MET 71 MA overhaul

A busy spell for Topaz Engineering recently included overhaul of a MET 71 MA turbocharger. Topaz Engineering is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renaissance Services SAOG. The company is based in Dubai, and has more than 35 years’ experience in the Middle East.

The client requested a standard overhaul with rotor reconditioning. First, the turbocharger was opened up and inspected. The rotor assembly consisting of the compressor and turbine wheel mounted on a common shaft was removed. The rotor was then taken to the workshop, where the turbine wheel was ash-blasted to remove the thick carbon deposit, and the compressor wheel was steam-cleaned.

Once the cleaning was completed the rotor assembly was set on the balancing machine, and the unit was balanced by removing mass from the correction area on the compressor wheel and turbine wheel. The journal bearings and thrust bearings on both sides were replaced with new bearings, and the oil labyrinths and O-rings were also replaced. Mitsubishi provided the spare parts. No other damage was found in the turbocharger.

Other turbo repair and servicing during the company’s busy spell included the overhaul of eight turbochargers for a client in Qatar. The vessel’s crew carried out the removal and re-installation of the turbochargers, and the units were flown, two at a time, to Topaz’s repair base for the overhaul work to be carried out.

John McFadyen, general manager at Topaz, said: “Topaz Marine Repair – erstwhile Nico International, a business unit of Topaz Engineering – is the Middle East market leader in shiprepair. Its ‘one-stop- shop’ philosophy has served global shipping lines from Dubai since 1973. Providing turbocharger services and spares has been an integral part of the company since its inception.

“Our turbocharger team provides comprehensive services and renowned technical expertise. The service offering is not confined to turbochargers, but undertakes related repairs/troubleshooting, including engines, governors, automation and fuel injection.”

The turbocharger workshop provides services through its four branches in Fujairah, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Oman, and it is looking to expand further in the Middle East. It provides marine users with qualified and experienced OEM factory-trained service engineers and technicians to carry out repair and overhauls for most makes of turbochargers.

The company’s turbocharger department is equipped to handle a complete range of turbocharger repairs, Mr McFadyen said. “The unit offers the most extensive array of inventory parts in the Middle East for varied turbocharger brands and models ranging from basic overhaul kits for Napier NA295, 297 and 357, Mitsubishi MET 83SC, MET 83 SEII, MET 71MA and MET 71SE, MAN’s axial NA57, NA70 and radial NR15/R, NR20/R and NR 24/S, to select major components such as turbine rotors, nozzle rings and cover rings.

Work on MET turbochargers has included complete overhauls in the company’s Dubai workshops, as well as onboard repairs to vessels in the gulf region. The range of work has included repairs such as re-blading and hard chromium plating jobs for MET 71SE, MET 53SB and MET 42SD. “This has earned the unit high praise from its customers,” Mr McFadyen said. “The first quarter of 2011 has seen a noticeable increase in the service of the MET 66SEII, MET 71MA, MET83SC and MET 90SE successfully carried out by our turbocharger team.”

MTE retrofit service breathes life into old engines

Marine Turbo Engineering claims its latest retrofit turbocharger programme results in cleaner performance, extended engine life and longer maintenance intervals. These are just some of the benefits that can be achieved by using its retrofit service, according to the Liverpool-based company.

MTE maintains that cost-benefit analysis shows that the list of advantages of turbocharger retrofits can be extensive: Advantages include improved spares availability, increased engine output, swifter engine response, surge margin amendment, performance-to-profile matching, easier maintenance access, longer service intervals and reduced SFOC and exhaust emissions.

MTE is service partner to major OEMs such as MAN Diesel, Mitsubishi MET, KBB and PBS Turbo, which enables it to either supply brand new units and components or provide exchange units.

MTE has been steadily developing its worldwide workshop facilities, and now has bases in the UK, US, Bangladesh, Grand Bahamas, India and Singapore. “This enables our management to control and ensure the highest quality standards and consistency of service levels to meet customer requirements, with the aim of exceeding customer expectations on a worldwide basis,” the company says.

MTE’s experience goes back nearly 40 years and includes repairing turbine and compressor blades by welding, metal spraying bearing and seal journals, re-felting air filter silencers, as well as many other specialist engineering techniques that are used to ensure engine operators and owners reduce their overall budgets and expenditure.

The company’s latest retrofitting service is designed to avoid turbocharger failures and provide improved performance. MP