Tackling marine AI applications

Topaz Energy and Marine signed a long-term agreement and placed an order with Baker Hughes to collaborate on deploying BHGE’s lubricant condition monitoring system.

By CFE Media May 30, 2019

Topaz Energy and Marine, an offshore marine logistics company, signed a long-term agreement and placed an order with Baker Hughes, a GE company, to collaborate on deploying BHGE’s lubricant condition monitoring system, VitalyX, enhancing the maintenance and upkeep of Topaz’s fleet of vessels and helping to significantly increase field time for each vessel. VitalyX is expected to be deployed on the entire module carrying vessel (MCV) fleet for Topaz in late 2019 and is the largest single collaboration with the technology.

VitalyX is a real-time continuous lubricating oil monitoring platform that goes beyond simple oil testing using enhanced algorithms and machine learning to create a picture of a machine’s health and prevent asset loss. Lubrication oil is the life blood of any machine or asset. It not only protects but can be used to determine the overall health of a system.

Using the Internet of Things (IoT) by combining the latest sensor hardware with condition monitoring software, the real-time data produced from VitalyX will provide Topaz with vital technical information on the condition of its vessels and the maintenance required to achieve optimal performance. Specifically, sensors will be deployed in key equipment onboard, such as the engine, thrusters, and genset, which will monitor the lube oil for contaminants, such as metal particles and soot.

The system also monitors for the presence of water, saltwater, glycol, fuel dilution, TBN and TAN index, assisting in predicting equipment failures and improving the life cycle of the lube oil. VitalyX further improves on Topaz’s ability to predict and prevent breakdowns before they happen, helping to minimize costs and better plan condition-based maintenance for more efficient dry-docking.

This is the first collaboration between the two companies and is a direct example of Topaz driving digitalization in the offshore vessel sector.

Original content can be found at Oil and Gas Engineering.


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