Diamond A, a beautiful 1998, 57m Abeking & Rasmussen steel yacht, suffered breathing problems. Her main stainless steel exhaust had corroded dangerously over time and her genset drystacks spewed soot, slowly destroying her deck. She needed help, and fast. Marine Exhaust Systems' technical experts cured Diamond A's troubles with custom units that now have her breathing easy, in a crunch project of less than 6 weeks.
Diamond A's 185kW Caterpillar 3406 gensets had a corrosion-prone stainless steel hull discharge setup. The three-muffler wet/dry exhaust led to a drystack, which couldn't be used due to soot issues. On top of providing clean exhaust, the new system had to fit in tight quarters. While maintaining or improving noise abatement, it had to work within the backpressure limitations of the older existing engine. It was a tall order.
Marine Exhaust Systems put its technical expertise to work by first replacing all piping and equipment with its proprietary Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)/Silencer combo. Its proprietary Water Separation Muffler efficiently quiets exhaust, then strips out water to a cool, gas discharge. The DPF's metal filters utilize high exhaust temperature to burn off soot buildup, creating a self-cleaning system.
"Our design exceeded our expectations," said Michael DeAngelo, Marine Exhaust Systems' technical sales and application engineer. "The exhaust ended up being quieter overall, with smaller components and less backpressure. Even with the older genset engines, the filters are regenerating perfectly, with no soot clogging."
The challenge for Diamond A's main exhaust came in part from her Caterpillar 3516B engines, older workhorses with little available technical data. They blew through an extremely large, dry silencer and stainless steel wet exhaust. Diamond A's owners knew the old system had to come out in pieces, and thought a new one would have to come in as small modules, welded once in the engine room. It would be expensive and time-consuming.
But Marine Exhaust Systems had a better plan. "We were up against a tight haulout window, so we pre-measured and designed our replacement system before Diamond A ever landed in the yard," said DeAngelo.
"We created a solution that came into the engine room in one piece, with little or no long-term maintenance, and equivalent noise abatement," he said. Their custom system included a stainless steel dry exhaust, removable risers, and composite Super 60 Thinline muffler. All wet exhaust components were replaced with composite assemblies and hoses to eliminate corrosion issues.
The resulting system maintained acoustical performance, had less heat rejection into the main engine room, and opened up space for storage, to boot. The completed project delighted the client. "We have much more compact designs than traditional silencers. They're the most compact, per horsepower, on the market," said DeAngelo.
Built in 1998, Diamond A accommodates 12 guests in six luxurious staterooms designed by Donald Starkey. In addition to the exhaust refit, she recently received an upgrade of the audio-visual and communication systems, superstructure and hull paint and a Quantum Zero Speed Stabilizer.
Established in 1973, Marine Exhaust Systems manufactures complete diesel exhaust system packages, from turbo to transom. It offers superior exhaust risers, elbows, fiberglass mufflers, custom fiberglass products, silicone hoses, clamps and other high-quality hardware.
Contact Marine Exhaust Systems,
3640 Fiscal Ct., Riviera Beach, FL 33404.
Phone: 561-848-1238
Fax: 561-848-1298
Email: info@marine-exhaust.com
Website: www.marine-exhaust.com
