More than ever before, operational efficiency is occupying the foreground in the marine industry. This has meant that shaft alignment is seldom seen as a top priority for ship owners and operators.
A failure to address misalignment issues, however, can result in serious equipment damage and costly, time-consuming repairs - especially if a ship has to be taken out of service for any length of time - which of course undermines intentions to optimise the operational efficiency of a vessel.
In this paper, we delve into the details of shaft alignment and define its role in realising operational efficiency. We do this by comparing conventional methods with the Wärtsilä Portable Condition Based Monitoring (PCBM) system, a state of-the-art dynamic monitoring system for vessel equipment.
