Wärtsilä’s Operim – Operational Performance Improvement & Monitoring – provides owners and operators with real-time data on Wärtsilä products and solutions on-board. This enables the implementation of cost-saving operating performance improvements in a continuous and dynamic fashion.
Vessels are only as efficient as the way they are operated and inefficiencies can translate into avoidable costs that impair profitability. Operim utilises the latest digital technology to provide the data needed to allow the vessel, and the machinery driving it, to be operated at optimal efficiency at all times. It monitors performance constantly so that adjustments can be made as operating conditions, including external factors such as sea and weather, change.
Precise, accurate data as delivered by Operim means that operating decisions no longer need to be made based only on assumptions. By knowing all the facts relating to the vessel’s performance, the guesswork is taken out of the decision-making process and optimal efficiency can be achieved.
Operim is a central pillar in our Smart Marine Ecosystem approach to creating the greater levels of efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability needed as the maritime industry adjusts itself to meeting the challenges of an emerging new era.
Operim is currently available for Wärtsilä’s gas portfolio, including LNG and LPG Carriers, and will soon be rolled out for Biogas and to water and waste treatment solutions. The long-term vision is for all Wärtsilä assets to be delivered digitally augmented and integrated with Operim.
At Wärtsilä, we are dedicated to enhancing the lifecycle performance of our customers’ products and systems with fully integrated smart systems. Operim makes this possible.
Digitally augmenting the product starts by enabling data collection. This can be achieved in several ways depending on the configuration of the vessel and the customers preferences. Installing dedicated Wärtsilä hardware or using the vessel IAS system. Furthermore, if the customer already has data in a cloud this can also be utilised. Once the data is collected it enters the Operim cloud service the heart of which is our digital twin of the product being monitored.
The digital twin is developed in conjunction with our data scientists and product experts who design the actual product to produce a realistic and insightful digital twin with its roots based in the product. Using the digital twin, we can compare the product actual performance against the calculated and expected performance allowing differences in performance to be identified. These can be then visualised through dashboard in the form of:
These insights are then accessible to crew on board the vessel and the on-shore team via a cloud-based dashboard, to enable them to use the analytics and insight to monitor and improve the product performance.
OPERIM also enable Wärtsilä support staff to be connected to provide additional assistance where required. So, in short digitally augmenting the product and integrating it with OPERIM consists of three key elements:
The technology group Wärtsilä will supply three reliquefaction plants, the newly developed Compact Reliq, for three new LNG Carrier vessels. The ships are being built at the Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) shipyard in South Korea for Norway-based Knutsen OAS Shipping, and represent options taken following an earlier order for two such vessels. The orders for three more systems were booked in July and August 2021 and the deliveries will take place in the autumn of 2022.
The Compact Reliq was introduced to the market in 2020. It features a compact design for easy installation and maintenance on all sizes of carrier vessels, both large and small. Based on the well-proven reversed nitrogen Brayton cycle refrigeration technology, the solution reliquefies the boil-off gas (BOG) and keeps the cargo cool under all operating conditions. It allows a portion of the BOG to be used as fuel for the ship’s engines, with the excess able to be sold as part of the LNG cargo.
“We have had good experience with Wärtsilä’s reversed nitrogen Brayton cycle reliquefaction plants in the past, and the Compact Reliq is an exciting addition to their portfolio. It makes onboard reliquefaction viable for all sizes of carriers, and is clearly the right choice for our new ships,” said Jarle Østenstad Newbuilding Director, Knutsen OAS Shipping
“We received an order for two systems last year to be delivered to the HSHI yard for installation on Knutsen’s newbuild carriers. There was an option for additional vessels and this option has been taken up with contracts for three new Compact Reliq plants. These are important projects that further strengthen our relationship with both HSHI and Knutsen OAS,” said Pål Steinnes, Sales Manager, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions.
The Wärtsilä solution uses safe and easily obtainable commercial grade nitrogen. It is instrumented for remote monitoring and online operational support as part of Wärtsilä’s Operational Performance Improvement and Monitoring (OPERIM) programme.
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions is a market leader with innovative systems and lifecycle solutions for the gas value chain. Our main focus areas are handling of gas in seaborne transport (storage, fuel, transfer and BOG management), gas to power, liquefaction and biogas solutions. We help our customers on the journey towards a sustainable future through focus on lifecycle, innovation and digitalization.
Media contacts for more information on this release:
| Mrs Elin Saure Hasund Sales & Marketing Coordinator, Gas Solutions Wärtsilä Marine Systems Tel: +47 81548500 Elin.saurehasund@wartsila.com |
Mr Pål Steinnes Sales Manager, Gas Solutions Wärtsilä Marine Systems Tel.+47 93 66 01 08 Pal.steinnes@wartsila.com |
Image captions:
1. The Wärtsilä Compact Reliq © Wärtsilä
2. Knutsen OAS LNGC © KNUTSEN OAS
All Wärtsilä releases are available at https://www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at http://news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded.
Wärtsilä Marine Systems in brief:
Wärtsilä Marine Systems offers high-quality products, solutions, and lifecycle services related to the gas value chain, exhaust treatment applications, seals & bearings, shaftline repair services, underwater services, and marine electrical integrations. Our aim is to provide the latest and most efficient solutions in line with Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine Ecosystem vision for a safer, better, and more sustainable future for our customers.
www.wartsila.com/marine
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2020, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com