ZF, Rolls-Royce and EHMS: a new ship monitoring system
Rolls-Royce and ZF joined forces to create the Equipment Health Management System (EHMS) Rolls-Royce, together with ZF, developed a new electronic monitoring (EHMS) for ships. The main aim is to increase availability for ships, while keeping fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to a minimum. The tests will start with the Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS). The […]
Rolls-Royce and ZF joined forces to create the Equipment Health Management System (EHMS)
Rolls-Royce, together with ZF, developed a new electronic monitoring (EHMS) for ships. The main aim is to increase availability for ships, while keeping fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to a minimum.
The tests will start with the Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS). The Equipment Health Management System (EHMS) collects and analyses data from the MTU engines, ZF transmission systems and other key components on a vessel. It also takes into account additional factors, such as wind, waves and currents. As of 2021, the system will ensure that fleet managers are able to operate their fleets more efficiently and as environmentally friendly as possible. It will also allow them to monitor and align that in real time.
ROLLS-ROYCE AND ELECTRIFICATION
More about the “beta tester” of this new system
Tim Kunstmann, Managing Director of FRS Helgoline, said: «Reliability is what we value most of all. When you have 680 passengers standing on the St. Pauli Piers in Hamburg waiting to board the Halunder Jet ferry to Helgoland, the reliable ship operation is of top priority». As a result, the shipping group is quite interested in participating in the development of this new electronic monitoring system EHMS.
The group has a total of 58 vessels operating ferry services and crew transfer services for offshore wind farms. They operate in Europe, North Africa, the Near East and North America, and currently has 40 MTU engines in service. FRS has put its trust in MTU engines since 1997. Bartosz Kowalinski, project manager at the Power Systems business unit of Rolls-Royce, explained: «The large number of vessels, the variety of vessel types operated and their areas of operation make the FRS fleet particularly interesting for the development project, as it enables us to develop a product designed specifically to meet the demands of a large fleet operator».
A look at further development
The next steps will be to set up an interface from the ZF transmission systems to the EHMS. In order to collect data from the various components of the powertrain on the Halunder Jet and then to analyse the data obtained.
The results are then examined by the customer in order to determine to what extent they meet their requirements. On the basis of this collaborative arrangement, Rolls-Royce and ZF hope to be able to offer maritime customers new propulsion solutions. Right now, 70 per cent of MTU’s marine engines already operate together with ZF transmission systems.
