Parker Kittiwake Launches Cat Fines Test Kit

The tool will help alert owners and operators to cat fines in fuel oil, which will help prevent sediment buildup in storage tanks.

Parker Kittiwake, a unit of Parker Hannifin, has launched a new catalytic (cat) fines test kit to help owners and operators prevent sediment buildup in storage tanks that could lead to losses in power, the company announced in an emailed statement. 

The Cat Fines Test Kit is a chemical bottle test which shows the level of cat fines present in a representative sample of fuel oil, and is also able to be used alongside other laboratory and onboard monitoring tools. 

"As more emission control areas (ECAs) come into operation, there are growing concerns around fuel quality and the number of engine wear situations related to cat fines are increasing," said Larry Rumbol, condition monitoring market development manager for Parker Kittiwake.

"Research has shown that even small cat fines particles of below 10 micron contribute to wear, and we also know that high wear cases had bunkered fuel oil within the limits of the ISO 8217:2005 specification, which dictates a maximum of 60 ppm."

Several warnings over sudden losses of power due to improper fuel switching in ECAs have already been released. 

The company added that insurers have also stepped up compliance efforts to reduce the risk of cat fines, while recent events have also shown the dangers of sediment buildup. 

"The use of non-ISO compliant fuel, faulty fuel purifiers, or rough weather kicking up fines from the bottom of the settling tanks are all capable of introducing these particles into the fuel system," Rumbol said."

Ship & Bunker reported earlier this month that the sinking of the El Faro during Hurricane Joaquin may have been caused by choppy seas churning up sediment, which may have led to a loss in power that left the ship vulnerable to the approaching storm.