DATA &

SPECIFICATIONS

Wärtsilä low-speed engines RT-133

Services 2-stroke Issue 1, 22.08.2012

Cooling water treatment At your convenience

Information to all Owners and Operators of
Wärtsilä 2-stroke diesel engines
Concerned products
All Wärtsilä 2-stroke diesel engines.
Preventive action
To ensure trouble-free operation of
Wärtsilä 2-stroke engines, it is important to
read the information and follow the
recommendations about cooling water
treatment stated in this bulletin.

Note
This Data & Specifications bulletin
supersedes Service Bulletin 5–1, dated
01.10.71, entitled “Treatment of Cooling
Water for Diesel Engines” and the one
page leaflet “Corrosion Inhibitors – Sulzer
Diesel Engines”, dated 10/11/2005.

Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. Tel (24h): +41 52 262 80 10

PO Box 414 Fax: +41 52 262 07 31
CH-8401 Winterthur technicalsupport.chts@wartsila.com
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Contents
Page
 
1 Introduction 2 
2 Raw water for closed cooling water circuits 2 
3 Cooling water in operation 3 
4 Validated cooling water treatment systems 4 
5 Cleaning the cooling water system 4 
6 Antifreeze 5 
7 Appendix 5 
8 Contacts 6 

1 Introduction
Note:
This Data & Specification bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin 5–1, dated
01.10.71, entitled “Treatment of Cooling Water for Diesel Engines” and the one
page leaflet “Corrosion Inhibitors – Sulzer Diesel Engines”, dated 10/11/2005.

To avoid service stoppages the cooling water must have certain properties, which
generally can only be attained by suitable cooling water treatment. Untreated
cooling water very soon leads to problems in the cooling system due to corrosion
and/or formation of sediments and deposits.

2 Raw water for closed cooling water circuits

When the cooling system is replenished, the raw water must without fail be totally
desalinated water or condensate water from the fresh water generators.
Evaporated or distilled water is highly corrosive and must therefore be made
suitable as coolant by the addition of corrosion inhibitors.

Only in exceptional situations should drinking water or process water be used

from the local mains. Its hardness must on no account exceed 10 °dH (German
hardness degrees). If the water exceeds this limit it must be desalinated and
brought to the hardness value indicated in Table 1.

Note:
Sea water must never be used as raw water because of its high salt content.
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The following values should be used as a nominal guide for the desired raw
water quality:

Raw water quality values

Parameter Unit Range / Limit Test method

pH 1) — 6.5 to 8.5 ASTM D 1287 or D 1293
Total hardness °dH max. 10 ASTM D 1126
Chlorides mg/l as CL- max. 80 ASTM D 512 or D 4327
Sulphates mg/l as SO4 2- max. 150 ASTM D 516 or D 4327

1)
If a Reverse Osmosis (RO) process is used, the minimum limit for pH is 6.0,
based on the RO process operational principle. The use of a RO process
further provides that a maximum of 80 mg/l for chloride content is achieved.
Table 1

In cases of doubt a water analysis must be carried out and advice be sought from
Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd.

Note:
Corrosion protective oils (emulsifiable oils) for treating the cooling water must not
be used. Water-oil emulsions can lead to considerable risks of fouling the cooling
system.

3 Cooling water in operation

To be suitable, cooling water must, as already mentioned before, be treated by
the right, and correctly administered corrosion inhibitor. Inhibitors with OAT,
Nitrite and Borate active ingredients have provided good corrosion protection in
service.

Remark:
Tested, approved and recommended marketed products are listed in Appendix 1.
The dosage must be strictly adhered to in accordance with the instructions of the
manufacturer, and the coolant must be periodically checked in service to
maintain the correct concentration.

It is recommended that suppliers of inhibitors are selected who can also provide
expert advice for the initial fill as well as for later in service queries.

Coolant leakages have to be topped up by adding the right amount of water with
the correctly metered additive. Care must be taken to ensure that the additives
and/or water added to the system become thoroughly mixed and integrated into
the bulk cooling fluid. Loss by evaporation has to be made up by appropriate raw
water alone, see Chapter 2 and Table 1. By doing this an over concentration of
inhibitors is prevented.

Note:
The cooling water in the cooling system should have a pH value of 8 to a
maximum of 10.
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4 Validated cooling water treatment systems

Enwamatic EMM
As an alternative to the validated cooling water additives, the Enwamatic EMM
cooling water treatment system can also be used. The Enwamatic EMM protects
the engine from corrosion without any chemicals. It acts as a side stream filtration
and water treatment unit and includes the following functions:
• Corrosion protection,
• Scale control,
• Filtration,
• Control of bacterial growth,
• Air separation.

The raw water quality requirements are the same as specified when cooling
water additives are used.

The Enwamatic EMM can be a sensible alternative for the installations in which
environmentally friendly solutions are required.

The installation, operation and maintenance instructions of the manufacturer shall

always be followed. See Table 2 for contact information.

Cooling water treatment system manufacturer

Manufacturer Treatment system

Enwa AS
PO Box 257 Forus
NO-4066 Stavanger Enwamatic EMM
Norway
www.enwa.com

Table 2

5 Cleaning the cooling water system

For a new fill the complete cooling system must be clean, free from grease and
oil and must not contain any foreign particles or remnants such as swarf from the
manufacturing process.

A replacement of the cooling system water may become necessary if the heat
transfer and with it the cooling effect is diminished by oil or the gradual formation
of sediment and deposits. Such problems will occur earlier where the care of the
cooling water and of the cooling system has not been given the required
attention. The complete system must then be treated with a suitable detergent
agent (degreasing, dissolution of chalk and solid sediments). Prior to filling with
the prepared cooling water, the system has to be thoroughly rinsed and any
residual acid remnants must be neutralised.
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For this purpose numerous suitable cleaning agents are available, which are not
listed here. We again recommend, however, consulting a firm of specialists for
recommendations.

After the cooling system has been cleaned, it must be refilled with suitable water
and corrosion inhibitors and monitored carefully to ensure a long and trouble-free
service life.

6 Antifreeze
Antifreeze or glycol are generally not required for engines in vessels being in
regular service, and should thus not be used during operation. However, there
may be a need for antifreeze if vessels are laid up in areas where ambient
temperatures can fall well below the freezing point. In such cases, the minimum
amount of antifreeze to meet the coldest anticipated temperatures should be
used. The recommendations of the antifreeze and corrosion inhibitor suppliers
must be obtained and adhered to.

Note:
The heat transfer rate of the cooling system fluid is reduced with increasing
antifreeze content. Consequently the engine must be operated at reduced
maximum power if more than 20% antifreeze is used in the cooling system.

There are two types of antifreeze or glycol available commercially:

• Monopropylene glycol (MPG),
• Monoethylene glycol (MEG).

So called industrial quality antifreeze of both types can be used, but MPG is
considered to be more environmentally acceptable.

7 Appendix
• Appendix 1, RT-133_A1
Cooling water additives:
Validated and recommended manufacturers and products.
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8 Contacts

8.1 How to contact Wärtsilä

For questions about the content of this Data & Specifications bulletin, or if you
need Wärtsilä assistance, services, spare parts and/or tools, please contact your
nearest Wärtsilä representative.
If you don’t have the contact details at hand, please follow the link “Contact us” –
“24h Services” on the Wärtsilä webpage:
www.wartsila.com

8.2 Contact details for emergency issues

Operational support
For questions concerning operational issues, please send your enquiry to:
technicalsupport.chts@wartsila.com
or phone 24hrs support: +41 52 262 80 10.

Field service
If you need Wärtsilä Field Service, please send your enquiry to:
Ch.Fieldservice@wartsila.com
or phone 24hrs support: +41 79 255 68 80.

Spare parts
If you need Wärtsilä spare parts and/or tools, please send you enquiry to:
ch.spareparts.wgls@wartsila.com
or phone 24hrs support: +41 52 262 24 02

© 2012 Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. – All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
graphic, photocopying, recording, taping or other information retrieval systems) without the prior written
permission of the copyright holder. Wärtsilä Corporation makes no representation, warranty (express or implied)
in this publication and assumes no responsibility for the correctness, errors or omissions for information
contained herein. Information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
Unless otherwise expressly set forth, no recommendation contained in this document is to be construed as
provided due to a defect in the engine, but merely as an improvement of the engine and/or the maintenance
procedures relating thereto. Any actions by the owner/operator as a result of the recommendations are not
covered under any warranty provided by Wärtsilä and such actions will thus be at the owners/operators own
cost and expense.
NO LIABILITY WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, IS
ASSUMED WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. THIS PUBLICATION IS
CONFIDENTIAL AND INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY.