JEMS Maritime Sci. Ahead of Print: JEMS-33341

Examination of Failures in the Marine Fuel and Lube Oil Separators through the Fuzzy DEMATEL Method

Sercan Ayvaz, Asim Sinan Karakurt
Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering Department, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkiye

Separators are essential equipment on ships, regardless of the vessel type or the type of en-gine installed, whether the main and auxiliary engines are two-stroke or four-stroke. The primary function of these separators, apart from the bilge separator, is to ensure clean fuel delivery to the main engine and auxiliary machinery by removing water and solid contami-nants from the fuel. The efficiency of the separators and the level of maintenance they receive directly influence the performance of the ship's machinery, reducing the likelihood of mal-functions and power loss in systems dependent on clean fuel. However, since separators operate at high speeds using centrifugal force and are composed of numerous intricate com-ponents, they are prone to potential failures if not properly maintained. While preparing for this study, four experts were asked about the effects of failures that may occur in the separa-tors. According to the criteria received, the Fuzzy DEMATEL method, a multi-criteria deci-sion-making method, was used to evaluate the effects of failures using this method. When the results are examined, it can be seen that the most effective factors are the wear of the bearings, contamination and incorrect assembly of the bowls, and bending of the shaft. It is extremely important to have spare parts available on the ship and maintaining the equipment by authorized sufficient crew.

Keywords: Failure, Fuzzy, DEMATEL, Multi-criteria decision making, Separator

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