Flow Measurement on Board the Superyacht VAVA II
Reliable Monitoring of Engine and Supply Systems at Sea
One of the world’s largest private superyachts, VAVA II, required flowmeters as additional equipment and as part of the engine management system to monitor all main water inlet and outlet flows to the vessel’s four engines. As a supplier of non-invasive clamp-on measurement technology, Katronic was commissioned to install eleven KATflow 100 units.
Measurement Tasks and Requirements
The 97-metre-long yacht, built in the UK, is regarded as a masterpiece of British craftsmanship. However, fluid systems on medium-sized and large vessels are often highly complex. They consist of kilometres of pipework that supply the vessel with various liquids to different areas. Maintaining and controlling these flow rates can be very labour-intensive and time-consuming. During the final commissioning of a ship all fuel, oil, water, cooling and fire-extinguishing systems must be tested and proven for functionality before handover. Once the ship has commenced operations, regular inspection and maintenance of all the ship’s pipework is necessary.
Project Specifications at a Glance
- Industry: Marine and Shipbuilding
- Flowmeter: KATflow 100
- Medium: Seawater
- Temperature: Up to +130 °C
- Pipe diameter: 50 … 100 mm
- Pipe material: Copper/nickel bronze
- Special feature: Flowmeter housing with customised paint finish
Technical Solution
Access to ships' pipework is often restricted. At the same time, the integrity of the existing pipe systems must not be compromised by the installation of a measuring device. To ensure ease of maintenance at sea, invasive flowmeters were out of question for the manufacturer. All Katronic clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters can be mounted on the outside of a pipe without modifications. For long-term use on single pipes on the yacht, the KATflow 100 flow measurement system was selected, and Katronic was commissioned to install eleven units on the vessel.
Installation and Methodology
At the customer’s request, all Katronic flowmeters were supplied with a custom paint finish to match the yacht’s design. Katronic engineers were subsequently involved in commissioning the system on site, supporting the installation and ensuring that the flowmeters were positioned for reliable measurement. The hand-held, portable KATflow 200 proved to be a vital tool in establishing the optimum installation locations for the permanent KATflow 100 flowmeters. This provided a practical and efficient way of validating the measurement points under actual operating conditions.
Image source: jcstudio/Freepik