Innovative Flow Measurement for Superyachts

One of the world’s largest private superyachts, VAVA II, required flow meters as auxiliary equipment and as part of the engine management system to monitor all main water inlet and outlet flows to the ship’s four engines. The 97-meter-long vessel, built in the United Kingdom, is considered a masterpiece of British craftsmanship; however, fluid systems on medium- and large-sized vessels are often highly complex. They consist of kilometers of piping that supply the vessel with various fluids in different areas. Controlling and maintaining these flow rates can be very labor-intensive and time-consuming. During a ship’s commissioning, all fuel, oil, water, cooling, and fire suppression systems must be tested for proper function before handover. Once the ship is in operation, regular inspection and maintenance of all shipboard piping systems are necessary. Since access to these systems is often restricted and the integrity of the piping must be maintained, this can prove difficult.

Due to limited access to the measurement points and because the manufacturer did not want to install flow meters on the open sea for maintenance reasons, it was decided to use clamp-on flow meters.

Katronic was awarded the contract to install 11 KATflow 100 flow meters on the ship. Katronic engineers were subsequently involved in commissioning the system, during which the portable KATflow 200 proved to be a particularly helpful tool for identifying the optimal installation locations for the stationary KATflow 100 flow meters.