Motor yacht Diamond A, a 57,30m (187′ 11″) superyacht built by Abeking & Rasmussen in 1998, suffered breathing problems. Her main stainless steel exhaust had corroded over time and her genset drystacks spilled soot. She needed help. Marine Exhaust Systems’ technical experts cured yacht Diamond A’s troubles with custom units that now have her breathing easy, in a crunch project of less than 6 weeks.
Motor yacht Diamond A by Abeking & Rasmussen receives New Exhaust
M/Y Diamond A’s 185kW Caterpillar 3406 gensets had a corrosion-prone stainless steel hull discharge setup. The three-muffler wet/dry exhaust led to a drystack, which couldn’t be used due to soot issues. On top of providing clean exhaust, the new system had to fit in tight quarters. While maintaining or improving noise abatement, it had to work within the backpressure limitations of the older existing engine. It was a tall order.
Marine Exhaust Systems put its technical expertise to work by first replacing all piping and equipment with its proprietary Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)/Silencer combo. Its proprietary Water Separation Muffler efficiently quiets exhaust, then strips out water to a cool, gas discharge. The DPF’s metal filters utilize high exhaust temperature to burn off soot buildup, creating a self-cleaning system.
“Our design exceeded our expectations,” said Michael DeAngelo, Marine Exhaust Systems’ technical sales and application engineer. “The exhaust ended up being quieter overall, with smaller components and less backpressure. Even with the older genset engines, the filters are regenerating perfectly, with no soot clogging.”
The challenge for Diamond A yacht’s main exhaust came in part from her Caterpillar 3516B engines, older workhorses with little available technical data. They blew through an extremely large, dry silencer and stainless steel wet exhaust. Motor yacht Diamond A’s owners knew the old system had to come out in pieces, and thought a new one would have to come in as small modules, welded once in the engine room. It would be expensive and time-consuming.
But Marine Exhaust Systems had a better plan. “We were up against a tight haulout window, so we pre-measured and designed our replacement system before Diamond A ever landed in the yard,” said DeAngelo.
“We created a solution that came into the engine room in one piece, with little or no long-term maintenance, and equivalent noise abatement,” he said. Their custom system included a stainless steel dry exhaust, removable risers, and composite Super 60 Thinline muffler. All wet exhaust components were replaced with composite assemblies and hoses to eliminate corrosion issues.
The resulting system maintained acoustical performance, had less heat rejection into the main engine room, and opened up space for storage, to boot. The completed project delighted the client. “We have much more compact designs than traditional silencers. They’re the most compact, per horsepower, on the market,” said DeAngelo.
Megayacht Diamond A (ex Ultima III) accommodates 12 guests in six luxurious staterooms designed by Donald Starkey. In addition to the exhaust refit, she recently received an upgrade of the audio-visual and communication systems, superstructure and hull paint and a Quantum Zero Speed Stabilizer. She is in great condition, ready for the summer 2011 where she will be cruising in the Western Mediterranean and Croatia, available for luxury yacht charters.
