Stockhom, Sweden, 4 July, 2012: Despite the best intentions of shore-side superintendents under constant pressure to reduce operational expenses and equipment downtime, the best pump systems are at risk due to a lack of diagnostic information and sophisticated control systems. The shortage of experienced crew and out-dated attitudes to pump operation undermine manager’s attempts further, and the result is needlessly high operation and maintenance costs, increased downtime and frustration for all involved.

Energy costs account for 85 per cent of the total cost of ownership for ballast and cooling pumps, demonstrating the importance of assessing total cost of ownership rather than basing purchasing decisions purely on initial cost. The concept is just as relevantly applied to upgrade decisions, says Christian Martin, Director, Product Management Commercial Marine at Colfax. This means keeping abreast of technology and, as is often the case with pumps, recognising when old practices must make way for the new to achieve greater operational efficiency and profitability.

“We have the technology to reduce the energy consumed in pumping operations by up to 50 per cent simply by enabling variable speed operation,” says Martin. “Add intelligent diagnostics and reliability goes up and maintenance costs go down – dramatically.”

ALLMIND – LATEST TECHNOLOGY CONDITION MONITORING AND PUMP CONTROL

The concept of ALLMIND developed from a single leakage control device to become an intelligent condition monitoring and variable speed control unit. ALLMIND will protect a pump, maximises efficiency, lower energy usage and lower maintenance and spare parts costs. “Our primary goal”, says Martin, “is to provide clients with a competitive edge by offering cost-effective equipment. We keep abreast of technological developments and continually optimize and adjust the performance of our systems to maximize energy efficiency.”

Protect pump and system

Pushed by the growing technical complexity of new ships and cutting short the number of experienced and educated crew, the importance of the total cost of ownership concept grows considerably.

The ALLMIND condition monitoring module has the ability to maximise system availability by providing component-specific information. This measurement of the health of a pump by routine monitoring and analysis of data helps avoid unplanned downtime.

ALLMIND detects early phases of damage to mechanical seals through continuous leakage monitoring.

ALLMIND’s vibration analysis module monitors mechanical oscillations and continuously compares them to threshold values, thus detecting imbalance and thwarting any operational damage.

COLFAX FLUID HANDLING’s ALLMIND Pump upgrade reduces total cost of ownership through diagnostic capability and variable speed drive

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The vibration analysis module also monitors bearing condition. ALLMIND analyzes oscillation changes and signals bearing wear at a very early stage. Further ALLMIND is capable of detecting unusual levels of motor load.

“ALLMIND is a modular system using the right number of sensors to monitor the critical characteristics of each specific pump. If a ship’s system or processes change, you can easily modify or expand the ALLMIND modules as needed. This modular approach is also ideal for retrofitting of existing systems,” says Martin.

Maximise efficiency

Traditionally, fixed speed operation using throttle valves has been the norm for pump operation for most ships. As process demands change, the control valves are used to regulate process parameters. However, this practice changes the frictional losses in the system and as a result changes the system performance curve. Rather than the pump being controlled to adapt to changing conditions, the system is being adjusted to achieve the required process demand.

This type of process control can often lead to pumps being operated at flows outside of the operational limits (part load or overload) resulting in poor asset reliability, unsafe operating conditions and higher energy and maintenance costs due to unnecessary high hydraulic loads and high impact to bearings.

Another adjustment possibility is operating with by-pass control. In this way, the pumps will operate continuously with constant speed and deliver constant flow. Any overcapacity will be bypassed, and thus unused, resulting in a considerable waste of energy.

ALLMIND features variable speed drive control to enable the speed of the pump to be adjusted to match actual demand on a continuous basis.

ALLMIND’s integrated PID controller and intelligent algorithms control the speed of a pump according to target parameters such as volume, pressure, or net positive suction head (NPSH) ratio with a simple frequency converter.

ALLMIND’s adjustable-speed drive module allows operators to fine-tune processes while reducing costs for energy and equipment maintenance.

“Regulating the flow rate over a wide range without harming the pump, ALLMIND’s variable speed drive application lowers total energy consumption, improves reliability and decreases maintenance costs. Reduced pump speeds also lower overall system vibration and can reduce noise levels,” says Martin.

Lower energy use

Most ship machinery is designed at speeds and levels to comply with worst-case scenarios. This results in larger dimensioned systems and increased energy consumption of which in most cases, is unnecessary.

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For example, a ship’s cooling system – when operating in the Caribbean, must perform sufficiently to meet the maximum cooling demand of high fresh water temperatures caused by multiple pieces of machinery operating concurrently. Full speed operation of pumps and coolers are necessary at this time. But this situation - depending on ship location – seldom, if ever, occurs.

“The majority of a pump’s lifetime and vessel requirements are much lower than the system design point. Reducing pump motor speed grants major cost saving advantages,” says Martin, citing the example that a 20 per cent speed reduction in an electrically driven centrifugal pump cuts energy consumption by half.

“Savings of up to 50 per cent and more can be easily realised with ALLMIND. The payback period for the installed equipment can be even less than one year.”

According to Colfax Fluid Handling, there are substantial savings potential in ships that were designed for high speed, such as container ships previously sailing between 24 – 28 knots.

“In the days when sailing speed was a priority, system components were sized accordingly. Today, many of these vessels (main engines) operate on much lower and more energy efficient speeds, but the cooling water pumps may still run at full speed. ALLMIND keeps all pumps running at optimal speeds and loads, thus minimizing total energy use.”

Lower maintenance and spare parts costs

Total cost of ownership is the best, most accurate way to match a performance class to an application. In heavily loaded pump applications - where heat, wear and fluids contribute to pump fatigue, premature bearing and seal failure - costly maintenance and expensive downtime is a major threat.

At the heart of global sea transportation - moving 85% of the world’s commodities – shipping counts on reliable and efficient pumping systems. Colfax Fluid Handling understands the importance of safety and reliability in shipping and has developed ALLMIND as a high quality solution to minimize marine pump disruptions and maximize the safety of this process. Further, it enables ship managers to plan service in advance and achieve significantly longer maintenance intervals.

“We have evaluated all costs, direct and indirect, incurred throughout the life-cycle of pump assets including acquisition and procurement, operations and maintenance, and end-of-life management. ALLMIND is a major total cost of ownership enabler: it provides critical component information and early warning of system failure,” says Martin.

ALLMIND BENEFITS

Extend mean time between failures ALLMIND is essential equipment to lengthen MTBF. Condition monitoring detects and identifies pump defects and mechanical seal damage at a very early stage. This is a major cost savings advantage.

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Minimize downtimeThrough effective condition monitoring, ALLMIND virtually eliminates pump downtime from unexpected component failure.

Reduce operational costsThe elimination of unexpected downtime, reduction of repair costs and increased service intervals together with reduced and minimized energy consumption all lead to reduced life cycle costs. With ALLMIND, pumps can be run efficiently at decreased loads and speeds to reduce operating cost.

Enhance product safetyMonitoring machinery on a regular basis reduces the chance of dangerous malfunctions that could endanger employees and the environment. Alarm levels can be set to suit individual pumps.

Avoid disaster with ALLMIND

A ball bearing is a cheap component, quick and easy to replace and usually stocked on board. But if ware or damage goes undetected, it could potentially cost a ship manager thousands of dollars.

For example, a worn out ball bearing can cause impeller and volute casing damage and a cracked pump shaft.

If a particular pump is classified as part of the ship’s “essential service” machinery, the vessel may not leave port until the pump is fully operational and downtime at a port - depending on vessel type and situation - can cost between USD 50,000 – 100,000 per day.

This scenario can be avoided with ALLMIND.

ALLMIND continuously monitors the status of ship pumps and immediately signals irregular operating conditions, thus eliminating the risk of damage. For condition monitoring and pump control, ALLMIND is very attractive pay back technology.

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ABOUT COLFAX CORPORATION – Colfax Corporation is a diversified global manufacturing and engineering company that provides gas- and fluid-handling and fabrication technology products and services to commercial and governmental customers around the world under the Howden, Colfax Fluid Handling and ESAB brands. Colfax believes that its brands are among the most highly recognized in each of the markets that it serves. Colfax is traded on the NYSE under the ticker “CFX.” Additional information about Colfax is available at www.colfaxcorp.com.

ABOUT COLFAX FLUID HANDLING – Colfax Fluid Handling, a business of Colfax Corporation (NYSE: CFX), is a global leader in critical fluid-handling and transfer solutions for the commercial marine, defense, oil & gas, power and industry and total lubrication management markets. With a broad portfolio of technologies, products, systems and services and a deep base of application and engineering expertise, Colfax specialists work with customers to understand and focus on their toughest business challenges. As a result, Colfax can find and deliver the best customer solutions that provide the highest levels of reliability, efficiency and longevity with the lowest total cost of ownership. Colfax Fluid Handling encompasses the trusted product brands Allweiler®, COT-PURITECHSM, Houttuin™, Imo®, LSCSM, Rosscor®, Tushaco®, and Warren®.

CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Colfax’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are based on Colfax’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Colfax’s results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to factors detailed in Colfax’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as its Annual Report on Form 10-K under the caption “Risk Factors”. In addition, these statements are based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change. This press release speaks only as of this date. Colfax disclaims any duty to update the information herein.

The term “Colfax” in reference to the activities described in this press release may mean one or more of Colfax’s global operating subsidiaries and/or their internal business divisions and does not necessarily indicate activities engaged in by Colfax Corporation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christian Martin, Director Product ManagementCommercial MarineColfax Fluid HandlingTel.: +49 (0)773286440 E-mail: Christian.Martin@colfaxcorp.com

or

Ulrika Linné Aqvist, Marketing DirectorCommercial MarineColfax Fluid HandlingTel.:+49 (8) 50622864 E-mail: ulrika.linne-aqvist@colfaxcorp.com