Schaller VISATRON Oil Mist
Detector Parts Supplier
VISATRON is the oil mist detector line of Schaller Automation of Blieskastel, Germany, fitted to diesel, gas and dual-fuel engines. Most series draw crankcase atmosphere through pipes to one measuring head, while the VN301plus puts sensors on the crankcase wall, so an enquiry starts from the series and the type on the label.
VISATRON series met in engine rooms
Schaller Automation has built VISATRON detectors for decades, so several series are still in service side by side. The cards are ordered by how each one takes its sample from the crankcase, because that decides which parts exist at all.
VN2020
The current suction-type VISATRON. Crankcase atmosphere is drawn from several measuring points along the engine through header pipes to one detector, where the measuring head reads its opacity; the detector has a pressure regulator unit and an LED display. Schaller presents it as the successor to the VN87plus and the VN93, made to connect to their pipework. The measuring head and the pressure regulator unit are ordered as lines of their own, by their labels.
VN301plus
No suction pipework at all. Each sensor is screwed into the crankcase wall from outside and joined to a central unit by a hybrid cable; a large installation is split between two central units, one of them leading the other. A sensor, its wall fitting, its cable and the central unit are separate lines with separate labels.
VN115/87 · VN215/87
Two types of one family. On a VN115/87 the samples drawn from the crankcase compartments are collected in header pipes and the detector reads their combined opacity. A VN215/87 is a separate type of the same family with a parts list of its own, so the two are never read as one. Copy the type with any plus or EMC suffix exactly as the label shows it.
VN93
An earlier suction-type series that Schaller names, together with the VN87plus, as a predecessor of the VN2020. A VN93 is quoted from its own labels and its own parts list only; nothing is taken over from the VN87plus or VN2020 lines.
Remote Indicator II
The optional indicator that repeats the detector readings on the control desk in the engine control room. It carries a label of its own and is a separate line, apart from the detector or central unit on the engine.
Schaller Automation · VISATRON
VISATRON is the product name and Schaller Automation the maker; registers and older papers spell the company Schaller-Automation. A detector label may show only VISATRON and the type, which is enough to start.
Graviner and TRITON OMD II
A Graviner Mk system is read on the Graviner page and a TRITON OMD II on the Heinzmann page. Their heads and units share nothing with a VISATRON installation.
Where a VISATRON enquiry usually begins
On a suction-type VISATRON the sample has a long way to travel before it is measured, so many faults start outside the detector. On a VN301plus the sensor sits on the engine wall itself. The fault text on the display is the first clue in both cases.
Pipework that no longer delivers a clean sample
Oil carried into header pipes, a kinked hose or a leaking wall connection changes what reaches the measuring head. These are checked on board as the operating manual describes before a head is condemned; the parts that fail the check are ordered by their own names and positions.
A head that reports a fault of its own
When the detector shows a fault code for the measuring head or its electronics, the order moves to the head. Photograph the code as displayed and the label of the head, and say which detector on which engine it came from.
One sensor or one cable out of service
On a pipe-free system a fault is usually pinned to one sensor position. The sensor label, the compartment it watches and whether the hybrid cable was damaged decide whether the line is a sensor, a cable or both.
A real high oil mist alarm
The engine is dealt with first. Once the cause is found and the engine is cleared, any head, sensor or fitting that the ship's checks reject is ordered from its label, together with the alarm record shown by the detector.
VISATRON parts we can quote
The list follows the path of the sample: from the crankcase wall, through the pipes or cables, to the measuring head or central unit and the indicator. Every line is tied to one series.
- Measuring heads for suction-type detectors, by series and part number
- Header pipe, suction tube and hose parts, against the engine's installation drawing
- Pressure regulator units and their parts
- VN301plus sensors, engine wall screw fittings and hybrid cables
- VN301plus central units and their parts
- Remote Indicator units for the engine control room
- Seals and service items from the series' own parts list
What to send for a VISATRON detector
These items let the request be matched to one series and one parts list before anything is priced:
- A photograph of the detector or central unit label: series, full type and serial number
- The label of each measuring head or sensor on the order, with its part number
- The sampling layout: suction pipework to one detector, or sensors on the crankcase wall
- The engine maker and type, how many compartments are watched, and the positions concerned
- The fault code or alarm text on the display, photographed as it appears
- The software version shown by the detector or central unit, if it shows one
- Whether a Remote Indicator is fitted in the engine control room, and its label
- Any survey finding or after-alarm check behind the request
Supply route review for VISATRON detectors
An oil mist detector stands between a hot spot in the crankcase and an explosion, so the review is deliberately narrow: the label decides the line, and nothing is proposed that the installation on board was not built with.
Series and layout first
A measuring head for a header-pipe detector and a VN301plus sensor do the same job in different ways and share no parts. A request that does not show the series is answered with a question before any price.
OEM-route only
Heads, sensors, central units and their parts are quoted on the OEM-route for the series and type on the label. No alternative detector, no other maker's head and no part from another VISATRON series is offered in their place.
Upgrades are not ours to suggest
Schaller describes the VN2020 as able to take over older VN87plus and VN93 pipework, but changing the detector on an engine is a decision for the ship and its technical managers. We quote what is asked for, against the labels sent.
Documents stated in the reply
If the part has to go with papers for a survey or for the ship's records, say so. The reply states what each route can provide and claims nothing beyond it.
VISATRON oil mist detectors — questions engineers ask
Our detector label says VISATRON but does not name Schaller. Is it the same maker?
Yes. VISATRON is the product name used by Schaller Automation, and some papers write the company as Schaller-Automation. Send the label as it reads; the series, the type and the part number matter more than the company line.
Can a VN2020 measuring head be fitted to our VN215/87?
No head is quoted across series. Schaller presents the VN2020 as a whole detector that can be connected to older pipework, which is a conversion, not a spare part. For a VN215/87 the parts are quoted from the VN215/87 labels and parts list.
Will a VN301plus sensor fit where a suction-type measuring head was?
No. The VN301plus measures at each sensor on the crankcase wall and has no suction pipework, while the suction-type series measure the drawn sample in one head on the detector. They are separate systems with separate parts lists.
Can you offer an alternative to a VISATRON part?
No. The detector is a safety device on the engine, so only the part for the series and part number on the label is quoted, on the OEM-route. If it cannot be found, the reply says so plainly rather than proposing something else.
One of our engines has a Graviner detector. Can both go on one request?
Send them as two enquiries. A Graviner Mk system is read on the Graviner page, by its own generation and labels, and nothing is carried between the two.
Is Vessel Core connected to Schaller Automation?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no distribution, representation or partnership agreement with Schaller Automation, and quoting a component against one of its designations implies no approval by the maker and no claim of interchangeability.
Start from the series, the type and the sampling layout
A request that shows the series and full type, the label of each head or sensor and how the sample reaches the detector can be matched to the right parts list at once. If only part of that is to hand, send what you have.
