Alfa Laval's S and P Flex range is a modular cleaning system for lubrication, hydraulic and fuel oils, combining the strengths of our S- and P- separators.     It is a truly modular system, where you design and build as you see fit. The Flex range is a rethinking of how Alfa Laval separation systems are supplied. The Flex range simultaneously expands and streamlines Alfa Laval’s separation offering, creating flexible options that let shipyards and ship owners better meet their needs and budget. Among these are new options that improve operating ease and reliability.   A key advantage of S and P Flex separation systems is the number of possibilities for constructing the systems themselves. Deliveries can be as simple as a single separator with ancillaries, or as comprehensive as a four-separator module built with both S- and P-separators. The most open-ended option is a Flex delivery of optimized block components, which gives shipyards full say over the use of space in the engine room. By enabling local modularization or do-it-yourself assembly, block components provide an ideal balance between price and design control. A more efficient approach is a Flex delivery in which Alfa Laval performs the modularization. Skids and machine blocks can be arranged and rearranged to create a wide variety of configurations, including multi-modules and mixed S- and P-separator ship sets. Modular components can be delivered separately and assembled on site, thus making even larger systems easy to retrofit.   Shipyards are not the only ones to benefit from the new S and P Flex separation systems. Ship owners receive a separation system that is better adapted to their engine room layout, plus ease and reliability in the form of the EPC 60 system controller. The new EPC 60 is a modular control unit built with standardized, replaceable parts. This means that troubleshooting and board replacement can be handled in seconds, and that spare parts are readily available. In addition, the EPC 60’s modular board options increase its resistance to the vibrations and temperatures of the engine room.   Customers can thus continue to count on the high efficiency, low sludge volumes and low operating cost of Alfa Laval’s S- and P-separators, which are at the very heart of the Flex offering. The S-separator, which meets the requirements of the Marine Separation Performance Standard (CWA 15 375), is an Alcap model that automatically adjusts to heavy fuel oils of varying density. The P-separator is a non-Alcap model with a manually set gravity disc, which makes it an economical choice for lubricating and marine diesel oils of uniform density. Both S- and P-separators make use of the same mechanical platform, which features an optimized bowl and the revolutionary CentriShoot and CentriLock. CentriShoot, a patented discharge system with a flexing discharge slide rather than a sliding bowl bottom, both improves separation efficiency and reduces metal-on-metal wear. CentriLock is an alternative to threaded, carbon steel lock rings and features a stainless steel snap ring that can be fitted or removed without risk to the separator bowl. In most cases, Alfa Laval recommends using a mixed ship set, which provides an ideal balance between performance and economy. In this type of solution, automated S-separators are used on fuel oil to protect the engine from particles and catalytic fines, while P-separators controlled with gravity discs allow economical treatment of lubricating and marine diesel oils. With the new S and P Flex separation systems, a mixed ship set can even be incorporated into a single module.