R.W.

Fernstrum & Company

1716 11th Avenue • P.O. Box 97
Menominee, Michigan, USA 49858
Phone: 906-863-5553 • Fax: 906-863-5634
Export Department Fax: 906-863-5203
 The History of 1973 - Manufacturing facility expands an
additional 4,000 square feet.
1938 - Marine R.W. FERNSTRUM & CO.
Products Company R.W. Fernstrum & Co. is a business 1975 - Fernstrum engineers develop their
built on innovation. Ever since our first computer model for recommending
GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers. Additional
founder, Robert W. Fernstrum,
6,000 square feet added to manufacturing
patented the first rectangular tube keel facility.
cooler with an angled header back in
1976 - Fernstrum brings all operations
1943 - 1945, we’ve continued the tradition
Angle head keel cooler
(manufacture and assembly of product)
of bringing the latest keel cooling under one roof.
technology to the marine industry.
1980 - 500th GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler
Even after 50 years, you’ll still find
model becomes available.
the Fernstrum family at the helm of
the company, ensuring that our 1981 - Aluminum Series GRIDCOOLER®
keel cooler is introduced. Office building
GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers pro-
expansion doubles space. Additional 6,000
vide you with the best in efficiency, square feet added to manufacturing facility.
quality and ease of installation.
1945 - Patent 1982 - Patent is issued for Stacked Tube
issued to R.W. 1938 - Robert W. Fernstrum starts Marine GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler.
Fernstrum Products Company.
1990 - Product line grows to 20,000 models.
1945 - Patent is issued to R.W. Fernstrum
for keel cooler. Use of Fernstrum keel 1993 - R.W. Fernstrum announces 23
coolers begins in the military. distributors world-wide.

1950s - Oil industry and shrimp fleet 1998 - The Z-Series GRIDCOOLER® keel
incorporate Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER® cooler is introduced.
keel coolers into their designs.
1999 - Enhanced Tube™ GRIDCOOLER®
1952 - Use of Fernstrum keel cooler keel cooler goes into production
begins in Navy mine sweepers.
1999 - Fernstrum receives patent for Low
1960 - First flanged coolers produced. Profile header.

1964 - Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER® keel 1999 - R.W. Fernstrum celebrates 50 years

coolers used on Ann Arbor car ferry — in business and remains the premier manu-
first diesel electric—the largest keel cooler facturer of keel coolers.
to date (6 feet longer than the 120 used in
2000 - R.W. Fernstrum begins 2-year
the oil industry).
warranty program. Over 100,000 models of
1971 - Showing off models of 1969 - New steel building constructed GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers available.
their GRIDCOOLER® keel gives Fernstrum an additional 6,000
coolers are (left to right) Paul 2001 - Enhancements in durability and
square feet of manufacturing space.
W. Fernstrum, R.W. Fernstrum coolant flow. Investments in new CNC
and David J. Fernstrum fabrication equipment and building
1999 - Celebrating
1971 - Header design enlarged for added
durability. expansion.
50 years in business
A Brief History of Keel Cooling Engineered Keel Cooling
Keel cooling first appeared in the early 1800s when When you choose a Fernstrum
someone hung a copper tube over the edge of a boat to GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler, you’re
condense steam. It later evolved into pieces of channel, getting more than well-built hard-
welded onto the hull. These channel cooling sys- ware. You’re getting the most cost-
tems offered important advantages over effective, dependable form of keel
raw water cooling. They eliminated cooling available — backed by
silt and sand buildup in engine decades of experience. We’re
jackets and protected engines proud of our reputation, and we
against salt water corrosion. work hard to keep it.
Unfortunately, their sheer To ensure that you get precisely
bulk reduced a ship’s capaci- what you need, we begin by asking
ty and increased its drag. a lot of questions. We’ll need to
They were also prone to seaweed Z-Series know your engine make and model
Gridcooler ®
foulup. Clearly, a more compact and streamlined cool- keel cooler
number, horsepower and rpm rat-
er was needed. This led to packaged keel coolers and the ing, heat rejection, freshwater flow
R.W. FERNSTRUM success story. rate, and the temperature require-
ments of the
water entering
and leaving the
cooler. If you
don’t have all
this informa-
tion, we’ll get
it for you — Ongoing product research and
development studies ensure
we maintain continual improvement in
current files efficiency, durability and quality.
on all major marine engine manu-
facturers. We’ll also need your
vessel’s hull design, it’s maximum
speed at full rated power, and the
maximum water temperature in
which it will operate. With this
Engine jacket water is piped directly to the Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER® data, we can determine exactly what
keel cooler, which cools the water and then sends it back to the engine. size GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers
The GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler is in constant contact with the sea your vessel will need — under it’s
water for transfer of heat. most severe operating conditions.
Quality and Testing Methods
• Only the finest quality materials are used in manufacturing a Fernstrum
GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler. Much of the materials used have metallurgi-
cal specifications proprietary to Fernstrum, based on decades of manufac-
turing experience — enhancing the durability and performance of the product.
• Quality control begins as soon as material is received. All material is
100 percent inspected. No random sampling methods are used. After
inspection, raw material is assigned lot numbers for traceability through-
out the manufacturing process.
• For customer protection, each unit is assigned its own serial number
and inspection sheet. The inspection sheet tracks material lot numbers
and the results of all testing throughout production. Additionally,
employee identification is recorded for each step through the produc-
tion process.
• Experienced craftsmen use only the finest silver brazing alloys. Less
expensive materials do not meet Fernstrum’s high quality standards.
• Multiple quality assurance checks are made throughout the production
process — including two separate underwater air tests to assure the
integrity of brazed or welded joints.
• Cleanup by sandblasting is done in a specially constructed semi-
automatic blasting cabinet.
• Ultrasonic testing is used to check the brazed joints of each unit to
assure that every GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler is of superior strength.
Each unit is checked for dimensional accuracy, square and straightness.
• On successful completion of all quality checks, each unit receives its
own Quality Assurance tag — your assurance of excellence!
• Each unit is carefully boxed in a triple-corrugated, weather resistant
fiberboard. Special wood crating is available for long-term storage
upon request.
• Each GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler is shipped with all the gaskets, washers
and nuts necessary for installation, as well as with installation
suggestions.
The Angled Tube GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler...
Meeting the needs of stationary vessels
Traditional keel cooling methods have been applied to stationary vessels for
decades. R.W. Fernstrum & Company introduces an innovation that will ben-
efit dredges, stationary operating generators and similar equipment. While
most keel coolers are designed to transfer heat to the slipstream current of the
seawater while the vessel is underway, the angled tube GRIDCOOLER® keel
cooler is designed to take advantage of buoyancy driven flow of seawater
created through mixed convection while the vessel is at rest. The angled tube
design also provides the added benefit of being less likely to become a resting
place for silt and other debris, which retard heat transfer.

The angled tube GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler takes advantage of many of

the characteristics that have made the standard GRIDCOOLER® keel
The angled tube GRIDCOOLER® keel
cooler popular. Simplicity, durability and compact form, combined with
cooler has tubes positioned to enhance
increased heat transfer efficiency, make this new design attractive to station- and exploit the natural convection cur-
ary and low-speed applications. rent generated by the heat exchanger.

Furthermore, the availability of both smooth wall and Fernstrum's exclusive

enhanced tubing allow for greater design flexibility in creating the most
cost effective solution for a given application.
 The Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER ® keel cooler can be
RECESSED mounted almost anywhere on a ship’s hull, giving
the flexibility to match the installation to
the hull design and operating conditions of
any boat. For example; on shallow draft
river work boats, the GRIDCOOLER® unit
may be mounted on the side of the hull or beside
the skeg. On towboats, the GRIDCOOLER® unit may
be installed near the propeller to take advantage of its slipstream
during heavy towing. On fast moving vessels, the unit is normally
recessed along side the keel. See the Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER®
EXTERNAL keel cooler installation guide for more information.

RECESSED — Recessing a GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler stream-

lines the installation and greatly increases protection from damage.
Independent tests conducted at the Vienna Model Test Basin have
shown that drag is negligible when GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers
are recessed into a ship’s hull. If possible, the ends of the recess
should be flared to allow a free flow of water over the entire cooler.

EXTERNAL — If the GRIDCOOLER® keel cooler can’t be

recessed, fairing blocks and side plates may be used for
protection and streamlining.

SHALLOW DRAFT SHALLOW DRAFT — Because of their compact size,

Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers may be mount-
ed along the keel or skeg, or even in the rake or tunnel of
shallow draft river boats. This takes advantage of the addi-
tional water current created by the propeller.

SIDE MOUNTED — GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers may be

side mounted to avoid damage due to running aground or if
there isn’t room for a bottom mount to the hull.
SIDE MOUNTED
The Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER ® is available in standard as well as
many custom configurations to accommodate installation and maintenance
concerns. Custom designs are a Fernstrum specialty and are limited only
by imagination. We are happy to discuss your application and assist in
E-SERIES
designing or determining a custom configuration that adds value to your
cooling system. Some of the more common configurations are listed.
E-SERIES® GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers have zinc anodes mounted
at the ends of the units. This modification is available upon request at no
additional charge and works well for fishing vessels where entanglement
of nets is a concern.
EXTENDED NOZZLES may be ordered for vessels with thick hulls.
L-SERIES® GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers (shown here in multi-pass
configuration) with extended support plates reduce the number of hull EXTENDED
penetrations needed for installation. NOZZLES

F-SERIES® GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers have flange connections and

may eliminate the need for cofferdams.
Z-SERIES® GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers have lower profile flange
connections with all mounting hardware and mating flanges included.
Custom insulators provide isolation from the hull, if necessary. L-Series L-SERIES
support plates are included as standard in this configuration. This patent-
pending design eases installation on double hulled vessels and may
eliminate the need for cofferdams.

MATERIALS — Fernstrum GRIDCOOLER® keel coolers are available

in either 90/10 copper-nickel or marine grade aluminum rectangular tub-
ing. Copper/nickel units have natural anti-foulant properties. The tubing F-SERIES
is very ductile, so it can be slightly bent or twisted to conform to the
ship’s hull. Aluminum units are made of alloys that are compatible with
vessels having aluminum hulls.
COMPRESSION SEALING HARDWARE is available upon request
to help assure a leak-free seal at the nozzles and is recommended for
customers utilizing cofferdams in their installation. Z-SERIES