MARINE DIESEL ENGINE

Introduction
When a ship is being constructed in a shipyard, the most
important machinery that is to be selected is the main
propulsion machinery.
The marine diesel engines are those which are used in marine
vehicles namely boats,ships, submarines.
Both 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines are widely available in the
marine industry, but for large ocean going merchant vessel, a
2 -stroke engine is more commonly used as main engine and
has much better market.
The engines used for the mainpropulsionor turning the
propeller/sof the normal ships are usually slow speed 2-stroke
engines while those used for providing auxiliary power are
usually 4-stroke high speed diesel engines.

 A Marine Diesel Engines are basically reciprocating C.I.

Engines by its unique combustion feature.
Internal combustion engines are those where the
combustion of the fuel-air mixture takes place within a
closed chamber known as the combustion chamber.
Rudolf Diesel, a Germen Engineer ,developed successfully
engine on this principle and obtained a patent in 1893.
You can see both these types of engines in the pictures
below, the first figure being that of a 2 stroke main
propulsion plant while the second is of a 4 stroke generator.
Just keep in mind that these images are just for giving you a
rough idea otherwise they come in a variety of sizes and
flavors.

2 & 4 Stroke Marine Diesel Engines

2-Stroke and 4-Stroke engines

2 & 4 Stroke Marine Diesel Engines

 From 1879 to date, Sulzer is one of the largest manufactures of marine diesel
engines used for the main propulsion for merchant ships of both four stroke and
two stroke design. Sulzer has its own history.Rudolf Dieselas a young engineer
followed up his studies by working as an unpaid workshop trainee at Sulzer
Brothers in Winterthur, Switzerland.
Sulzer built its first marine diesel engine in 1898. In 1950 the company built its first
two stroke marine diesel engine that was directly reversible, and five years later it
introduced valve-less two stroke engines after-charging systems and spray cooled
pistons. In 1954, it introduced the concept of turbo charging in its engines.
In later years it manufactured different series of marine diesel engines, namely the
RD, RND, RND-M, RLA and RLB series. In 1981, in a change from the traditional
manufacturing of marine diesel engines, Sulzer introduced a more efficient system
of scavenging called uni-flow scavenging.
As the latest models of two stroke marine diesel engine use uni-flow scavenging,
the constant pressure turbocharged RTA series with a single poppet exhaust valve
was developed. Later the new Sulzer diesel became part of the Wrtsil
Corporation, and the more advance automated engine of Wartsila is the RT-flex
series.

Selection of 2-Stroke Engine

Even with wide variety of advantages that 4 stroke
engine offers like compact size of plant, much more RPM
or speed etc, a 2 stroke engine outshines with few but
vital advantages.
Some of the important reasons why 2 stroke engines are
more popular than 4 stroke engines as
main propulsion engineon ships.
Fuel Selection: The fuel prices have gone sky high and
better grade fuel is adding higher costs to vessel
operation. A two stroke engine can burn low grade fuel
oil and hence reduce running cost of the ship.
Efficiency: The thermal and engine efficiency of 2 stroke
engine is much better than that of a4 stroke engine.

 Power: Most of the 2 stroke engines are now

large stroke engines that produce more power.
Hence they have high power to weight ratio as
compare to 4 stroke engine.
Reliability: Two stroke engines are more reliable
in operation as compare to 4 stroke engine.
Less Maintenance: Themaintenance
requirement of two stroke engine is much lesser
than 4 stroke engine.
Direction control: Direct starting and reversing
is easier with two stroke engine.

Classification of Engines
Marine Diesel Engines may be classified according
to their speeds i.e. low, medium or high speeds.
Low speed-50-300 rpm,
Medium Speed-300-750 rpm,
High Speed-750-7500 rpm,
2-stroke engines are of crosshead type ,where
guides shoes slides over the crosshead guides.
4-stroke engines are trunk type engines, where
piston has and extended skirt which acts as guide.
2-sroke engine are reversible engines, where as 4stroke engines Uni-directional

Basic Theory
Isothermal Operation (PV=Constant): An ideal reversible process
at constant temperature. Follows Boyles law, requiring heat
addition during expansion and heat rejection during compression.
Impractical due to requirement of very slow piston speeds.
Adiabatic Operation (PV= Constant):An ideal reversible process
with no heat addition or extraction. Work done is equivalent to the
change of internal energy.
Polytrophic Operation ( PV =Constant): More nearly practical
process. The value index n usually lies between unity and gamma.
The specific heat of a substance is a measure of its ability to
absorb a certain amount of heat without increasing temperature.

Basic Theory
Theoretical Cycles:

I.C Engines work on the basis of three fundamental

thermodynamic cycles.
1)Otto cycles (constant volume)
2)Diesel cycles (constant pressure)and
3)Dual combustion cycles

But modern diesel engines operates on duel

combustion cycle. The Dual or Mixed combustion
cycle is a combination of constant volume(Otto
cycle) and the constant pressure (Diesel) cycle.

Otto Cycle

P- V Diagram
Diagram

T-S

 The Otto Cycle ( Constant Volume )

This cycle is also known by the name of constant volume cycle
and it consists of the following four steps.
Please take a thorough look at the P-V and T-S diagrams depicting
these processes along with reading the description and you will
understand it in a better way.
1-2 process is that of isentropic compression of air which
means that the entropy of the air remains constant during this
transition and can be seen from figure 2 (T-S diagram). It can
also be seen from the same diagram that temperature of the
air rises during this process, while the volume decreases
significantly and pressures rises (figure 1).
2-3 process represents addition of heat to the air at a constant
volume which results in increase of entropy, temperature and
pressure of the air

 3-4 is the isentropic expansion of air which

corresponds to the power stroke of the engine where
the pressure generated during combustion is used to
drive the piston upwards and hence deliver motion to
the piston. The temperature of the air falls in this
process and so does the pressure, and volume returns
to the original volume to what it was at point 1.
4-1 is the process of heat rejection at constant
volume which ultimately brings the working
substance or air back to the initial condition. In an
actual cycle there is the exhaust cycle at this stage
but here no expulsion of the working substance is
assumed.

 Since thermalefficiency of a cycle represents

the heat converted into work per unit of heat
added.
The thermal efficiency of an Otto cycle is given by
Thermal Efficiency = 1-(T4 T1)/(T3 T2)
Using the relationships of perfect Gas laws which I
am omitting here to avoid complexity the thermal
efficiency can also be written as
Thermal Efficiency = 1 (1/r)^(k-1)
Where r is compression ratio and k is a constant
depending on the properties of the working
substance.

 Diesel Cycle ( Constant Pressure ) :

P- V Diagram

T-S Diagram

 The Diesel Cycle:

The four processes of this cycle as explained as follows with
the accompanying P-V and T-S diagrams for clarity.
1-2 represents the isentropic compression of air leading to rise
in temperature and pressure and significant reduction in
volume. This reduction in volume or the ratio of reduction is
known as compression ratio. This corresponds to the suction
stroke of the real engine.
2-3 is the addition of heat at a constant pressure corresponding
to ignition in the real engine, leading to rise in temperature and
entropy and in volume as well. Just remember from your
previous study of the Otto cycle that this head addition was at a
constant volume over there, hence the difference

 3-4 is the isentropic expansion of air corresponding to power stroke and

leads to reduction in temperature, pressure and volume.
4-1 is the rejection of heat at a constant volume (same as the Otto) and
at the end of this process the working substances reaches the same
point from where it started thus completing one full cycle of four
strokes.
The thermalefficiency is calculated like before by dividing the amount
of heat converted into work by the total amount of heat supplied and it
gives
Thermal Efficiency = 1 1/k (T4 T1/T3 T2)
It is also calculated using the gas laws and can be written in the
following format as well
Thermal Efficiency = 1 (1/r)^(k-1) * {((rc^k) 1)/k(rc - 1)}
Where r is the compression ratio between points 2 and 1, and rc is the
compression ratio between the points 3 and 2, k being dependent on
the working substance and is a constant

 The diesel cycle on other hand has less thermal efficiency, less
specific output, but practicable at high compression ratios.
Accordingly, the advantages of both the cycles are combined in what
is called a mixed or dual cycle.
As we saw in the previous two types of cycles namely the Otto cycle
and the diesel cycle that they differ in the manner in which heat is
added to the cycle either at constant volume or at constant
pressure.
In Diesel engines operating at slow speeds, there is enough time for
the combustion to take place at more or less constant speed.
The behavior of many slow speed engines is more correctly
represented by mixed cycle in which the part of heat is added at
constant volume and partially at constant pressure, The constant
volume has higher thermal efficiency and specific output, but is
impractical at compression ratios because of very high peak
pressure.

Duel Cycle

 1-2 is the isentropic compression which results in

temperature rise, volume decrease and pressure rise of
the working substance i.e. air
2-3 is the process where heat is added at a constant
volume to the cycle just like in the Otto cycle
3-4 is the process where part of the heat added in the
previous process is continued to be added but now at a
constant pressure instead of a constant volume (thus
the name dual mode) like in the case of diesel cycle
4-5 represents the isentropic expansion of air
5-1 is the heat rejection at constant volume thus
bringing the full cycle to a completion and ready for the
next cycle

Actual Cycle

The Actual Cycle:

The actual cycle is different from the theoretical cycle in the
following,
From 1-2 the curve is similar in the compression stroke.
From 2-3, compression is not strictly adiabatic as there is
heat transfer through the cylinder liner.
From 3-4, during expansion stroke, there is heat transfer.
From 4-1, heat is rejected with mass flow, specific heat,
lower pressures and temperatures.
In actual cycle, there are unavoidable thermal, hydraulic
and mechanical losses.
All these factors leading to a much lower the thermal
efficiency in the actual engines.

 Stroke: Stroke is distance covered by the piston

between top dead centre (TDC) and the bottom
dead centre (BDC).
Compression Ratio: The ratio of the volume of air
at the start of compression stroke to the volume of
air at the end of this stroke. Usual value for a
compression ratio for I.C. Engine is about 12.5 to
13.5 i.e. clearance volume is 8% of the stroke
volume.
Mean piston speed: is a parameter in the power
equation which suggests that power can simply be
increased by increasing the m.p.s.

D=Bore of the cylinder, S=Stroke of the piston

Vc =Volume of compression chamber,
Va =Volume of the cylinder,
Vc =Volume of compression chamber.
Swept Volume=Volume swept by the piston from TDC to
BDC.

Vs=Area x Length. Since, Va= Vc + Vs,

Hence, Compression Ratio=Va/Vc = Vc + Vs/ Vc = 1 + Vs /Vc
Mean Piston Speed=Piston distance in one rev. X rpm
=2Sn/60 = Sn/30 , Power=Pmx 2Sn x A X n x Constant
Hence Power depends on Mean Piston Speed

 Working cycle: The actual engines

requires 4- strokes or 2-strokes such
as compression, expansion, exhaust
and induction.
Accordingly engines are
distinguished as 4- strokes or 2strokes engines.
The working cycle of a 4- stroke
engine is described w.r.t. indicator
and valve diagram.

4 -Stroke P-V and Valve Timing Diagram

 1-2 Induction Stroke: Air is drawn into the cylinder at the

pressure existing in the intake manifold. The inlet valve closes
after the end of stroke.
2-3 Compression Stroke: With both inlet and exhaust valve
closed, the air is compressed by the piston in the clearance
space. The injection of fuel begins at a few degree before the
TDC. The is ignited at high temperature produced at the end of
compression and most of the heat released at constant volume.
3-4 Expansion or Working Stroke: The gases expand until at the
end of stroke when the exhaust valve opens. The exhaust is
blown down in exhaust manifold and pressure in the cylinder
drops.
4-1 Exhaust Stroke: The remaining gases in the cylinder are
forced out by the displacement of the piston extending over full
stroke.

2-Stroke Cycle

1
2
3
4
5
6

-2 Compression
- 3 Fuel Injection
- 4 Power
- 5 Exhaust Blowdown
- 6 Scavenging
- 1 Post Scavenging

1. approx
BTDC
2. approx
3. approx
4. approx
5. approx
6. approx
BTDC

110
10 BTDC
12 ATDC
110 ATDC
140 ATDC
140

 The working of a 2-stroke cycle engine differs

from that of a four stroke cycle engine
because of complete absence of two distinct
strokes of induction and exhaust.
Apart of each of compression and expansion
strokes in two stroke is utilized for the
process of induction and exhaust.
Sir, Duglad Clerk, born in GlaSgow, invented
the two stroke cycle engine which was first
exhibited in 1881.

 Engine Weight: The weight of an engine is a function of

cylinder displacement volume, the number of cylinders
and a constant.
The constant part accounts for weight of camshaft,
exhaust manifold, gear train etc., which becomes small
in proportion of total weight as the no cylinder increases.
The weight of an engine for a certain power can be
reduced by manipulating the parameters in the following
equation.
Power Pm x Vd x n
Where Pm= Mean cylinder pressure,
Vd=Piston displacement volume
n= number of revolutions per second.

 Criterion for performance:

The specific fuel consumption is frequently used in Diesel engine as
a criterion for performance.
It is defined as the fuel consumed by the engine in generating 1 KW
brake power per hour and it is expressed gm/Kw hour.
Mechanical Efficiency: Apart of the power developed in the engine
cylinder by burning fuel with air does not appear in the output shaft
but is used to overcoming friction in the bearings, pistons and other
moving parts, of the engine.
The power absorbed in performing these duties called friction
power.
The brake power is less than the indicated power by the amount of
power consumed by the engine in overcoming mechanical friction.

 I.P.=B.P. +F.P.
The ratio of the power delivered by the engine to
the total power generated within the engine is
known as mechanical efficiency.
Mean Effective Pressure: It is theoretical pressure
which may be assumed to act on the piston
during its power stroke. There is a great variation
of pressure in a diesel cylinder during a cycle of
operation. But the power is calculated from
average mean effective pressure. The mean
effective pressure is determined from a P-V
diagram or indicator diagram,

Various power ratings

The overall operation of the ship is highly dependent on the
performance of its main propulsion engine, measured in terms of its
power rating.
There are several terminologies for Power rating used for Marine
Propulsion engine and each of these give different value of engine
performance under various parameters and situations.
Following is the list ofPowerTerminologies used for a Marine
Propulsion Engine on board ship
Effective Power:The Power available at the output side of the
engine i.e. at crankshaft flange of the engine which connects it with
the flywheel and rest of the intermediate shaft
Rated Power:It is the continuous effective power provided by the
manufacturer of the engine for a desired or rated RPM of the
crankshaft. Rated power includes the loads which acts on the
engine due to auxiliary system running from the engine power

 Indicated Horse Power:It is a theoretical power

calculated with a formula
= PxLxAxN

4500
Where P- Mean indicated pressure of the cylinder
L- Stroke of the engine
A- Cross Sectional Area of the engine cylinder
N- Speed of the engine in RPM
4500 is a constant for conversion.
In this calculation, the frictional losses are not considered.
Since it is calculated from indicated pressure of the
engine, it is called Indicated Horse Power or IHP and used
for calculating mechanical efficiency of the engine

 Shaft Horse Power:The power delivered by the engine to the propeller

shaft is measured by an instrument known as torsion meter which is
available on board.
Break Horse Power:This is the power measured at the crankshaft with
the brake dynamometer and is always higher than the shaft horse power.
This is because the power available at shaft accounts for frictional and
mechanical losses.
Gross Power:Continuous effective power provided by the manufacturer
for a given RPM using defined number of auxiliaries at normal service
running condition without any overloading of the engine.
Continuous Power:It is the BHP measured at the power take off end
when the engine is running at continuous safe operation range outside
any time limit. This is provided by the supplier.
Overload Power or rating:It is the power excess of effective power
than the rated power for a short period of time, when the same
auxiliaries are used under similar service condition for limited period.

 Minimum Power:The guaranteed minimum or lower most

power value by the manufacturer for an approximate crankshaft
RPM is the minimum power of the engine.
Astern Output Power:The maximum power engine can
generate when running in the astern direction at safe condition.
Maximum Continuous Rating or MCR:It is the maximum
power output engine can produce while running continuously at
safe limits and conditions.
Normal or Standard Rating:This is the power output of the
engine at normal service speed which gives the highest
economical efficiency, thermal and mechanical efficiency. At this
speed, the wear down of the engine is at the minimum rate.

 Compatibility of Engine output when coupled with propeller:

An engine is designed for certain power rating. The engine power will depend on
propeller characteristics. The relation between the engine and propeller is called
the propeller law.
Power 2/3 V
Where = Ship displacement
V=Ship speed
At constant displacement,
Power 2/3 V , but V (P X N),
Where P=Pitch of the propeller,
N= Rev per minute,
But for the same propeller i.e. P Remaining constant,
Then, Power N,
Also Power Pm.L.A.N.

Pm.N. ( L and A Being basic dimensions of engine and are

constant)
Combating pm N

Performance Testing
For testing the performance of the diesel engine b.h.p. is measured
accurately by coupling the engine with the dynamometer at the test
bed and pb, brake mean effective pressure is calculated from the
relation.
BP= pb x L x A x n/1000 kw.
It is an accepted practice to use the b.m.e.p. to indicate the power
rating in the cylinder as this value can be accurately calculated from
the dynamometer test.
The engine in the test bed is loaded according to the propeller curve so
that it represents the actual working condition when coupled to a
propeller.
The selection of propeller should be such that when coupled to engine
in a ship the propeller absorbs the less power under fully laden
condition, assuming the hull is clean.
If the propeller curve is to be theoretical loading limit, a reserve of
power should be provided for increase of ships resistance.

Propulsive characteristics

Performance Curves

Engine Testing
Bed Test: Is carried out to ascertain that the performance
characteristics are up to the prescribed standards.
Sea Trial: Is carried out to confirm the machinery and ships
performances as per contractual agreement.
Comparative Test: To ensure manitainence of the standard.
Prototype model Test: After design and for improvement.
Mooring Trial: Carried out at quey in moored conditions in
order to test normal operating condition of all parts of the
main engine and associated auxiliaries prior to sea trial.
Running-in test: Is carried out with controlled output before
operation of main engine for a long period.

Official Trial: In order to confirm the reliability and

performance characteristics of the propulsion plant when
coupled to the propeller in open sea.
Guarantee speed test is carried out by go-and-return
between fixed mile posts. The test shall be carried out after
raising the speed progressively at , 2/4 , and
corresponding to max. rated continuous output.
Overload Test A ten percent overload test is carried out.
Astern Test is carried out when the main Engine is running
ahead at MCR, the engine should be stopped and reversed
at quickest possible time and engine should run at highest
possible rpm in the astern direction corresponding to 75%
to 85% of continuous rated power.
Minimum revolution test is carried out to confirm a
minimum revolution at which the engine can run smoothly
and steadily with all cylinders firing.

 Endurance test shall be carried out at least for the

maximum continuous output. The speed test, starting test
and circle test may be performed during this time.
Starting test :The air reservoirs are pressed to max. press.
And engine is started in ahead and astern direction
alternately without replenishing the reservoir until the
engine can no longer be started. The no of starts should
be as follows;
For reversible engines- 12 starts or more,
For non reversible engines -6 starts or more ,
The pressure drop in air reservoir at each start is noted.
Other test such as vibration, Noise, cylinder cut-off carried
out.

 Over-speed or Governor Test: The test is carried out to check

the response of the governor at different load. The
stabilization period shall not exceed 4 secs in case of sudden
change from no load to 25 % of rated full load and vice versa.
Over speed governors shall come into action on reaching 15%
above the continuous rating.
Some of the features of the tests are,
a. Max speed control of governor and over speed trip.
b. Speed variation at controlled speed.
c. The speed changes from extreme value to settle to a steady
value.
d. The speed range of the governor is likely to cover over the
range of its adjustment.

 Heat Balance: A diesel engine working on the basis of an air standard

cycle is liberated in the engine cylinder. There is the cycle efficiency
and various other losses in a practical engine.
Heat balance chart is a useful method of computing thermodynamic
losses in the engine. Attempts are made to recover some of these
losses from engine waste to improve thermal efficiency of the engine.
These are three main thermodynamic losses,
a. Loss due to incomplete combustion,
b. loss through the cooling water and
c. Loss of heat with the exhaust gases.
The loss due to imperfect combustion will appear as a loss in power
generation in the engine.

 Thermodynamics: The branch of science (physics)

that studies conversion of energy from one form
to the other is called as thermodynamics.
Thermodynamics is a very important subject
studied under the branch of Mechanical
Engineering. Various conversions of energy are
possible, like chemical to heat, heat to
mechanical, hydraulic to electrical or mechanical,
etc. Almost all the energies can be converted
from one form to the other form.
First law of thermodynamics: It is very simple and
simply says that energy can neither be created
nor it can be destroyed, however, it can be
converted from one form to the other.

 Second law of thermodynamics : States that heat energy

can be transferred only from body at high temperature to
the body at lower temperature. Since heat is directly
proportional to temperature, this law can also be
understood as: heat flows from body at high temperature to
the body at low temperature. If you want to transfer heat
from low temperature to high temperature body, external
work has to be done.
In refrigeration and air-conditioning system, heat moves
from low temperature to high temperature reservoir, hence
they need power (electricity) to work.
The third law of thermodynamics: says that entropy of the
pure crystal at absolute zero temperature is zero and
entropy can never be negative.

 To understand this law clearly we should know what absolute zero

temperature and entropy are.
Absolute Zero Temperature:
We know zero degree Celsius temperature, it is the temperature at which
water gets converted into ice, and hence it is also called freezing point
temperature of water. There are many gases like helium, hydrogen that
can be cooled to temperatures much below zero degrees Celsius and at
certain level they get liquefied. The lowest temperature, to which all the
substances or gases can be cooled to, is called as absolute zero
temperature. There cannot be any temperature below this point and at
this temperature all the movements of all the molecules within the
substance stop.
Zeroths Law of Thermodynamics : which states that if two bodies are
in thermal equilibrium with third body, then they are in thermal
equilibrium with each other. For example, if temperature of body A is equal
to temperature of body C and temperature of body B is also equal to
temperature of body C, then temperature of body A is equal to that of B.

 What is Entropy:
Entropy is the total energy inside the substance,
which is not available for work during
thermodynamic process. It can be considered as
the internal energy of the substance, which
depends on the movement of molecules inside the
substance. The more the movement of the
molecules, the more the entropy. As the
temperature of the substance increases, the
movement of the molecules inside the substance
also increases and with it the entropy of the
substance also increases.

Protection system for Main Engine

To avoid any major loss or damage to the marine engine, several protective
devices are fitted to safeguard the engine from major damages and breakdown.
Different Types of Protections on a Ships Marine Engine
Basically there are four main types of protection systems used to
safeguard propulsion engine:
1. Alarm:In case of deviation of engine parameters from a set value, an
audible and visualalarmwill sound which will give an early warning of the
problem.
2. Slow down:It is the next stage of protection when actions taken are not
sufficient to control the ongoing problem; hence engine slow down is done to
counter the disturbed parameter.
3. Shut down:When there is a higher fluctuation in the engine parameters
which can harm other systems of the engine, the shut down protective devices
cut off the fuel supply and the engine stops.
4. Starting Interlock:This will not allow the engine to start from the standstill condition if some important system within the engine has not been operated
or arranged properly.

 Different Engine Slow Down Situations

In this situation the main engine will come to dead slow RPM i.e. below 30
RPM as the slow down protection gets activated. Following are different slow
down situation for main engine:
Lube oil pressure falls to 1.5 bar
Cam shaft pressure falls below 2 bar
There is no flow of piston cooling media (water or oil)
Oil mist detectoror Main bearing sensors has been activated
Lube oil temperature at the inlet of engine is high > 60 deg C
Piston Cooling temperature is high > 75 deg C
Jacket water Temperature is high > 88 deg c
Engine cylinder exhaust temperature is high > 450 deg C
Scavengeair temperature is high > 65 deg C
Thrust block temperature is high > 75 deg C
Low flow of Cylinder lube oil
Control air pressure is low < 5.5 bar

 Different Shut down Situations:

Lube oil inlet pressure to engine is very low <1 bar

Cam shaft Lube oil pressure is very low < 1.5 bar
Very high Jacket cooling water temperature >95 deg C
Low Jacket cooling water pressure < 0.1 bar
No flow of Cylinder lube oil
Thrust block temperature very high > 90 deg C
Lube oil inlet pressure forturbochargeris low < 0.8 bar
Over speed of the engine which activates shut down at
107 % of Max. continuous rating MCR

 Different Starting Interlocks are:

Turning gear engage interlock

Auxiliary blower off interlock
Lube oiland other important pump not
running interlock.
Apart from safety protections on a ships
engine, various other systems to ensure that
various other operations are not affected.

Performance of the Engine

On ship, it is important to check the performance of the engine from
time to time so as to ascertain working condition and fault finding.
In earlier days, the performance of diesel engine was taken manually,
but with the advancement of technology, automatic monitoring systems
are being used.
Types of Diesel Engine Monitoring Systems
With the help of monitoring systems, the diesel performance of the
engine can be taken easily and within no time. The new technology
provides two types of monitoring systems.
In the first system, the diesel performance is monitored continuously
and is thus known as online monitoring.
Whereas in the second system, the engineer has to manually put the
instrument on the cylinder head, connecting the wire to rpm sensor and
taking the readings manually and later transferring to the computer.
Generally on ships, the main engine has an online diesel performance
system whereas for diesel generators have a manual system.

 Understanding Indication Diagram

Indicator diagrams are indicative of the power generated
within engines and are a useful tool for marine engineers to
know how well their engines are performing
Indicator diagrams are used to assess the performance of each
unit of the main engine on a ship.
It is based on the indicator diagram that the overall
performance of the main engine is found out.
Indicator diagrams are taken at regular intervals of time and
matched with that of the ships sea trial diagrams to check if
there is any major difference in performance.
If there is any difference, it is important that the problem is
rectified before starting the engine.

 Generally there are two types of indicator diagrams one is power

card and other is draw card. With the help of these two diagrams
we can determine the compression pressure, peak pressure and the
engine power.
High loading is to be prevented on main engines units or else it can
lead to several problems such as bearing damage, cracking etc.
It is therefore for this reason very important to read these diagrams
properly as they provide several details about the cylinder working
pressures and load.
In earlier days, the indicator diagram was taken with the help of
mechanical indicator which was to be fitted on top of the indicator
cocks.
Bur nowadays a pressure transducer is fitted on the indicator cocks
with the help of which the indicator diagram can be taken at any
moment and displayed in the computer.

 Engine Indicator
Just take a look at the figure to see what an engine indicator
looks like.
As the name suggests it is used to draw the indicator
diagram for an actual engine while it is firing (working). The
black coloured handle you see at the bottom of the
instrument helps to fit this instrument in the appropriate slot
in the cylinder head known as the indicator cock.
Once the arrangement is in place the piston inside the
instrument is exposed to the pressure variations happening
inside the cylinder and these are them transferred on to a
paper through the stylus which moves in proportion to the
movement of the piston and the spring on top which opposes
the instrument piston movement.

 Preparation for the Diagram

There are certain points which need to be kept in mind before plotting an
indicator diagram in order to ensure that it gives a fairly true indication
of the power generated.
These points are listed in the bullet format as follows.
The propeller of the ship should be fully immersed in water
The ship should be at even keel and preferably fully laden
There are no strong winds present either against or in favour of the
direction of motion of the ship. If winds are present the engine will either
produce more power or will produce lesser power for the given speed
because of the wind resistance or aid, as the case may be
The underside of the ship is pretty clean and is not fouled with
underwater growth, otherwise the engine would develop more power for
the given speed
The engine indicator is clean and properly lubricated so that friction does
not cause an error in the reading

 The writing pressure of the stylus against the inserted sheet of paper
should neither be too low nor too strong. If it is strong it might tear the
paper, while if it is too low it will not leave a strong impression
The cock should be clean so that all the pressure is made available to
the piston of the engine indicator
Recording the Diagram
The engine indicator should be fastened to the cock and the cord on the
instrument should be kept taut
While the cock is still in the shut position, the atmospheric pressure line
should be traced
The indicator cock should be opened and the stylus should be pressed
against the paper till the cycle gets imprinted after which the cock
should be safely shut
The cord now needs to be removed and the indicator cock opened again
and to be pulled with hand, the timing being such that the piston is at
the top dead center at that time

 The indicator diagram shown below is a normal

diagram (Diagrams taken before the use of the
engine) and the diagrams that are taken from the
engine are taken and compared for deficiency.

Types of Deficiencies
Deficiency type 1

When the above diagram is compared with the normal

diagram it can be seen that the compression pressure
is normal and the maximum firing pressure is too high.
This can be due to early injection, a result of incorrect
fuel timing of the cams, incorrect VIT setting, or
leaking fuel injector

 Deficiency Type 2
When the above diagram is compared with the
normal diagram it can be seen that the
compression pressure is normal and the
maximum firing pressure is too high.
This can be due to early injection, a result of
incorrect fuel timing of the cams, incorrect VIT
setting, or leaking fuel injector

 Deficiency Type 3
This diagram shows that the compression pressure
is low, and the peak pressure is also too low.
This can be due to the
Leaking exhaust valve.
Leak through piston rings i.e broken or worn out
piston rings.
High Liner wear.
Burnt piston crown.
Low scavenge pressure.

 Deficiency Type 4
This diagram shows high compression pressure
together with high peak pressure.
This can be as a result of the following:
Exhaust valve opening too late i.e incorrect
exhaust valve timing.
Overload of the engine.

This effect can be a result of following factors:Bad quality of fuel.

Fuel injector nozzle blocked.
Fuel pumps leaking.
Low fuel pressure.
Injector seized.
Advantages of Diesel Performance System
1) Efficient and reliable operation of the engine.
2) Helps in saving fuel and optimizing SFOC( Specific Fuel Oil
Consumption.
3) Helps in predicting the necessary repairs and preventing
engine failure.
4) Helps in reducing spare parts cost and increasing time
between overhauls.

POWER BALANCING
The efficiency of the overall ship depends a lot on the efficiency of
the engine running in its engine room. One of the important
factors to ensure efficiency of marine engines is to control the
power produced from each of its cylinder.
The process of making fine adjustments to achieve equal power
from all engine cylinders is known as power balancing.
Power balancing of engines is carried out by making minor
adjustment to fuel pumps of individual cylinders. The quantity of
fuel injected in the cylinder plays the most important role in power
balancing.
The small adjustments made to the fuel pumps should be such
that the units are not overloaded and the exhaust temperature
doesnt go beyond the safe limits.
It is therefore necessary to be extremely careful while carrying out
adjustments for power balancing.

 Important Points While Carrying out

Power Balancing of Marine Engines
Power balancing should be done in such
a way that:
Individual units are not overloaded
Exhaust temperature of the units do not
rise above the acceptable levels
Fuel pumps are able to cut off when
engine is stopped

 Things to check while making

Adjustments for Power
Balancingof Marine Engines
Fuel pump rackposition
Exhaust and cooling water return
temperatures for each cylinder of
marine engine
Measurements from indicator
diagram
VIT adjustment

 It is to note that not all cylinder units show equal exhaust temperatures.
However, for each engine the figures follow a certain path which can
help in accessing a situation. Peak or maximum pressure of the
cylinders should also be checked along with cylinder temperatures.
If proper care is not taken during power balancing, the marine engine
can become unbalanced, leading to other serious problems.
Unbalanced situation of the engine might lead to
Overloading of bearings and running gears
Overheating or bearing failure
Piston blow past
Overheated or piston seizure
Vibration followed by fatigue
Fatigue cracking in bearings, studs, or bolts
Cracking in crankshaft
Failure of holding down bolts

 If you are the watching keeping officer, you must

check the following things to ensure smooth power
balancing of marine engines:
Check relevant temperature and pressures
(exhaust and cooling return temperatures)
Check lubricating oil and turbo charger pressures
Check for any unusual noise or vibration
Keep an eye on the exhaust for any kind of smoke
Check if the turbocharger is running smoothly
without surging .
Check fuel pump settings

 Measure clearances and timings of fuel pumps when

engine is not working
Ensure that fuel injectors are changed at regular
intervals of time after cleaning and testing. A faulty
injector would not only cause loss in power but would
also lead to overloading of other cylinders as the
governor would try to maintain the normal total
power output
Carry out maintenance of the marine engine at
regular interval of time and note down any deviation
from the normal running speed
Any error found should be rectified at the earliest.