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By Mayur Agarwal | In: Main Engine, Marine Technology | Last Updated on February 28, 2020
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Lubrication is essential for any kind of machinery onboard ships. Lubrication of Main
Engine is responsible for lubricating and cooling the internal parts, which are acting
relative to each other creating friction and heat, resulting into overheating of parts.
Lubrication not only provides cooling and but also the removal of any debris or
impurities.
Main Engine: Main bearing, Gear drive and Piston Cooling Lubricating oil system
The supply pressure in the main lubrication system depends on the design and
requirement and is generally around 4.5 kg/cm2. LO supply to the cooler is via a three-
way valve which enables some oil to bypass the cooler. The three-way valve maintains
a temperature of 45°C at the lubricating oil inlet to the engine. The main LO system
supplies oil to main bearings, camshaft and camshaft drive.
A branch of lube oil goes to an articulated arm or a telescopic pipe to the crosshead
from where it does three functions
1) some oil travels up the piston rod to cool the piston and then comes down,
2) some oil lubricates the crosshead bearing and the shoe guides
3) the remaining oil passes through a hole drilled in the rod connecting to the bottom
end bearing. A branch of lube oil is led to the hydraulic power supply unit for actuation
of exhaust valves, to the thrust bearings, to the moment compensator and the torsional
vibration damper. The cooling effect of the oil at the vibration dampers is important.
Operation of the Main engine Lubricating oil system
It is assumed that the engine is stopped but is being prepared for starting.
a) Check the level of oil in the main engine sump tank and replenish if necessary
b) Ensure that the low temperature central cooling system is operating and that fresh
water is circulating through the main LO cooler
c) Ensure all pressure gauge and instrumentation valves are open and that instruments
are reading correctly
d) Ensure that the steam heating is applied to the main LO sump tank if the temperature
of the LO is low
e) Set the line and make sure all right valves are open. Normally it is assumed that main
engine lubricating valves are left open
f) Select one main LO pump as the master (duty) pump and the other as the standby
pump
Note: The main LO pumps have large motors and are generally fitted for auto
transformer starting; after a start, the auto transformer must be allowed to cool down for
20 minutes before another start is attempted. Restarting is inhibited for 20 minutes
between starts.
g) Keep the LO system circulating and allow the temperature of the system to gradually
increase to normal operating temperature
h) Check the outlet flows from the individual units. Check that temperatures are similar
and that all pressure gauges are reading correctly
i) When lubricating system temperatures and pressures are stable, the engine may be
started. The main engine lubrication system is replenished from the main LO storage
tank
Main Engine LO purifier takes suction from main engine LO sump and purifies the oil. Its
feed temperature is maintained around 90 degrees Celsius (as maximum density
difference is achieved at that temperature) to allow efficient separation. The engine LO
must be tested frequently in order to determine whether or not it is fit for further service.
Samples should be taken from the circulating oil and not directly from the sump tank.
The main engine lubrication system also has a subsystem (depends if the main engine
is cam-less or has a camshaft). In cam-less engines, a branch from the lube oil inlet to
the main engine is provided to the hydraulic power supply unit. The function of HPS is to
control the fuel injection and exhaust valve actuators hydraulically and also drive the
cylinder lubrication units. In the main engine with a camshaft, lubrication system feeds
to camshaft roller guides and bearings, which actuates the exhaust valves and fuel
pump.
Main Engine Lube Oil Sump Tank: It is located under the engine in the double bottom
and is surrounded by cofferdams. A sounding pipe to know the level of lube oil in the
sump is provided, along with a sounding pipe for cofferdam to know if there is any
leakage. Cofferdam needs to be inspected on regular basis to know any signs of
leakages. The main engine Lube oil sump consists of a level gauge, sounding pipe, air
vent pipe, heating steam coil, manholes, suction pipe and valves for LO pump and LO
purifiers.
Turbocharger Lubricating oil system
The turbocharger bearing lubricating system can be completely separate from the main
engine lubricating system or can be feed through the main engine lubricating system,
depending on the design. It is essential to have a separate filter for TC lubrication which
is generally a duplex filter. From the duplex filter outlet, the turbocharger LO flows to the
inlet manifold supplying turbochargers. The outlet of LO from turbochargers have a sight
glass to make sure the flow is continuous. Under normal circumstances, a LO supply is
always maintained to the turbochargers in order to ensure that they are always available
for service and to prevent damage. A LO supply must be maintained when the engine is
stopped, as natural draught through the turbocharger will cause the rotor to turn. Hence,
the bearings must be lubricated.
The ability of an oil to react with an acidic reagent, which indicates the alkalinity, is
expressed as TBN. It stands for Total Base Number. It should correspond to the sulphur
percentage of fuel oil to neutralise the acidic effect of combustion. When high sulphur
fuel oil is used for Main engines, high TBN grade of cylinder oil needs to be used. When
the main engine is a “change-over” to Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (LSFO) or Low Sulphur
Marine Gas Oil (LSMGO), low TBN cylinder oil needs to be used.
Before starting the Main Engine, it is necessary to pre-lubricate the liners. Pre-
lubrication before the start can be made manually or by a sequence in the bridge
manoeuvring system.
The cylinder oil dosage must be proportional to the sulphur content of the fuel
The cylinder oil dosage must be proportional to the engine load, ie, the cylinder
fuel supply
The quantity of cylinder oil injected at the individual injection points is controlled by the
cylinder lubrication control system. Each cylinder LO injector (quill) is effectively a non-
return valve which is opened by the pressure oil directed to it by the lubricator control
system. Cylinder oil feed rates can be adjusted, but adjustments must only be made by
authorised personnel only.
The cylinder oil measuring tank is replenished from the cylinder oil storage tank using
the cylinder oil shifting pump. In the event of failure of the electrically-driven cylinder oil
shifting pump, a hand-operated pump is provided. The electrically-driven cylinder oil
shifting pump is started manually, but a high-level switch in the cylinder oil measuring
tank stops the pump when the tank level reaches a high value. The tank is fitted with a
low-level alarm.
A separate cylinder oil storage tank for use with low sulphur heavy fuel is also fitted, and
the cylinder oil from this tank must be used when the main engine is changed to LSHFO
operation. The cylinder oil measuring tank has an overflow system via a sight glass; the
overflow line has a three-way valve which must be set to direct the overflow oil to
whichever cylinder oil storage tank is in operation.
Related Read: A Guide To Marine Gas Oil and LSFO Used On Ships
Piston rod stuffing the box and scavenge space drain system
The piston rod gland or stuffing box provides a seal for the piston rod as it passes
through the separating plate between the crankcase and the scavenge airspace. The
stuffing box has two sets of segmented rings which are in contact with the piston rod;
the upper set of rings scrape crankcase oil from the piston rod, and the lower set of
rings prevent oily deposits in the scavenge space from entering the crankcase. In the
middle of the stuffing box, there is a ‘dead space’ which should normally be dry if the
rings are working effectively. Any oil or scavenge space material which enters this
space is drained directly to the oily bilge drain tank.
Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the
views of Marine Insight. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from
available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The
author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for
the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines
or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.
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without the permission of the author and Marine Insight.