DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR STROKE ENGINES AND

WAYS OF COMPLIANCE NEW IMO RULES FROM 2020.

Puhachov A.
Kherson State Maritime Academy
Scientific supervisor – Samarin A.E.

Introduction. First engines of internal combustion have been used in begin of 20-ty
century. Danish vessel named “Zelandia” which was built in 1912 had a diesel facility with two
diesels power 147.2 kw of each one. Nowadays basic part of installed on the ships main power
facilities there are internal combustion engines. A diesel power machinery consists of one or
several main engines as well as from auxiliary machinery. Depending on ways of working cycles
the internal combustion engine is divide on four stroke and two stroke ones. Until to the end of
sixties on the vessels were installing reversible main engines allow the ship does backing. Only
in case of low power internal combustion engine for the reverse have been used reverse gears
which allowed maneuvering. During sixties at the same time with the advent of adjustable pitch
screws have been started use irreversible internal combustion engines, first on small vessels, tugs
and some one, then in merchant fleet with large vessels. As a result a construction of engines
simplified.
Main body. A combustion cycle is the complete process of induction, compression,
ignition and exhaust. The difference between two and four stroke engine arise with the time
taken by combustion process to complete. It depends on the number of times the piston moves up
and down (STROKE) in the cylinder during one cycle. What is STROKE? The stroke of an
engine means the completion of the piston movement in cylinder from top dead center to bottom
dead center of cylinder.
The four-stroke cycle is completed in four strokes of the piston, or two revolutions of the
crankshaft. In order to operate this cycle, the engine requires a mechanism to open and close the
inlet and exhaust valves. Consider the piston at the top of its stroke, a position known as top dead
center. The inlet valve opens and fresh air is drawn in as the piston moves down. At the bottom
of the stroke, bottom dead center, the inlet valve closes and the air in the cylinder is compressed
as the piston rises and as a result the temperature inside the combustion camera is raised. Fuel is
injected as the piston reaches top dead center and combustion is going on, producing very high
pressure in the gases. The piston is now forced down by these gases and at bottom dead center
the exhaust valve opens. The final stroke is the exhausting of the burnt gases as the piston rises
 to top dead center to complete the cycle. Figure 2.1

These four different strokes are known as “inlet”,” compression”, “power” (working
stroke) and “exhaust”.
 The two-stroke cycle is completed in two strokes of the piston or one revolution of
crankshaft. In order to operate this cycle where each event is accomplished in very short time,
the engine requires a number of special arrangements. First, the fresh air must be forced in under
pressure. The incoming air is used to clean out scavenge the exhaust gases and then to fill or
charge the space with fresh air. Instead of valves, known as “ports”, are used which are opened
and closed by the sides of the piston as it moves.
 Additional increase of power achieved by chargering. Charging of diesel engine needs to
complete of fresh air to cylinders in case of intake stroke. To sum up the main purpose of
chargering is increasing power of the engine without engine’s enlargement, as well as rotational
frequents. In case of two-stroke engines all processes happen for one revolution of crankshaft in
this deal an opportunity to simplify construction of engine, to change intake or exhaust valves to
scavenge ports, which will overlap with a piston. Lack of valves and valve springs allows an
engine works in more high rotational frequency of crankshaft. But in this case an asymmetric
problem of opening and closing of scavenge ports regarding dead points is appearing.
Scavenging ports have to open later than exhaust ports so that by the time open of them the
pressure inside of cylinder to be reduced and exhaust gases not going through these ones but and
closening must be later too, otherwise pushed exhaust gases, fresh charge will run out through
exhaust ports, until they will not have closed. So besides of fresh air a blowing becomes
impossible. The basic and main difference between these types of marine engines is working on
different quality of fuel. Two-stroke engines can work on low quality of fuels but number of
separators more. So four-stroke engines work on high quality of fuels but they are requirement
high maintenance and high fuel cost and difficulty burning of lower quality fuels. Speaking
about advantages of two stroke engines they are produce high torque and power, so four-stroke
engines are speedy but only powerful engines can carry so heavy goods and put in motion
vessels with 300 000 deadweight tonnage. Two-stroke engines mostly work in crude oils because
this type of fuel has not so expensive cost versus high quality fuels on which four-stroke engines
are work. As a result, high wearing of main engine, separators and other mechanism due to
difficult of cleaning this fuels. Also using dirty fuels lead to illnesses of crew members during
often recovery of separators, details of different machinery from harmful substances.
IMO regulations to reduce Sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions from the ships first came
into force in 2005, under the Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from ships (known as the MARPOL Convention). Since then, the limits on Sulphur
oxides have been progressively tightened. We are going to see a substantial cut: to 0.50% m/m
(mass by mass) from 3.50% m/m. Following for new regulation of IMO from 1 January 2020 we
will be able to reduce of wearing both main engine and other machinery also taking of this rule
will be able to lead to improvement of our life and environmental especially on major shipping
routes.There is an even stricter limit of 0.10% m/m already in effect in emission control areas
(ECAS) which have been established by IMO. This 0.10% m/m limit applies in the four
established ECAS: the Baltic Sea area; the North Sea area; the North American area (covering
designated coastal areas off the United States and Canada); and the United States Caribbean Sea
area (around Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands).
 Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are currently considering the possibility of
applying to designate the Mediterranean Sea or parts there of as an ECA.Ships can have engines
which can use different fuels, which may contain low or zero sulphur. For example, liquefied
natural gas, or biofuels.Top shipping companies such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have stressed
that they will meet the new regulations by switching to alternative fuels. In our base case, we
expect 80-90% compliance with the MARPOL regulations in 2020.
So, to coming IMO all ship industry have to use fuels above 0.5 per cent of Sulphur.

There are several ways:

- go over on liquefied natural gas
- use high quality fuel
-installing exhaust gas cleaning systems “scrubbers”
Let’s consider them concretely.
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG): More ships also use liquefied natural gas as a fuel as well
as it has insignificant volume sulfur oxides during burning of it. It was recognized under
developing IMO of International Code of Ships, using gases and other kinds of fuel with low
temperature of burning, which has been adopted in 2015. Although a potential alternative fuel, it
is unlikely to emerge as a viable substitute for conventional bunker fuel in the near term and its
share of demand is expected to stay below 1%. But an industry of “bunker” LNG is developing
slowly because of the small amount of ports (there are only three large ports with necessary
industry to bunkering of LNG –tankers: Rotterdam, Vancouver and Singapore)
Scrubbers: This add-on allow shippers to continue burning HSFO, while releasing
emissions into the water instead of air, which is permitted. However, we estimate that scrubbers
will account for less than 15% of global MARPOL compliance. In October 2018, IMO's Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted a MARPOL amendment to prohibit the
carriage of non-compliant fuel oil for combustion purposes for propulsion or operation on board
a ship - unless the ship has an exhaust gas cleaning system ("scrubber") fitted.
There is also a risk that some shippers will not comply at all, as the International
Maritime Organization (IMO)—under whose auspices MARPOL was set up—does not have a
proper enforcement mechanism in place. However, as stated above, bigger and more established
shipping companies are more likely to comply and, as a consequence, they will push for tighter
enforcement and development of technologies that identify non-compliant ships.
Conclusion. I suppose that two stroke engine more efficient in my profession because
specific fuel consumption is less. For nowadays it is the most important characteristic for
merchant marine. Speaking about IMO 2020, in my point of view, new tightening will benefit to
us and to the environmental too. Marine industry will be able develop and get ahead. Yes, there
are enough disadvantages to ship owners but the main purpose is safe our lives and health both
our and engines.
LIST OF LITERATURE:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-stroke_diesel_engine
2. http://www.imo.org/en/About/Pages/Default.aspx
3. https://rg.ru/2018/02/05/pochemu-morskie-suda-ne-speshat-perehodit-s-mazuta-na-
gaz.html