Universidad Nacional Experimental Marítima del Caribe

Vicerrectorado Académico
Cátedra de Idiomas
English VI. Maritime Engineering
Marine facilities

Unit III. Identifying marine main engines.

Speaking.

Look at the pictures.

What type of marine engines do you think they are?

Look at the figure shown below. Write TRUE or FALSE

1. A ship propulsion system includes at least one marine propeller

2. A ship propulsion system has three main components

3. The components are main engine, auxiliary machinery and the propeller

Label the three components of a ship propulsion system.

A. Propeller

B. Main engine

C. Shaft
Remember!

Ships are large, complex vehicles which must be self-sustaining in their environment for
long periods with a high degree of reliability. A ship is the product of two main areas of skill,
those of the naval architect and the marine engineer. The naval archite ct is concerned with the
hull, its structure, form, habitability, and ability to endure its environment. The marine
engineer is responsible for the various systems which propel and operate the ship. More
specifically, this means the machinery required for propulsion, steering, anchoring and ship
securing, cargo handling, air conditioning, power generation and its distribution.

What marine systems have you already learnt about?

What do you know about marine main engines?

Reading.
Read the following text

Marine main engines

There are four main types of marine engine: the diesel engine, the steam turbine, the gas
turbine and the marine nuclear plant. Each type of engine has its own particular application.

A diesel engine is a ship's reciprocating machine, the internal

combustion engine. To understand how a diesel engine works imagine
the piston just near the top of its upstroke. All access from the outer air
is closed but a given volume of air has been drawn in and trapped in
between the bottom of the cylinder top and the top of the piston. Air is

compressed and it heats. At the point of maximum compression a

needle
valve in the cylinder head opens, a spray of fuel enters. An explosion
takes place and the piston is driven down the cylinder. Working via the piston rod, crosshead and
connecting rod, it rotates the crankshaft. No diesel engine is a single cylinder engine, there may be
as many as twelve driving one crankshaft, but each cylinder is self-sufficient in operation.

The diesel engine is started by means of compressed air admitted into the cylinder at high pressure
via a special starting valve. There are two main types of diesel engines: one is the two-cycle and the
other is the four-cycle. The power output of a modern marine diesel engine is about 40,000 brake
horse power (bhp). This is now expressed in kilowatts. Large diesel engines, which have cylinders
near 3 ft in diameter, turn at the relatively small speed of about 108 r.p.m. These are known as slow-
speed diesel engines. They can be connected directly to the propeller without gearing. Although
higher power could be produced by higher revolutions, this would reduce the efficiency of the
propeller, because a propeller is more efficient the larger it is and the slower it turns. These large
slow-running engines are used in the larger merchant ships, particularly in tankers and bulk carriers.
The main reason is their low-fuel consumption.

More and more of the larger merchant vessels are being powered by medium-speed diesel
engines. These operate between 150 and 450 r.p.m., therefore they are connected to the propeller
by gearing. This type of engine was once restricted to smaller cargo ships, but now they are used
in fast cargo liners as well as in tankers and bulk carriers.

Read the text again. Look at the picture and with the help of your facilitator; label the parts of this
engine.
The marine engineer concerns about
the engine and is responsible for the
various systems which propel and
operate the ship.

Learn more about main

engines.
 maintenance costs are considerable. In steam turbines
high pressure steam is directed into a series of blades or
vanes attached to a shaft, causing it to rotate. This rotary
motion is transferred to the propeller shaft by gears.
Steam is produced by boiling water in a boiler, which is
The steam turbine has until fired by oil. Recent developments in steam turbines which
recently been the first choice for very have reduced fuel consumption and raised power output
large power main propulsion units. have made them more attractive as an alternative to diesel
Its advantages of little or no power in ships. They are 50 per cent lighter and on very
vibration, low weight, minimum large tankers some of the steam can be used to drive the
space requirements and low large cargo oil pumps. Turbines are often used in
container ships, which travel at high speeds.
What’s the difference between

steam turbines and gas turbines?

Gas turbines differ from steam turbines in that gas

rather than steam is used to turn a shaft. These have also

become more suitable for use in ships. Many naval vessels

are powered by gas turbines and several container ships are fitted with them. A gas turbine engine
is very light and easily removed for maintenance. It is also suitable for complete automation. The
gas turbine efficiency being low, its main advantage is its small weight and size which makes a
gas turbine installation very attractive for naval applications. Most of modern warships of about
5,000 ton displacement are powered with gas turbines usually combined with diesel engines. Gas
turbines are easier to start and reliable in operation. However, the use of astern
gas turbines is a rather complex problem; therefore ships

powered with main gas turbine units are equipped with

either controllable pitch propellers (c.p.p.) or other reversing gears.
 Nuclear power in ships has mainly
been confined to naval vessels,
particularly to submarines. But this
form of power can be used more in
merchant ships as oil fuels become
more expensive. The atomic ice -
breakers opened new
possibilities in exploring
the northern areas. They can
sail for a long time without
refueling.
A nuclear-powered ship differs from a conventional turbine ship in that it uses the
energy released by the decay of radioactive fuel to generate steam. The steam is used to
turn a shaft via a turbine in the conventional way.

Complete this diagram to form a summary of the basic types of marine engine.

Fill in this box to summarize the applications of these engines.

Type of engine Application
Slow-speed diesel

Medium-speed diesel

Steam turbine

Gas turbine
Marine nuclear plant

Words and terms to be remembered

power-plant output
habitability nuclear gear
reciprocate efficiency fuel
combustion power steam
piston turbine
stroke blade
cylinder valve
vane
explosion
shaft
piston rod
crosshead rotate
connecting rod astern pitch
crankshaft cycle reverse release

Arrange the words below into the pairs of synonyms:

restrict produce drive

self- energy
sustained traditional
output opposite
plant navy service
conventional combustion installation limit
(to) power warships
remove investigate burning
maintenance independent take-
power off
reverse explore
Read the text and answer the following questions.

1. What main types of marine engine can be found at sea today?

2. Why must the propeller shaft rotate at a relatively slow speed?

3. What is the difference between steam and gas turbine?

4. Is the nuclear power used in merchant ships?

Grammar.
Expressing differences Expressing similarities

Steam turbines are different from gas turbines Both steam turbines and gas turbines are light.

Steam turbines differ from gas turbine in that
gas rather than steam is used to turn a shaft
While/Whereas diesel engines are cheap, nuclear
plants are not.
Diesel engines are cheap. On the contrary,
nuclear plants are expensive.
Match the following words (terms) with their explanations.
1) force used for driving machines ___
A steam turbine is as light as the gas turbine.
The parts of a steam turbine are similar to the
gas turbine
Neither ferries nor carriers are nuclear-powered
ships
a) pitch

2) any powerful self-working machine ___ b) bed plate

3) any substance (e.g. oil), by which a fire is kept going ___ c) turbine

4) a foundation framework for a marine engine___ d) power

5) the distance the propeller will advance during one revolution ___ e) fuel

6) a screw with a set of blades ___ f) nuclear reactor

7) a shaft turned by cranks which changes reciprocation motion into g) crankshaft
circular motion ___
8) vapour from boiling water ___ h) propeller

9) apparatus for producing atomic energy___ i) piston

10) machine or device for forcing liquid into or out of or through j) pump something
___
11) engine or motor whose driving wheel is turned by a flow of water, k) shaft steam
or gas ___
12) the rod which turns the propeller ___ l) steam

13) a connection by means of toothed wheels ___ m) valve

14) a mechanical device for controlling the flow of air, gas, liquid in n) gear one
direction ___
15) a cylinder fitting closely inside another cylinder used in engines, o) engine
pumps to pass on motion ___

"...If the wheelhouse is the brain of the ship,

the engine room may be called the heart of
the ship".

W. Somerset Maugham "Mister-All"

Know