Cylinder Lubrication

Cylinder Lubrication
• To lubricate the liner of a 2 stroke crosshead
engine a metered quantity of oil is pumped
through lubricator quills to the surface of the liner
where the piston rings distribute it over the
longitudinal running surface. To help spread the
oil circumferentially, grooves are cut from each
lubrication point, sloping downwards and
meeting midway between the lubrication points.
(see photos)
• The best position for the lubrication points is
worthy of a little investigation.
 Cylinder Lubrication
• It is no good injecting the oil when the piston is
either above or below the injection points else
the oil will either be scraped by the rings
downwards into the scavenge space, or upwards
where it will be burnt by the hot gases of
combustion. Ideally the oil should be injected
into the ring pack as it passes the lubrication
points. To do this effectively the piston should be
moving as slowly as possible. A little thought will
show that at mid stroke the piston is moving at
its fastest, and therefore it is best to position the
lubricators just after BDC or just before TDC
when the piston is speeding up or slowing down.
 
 Cylinder Lubrication

• Engine builders have done both. This photo shows the

lubrication points on a B&W K90GF engine. The
lubrication points are just above the scavenge ports
 Cylinder Lubrication

• In this photo of a Sulzer RND liner the lubricators are

positioned near the top of the liner.
• Maintaining an oil film of adequate thickness and
oil refreshment rate is also an important
consideration when determining the position of
lubrication points. Adequate thickness of lube oil
is necessary to prevent metal to metal contact
between ring and liner, and an adequate
refreshment rate is necessary to combat acid
attack.  Research has shown that dual injection
points near the top of the liner give optimum
results over a single injection point.
• From the diagram opposite
it can be seen that if the
lubricators are positioned at
'A', refreshment rate is
good, but oil film thickness
poor. The converse is true
for point 'C'. Lubricators
placed at points 'B' and 'C'
give the best combination.
Cylinder Lubrication
 Cylinder Lubrication
• Theory is put into practice here. The
modern Sulzer RTA liner is shown with the
two lubrication points near the top of the
liner.
Cylinder Lubrication
• The diagram illustrates the
principle of the cylinder LO
injection system used by Sulzer.
Oil from the lubricator pumps is
prevented from moving through
the quill by the pressure in the
cylinder holding the non - return
valve closed. Instead it
pressurises the space under the
diaphragm. As the ring pack
passes the injection point the
pressure drops and the non -
return valve opens, allowing oil
to flow into the cylinder.
 TIMING OF LUBRICATORS
• As previously stated it is best to inject the oil into
the ring pack as it passes. This is not easily
achievable with mechanically driven lubricators,
however a lubricator quill fitted with an
accumulator and non return valve works on the
principle that the pressure drops as the ring pack
passes the injection point. An up to date system
is the MAN-B&W alpha lubrication system which
uses a computer to operate a cylinder lubrication
injection pump at the correct time
• The cylinder lubricator
pumps can be driven by the
main engine usually via the
camshaft drive or by an
independent motor. The
delivery quantity is
adjustable. The principle of
one type of pump (as used
by MAN B&W) is shown
opposite.
Cylinder lubricators on a Sulzer RTA
• This drawing shows the operating principle
of a computer controlled lubrication
system.
• Precise injection is achievable resulting in
reduced cylinder oil consumption whilst
keeping liner wear rate to a minimum.
• for full details of such a system follow the
link MAN-B&W alpha lubrication system
Jensen Swirl Injection Principle
• The cylinder lubricator pumps
the oil to the SIP valves
mounted in the cylinder liner
wall. The valves (see also
below) are equipped with a
nozzle for spraying tiny
droplets of cylinder oil
tangentially to the liner wall,
covering a large area above
the next injection valve.
Spraying from all valves
ensures covering the entire
circumference of the cylinder
liner.
• The injection takes place when the exhaust
valve is closing and well before the piston
passes the injection quills in the upward
movement. The centrifugal power of the
scavenging air swirl ensures that the droplets
settle horizontally well distributed on the liner
wall. This allows the piston rings to make the
vertical distribution of the injected cylinder oil
when they pass in the continued upward
movement. Thus, an optimal distribution of
cylinder oil is attained with a minimum of oil
quantity injected.
• The spring in the SIP valve works at a
pressure of approx. 40 bars. Besides
ensuring an adequate pressure for
cylinder oil to become a suitable spray
when leaving the nozzle, it also ensures
that the oil in the tube between cylinder
lubricator and SIP valve stays under
pressure. Thus, we can control the
injection timing as required for the
purpose.