Starting engine(s)

[Sea Devil]

Can anybody tell me how you start the propulsion engine in a big ship like a tanker or container ship?

If the ship had been on anchorage for some time with presumably a 'domestic' power generator running but nothing else how do you start the main engine(s) and then transfer control to the bridge?

Does a modern (ish) marine engine require hand on maintenance whist it is running? Shaft greasing - water cooling if that's how it works?

Did not have much luck with my anchoring questions on this forum but maybe somebody can tell me about big ships engines?

Partly curiosity and partly for a book

thanks in advance

Michael

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Depends on the engine. If diesel electric have enough power available. If a steam turbine open the valves between the boilers and the turbine, to go either "Ahead" or "Astern" If a large diesel engine it is usually started with compressed air fed into the engine to "Kick it over" Again "Ahead" or "Astern"

 

[Sea Devil]

Depends on the engine. If diesel electric have enough power available. If a steam turbine open the valves between the boilers and the turbine, to go either "Ahead" or "Astern" If a large diesel engine it is usually started with compressed air fed into the engine to "Kick it over" Again "Ahead" or "Astern"

Thank you for that information.

Is it possible to indulge me a little more? If it were a large diesel engine how does that work? As an idiots guide and I have no knowledge whatsoever of big ships - what is the process? You walk into a silent engine room... Presumably you have to open a valve to allow diesel to be fed to the engine or is this valve normally left open? Then where is the compressed air kept? A big cylinder or is it generated by separate smaller diesel engine? In order to 'kick it over' what do you do to make it run? Just find the compressed air feed and activate it having opened the fuel valve?
Would be most grateful for a step by step guide
Many thanks
Michael

 

[Bilgediver]

The engine has to be warmed up before starting and this can take several hours if it has been allowed to cool down . The engine cooling water will be circulating for the warming up process. The lubricating oil pumps have to be started up so the oil can also warm up though not critical. There may be other cooling systems such as for fuel injectors which need to run. As the engine will be running on heavy oil when at sea then the fuel oil heater will need to be set to on which will need steam or electric.

Prior to starting the engine is turned with an electric turning gear with indicator cocks on the cylinders open to confirm no water in the cylinders. Prior to starting the cocks will be closed.

Once the engine is warmed through and all services running and the captain calls stand by then the turning gear is removed and the controls set for Bridge or engine control and the starting air bottle valves opened. These are maintained at a pressure of around 300 PSI

If engine control then the engine is started in the engine room control room using operating levers. These vary from engine to engine however one operates the air start and the other the amount of fuel . The air start level will be pushed one way for ahead and the other for astern.

To start the engine you move the air start lever in the direction required and once the engine is moving set the fuel lever to the slowest speed. The air lever is promptly returned to the off position. Move the fuel lever slowly to the required speed.

If set to bridge control then control is by the officer on the bridge moving the telegraph. On some engines the engineers could set the fuel lever in the engine room in order to limit the speed which could be applied by bridge control.

Once manoeuvring is finished and the pilot departed the ship will be wound up to full see speed and the engine switched from diesel oil to heavy fuel if diesel was used during manoeuvring.

Switching between Bridge Control to Engine room control varies from ship to ship but usually requires action in both the engine control room and wheelhouse. The engineers can usually stop the engine whatever mode in cases of emergency. It helps to warn the bridge first

This bears now resemblance to what happens on the latest generation of passenger ships. Hear the propulsion is usually diesel electric and the ship will have a bank of diesel alternators. say 5 engines. While in port one will be running to provide services. As departure approaches the engineers will run up another 2 and connect them to the distribution system.

The propulsion is a mixture of azimuth pods and side thrusters where the electric motors can be in the pods or up in the ship driving down to the pods.
Each pod has a controller on the bridge desk which can be rotated through 360 degrees and on top is a lever which controls RPM. The recent line up
of The Three Queens in Liverpool showed how good this system is when the ships held position line abreast for 15 minutes prior to the Red Arrows flypast.

If more power is required for sea speed then it may be necessary to start a further engine .

You asked about the air start system... Each diesel is fitted with an air distributor which supplies control air to an air start valve on each cylinder of the diesel. The air distributor system can be also be hydraulic or plain mechanical depending on the engine. When the air start lever is operated then pilot air is admitted to the correct valves which open and allow full flow of air to the cylinders and so turn the engine. The whole process is relatively silent with the most noise coming from the turbo chargers as power is increased.

Older engines had many oiling points and some greasing points. However as bridge control and unmanned engine rooms became the norm these requirements had to be dealt with another way . Sometimes there were plummer block bearings in the shaft tunnel that needed oil pots to be filled however most ships now will have self lubricating Mitchell type bearings .

Hope this helps you understand.

 

[Sea Devil]

Thank you bilgediver - 1942 was a very good year as we both experienced!

thanks for taking the trouble to answer I am very grateful for that comprehensive starting instruction....

Would you expect to find a 'crib' in an engine room - a script of how to start the engine for that particular ship?

I am really interested in tankers - do they often carry the same fuel oil as cargo that they use in their propulsion engine or is it nearly always crude?

Would it be possible to start the engine from the bridge?

really interesting how the maritime world has moved on...

thanks again

Michael

 

[stranded]

Are you Somali?!

 

[Sea Devil]

Got attacked by them once ---

Sailing out of Gibraltar has made me more interested in how the big professionals do it.... Like how do you start a engine on a ship that has been on anchor for a week or two... Lots like that in Algerciras bay and I bet frequently it is a different engineer who comes on board to restart from the one that stopped the engine then flew home for r&f.

Also anchoring.... The big ships seem so casual with it... Just steam up and drop the hook.. never seem to let out chain 3 or 4 times the depth and never back up to dig it in like we do in little boat...

fascinating .........

 

[Bilgediver]

It is not usual to have a "crib" in the engine room. When engineers join a different ship they know what to look for and so by the time sailing time arrives they have worked out how to do it. As part of ISM there is a detailed manual of all systems.They might read this if not familiar with some of the systems on board.

Most tankers carry crude oil which may be unsuitable for the engines .

Some liquid gas tankers can use the burn off gas from the cargo to augment the fuel.we

 

[Latestarter1]

Bilgediver,

A lot has changed since I maneuvered my last engine (Sulzer 8RND 76) in 1971.

As a junior spent most time on Doxfords. Learning how to start a Doxford with enough air but without lifting safety valves was an art. A 21 gun salute on the safety valves would result in a flailing from the Second and the presentation of a special award, a chrome plated penis.

Old story used to be of an ancient Union Steamship vessel on the New Zealand coast. Three legged Doxford and wheezy compressors, skipper was making a meal of berthing in Littleton, Second called the bridge and said 'you can have two more toots on the whistle or one engine start, but not both!'

 

[Bilgediver]

Had to laugh at that. On one occasion berthing some where we had both compressors running and in spite of every effort to conserve air were losing bottle pressure. A word to the bridge had the desired effect.?

I started on 4 legged Doxfords to a couple of trips on an Empire boat with Three legged Doxford and engine driven pumps and starring by steam from exhaust boiler. Moved through 6RD Sulzer and 7 Cyl B & w and then enjoyed the Ruston AO and PC 240 Medium speed engines. All good fun with a certain Welsh Tramp company.