Bunkering is a process of transferring fuel oil or lube oil in which two vessels positioned alongside each other supply fuel oil from one to another. Damage from poor bunkers and financial loss from insufficient bunker supply are key issues for the marine sector, and this because there is a lot of money involved due…
This post is written on demand from one of my fellow engineer, as he requested a proper explanation of what exactly the common rail system is it and, its impact and how it works. The following explanation is based on the main marine engines manufacturer’s released information about their development and research on this subject….
I believe that many of you have heard lately, at least once, about the autonomous or “unmanned” vessels and thinking on how this will affect your jobs, life and your future. As I could see and understand, everyone of us tend to deny and refuse to believe that this will ever happen or that will…
Purifiers clean fuels and lubricants as well as processing bilge water and sludge, but onboard vessels they are mainly part of fuel and oil treatment system. Purifiers are usually under a junior engineer responsibility and, sometimes they proves to be real nightmares for some of them, mainly because of lack of knowledge regarding operating principle,…
Heat exchangers onboard vessels can be of the shell and tube type, plate type and fin type. Their type and model are adequate for particular systems and operating conditions taking into account all relevant ambient conditions that may affect their performance. Shell and tube type heat exchangers are generally used onboard as heaters for fuel…
A while ago we have experienced frequent black outs due one of the vessel’s generators trip while running on load. The generator used to trip if load went more than 50 % while was running as a single generator and especially when a large consumer starts when the generator was close to 50 % load….
Vessel’s bunker line pressure test is a procedure of the outmost importance which cannot be emphasizes enough, although is ignored and avoided by many engineers sometimes due lack of time, lack of knowledge or fear that something would go wrong during test. Is very important to remember that the whole purpose of this periodical test…
Filters remove particles from liquids and gases, decreasing wear and tear on downstream systems and increasing operating stability and dependability. Filters should have a high level of cleaning efficiency, create minimal resistance, have a high impurity pick-up capacity, and be simple to clean. Filters eliminates solids in the flowing media undergoing filtration, almost completely above…
Author – Daniel G. Teleoaca – Marine Chief Engineer Understanding the Scavenging Air System The turbocharger uses the exhaust gas from the engine to compress new air and charge the engine with a positive pressure higher than ambient conditions. Exhaust gas temperature convection and compression raises the temperature of the air and this cannot be…
Asphaltene, carbon residues and sediments Asphaltenes are complex suspended solids in fuel that have high melting points and high carbon/hydrogen ratios. The proportion of asphaltenes in a fuel appears to increase as secondary refinery processes are more widely used. They have poor combustion properties and burn very slowly. If these formations precipitate, they can have…