Guidance

Marine Diesel Engineering Written Examination Syllabus

Published 20 August 2014

1. Engine working principles

1. Basic working principles of compression ignition (diesel) and spark ignition (petrol) type engines.
2. Working principle of 4- Stroke Diesel engine:
   1. 4-stroke diesel engine cycle;
   2. 4-stroke diesel engine timing diagram;
   3. 4-stroke diesel engine pressure-volume (PV) diagram;
   4. Relationship between the 4-stroke timing diagram and PV diagram;
   5. 4-stroke scavenging process;
   6. Explanation and reasons for valve overlap;
   7. 4 - stroke starting air timing (begin and end).
3. Basic knowledge of power balancing an engine.
4. Combustion requirement (viscosity, atomisation, penetration).
5. Diesel Engine Combustion Process.
6. Basic knowledge about the importance of monitoring the combustion process.
7. Basic knowledge about peak pressures and indicator diagrams.

2. Turbochargers and superchargers

1. Principles and reasons for turbo-charging and super-charging.
2. Turbo-charger construction, components (Turbine, turbine blades, air intake filters, compressor, bearing types (plain, ball and roller), labyrinth glands) and their functions.
3. Pulsed turbocharger system.
4. Constant pressure turbocharger system.
5. Sequential (multistage) turbocharger system.
6. Reasons for charge air-cooling.
7. Construction of charge air coolers.
8. Super charge system performance – assessment.

3. Engine construction

1. Constructional details of medium and high-speed diesel engines used for main propulsion, electrical power generation and other auxiliary purposes.
2. Engine Bedplate, Block/Entablature and Tie bolts.
3. Holding down arrangements; bolts; resin chocks; resilient (flexible) mountings.
4. Crankshafts (solid forged, grain flow) and main bearings (bearing shells, materials, plain and thrust bearings, lubrication arrangements).
5. Axial vibration dampening arrangement or system.
6. Camshafts; camshaft drives, bearings, connecting rods (top and bottom end bearings, lubrication); cylinder liners; solid, composite and ceramic-coated pistons.
7. 4-stroke pistons, construction, crown, skirt, materials, cooling, gudgeon pin.
8. Piston rings (theory of working; types, compression, oil control, clearances, sealing).
9. Cylinder heads (cooling; push rods; overhead cams; inlet valves; exhaust valves; fuel injectors; safety valves; air start valves; indicator cocks).
10. Setting tappet clearance. Effects of too small and too large tappet clearances.
11. Flywheel; turning gear; barring over arrangements.
12. Materials and processes (casting, forging, fabrication etc) commonly used in the manufacture of the engine constructional components.
13. Engine formats used in construction, including in-line (straight) and V-type engines.

4. Basic principles of simple hydraulic and electronic governors

5. Engine safety and protection devices

1. Diesel Engine safety devices, working principles, operations and testing of engine safety devices for alarm and trip e.g. Lubricating oil (LO) low pressure and over speed, Jacket cooling water and high temperature.
2. Air starting system (direct) safeties (automatic non-return valve, manifold drain cocks, flame arrestor, manifold safety valve, interlocks – turning gear, zero pitch and gear box LO pressure).
3. Crankcase explosion relief/safety valve, crankcase explosions.
4. Oil mist detectors.
5. Turning gear interlocks for starting system.

6. Fuel oil supply system

1. Principles and operation of the following:
2. Basic distillate fuel oil system, layout and components (storage bunker tanks, settling tanks; centrifugal separator, day or service tank, transfer pumps, low pressure (LP) supply pumps, high pressure (HP) circulating or booster pumps, filters).
3. Engine fuel components (fuel rail, individual HP pump [Bosch or jerk type], multiple HP fuel pump blocks, HP fuel pipes [double sheathed], fuel injectors, spill return).
4. Construction and operation of the Bosch (jerk) type HP fuel pump.
5. Construction and operation of basic fuel injector (atomisation process, penetration, turbulence, problems with injection, ignition quality, ignition delay).
6. Testing and setting a fuel injector lift pressure.
7. Construction and operation of combined fuel pump and injector.
8. Principles of operation and components of a common rail fuel system.
9. Safety and protection devices fitted to the fuel system and its components (overflow tanks, vents, flame traps, relief valves, double sheathed pipes, leak tanks, alarms, remote emergency stops, remote emergency valve trips etc).

7. Fuel oil characteristics

1. Health and safety associated with handling fuel oils.
2. Knowledge of fuel oil standards (basic content of (International Organization for Standardization) ISO 8217 and BS 2869).
3. Compatibility and mixing of fuels from different bunker sources.
4. Flash point (Regulation 15 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), minimum flash points).
5. Ignition quality (Cetane Number).
6. Cloud point; Density; Pour point; Viscosity; Microbiological infestation.
7. Fuel storage temp – considering flash point & cloud/pour point.
8. Sulphur (low sulphur and ultra-low sulphur); Water; Wax, dirt, microbes, surfactants.

8. Fuel hygiene and treatment

1. The need for fuel hygiene.
2. Types of fuel oil filters.
3. Construction and operating principles of coalescent filters.
4. Construction and operating principles of fuel oil centrifugal separators.
5. Use of fuel oil centrifugal separators as purifiers and clarifiers.
6. Problems with distillate fuels (water, fuel contamination, flash point, wax, microbiological).

9. Lubrication

1. Reasons for lubrication (friction, wear, noise, lubrication, cooling, sealing, preserving).
2. Theory of lubrication with shafts rotating in bearings (boundary lubrication, hydrodynamic lubrication, bearing clearances).
3. Types of lubricant.
4. Lubricating oil characteristics.
5. Health and safety associated with handling lubricating oils.
6. Base number (BN); Colour, condition and odour.
7. Flash point, dangers of fuel dilution.
8. Contamination and testing (on board and shore) of oils (oil sampling, TBN, Flash point, microbial, dirt).
9. Pour point; Viscosity, viscosity index; water; wax.
10. Wear metals.
11. Qualities of base stock and additives (thermal /oxidation stability, volatility, alkalinity, detergency, anti-wear, extreme pressure, oxidation/corrosion protection, anti-emulsification, anti-foam).
12. Use of Greases (advantages and disadvantages).

10. Engine Lubricating Oil (LO) systems

1. Engine internal lubricating oil distribution systems (bearings, piston etc).
2. Basic lubricating oil cooling system, layout and components.
3. Safety and protection devices fitted to the system and its components.
4. Lubricating oil treatment.
5. Lubricating oil filters.
6. Construction and operating principles of lubricating oil centrifugal separators (manual operation only).
7. Contamination of lubricating oil from blow-past from the combustion space (carbon, fuel dilution, flash point, water).
8. Effects of running with contaminated oil and sources of contamination.
9. Simple lubricating oil testing (visual, smell, water, viscosity, viscosity comparison, spot test).

11. Cooling water systems

1. Self-contained engines, with engine driven pumps.
2. Air-cooled with radiator system.
3. Basic direct salt (raw) water cooling water system, layout and components.
4. Basic fresh water jacket cooling water system, layout and components.
5. Engines with independent (electric motor) driven pumps.
6. Basic fresh water centralised jacket cooling water system (Sea water, Low/High temperature cooling water), layout and components.
7. Safety and protection devices fitted to the systems and their components.
8. Use of cooling water chemical inhibitors, dangers when used with fresh water makers.

12. Heat exchangers

1. Construction and use of shell-tubular heat exchangers.
2. Construction and use of plate heat exchangers.
3. Construction and use of through-hull (exterior) heat exchangers.
4. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of heat exchanger.
5. Materials used in construction of heat exchangers.
6. Anodic protection in heat exchangers.

13. Engine starting systems

1. Manual hand cranking/barring over.
2. Air starting motors.
3. Hydraulic starting motors.
4. Electric (battery) starting motors.
5. Direct Air Starting System.

14. Engine operation and maintenance

1. Describe the following procedures:
   1. Preparing for sea and warming through;
   2. Shutting down and securing for maintenance;
   3. Overhaul of a unit;
   4. Overhaul of a main bearing;
   5. Routine servicing of a turbo-charger.
2. Reference to manufacturers manuals.
3. Reference to ships written procedures.
4. Reading of engineering drawings.
5. Causes and actions to be taken in the event of:
   1. Black smoke in the exhaust;
   2. White smoke in the exhaust;
   3. Blue smoke in the exhaust;
   4. Contamination of sump lubricating oil;
   5. Unusual crankcase noise;
   6. Exhaust temperature of one unit falling or increased above acceptable level;
   7. Exhaust temperature of all units are above acceptable level;
   8. Leaking exhaust valve;
   9. Fuel/Lub oil filter blocking;
   10. Surging in turbo-chargers;
   11. High Cooling Water Temperature;
   12. High Lub oil Temperature;
   13. High bearing temperature;
   14. Losing Lub oil from crankcase (sump);
   15. Engine starting failure;
   16. High Oil Mist Alarm.

15. Clutches

1. Applications of clutches (disconnecting drives, operational flexibility, shaft alignment, vibration damping).
2. Construction and operation of flexible clutches (simple friction, pneumatic, fluid).
3. Principles of shaft mis-alignment (lateral and angular) and methods of alignment.

16. Gearboxes

1. Applications of gearboxes (speed reduction, reversing and operational flexibility).
2. Types of gear teeth (axial or straight, helical and double helical, bevel). The advantages and disadvantages of each type, including axial thrust.
3. Gear configurations (crown, pinion, spur, idler, simple gear trains, compound gear trains, step- up, step-down, reduction, double reduction, epicycle).
4. Gearbox lubrication methods (splash, sprays etc).
5. Gearbox lubricating oil grades, extreme pressure (EP) and additives.
6. Gear box inspection and gear teeth faults (scoring, abrasion, pitting, exfoliation, fracture, scuffing, attrition etc).