Universidad Nacional Experimental Martima del Caribe

Vicerrectorado Acadmico
Ctedra de Idiomas
English VI. Maritime Engineering
Marine facilities

Unit IV. Marine Diesel Engine

Read this article about the engines used in the marine industry

Read again and write True or False

___________
1. The internal combustion engine can be based on two principles : the
Otto process and the Diesel process.
___________
2. While in the Otto process a mixture of air and fuel is compressed and
a spark plug initiates the ignition, in the diesel process only air is
compressed at a high temperature resulting in the ignition.
___________
3. Both processes use spark plugs.
Group discussion
Look at the chart and discuss about the properties of both principles.

Otto engine Diesel engine

Principle mixture compression air compression
Ignition with spark plug ignition spark by hot air combustion
Fuels gases / petrol diesel oil, heavy oil and bio-fuels
Motor weight light heavy
Efficiency low: 15 - 45% high: 25 55%
Capacity maximum: 10 MW (gas engines) maximum: 100 MW (ship engines)

Read this article and do the activities below.

Glossary
Prime mover: n. a machine that transforms Power to weight ratio: n. Specific power.
energy from thermal, electric or pressure to Measurement of actual performance of any
mechanical or vice versa. engine.
MW: n. Megawatt. A unit of power that
equals one million watts.

The diesel engine is a reciprocating internal combustion engine. Diesel engines are used
to drive cars, trains, ships and other marine structures, electric generators, pumps,
compressors, etc.
The diesel engine is still the most frequently used prime mover in the merchant marine
field. Power ranges from 0.25 MW for the smallest high speed engines to 90 MW for the
biggest low-speed engines.
The main advantages of diesel engines are:
It is relatively insensitive to fuel quality; it can be operated by light fuel as well as the
heaviest residual fuels.
High reliability
High maintainability due to simple technology
High efficiency, can reach more than 50%
Low cost, in terms of initial and operational costs.
While the main disadvantages of diesel engines are:
Pollutant emissions
Low powe r to weight ratio if compared with gas turbine
Vibration and noise
Speaking and writing.
Ans wer the following questions.
1. What is a diesel engine?

2. What are the pros and cons of using diesel engines?

Types of diesel engines

From the application viewpoint, three main types of diesel engines are available:
Low speed diesel engines (rpm<250) Greater than
Medium speed diesel engines (250<rpm<1000) between
lower than
High speed diesel engines (rpm>1000)
From the construction vie wpoint, two types can be distinguished:
Two stroke engines (the majority of them low speed and few medium speed)
Four stroke engines (medium or high speed)

Main parts of a diesel engine A) 2-stroke engine (crosshead)

and B) 4-stroke engine (trunk piston)

The engines shown in this

figure are in- line engines, all
cylinders are positioned on
one line. Four stroke engines
can be built with V-
configuration or star
configuration.

Learning more about diesel engines

 How do two-stroke and four-stroke diesel engines work?

Two stroke Four stroke

The entire combustion cycle is completed
in one revolution of the crankshaft, and
consequently in two piston strokes.
This principle is most often applied to
small and very large sized diesel engines.
Small diesel engines are used to drive
generators or a pump. The very large
diesel engines are without exception
crosshead engines which are mainly used
for ship propulsion.
The entire combustion cycle is completed
in two revolutions of the crankshaft and
consequently in four piston strokes. This
principle is generally applied in high-
speed and medium-speed diesel engines.
Smaller propulsion engines, engines for
driving generator sets, back-up generators,
and also larger propulsion engines of up to
30MW shaft power all work according
to the four stroke principle.

Grammar.

Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known,
however, who or what is performing the action. For example :

all cylinders are positioned on one line

4-stroke engines can be built with V-configuration or star configuration.

Form of passive:
Subject + form of to be + Past Participle

Modals (such as can, could, should and others) are also used to form passive, as you can see in
the previous examples. In this case, the sentence construction is as follows:

Subject + modal + be + Past Participle

Now, find other examples in the reading.

1. _____________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________
 The diesel engine aspiration, the method of air admission
into the engine, can be done in two ways: natural aspiration
or supercharging.
Naturally aspirated engines suck the atmospheric air in
Air admission
the suction stroke without any additional assistance, while
into the engine the supercharged engines are supplied by the air at higher
pressure than atmospheric by the aid of a compressor, when
this compressor is coupled to an exhaust driven turbine, the
process of supercharging is called turbo-charging.

Principle diagram of exhaust-driven

turbo-charging of a diesel engine.

Words and te rms to be reme mbe red

Match the words and the explanations.

____ forms a sliding surface for the piston and retains lubricant.
a. two-stroke engine
____ is on the top of the cylinder to prevent damage from heat.
b. four-stroke engine
____ converts reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation.
c. cylinder cover
____ completes a power cycle in one crankshaft revolution.
d. piston
____ serves as a base for a machine.
e. connecting rod
____ connects the piston to the crankshaft.
f. crosshead
____ transfers force to crankshaft via a piston rod.
g. crankshaft
____completes a power cycle in two revolutions of the crankshaft
h. bed plate
i. cylinder liner ____ eliminates sideways pressure on the piston.
Take a sheet of paper and draw a diagram of the 2-stroke engine and its parts.

Techniques for recording

vocabulary

Mi nd maps Contexts Translations

Some people like to make Other people think of Other people like to translate
mind maps of words with vocabulary in sentences or words into their own language.
related meanings. groups of words that go
together

Try these ways out:

Try different ways of organizing and
studying vocabulary to find the way that
Complete this mind map. works best for you.

Diesel engine parts

Complete these phrases A poor ___________________

with these words: two-
stroke, internal a reciprocating ___________________________engine
combustion, valve,
lubrication, power a reduction in ________________________

air inlet __________________

a ________________________ cycle
Reading and writing

Read the whole text again and answer these questions.

1. Establish a comparative chart of pros and cons of the diesel engine.

2. How can the diesel engine aspiration be done? Elaborate your answer.

3. Complete this chart by either drawing or writing the part of the engine.

Piston Bedplate or Frame box

Connecting rod

Word search puzzle

Crossword

Marine engines

Look at the pictures and write the names.

Language assistant: Units of Measurement

1 pound = 0, 45 kg.
1 foot = 0, 30 m
1 inch = 2, 54 cm.
1 mile = 1, 609 km
1 yard = 0, 914 m

Read and discuss. Look at the specifications of a Marine Diesel Engine, complete the
table and answe r the questions.

Model N Bore & Displacement Type Coolant Length Weight

Cylinders stroke capacity

Bore: diameter of cylinder.

Stroke: distance that piston
moves up and down.
Questions

1. Is this a 4-stroke engine? __________________________________________________

2. What is the engine oil capacity? _____________________________________________

3. How wide is the engine? __________________________________________________

4. How much does it weigh?__________________________________________________

5. Is the engines height 37 ft.? _______________________________________________

Extra- activities
Read and complete the following text with the appropriate terms.

Diesel Engines vs. Gasoline Engines

In theory, diesel engines and gasoline engines are quite ________________. They are
both internal ______________ engines designed to convert the chemical energy
available in fuel into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy moves
______________ up and down inside ________________. The pistons are connected to
a _______________, and the up-and-down motion of the pistons, known as linear
motion, creates the rotary motion needed to turn the wheels of a car forward.
_____________ diesel engine and gasoline engine covert fuel into energy through a
series of small explosions or combustions. The major ______________ between diesel
and gasoline is the way these explosions happen. In a gasoline engine,
_______________ is mixed with air, compressed by pistons and ignited by sparks from
_________________. In a diesel engine, however, the _______________ is compressed
first, and then the fuel is injected. Because air heats up when it's compressed, the fuel
ignites.

Watch the videos and do the activities.

Write the differences between the Spark and Compression Ignition
Engines.