ASPECTS OF MARINE LOW-SPEED, CROSS-HEAD DIESEL-ENGINE LUBRICATION

Long-stroke cross-head diesel engines of high power rate are used prim arily in ships as main propulsion engines. The relatively low specific fuel consumption level (as compared to other types of power generatio n sets), long service life and operation ability with residual fuel oi l of poor quality give shipowners the incentive to order ships equippe d with two-stroke low-speed engines. During the last 10 years signific ant progress has been made in engine designs for fuel efficiency and i ncreased power rate. These lead to more severe cylinder and bearing lu brication conditions defined by engine construction, maintenance and f uel qualities. This introductory article is devoted to some aspects of lubricant application in modem low-speed cross-head engines.