The efficiency of the overall ship depends a lot on the efficiency of the engine running in its
engine room. One of the important factors to ensure efficiency of marine engines is to control the
power produced from each of its cylinder. The process of making fine adjustments to achieve
equal power from all engine cylinders is known as power balancing.
Power balancing of engines is carried out by making minor adjustment to fuel pumps of
individual cylinders. The quantity of fuel injected in the cylinder plays the most important role in
power balancing.
The small adjustments made to the fuel pumps should be such that the units are not overloaded
and the exhaust temperature doesn’t go beyond the safe limits. It is therefore necessary to be
extremely careful while carrying out adjustments for power balancing.
Important Points While Carrying out Power Balancing of Marine Engines
Power balancing should be done in such a way that:
Individual units are not overloaded
Exhaust temperature of the units do not rise above the acceptable levels
Fuel pumps are able to cut off when engine is stopped
Things to check while making Adjustments for Power Balancing of Marine Engines
Fuel pump rack position
Exhaust and cooling water return temperatures for each cylinder of marine engine
Measurements from indicator diagram
VIT adjustment
It is to note that not all cylinder units show equal exhaust temperatures. However, for each
engine the figures follow a certain path which can help in accessing a situation. Peak or
maximum pressure of the cylinders should also be checked along with cylinder temperatures.
If proper care is not taken during power balancing, the marine engine can become unbalanced,
leading to other serious problems.
Unbalanced situation of the engine might lead to
Overloading of bearings and running gears
Overheating or bearing failure
Piston blow past
Overheated or piston seizure
Vibration followed by fatigue
Fatigue cracking in bearings, studs, or bolts
Cracking in crankshaft
Failure of holding down bolts
If you are the watching keeping officer, you must check the following things to ensure smooth
power balancing of marine engines:
Check relevant temperature and pressures (exhaust and cooling return temperatures)
Check lubricating oil and turbo charger pressures
Check for any unusual noise or vibration
Keep an eye on the exhaust for any kind of smoke
Check if the turbocharger is running smoothly without surging or panting
Check fuel pump settings
Measure clearances and timings of fuel pumps when engine is not working
Ensure that fuel injectors are changed at regular intervals of time after cleaning and
testing. A faulty injector would not only cause loss in power but would also lead to
overloading of other cylinders as the governor would try to maintain the normal total
power output
Carry out maintenance of the marine engine at regular interval of time and note down any
deviation from the normal running speed
Any error found should be rectified at the earliest.
Do you have any more important information on power balancing of marine engines? Kindly
share it with others in comments below.
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Tags: marine diesel engines Marine engines ship engine
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About Mohit
Mohit Kaushik is a marine engineer sailing with Maersk Shipping. He handles website
development and technical support at Marine Insight. Apart from handling web development
projects, he also manages a logistics company and have a keen interest in modern logistic
technologies .
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