In a traditional marine diesel engine its power is produced by hot compressed air igniting fuel which has been sprayed into the cylinder head under very high pressure. A marine diesel engine does not have a carburetor to mix fuel or air spark plugs to ignite the mixture. Instead it uses the pistons to compress the air to 3000 kPa, which causes it to become very hot and the fuel is ignited immediately it is injected into the cylinder.
Some marine diesel engines are fitted with a glow plug in the pre-combustion chamber of each cylinder or a heater plug in the inlet manifold. These can provide additional heat to the combustion air during the starting process.
Diesel marine engines are slower revving and heavier than gasoline engines but they are also more reliable because they do not have to count on external carburetion or that electrical spark for ignition.
Newer engines use an electronic fuel injection system whereby air and fuel are mixed thoroughly in the pre-combustion chamber before entering the cylinder. This system maximizes fuel and power economy and is also less polluting.
Every boater should have at least a basic understanding of marine diesel engine maintenance so let’s start by explaining the mechanical cycles.
Most reciprocating piston internal combustion engines work on one of two mechanical cyclesóeither the four-stroke cycle or the two-stroke cycle. These cycles list, in the correct order, the mechanical actions by which the fuel and air gain access to the engine cylinder, the gas pressure – due to combustion – is converted into power and, lastly, the burnt gas is expelled from the engine cylinder.
How A Basic Four-Stroke Marine Diesel Engine Works
From its name, it is obvious there are four strokes in one complete engine cycle. A stroke is the movement of the piston through the full length of the cylinder and, since one such movement causes the crankshaft to rotate half a turn, it follows that there are two crankshaft revolutions in one complete engine cycle.
In the order they occur the four strokes are:
1. Inlet stroke. With the inlet valve open and the exhaust valve closed, the piston moves from top dead center (TDC) to bottom dead center (BDC), creating a low-pressure area in the cylinder. Clean, filtered air rushes through the opened inlet valve to relieve this low-pressure area, and the cylinder is filled with air.
2. Compression stroke. With both valves closed, the piston moves from BDC to TDC, compressing the air. During the course of this stroke the air becomes heated to a temperature high enough to ignite the fuel.
3. Power stroke. At approximately TDC, the fuel is injected, or sprayed, into the hot, compressed air, where it ignites, burns and expands. Both valves remain closed, and the pressure on the piston crown forces it down the cylinder from TDC to BDC.
4. Exhaust stroke. At approximately BDC the exhaust valve opens and the piston starts to move from BDC to TDC, driving the burnt gas out of the cylinder through the open exhaust valve.
The Two-Stroke Diesel Engine
The two-stroke engine uses two piston strokes to complete one power stroke and, therefore, fire twice as often as a four-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine is smaller and simpler with fewer moving parts. A two-stroke engine has the potential to produce twice as much power as a four-stroke engine of the same size, however, because of the extra fitting required in a two-stroke diesel engine, for example blowers and governors, they become more expensive to produce. There has been a shift towards four stroke diesel engines which have become more efficient and smaller.
Protect Your Marine Diesel Engine
The engine is often idled to charge the batteries or cool the refrigeration but if done repeatedly it will glaze the bores of the engine and cause premature engine failure. Avoid idling your marine engine for longer than ten minutes in a no-load state. If the vessel is in a berth the engine can be put in gear to create load at idle.
Every boat owner should have some knowledge of basic marine engine maintenance so grab a copy of Marine Diesel Engine Maintenance For Beginners and keep yourself and your family safe while boating.