Lecture – 02

Propulsion Plants
Propulsion Plants

I. Steam Ships
A. Reciprocating steam Engines: Single Propeller
This is common for most of the merchant ships, naval ships, tugs and
dredgers etc. for first half of 20th century. It was simple, reliable and easy
to operate.

Advantages: From ship handling point of view-

 good response
 could be readily stopped and reversed, and
 developed full power in very short time.

Disadvantages:
 high cost of maintenance
 needed higher fuel at higher speeds.
 water, fuel and machinery occupied lot of space.
These, therefore were not very suitable for larger and higher speed ships
(passenger and warships), which preferred steam turbine ships.
Twin or multi propeller ships were further variants of steam reciprocating
engine ships.

B. Steam Turbine Ships

These engines are found on very large vessels where sustained high
speeds are required, such as tankers, passenger ships and container
ships. Turbines need less maintenance and use of cheaper fuels possible.
They can use any fuel in their boilers. On turbine ships, boiler rooms and
engine rooms are separate and the engine room remains cleaner. On
tankers, turbines are used on larger ships as they have turbo pumps and
boilers to run them. Same boilers then can run the propulsion turbines
also. The boilers provide the flue gas without the use of a flue gas boiler.
Advantages:
 the steam turbine engine is less heavy than its diesel counterpart.
 it is more reliable.
 turbine ship is smooth running and more reliable in the
mechanical sense.
 needs less maintenance.
 uses economical fuel

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 2 of 11

Drawbacks of Turbine ships from handling point of view are:

 turbine ships build up engine revolutions slowly and hence build

up speed sluggishly.
 when going astern the turbine needs to be stopped in its ahead
revolution and charged to astern revolution. a separate turbine is
therefore introduced for stern power with its output between 60%
to 50% of ahead power.

II. Motor Ships

Motor ships (Diesel ships) are perhaps the most common type met at sea now.
Up to the 1960’s, this type of engine was not available for larger ships (tankers
and bulk carriers). Such large ships were mostly equipped with steam turbine.
Now the larger ships also have motor engines, as they are less expensive to run.
From ship handling point of view, they present advantages over steam turbines
 they can be started quickly
 they respond to changes and develop power quickly
 they have more stern power and consequently stronger
transverse thrust than turbine ships.
 they are therefore easier to turn short turn around to starboard
for a right – handed propeller.

Disadvantages of diesel engines:

 as compressed air is used for starting engine, the air supply may
get exhausted in case of a number of engine starts. an upper limit
on stops and starts of the engine used to be necessary. however
now higher capacity compressors are fitted and this is no more a
problem.
 difficulties may be experienced in revering the engines from full
ahead to full astern.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 3 of 11

Alternative Main Engine Types

Diesel Engines
By far the majority of merchant ships in service or under construction today have
diesel engines. These are available in three main types:

i. slow – speed diesels with a speed of rotation mainly in the range from 60 to 150
revs./min.
ii. medium – speed diesels with a speed of rotation mainly in the range from 450
to 800 revs./min.
iii. high – speed diesels with a speed of rotation mainly in the range from 1000 to
3000 revs./min.

there are of course some diesel engines with revs./min in the gaps between the above
ranges, but these are the generally accepted bands.

A comparison of the size, the density and the weight per kW of each of these
machinery types is given in figure 1 below, all of the examples chosen being of about
7000 kW – this power being chosen as one at which all three engines compete. A
similar comparison between a slow – speed diesel and a marine gas turbine is given
in figure 2. In this case the power is 22000 kW representing the top end of the gas
turbine range.

At a power of about 7000 kW

High Speed Diesel
Slow Speed Diesel Medium Speed Diesel
7000 kW @ 100 rpm 7650 kW @ 520 rpm 7000 kW @ 1300 rpm
317 tonnes 153 tonnes 21 tonnes
1.11 tonnes/m3 or 0.90 m3/tonne 0.80 tonnes/m3 or 1.25 m3/tonne 0.84 tonnes/m3 or 1.9 m3/tonne
0.044 tonnes/kW or 23 kW/tonne 0.02 tonnes/kW or 50 kW/tonne 0.003 tonnes/kW or 330 kW/tonne

Figure 1. A comparison of the size, density and weight per kW of various types of main engines

At a power of about 22000 kW

Marine Gas Turbine
Slow Speed Diesel
22000 kW @ 100 rpm 22000 kW
770 tonnes 22 tonnes
1.04 tonnes/m3 or 0.96 m3/tonne 0.35 tonnes/m3 or 2.8 m3/tonne
0.035 tonnes/kW or 28 kW/tonne 0.001 tonnes/kW or 1000 kW/tonne

Figure 2. A comparison of the size, density and weight per kW of various types of main engines

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 4 of 11

Slow Speed Diesels

Slow speed diesels are today the almost universal choice for all large merchant ships:
container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, and gas carriers. These engines, which are all
of the two – stroke type, are often quoted at two different powers and associated
speeds.

The power speeds quoted enable the engine to be associated with a large diameter
highly efficient propeller bringing an attendant gain in fuel economy. On the other
hand, a reduction in speed to say 72% of the full revs. will result in the power reducing
to about 55% of that developed at full speed and this will make it necessary to fit an
engine with about 50% more cylinders and accept a corresponding increase in capital
cost.

The lowest engine speed currently quoted is 57 revs./min.

The highest power currently quoted is 51,840 kW for a 12 – cylinders, K90MC, B&W
engine (at 94 revs./min.)

The specific fuel consumptions quoted range from about 174 down to 156 g/kWh (with
efficiency booster). The fuel used is heavy marine fuel oil – the cheapest oil fuel
available.

Most slow speed engine models are made in 4 – 12 cylinder versions, with all cylinders
vertical in line.

With powers starting at 2500 kW for a 4 – cylinder engine operating at about 150
revs./min., the slow – speed diesel range extends to quite small and relatively slow
ships, but in the power part of the range its merits must be assessed against those of
medium – speed engines.

The principal manufacturers are MAN, B&W, Sulger and GMT.

Medium Speed Diesels

The slower speed medium engines can be used with direct drive on small single screw
vessels and on slightly large twin – screw ships on both of which an engine speed of
around 450 revs./min may not be much higher than the propeller speed, which would
in any case be dictated by the limit on propeller diameter imposed by the lines.

On larger ships medium – speed diesels are fitted with gearing to reduce the propeller
speed to the lowest value that can be accommodated by the largest propeller that can
be fitted, thereby optimizing the efficiency. Before the development of the medium –
speed diesel engines to the high powers now available, it was quite usual practice on
Md. Habibur Rahman
Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 5 of 11

single – screw ships to fit two engines geared together. A similar practice was adopted
on larger twin – screw ships with two engines geared to each shaft line.

Until the makers of slow – speed diesels reduced their revs., the low propeller revs.
and the resulting high propeller efficiency that could be obtained using a geared diesel
was one of the best-selling points for this type of installation, offsetting the gearing
efficiency loss (about 1.5%) and the higher specific fuel consumption of this type of
engine when compared with a slow speed engine. This particular advantage no longer
applies, but the medium – speed diesel can still often considerable weight and space
advantages over the slow – speed engine, whilst the redundancy advantage of having
two engines rather than one can sometimes be a favorable factor in the choice.

Medium – speed diesels are also frequently chosen as the prime mover in diesel –
electric installations.

Medium – speed diesels are mainly of the four – stroke type. A number of models are
manufactured both as “in – line” and “V” engines. The in – line models generally
range from 6 to 9 cylinders, with the V models taking over in the range from 12 to 18
cylinders, although there are few 8 cylinder V models.

The highest power currently available form a medium – speed engine is 23,450 kW
from an 18V PC 4.2 at 428 rev./min. a twin installation can therefore give almost 47,000
kW. More typical, however, are powers per cylinder ranging from about 150 kW to
about 1000 kW and engine speeds ranging from 450 to 750 revs./min.

The specific fuel consumption claimed range from about 200 down to 167 g/kWh. In
general, the larger engines have the lower specific fuel consumption. The fuel used is
again a heavy marine fuel oil, but the cruder versions of this are generally to be
avoided and these engines require to be changed to diesel oil when maneuvering.

There is a far wider range of manufacturers than for slow – speed diesels with
DAIHATSU, MAN B&W, NEI ALLEN, SEMT Pielstick, Wartsila, Sulger, and Stork
being amongst the principal firms.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 6 of 11

High Speed Diesels

The use of high – speed diesels as main propulsion prime movers is confined, as far
as merchant ships are concerned, to small vessels and ships with diesel – electric
installations.

In warships where a high power – to – weight ratio is essential, high – speed diesels
are used either on their own or in conjunction with gas turbines.

As high speed diesels are generally manufactured on a production line basis, models
tend to be available in a limited number of cylinders potions.

The highest power currently available form a high – speed engine is 7400 kW from a
V20 M.T.U. at 1300 revs. /min (370 kW per cylinder).

More typical, however, are powers per cylinder of from about 20 to 200 kW and speeds
of from 1200 to 2100 revs. /min.

The specific fuel consumption claimed range from about 25 to down to 187 g/kWh. In
addition to these engines having a higher specific fuel consumption than medium –
speed engines, consideration must be given in any economic comparison of the types
to the higher cost per tonne of diesel oil (about 2.0 × cost of heavy fuel) and the reduced
time between overhauls.

Manufacturers at the top end of the power range are M.T.U. and SEMT Pielstick. In
the middle and lower range, Caterpiller must be one of the best known names but
there are many others.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 7 of 11

Gas Turbines
The main advantages that gas turbines have over competing engines, which are
principally high – speed diesels, are their extremely good power/weight and
power/volume ratios.

Their main disadvantages has been their much higher specific fuel consumption. This
disadvantages – already quite significant at full power operation power – becomes
much worse for most gas turbine types when they are run at part load and if operation
at part load power is a frequent requirement this has generally eliminated than from
consideration.

A few merchant ships were built with gas turbine propulsion in the late sixties/ early
seventies and were successful technically, but became quite uneconomic when fuel
prices rose dramatically in 1973 and the ships concerned have since either gone out of
service or been re-engined with diesels.

The situation with warships is quite different with the high power/ weight ratio of the
gas turbine making this very attractive on a ship where any additional weight
increases the power required so much that it becomes easy to get into a vicious spiral.
The poor specific fuel consumption of a gas turbine does not matter as much on a
warship as it does on a merchant ship because warships tend to use full power
infrequently and for relatively short bursts. If has, however, become quite usual
practice for warships to have two separate sets of machining – one for maximum
speed and one for the cruise regime. These two sets of machinery can consist either of
two gas turbines, a high power set for the cruise regime, or more frequently a
combination of high – power light – weight gas turbines for maximum speed with
high or medium – speed diesels with good specific fuel consumption for the cruise
regime. The latter combination clearly making very good sense.

Both of these combinations can be arranged in two ways with the two machinery fits
as alternatives (COGOG) or (CODOG) or with them so linked that both are used to
develop the maximum power (COGAG) or (CODAG).

NOTE: COGOG  Combined gas or gas, CODOG  Combined diesel or gas,

COGAG  Combined gas turbine & gas turbine, CODAG  Combined diesel and
gas.

Although the latter combination offers more power there are complications in the
gearing required and at present the former is the generally preferred option.

On frigates there are usually either two gas turbines or a gas turbine and a diesel
geared to each of the twin shafts; on corvettes one gas turbine and one diesel may be
fitted with a central gearbox dividing the power between the two shafts.
Md. Habibur Rahman
Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 8 of 11

Gas turbines are generally arranged as modules suitable for repair by replacement
with the machinery casings sized to suit.

As most gas turbines for marine use have been developed from aircraft engines, the
number of models is quite limited and come principally form Rolls Royce and General
Electric. The powers of those currently being fitted are given in Table 1 below.

SFC (at
Power SFC (Full)
Make 25%)
(kW) (kg/kWh)
(kg/kWh)
Tyne 4000 0.290 0.45
SM1A 14000 0.235 0.34
Rolls Royce
SM1C 18000 0.230 0.33
Olympus 21000 0.300 0.46
LM2500 21000 0.230 0.33
General Electric
LM500 4000 0.270 0.40
Table 1: Currently fitted gas turbines (* the increase in Specific Fuel Consumption
at 25% power should be noted. The fuel used in gas turbines is marine diesel oil)

Steam Turbines
Using oil as a fuel, even the very advanced steam turbine plants, which have been
proposed cannot compete in fuel economy with diesel engines, but they do provide
the easiest route by which coal and nuclear fuels can be used.

Apart from the possibilities with these fuels, it is worth noting that oil companies
refining methods have resulted in recent years in lower grades of fuel being sold on
in marine market and that this is a trend which may continue. So far, diesel
manufacturers have managed to keep improving their engines ability to use their
poorer fuels, but there may be a limit to this and if a sufficient price differential
develops between the cost of the cheapest oil and that which a diesel can tolerate, there
may again be a role for the turbine.

Another way in which the steam turbine may return is in a combination system with
a gas turbine. In such a system, advantage is taken of the large amount of heat in the
exhaust gas of a gas turbine, which is a corollary of its relatively poor thermal
efficiency. The system involves fitting a very large and efficient exhaust gas boiler,
steam from which is led to a steam turbine. The overall efficiency of such a system
could be quite attractive, but the capital costs do not at present make it economical.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 9 of 11

Propulsion Systems

I. Direct Drive
Direct drive is the most common propulsion system and is the almost
invariable choice with slow – speed diesels. The components of this system
consist of shafting and a conventional propeller, with all maneuvering being
done by adjusting the engine speed and direction of rotation.

II. Geared Drive

Geared drive can be associated with most of the other prime movers. Quite
frequently, gearing has more than one function, although the most common
requirement is the reduction of revs. from the engine output figure to that
which is required for the efficient operation of the propeller. It can, however,
also be used to combine the power of two prime movers onto one shaft or
alternatively to divide the power reaching it between two shafts or between
shafting connected to the propeller and a drive to a shaft alternator.
Reversing is a further function that gearing can be called upon to provide,
although this is an infrequent requirement as most diesels can be reversed fairly
easily whilst the reversing of ships with gas turbine machinery is generally
provided by fitting them with controllable pitch propeller.

Advantages and disadvantages of geared diesel propulsion machinery

installations
Geared diesel propulsion systems have many advantages and some
disadvantages, and what might appear as an advantage for some specialized type of
ship could be a real disadvantage for a different type.

The main advantages of geared propulsion are a saving of total machinery weight
compared with direct propulsion, and a reduction of the headroom requirement, for
lifting gear for removal of cylinder heads and pistons for overhaul.

The main disadvantage is the number of cylinder units which have to be kept in good
condition, though this is offset to some extent if it is possible (within the service
commitments of the ship) to shut down one engine at sea. Overhaul of cylinder units
can then be carried out when the weather conditions are suitable for engine shutdown.

The fuel and lubricating oil requirements for geared diesel machinery installations are
generally higher than for slow speed direct coupled machinery of equivalent power.
The fuel consumption is higher because the overall mechanical efficiency is less than
Md. Habibur Rahman
Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 10 of 11

for equivalent direct couple installations. However, this can to some extent be offset
by designing for a lower propeller speed  which gives higher propeller efficiency.
Operational experience with medium – speed geared installations shows that the total
lubricating oil consumption is usually considerably higher than with conventional
diesel machinery.

Total fuel and lubricating oil consumption figures for the whole machinery
installation, with slow – speed direct coupled installations and conventional diesel
generating sets, still remains lower than geared installations, even where electrical
power is generated with an auxiliary drive from the reduction gearing.

In ships with machinery aft and a two – engine installation the extreme gear casing
width can cause problems which may be overcome by moving the machinery forward
or increasing the fullness of the aft body of the full or a combination of both. This can
itself create a problem of having part of the machinery space difficult to utilize, and
hull trim problems when the ship is fully loaded. These problems become less difficult
to deal with when three engines are grouped round the reduction gearing.

In specialized types of ships such as fast ferries, car ferries, ‘Ro – Ro’ ships and the
like, the low headroom requirements of geared medium – speed diesel engines makes
this form of machinery most attractive, to the point that it is almost a prerequisite.

No overwhelming case can be made for geared diesel propulsion machinery except in
the type of situations mentioned above.

Generally the total operating costs of geared engines and their auxiliaries is higher
than that for conventional slow – speed direct coupled machinery installations, which
can be offset to some extent by capital cost reductions or the possibility of increased
earnings. Naturally, increased earnings can only come about if cargo is available to fill
the extra deadweight and hold cubic capacity obtained from the usage of geared diesel
installations.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000
 Page 11 of 11

Some values of reduction gear ratios for propulsion reduction gearing

driven by medium – speed engines
Medium – speed diesel engines for marine propulsion purposes are designed
to operate at some speed within the range of 300rev/min to 850 rev/min. propeller
speeds may be between 85 to 150 rev/min depending on the size and loaded draught
of the vessel, or because of limitations imposed on the machinery weight.

The largest ratios will be for the higher – speed engines geared to the lower – speed
propellers. The speed of an engine might for example be 850 rev/min geared to a
propeller having a speed of 85 rev/min. Speed of driver divided by speed of driven
equals ten. The gear ratio would be therefore be 10 to 1.

Taking the other extreme we could have an engine speed of 300 rev/min driving,
through gearing, a propeller at 85 rev/min. In this case the driver speed is 300 rev/min
and the driven speed is 85 rev/min. So the ratio is 300 to 85, or 3.529 to 1. These figures
are at the extremes of the range.

In actual practice high – powered medium – speed engines operate at speeds

considerably lower than 850 rev/min. Fairly common figures are in the range 250 to
600 rev/min, and for propellers 90 to 110 rev/min, this providing the best compromise
between propeller size, cost and efficiency. This gives a middle value of 425 rev/min
for engine and 100 rev/min for propeller. These values give a gear ratio requirement
of 4.25 to 1.

NOTE: Design of geared propulsion diesel machinery has taken a distinct trend
towards using increased engine speeds; higher speed engines have been available for
some time and now their reliability has been proven they tend to be selected more
often. There are considerable savings to be made in capital outlay when such engines
are used.

Md. Habibur Rahman

Lecturer
Department of NAME, BUET, Dhaka - 1000