Cylinder Lubrication http://www.marinediesels.co.uk/members/operation/cylinder_lubrication.

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Engine Operation
Cylinder Lubrication

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To lubricate the liner of a 2 stroke crosshead engine a metered quantity of oil is pumped through lubricator quills to the
surface of the liner where the piston rings distribute it over the longitudinal running surface. To help spread the oil
circumferentially, grooves are cut from each lubrication point, sloping downwards and meeting midway between the
lubrication points. (see photos)
The best position for the lubrication points is worthy of a little investigation.

It is no good injecting the oil when the piston is either above or below the injection points else the oil will either be
scraped by the rings downwards into the scavenge space, or upwards where it will be burnt by the hot gases of
combustion. Ideally the oil should be injected into the ring pack as it passes the lubrication points. To do this effectively
the piston should be moving as slowly as possible. A little thought will show that at mid stroke the piston is moving at its
fastest, and therefore it is best to position the lubricators just after BDC or just before TDC when the piston is speeding up
or slowing down.

Engine builders have done both. This photo shows the

lubrication points on a B&W K90GF engine. The
lubrication points are just above the scavenge ports

In this photo of a Sulzer RND liner the lubricators are

positioned near the top of the liner.

Maintaining an oil film of adequate thickness and oil refreshment rate is also an important consideration when
determining the position of lubrication points. Adequate thickness of lube oil is necessary to prevent metal to metal
contact between ring and liner, and an adequate refreshment rate is necessary to combat acid attack. Research has shown
that dual injection points near the top of the liner give optimum results over a single injection point.

From the diagram opposite it can be seen that if the

lubricators are positioned at 'A', refreshment rate is good,
but oil film thickness poor. The converse is true for point
'C'. Lubricators placed at points 'B' and 'C' give the best
combination.

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Theory is put into practice here. The modern Sulzer RTA liner is shown with the two lubrication points near the top of the
liner.

TIMING OF LUBRICATORS

As previously stated it is best to inject the oil into the ring pack as it passes. This is not easily achievable with
mechanically driven lubricators, however a lubricator quill fitted with an accumulator and non return valve works on the
principle that the pressure drops as the ring pack passes the injection point. An up to date system is the MAN-B&W alpha
lubrication system which uses a computer to operate a cylinder lubrication injection pump at the correct time.

The diagram illustrates the principle of the cylinder LO

injection system used by Sulzer. Oil from the lubricator
pumps is prevented from moving through the quill by the
pressure in the cylinder holding the non - return valve
closed. Instead it pressurises the space under the diaphragm.
As the ring pack passes the injection point the pressure
drops and the non - return valve opens, allowing oil to flow
into the cylinder.

The cylinder lubricator pumps can be driven by the main engine

usually via the camshaft drive or by an independent motor. The
delivery quantity is adjustable. The principle of one type of pump (as
used by MAN B&W) is shown opposite.

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Cylinder lubricators on a Sulzer RTA

This drawing shows the operating principle of a computer

controlled lubrication system.

Precise injection is achievable resulting in reduced cylinder

oil consumption whilst keeping liner wear rate to a
minimum.

for full details of such a system follow the link

MAN-B&W alpha lubrication system

Jensen Swirl Injection Principle

The cylinder lubricator pumps the oil to the SIP valves mounted in the cylinder
liner wall. The valves (see also below) are equipped with a nozzle for spraying
tiny droplets of cylinder oil tangentially to the liner wall, covering a large area
above the next injection valve. Spraying from all valves ensures covering the
entire circumference of the cylinder liner.

The injection takes place when the exhaust valve is closing and well before the piston passes the injection quills in the
upward movement. The centrifugal power of the scavenging air swirl ensures that the droplets settle horizontally well
distributed on the liner wall. This allows the piston rings to make the vertical distribution of the injected cylinder oil when
they pass in the continued upward movement. Thus, an optimal distribution of cylinder oil is attained with a minimum of
oil quantity injected.

The spring in the SIP valve works at a pressure of

approx. 40 bars. Besides ensuring an adequate
pressure for cylinder oil to become a suitable spray
when leaving the nozzle, it also ensures that the oil in
the tube between cylinder lubricator and SIP valve
stays under pressure. Thus, we can control the
injection timing as required for the purpose.

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