Oral Prep

Power distribu on
⦁ Draw a power distribu on diagram
⦁ What planned maintenance is done on the power distribu on system?
⦁ Daily maintenance : Do lamp test on M.S.B , check insula on readings on 440 and 220
distribu on system. Check all measuring instrument for malfunc on., check if one group of
machinery is on stby start. Check if no objects kept in front or back of switchboard, check
ven la on near switchboard in opera onal. Check ligh ng on switchboard.
⦁ Monthly: change over machinery a er trying automa c change over, try out switchboard
alarms and trips, like prefen al trip, reverse power trip, check ACB arc chutes, a er drawing
out breakers, try ES1 And ES2 group of remote trips,, using a vaccum cleaned remover dirt
and dust from starter panels
⦁ What is a shore supply? What is it used for?

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⦁ Used when ship enters drydock or in port if maintenance of the main generator are
required.
⦁ Shore supply panel should have a earthing connec on to the ship’s hull, a phase inductor

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lamps, isola ng switch, fuses or circuit breaker, Terminal connec on , name plate on the
panel indica ng the ships power specifica on. Checks shore cable for condi on and
insula on cer ficate if possible.
⦁ A er connec on of shore cable on the shore supply box, first check if phase sequence is

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alright, one lamp dark and one bright according to as stated on the panel, confirm magnitude
of voltage on the msb shore connec on voltmeter, keep the emergency generator on manual,
the shore supply breaker is interlocked with the ship breaker, so before changing over first
close all breakers of sequen al start circuits, than switch off the ships breaker and then
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switch of shore breaker, check insula on and voltage correct.
⦁ Switch of essen al loads since there is a limited capacity on shore breaker, 300 amps
normally.
⦁ How do you connect to shore supply? What are the main things you should check before
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connec ng? Where would you connect?

⦁ What fault preven on methods are used and how are they tested?
⦁ Phase indica ng lamps, circuit breakers, earthling connec on to hull, voltmeter, interlock to
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main breaker.
⦁ What trips are in place on a distribu on system?
⦁ Breaker overload : Low frequency – 95 % - 5 sec
Over current – 105 % - 5 sec,
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⦁ Breaker Trip : Short circuit current trip

Under Voltage Trip
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Over voltage Trip

Reverse Power Trip
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Emergency stop / manual stop.

Bus Abnormal Alarm – Low frequency 90% - 5 sec
Low Volt -95 % - 5 SEC
High Volt - 105 % - 5 sec
Low Frequency – 95 % – 5 sec / pre trip
High frequency - 105 % 5 sec
Automa c load shi and breaker disconnect: 70% load -10 min and due to Heavy load 90 %
-15 sec.
Why is an undervoltage trip needed?
⦁ To prevent the closure of the breaker by mistake, or the generator that is coming on load
during parallel opera on, It also provides protec on against loss of voltage while machinery
is connected to the switchboard.
⦁ What is a preferen al trip?
 ⦁ Preferen al trip is a kind of electrical arrangement on ship which is designed to disconnect
the non-essen al circuit i.e. non-essen al load from the main bus bar in case of par al failure
or overload of the main supply
⦁ How do you manually sync generators?
.The main things that are kept in check for synchronizing a generator are :
⦁ Frequency
⦁ Voltage
⦁ Load
⦁ Phase
After Bringing the generator that is to be synchronized(In-coming) to the desired
parameters. Turn on the synchronizing relay and keep a close look at the needle.
⦁ The needle in the synchroscope will move at a varying speed initially. Adjust the
speed of the generator by obtaining a steady slow motion of the needle in the clock

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wise direction.
⦁ Once the needle is moving at a steady speed, depress the breaker close button when

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the needle has traveled three-fourth of its way. Energize the breakers when the needle
reaches a position similar to the 11' o clock position of a clock.
⦁ After doing this, check the parameters of the on-coming generator. They should be
same as those of the leading generator. i.e 440 Volts and 60 hertz
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What is a synchroscope? Why must it be switched off a er use?
A synchroscope measure and display the frequency difference and phase angle between two
power. It plays a vital role in ensuring that the two power supplies which are being
synchronized are "in phase" with each other.
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⦁ You can leave the sync scope in the circuit, but it tells you very li le a er synchroniza on
because the bus will keep the generator in sync except for an anomaly in generator opera on
or system condi ons. The sync scope would stay pinned at the top, the lights would be off,
and the voltage and freq meters would show the bus condi ons. Therefore it is usually turned
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off a er sync.
⦁ What does it mean if the synchroscope is moving fast in an an clockwise direc on?
⦁ If the incoming generator's frequency is more than that of the bus bar, the pointer rotates in
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the "Too fast" clockwise direc on. The machine then needs to be slowed down. If the
frequency of the incoming machine is less that that of the bus bar, the rota on of the pointer
is in the opposite "Too Slow" direc on.
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⦁ What does it mean if the synchroscope has stopped in the 6 o’clock posi on?
⦁ The posi ons are usually compared with the markings on the clock. Thus a 3 'O'clock posi on
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would indicate that the voltages are apart by an angle of 30 degrees. The 6 'O'clock posi on
would indicate that the sources are apart by 180 degrees. When the pointer is at the
12'O'clock posi on, it indicates that the difference in phase angle between the two sources is
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zero. The breaker connec ng the two sources can now be closed.
⦁ Does the synchroscope show the direc on of the generator sha ?
⦁ No, It shows the phase difference, and frequency difference between two sources.
⦁ What are the dangers of trying to put a generator on the board that isn’t synchronised?
⦁ If synchronized when generator running slow the incoming machine would draw motoring
current which may operate its reverse power relay and trip the breaker of the generator
already on the busbar due to overload.
⦁ When not in synchronism at me of closing the Breaker, The voltage phase difference will
cause large circula ng current between the machines.
⦁ This will result in large magne c forces to pull the generator into synchronism i.e rapid
accelera on and de accelera on of the other rotor.
⦁ What should happen if you try to do this?
⦁ Deforma on of stator windings, Heavy movement between stator and frame, Failure of
 diodes ,twisted rotor sha , damaging the surge protector.
⦁ What are the procedures following a blackout?
⦁ Although we have a PMS system which would start the stby generator, taking on load will
take me and blackout can happen. Do not panic when such a situa on happens,
⦁ Bridge : as soon as blackout happens engine telegraph handle has to be put on stop,, and
posi on of the vessel needs to be recorded, Master need to be informed , and proper look out
need to be carried out, look out for other ships in the area.
Engine room : A end all the alarms and try to get power back, by running the stby generator.
Chief engineer should be called and informed about the situa on.
Aux Boiler need to be started.
If ship is UMS sequen al star ng of machinery will take place, First fuel oil pumps and
steering gear started, below diagram shows sequen al starts of machinery
Start domes c fridge, and air condi on plant ,check all machineries. Check cause of black out
and bring generator on stby as soon as possible.

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⦁ What do transformers do and how do they work?
⦁ A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by

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electromagne c induc on, without a change in frequency. It can be voltage or current.
⦁ Electrical energy is converted in to a magne c field and when a magne c field moves across a
wire a voltage is induced into that wire so electrical energy is converted back in the
secondary windings.

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What are bus couplers for? Bus coupler is a device which is used to couple one bus to the
other without any interruption in power supply and without creating hazardous arcs. Bus coupler is a
breaker used to couple two busbars in order to perform maintenance on other circuit breakers
associated with that busbar. It is achieved with the help of a circuit breaker and isolators.
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⦁ Why use breakers instead of switches?
⦁ A Breaker will not create hazardous arcs, so you don’t need to interrupter the power supply,
while can cause Hazardous arcing.
⦁ What is a PMS? What does it do?
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⦁ The marine power management system is a complete switchboard and generator control
system. It handles various configura ons of generators driven by diesel engine,
⦁ What measures are in place to limit fault currents on high and low voltage switchboards?
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⦁ Earth lamps connected to the main switch board, instrument type earth detectors, NER
Neutral earthing resistors connected to the earth on HV system.
⦁ What is an earth fault? How can it affect the running of the ship?
⦁ An earth fault is due to a break in the insula on, allowing the conductor to touch the hull or
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an earthed metal enclosure. The size of the fault depends upon the overhaul impendence le
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in the circuit under fault condi on.

⦁ Majority of earth faults occur within the electrical equipment due to an insula on failure or a
loose wire, which allows the live conductor to come in contact with the metal enclosure,
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⦁ To protect against the danger of electrical shock and fire that may results from earth faults,
the metal enclosure and other non- current carrying metal parts of electrical equipment must
be earthed between the enclosure and ships hull, to prevent it from a aining a dangerous
voltage with respect to earth, the earthing of enclosure will ensure that the equipment will
always remain at zero volts. Because it would be at a same poten al.
⦁ How do we know if there is an earth fault? With the help of earthing lamps and earth
indicators.
⦁ How can you locate earth faults?
⦁ First try and disconnect loads which are more prone to low insula on like the galley hot
plates , hearters, deck and engine room ligh ng, hand lamps. If earth fault s ll remains then
selec ve switching of group starter panels and distribu on switch boards , will be needed to
rec fy the fault. If s ll earthing remains interchange the transformer.
⦁ Why are earth fault detec on meters more effec ve than earth lamps?
⦁ The major disadvantage is that they are not very sensi ve and will fail to indicate the
 presence of high impendence earth fault. It limits the maximum earth fault monitoring
current to 60 amp compared to the instrument type which limits it to 1 Amp
⦁ How to earth lamps work? How do you know you have a fault?
⦁ One end of the lamps are connected to each phase on the bulbar, and the other end of the
lamp is common connected to earth thru a test switch. When the system is healthy than the
lamp glows with equal half brilliance, if a earth fault occurs on one line than the lamp
connected to the line goes dark or dim, the other lamps will experience higher voltage so it
will glow bright.
⦁ What test equipment should be used to trace earth faults?
⦁ A (Insula on resistance tester )mugger with a dc voltage of 500 volts.
⦁ What are essen al, non-essen al and emergency loads?
Essen al services are those that are required for the safety of personal and for the safe
naviga on and propulsion of the ship they include certain supplies for naviga on and
propulsion of the ship, they include naviga on aids , machinery spaces, control sta on and

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steering gear.
Non essen al loads_ loads that have no effect on the safe naviga on and main propulsion unit

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when they are cut off, like air condi on system, galley equipment, some blower fans, Cargo
gear or cargo plants, purifier air compressor, ligh ng etc..
⦁ What is a Instrument type Earth fault indicator ?
⦁ An earth fault instrument indicator connects a small DC voltage to the distribu on system,
Any resul ng DC current is a measure of the insula on resistance of the system.
⦁
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Why are generators, transformers and distribu on boards generally rated in kVA?
Copper losses ( I²R)depends on Current which passing through transformer winding while
Iron Losses or Core Losses or Insulation Losses depends on Voltage.
That’s why the Transformer Rating may be expressed in kVA,Not in kW.
⦁ The continuous power rating of any machine is generally defined as the power the
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machine can deliver for a continuous period so that the losses incurred in the
machine gives rise to a steady temperature rise not exceeding the limit prescribed
by the insulation class.
⦁
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What is a mains failure relay?

⦁ Descrip on of the auto mains failure relay func ons:
The Main failure relay is used to start a generator on a mains power failure, and transfer the
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load when the engine’s opera ng criteria has been met.

On restora on of the mains (u lity) supply, the engine is returned to standby mode.
⦁ Is there such thing as over voltage? If so, what is it?
⦁
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Over voltage on a generator is typically caused by one or a combina on of the following:

Faulty Voltage Regulator.
⦁ Frequency of the generator is not properly set. Too high of RPM's will cause an over voltage
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⦁ Located on the Voltage Regulator, there should be a Voltage Adjustment Poten ometer. This is
an adjustable electronic component that can vary the voltage output.
⦁
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Stator problems either on the stator power windings or the stator excita on winding
⦁ Recommend to check the voltage poten ometer 1st and adjust if needed. If that does not
resolve the problem, next would be to check the frequency output and high RPM's. If s ll a
problem, recommend checking all sensing and control wire connec ons from the stator
windings back to the voltage regulator. Next would be to replace the voltage regulator. Last
would be the stator windings are shot and need to be re-wound
⦁ Are the electrical systems on a normal low voltage ship earthed?
⦁ No- most of the ship use insulated neutral system, when the Neutral is insulated at the
generator and there is no return path back to the generator. This is used to keep power
available to the ship at all mes as a blackout could affect essen al loads from tripping in the
event of a earth fault, causing that par cular machinery to trip as it could be dangerous for
the ship. Eg steering gear.
⦁ What would one fault on one phase of a neutral insulated system cause to happen? What
would two faults cause to happen? Would you know there was two faults?
 ⦁ A single earth fault would not provide a complete circuit so no earth fault current would
flow. If a second earth fault occurred on another line in the insulated system the two earth
faults together would be equivalent to a short circuit fault,( via the ships hull ) and the
resul ng current would operate a protec on device, and trip the equipment.
⦁ What are harmonics? How are they reduced?
⦁ Harmonics are currents or voltages are a result of non-linear electric loads,with
frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental power frequency being
50 or 60Hz For example, if the fundamental power frequency is 60 Hz, then the
2nd harmonic is 120 Hz, the 3rd is 180 Hz, etc,
⦁ Harmonic treatment can be performed by two methods: filtering or cancellation.
A harmonic filter consists of a capacitor bank and an induction coil. The filter is
designed or tuned to the predetermined non-linear load and to filter a
predetermined harmonic frequency range
⦁ The classic example of a non-linear load is a rec fier with a capacitor input filter, where the

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rec fier diode only allows current to pass to the load during the me that the applied voltage
exceeds the voltage stored in the capacitor, which might be a rela vely small por on of the

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incoming voltage cycle.
⦁ What is the acceptable minimum limit for insula on resistance on a low voltage system?
1 mega ohm
⦁ What factors contribute to deteriora on of insula on in an electrical system?
⦁ Excessive wear in the area becoz rise in temp lowers the resistance of the insulator.
⦁
⦁ Ingress of water, build up of dirt and grease.

Generators
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Dirt and grime on the wire, cables not secured causes wear
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⦁ What planned maintenance is done on a generator? What safety precau ons should be taken
before doing maintenance?
Following Points are to be considered while Carrying Out Maintenance on Alternators:
Before star ng any maintenance work on the alternator, all safety precau on should be taken
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and the alternator should be shut and locked down. Also, post no ce and ply cards on
relevant places and alternator heater to be isolated.
Clean the alternator ventilation passage and air filter.
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Check the Insulation resistance of stator and rotor winding.

Air gap between stator and rotor to be checked and maintained between 1.5 to 2 mm.
Automatic Voltage Regulator to be checked and cleaned off oil and dust.
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The lube oil level of pedestal bearing to be maintained and renewed as per planned
maintenance.
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A vacuum cleaner can be used to remove dust accumulated in the inner parts of
alternator.
The terminal box cover gasket to be checked for proper oil and water tightness.
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All the connection in the terminal box to be tightened properly.

Cable gland to be checked for integrity.
Forced Ventilation around alternator must be maintained all the time.
Check heater for proper operation.
The foundation bolts of the alternator to be checked for tightness.
How does a generator work?
The mo on of the residual magne sm in the field of the rota ng armature, produces a
electromagne c field in the armature rotor, the Field and the armature produces a 3 phase
rota ng ac output, which is rec fied in the rota ng rec fier, and fed to the main field, the
Main armature cuts this field and produces an alterna ng 3 phase output , which is send to
the distribu on system.
⦁ What is an AVR? What does it control?
Automa c voltage rec fier is used to correct the fluctua ng output on the main busbar due
 to voltages surges and load shedding, and alter the field current in order to maintain terminal
voltage.
The AVR senses the low voltage condi on at the output and directs the current back to the
exciter field, which induces a higher magne c field in the armature of the exciter, which
produces a larger magne c field for the main field to cut, and hence the output at the main
armature terminal increase, it keeps doing this ll the voltage is stabilized,
The voltage sensing unit transforms down, rec fy and smoothens down the output voltage of
the generator, and compares it with a voltage value which is produced by a reference circuit
of zeners and resistors, and produces a error signal , which is used to fire the thyristor to
control the dc excita on voltage.

⦁ What two types of rotor construc on are generally used with rota ng field armatures?
An alternator is basically a type of a.c generator also known as synchronous generator, for the
simple reason that the field poles are made to rotate at synchronous speed Ns = 120 f/P for

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effec ve power genera on.
There are mainly two types of rotor used in construction of alternator,

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Salient pole type.
Cylindrical rotor type.
The salient pole type of rotor is generally used for slow speed machines having large
diameters and rela vely small axial lengths. The cylindrical rotor is generally used for very
high speed opera on and are employed in steam turbine driven alternators like turbo
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How do you manually control the speed of a generator? By the governor speed control
⦁ What does the governor control?
⦁ The engine governor controls engine speed an droop
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⦁ What is droop?
Droop is expressed as a percentage of the original speed se ng from no load to full load The
normal recommended percentage of droop is 3% to 5%.
% of droop = (No load frequency – Full load frequency ) /Full Load frequency X 100%
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What is a trimmer?
A trimmer is used to adjust the generator’s rated output voltage. Its a manual voltage input
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sensi vity on the AVR, The trimmer is used to adjust the DC input to the rated voltage.
⦁ What is a power factor?
⦁ Power factor is the percentage of electricity that is being used to do useful work. It is defined
as the ratio of ‘active or actual power’ used in the circuit measured in watts or kilowatts (W or
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⦁ KW), to the ‘apparent power’ expressed in volt-amperes or kilo volt-amperes (VA or KVA).
⦁ In AC circuits, the power factor is the ra o of the real power that is used to do work and the
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apparent power that is supplied to the circuit.

⦁ How to we improve power factor?
⦁ Power factor correction can be made in two ways, Reduce the amount of reactive energy,
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Eliminate unloaded motors and transformers Avoid supplying equipment with voltage in
excess of the rated voltage and Compensate artificially for the consumption of reactive
energy with power factor capacitors. synchronous motors and synchronous Condensers or
Power factor correction is achieved by the addition of capacitors in parallel with the
connected motor circuits and can be applied at the starter, or applied at the switchboard or
distribution panel.
⦁ What trips are on a generator engine? L.o low pressure trip, CW HT trip < Over speed trip,
alarms, l.o low pressure, cooling water high temp, star ng air pressure , low f.o pressure, l
leak off alarm,
⦁ What is needed to run a generator? Star ng Air, L.O priming pump, F.O circula ng pump, F.O
supply pump. Turning bar in posi on,
⦁ No voltage causes on a generator?
⦁ No residual voltage in the AC exciter, Short circuited elements in the rota ng rec fier, short
circuits varistor, broken wire are short circuit in the rota ng rec fier ,open circuit in the
 exciter field, or low insula on in the windings. Silistors could have become damaged.
⦁ Where is the residual magne sm in a generator? In ferromagne c materials, the magne c
power increase with the increase of the current flow thru coils. When current is reduced to
zero , s ll those coils have magne c power le in it.
⦁ How do you field flash? If there is loss of residual magne sm field flashing is done by
connec ng Start generator ,Use a 12 volt ba ery and apply a voltage for less than a second
to the exciter field input keeping the polarity same as the field ,
⦁ How can you share load manually between 2 generators? What equipment would you
monitor while you do this? By decreasing the governor control of the generator with higher
load, and the same me increasing the governor control of the generator of the lower load
while keeping a eye at the wa meter.
⦁ Which controls are adjusted to ensure proper kW and kVAr load sharing takes place?
How do they work?
⦁ Adjust prime mover governor until kW loading is correct

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⦁ Adjust field excitation current until current sharing is correct.

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⦁ Load Sharing Of Alternators In Parallel
⦁ Alternators in parallel must always run at the same speed. After a machine has been
paralleled and is required to take up its share of the load, this will not be achieved by
adjusting the field excitation current. Although the increase in e.m.f. will cause a
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current to flow in the busbars, and this will show on the machines ammeters, this is a
reactive current that lags the e.m.f. by 90o and produces a reactive (kVAr) but not kW.
Its only effect is to alter the operating power factor of the alternator.
⦁ More power may be obtained at the bus bars from the incoming alternator only by
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supplying more power to its prime mover. This increase of steam or fuel supply is
achieved by altering the governor setting either electrically or manually.
⦁ Every me you try and connect the generator manually, it keeps tripping back out. What
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could be the problems?

⦁ The under voltage trip circuit gets ac vated, loose connec on in the trip circuit, uneven
closing of the main contacts.
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⦁ What is reverse power? How is it caused?

⦁ When two generator running in parallel and the prime mover on one generator fails , that
generator now starts motoring and draws power from the bus bas instead of giving power to
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it, this is called reverse power and could overload the busbar and cause a trip in the power
system
⦁ What are the diodes for in the excita on circuit?
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⦁ The exciter armature produces a 3 phase ac output which is rec fied by the rota ng diodes
to produce a dc voltage for the main field
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2 generators are on the board running at 62Hz. How would you reduce their frequency?
⦁ Reducing the speed of the governor
⦁ What is sequen al star ng and when should this occur?
⦁ A er a black out of the main power, the stby generator it taken on load, sequen al star ng is
used to start load to the generator in a sequence in order to not overload it with all load
coming in together, sequen al starts with instant power to the steering gear, F.O circula ng
pump, f.o supply pump, main fire pump ,( 5 sec) main l.o pump, ( 15 sec) all other pumps, 25
sec Central C.F.W pump 1,2,&3, a er 35 sec main C.S.W. pump, (40 sec )vent fans
⦁ What is a compounded AC generator?
⦁ What factors govern the overall voltage response of a generator to sudden load changes? The
transient reactance is the main cause of the slow response to sudden load change.(Should
respond to a voltage change of up to 15% and bring it back down to within 2.5% within 1.5
seconds)
 ⦁ What types of sensors would you expect on a generator?
⦁ l.O Pressure switches, temperature switches, leak off alarms, speed sensors, thermistor,
thermo couples, pt100 sensors,
⦁ How do the temperature sensors control aspects of the engine such as JW cooling and EX
temp?
⦁ J.C.W has two temperature sensor high alarm, and high trip,
⦁ Exht temperature for each unit, and for the T/C outlet
⦁ What temperatures and would you expect to see for EX temp 380 – 450 depends on the
load,, JW cooling temp 70 , and trip set at 95 and lube oil temp?
⦁ What pressures would you expect to see for fuel oil and lube oil?
⦁ What control measures are in place to share load evenly between 2 generators with different
maximum powers? E.g 2 different engines with 2000kW and 1500kW
⦁ Basically when we adjust droop means how much speed drops from no load to full load, If
droop is the same, than generator load is shared according to capacity percentage, like if one

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generator is 2000 kw and one generator is 1500 kw than load will be shared propor onally.
⦁ What is an oil mist detector? How can this be tested?
⦁ What is the rela onship between poles, frequency and speed?

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⦁ The synchronous speed of an induc on motor is based on the supply frequency and the
number of poles in the motor winding N=120f/p
⦁ What does turning gear do and when should it be used?
⦁ The turning gear is used to turn the engine during maintenance and before sailing.
⦁ If an alarm was set off on a generator, would the generator shut down? No alarm does not
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trip the generator but gives a pre warning of a abnormal condi on, and a trip would also give
out an alarm to show the fault of the trip.

Emergency Generator and Switchboard

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⦁ Emergency generator regula ons and what it does?
Small generator used to supply the emergency power to the essen al services in the event of
a power failure. It should be loacated outside the Main and aux machinery spaces, uppermost
of the con nous deck and not fwd of the collision bulkhead, should be able to supply power
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even at a list of 22 and a hald degree and a trim on 10 deg,

Should have sufficient fuel with a flash point of not less than 43 deg ,should be able to start
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and connect automa cally in the event of a power failure within 45 sec
Should be able to be started at low temp of 0 degree,
Its JCW system should be treated with an freeze to be able to be used during very low temp.
⦁ What tests would you do on the emergency generator? How o en?
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⦁ Should be tried out every week, emergency generator must be kept in manual mode while
trying out, and its main breaker kept off, a er star ng is voltage and frequency should be
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checked, alarms and trips of the generator tried out every 3 months, ( low l.o pressure, low l.o
press trip, leakoff alarm,overspeed trip, high temp cooling water alarm,
⦁ How can you start an emergency generator? Keep on manual mode, keep breaker in manual
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mode, check sump oil and gear oil levels, check ba ery fully charger and switch off, change
hydraulic start circuit to 300 bar, press start on generator control panel
⦁ How do you test the automa c start on an emergency generator?
⦁ Simulate start switch inside the ESB or switch off bus ebreaker between MSB and ESB.

⦁ How long should it take to start a er a blackout? 45 sec/ should be started and connected
⦁ How o en should the emergency generator be tested? Every week
⦁ What services does the emergency generator supply? Divided into two sec ons , 440 volts
sec on supply to the bilge pump, one of the two steering gears, fire pump, emergency air
compressor, naviga on equipment,sprinkler system, 220 sec on, emergency ligh ng,
naviga on aids, naviga on lights panel, fire alarm and detec on panel,day light signalling
light and ships whistle, radio communica on, and internal communica on, water ght doors.
⦁ Where are emergency exit lights and signs powered from? Partly from the msb and partly
 from the emergency switch board.

Propulsion
⦁ Types of speed control? All marine vessels need some sort of speed control system to control
and govern the speed of marine diesel engine used for propulsion. It would be really
imprac cal and dangerous to have a ship without speed control mechanism fi ed on it, and
can lead to accidents such as collision or grounding.
       The speed control men oned above is achieved with the help of a governor. Main role of
a governor is not to increase or decrease the speed which can be done via fuel control system
but once the speed of the engine has been set, the job of the governor is to maintain that
despite the varia ons in load. In other words the governor controls the speed varia on and
keeps the speed within restrained limits despite these varia ons. There are 2 types of
gorvernor mechanical type and electronic type.
⦁ What are the main types of thrusters on ships? How do they work?

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⦁ We have seen bow and stern thrusters working with propellers and controlled pitch
propellers to provide as smooth manoeuvring as possible. But how about a mechanism that

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performs the work of all these mechanisms? Azimuth Thruster is an arrangement in which the
the propeller is placed in pods that can be rotated in any horizontal direc on. This eradicates
the use of a rudder. The stem of the thrusters accommodates sha s that are connected to a
motor located inside the ship.
⦁ What is pulse width modula on? Why is it converted back into AC? Draw a typical wave form
for PWM.
DA
⦁ PWM uses a IGBT to control the variable voltage and frequency required to control the speed
of a motor. To converts the fixed frequency at the input by rec fying it to dc smoothens it and
reconverts it back to variable ac frequency.
AN
⦁ Explain commuta on.
⦁ The voltage generated in the armature, placed in a rota ng magne c field, of a DC generator
is alterna ng in nature. The commuta on in DC machine or more specifically commuta on in
DC generator is the process in which generated alterna ng current in the armature winding
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of a dc machine is converted into direct current a er going through the commutator and the
sta onary brushes.
⦁ What is regenera ve braking? What types of drive system can this be used on?
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When the supply is cut off for a running motor, it s ll con nue running due to iner a. In order
to stop it quickly we place a load (resistor) across the armature winding and the motor should
have maintained con nuous field supply so that back e.m.f voltage is made to apply across
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the resistor and due to load the motor stops quickly. This type of breaking is called as
“Regenera ve Breaking”
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What interlocks might be in place for the PM breaker to close?

Motor Starters
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⦁ Draw a typical circuit diagram for a motor with a direct on line starter.
⦁ What is the control circuit? What does it do?
motor starter control circuits used to start and stop three-phase motors. It incorporates
interlocks , overload and short circuit protec on to the motor,it helps in remote and local
opera on of the motor, it monitors the current drawn by the motor.
⦁ What is the typical star ng current for an asynchronous motor with a DOL starter?
⦁ Star ng current is about 5 to7 mes the normal running current, and 1.5 mes the rated
torque.
⦁ How would you change the direc on of a 3 phase motor using components and not just
switching the lines around?
⦁ By using two magne c contactor which is wired in both op ons and controlled with a circuit
for fwd and reverse direc on. And interlocked to operate at one at a me.
⦁ Causes of tripping?
 ⦁ Overcurrent, single phasing, overloading, and stopping due to short circui ng.
⦁ What is an OCR? Over Current Relay.
⦁ In an over current relay, there would be essen ally a current coil. When normal current flows
through this coil, the magne c effect generated by the coil is not sufficient to move the
moving element of the relay, as in this condi on the restraining force is greater than
deflec ng force. But when the current through the coil increased, the magne c effect
increases, and a er certain level of current, the deflec ng force generated by the magne c
effect of the coil, crosses the restraining force, as a result, the moving element starts moving
to change the contact posi on in the relay.
⦁ What is a differen al OCR?
Why doesn’t the OCR trip during star ng? In an over current relay, there would be essen ally a
current coil. When normal current flows through this coil, the magne c effect generated by the coil is
not sufficient to move the moving element of the relay, as in this condi on the restraining force is

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greater than deflec ng force. But when the current through the coil increased, the magne c effect
increases, and a er certain level of current, the deflec ng force generated by the magne c effect of

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the coil, crosses the restraining force, as a result, the moving element starts moving to change the
contact posi on in the relay.

⦁ What can cause an OCR to fail?

⦁ If you use the wrong current ra ng the current coil may burn
⦁
⦁
Why is the manual rese ng of an OCR important?
DA
Manual rese ng makes you aware of the fault in the equipment, otherwise the auto trip
might be taken as stop, and when restarted assuming it was stopped normally.
⦁ What is the inverse me characteris c?
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⦁ Time of opera on of relay is inversely propor onal to actua ng current., so with low fault
current the me it takes for a breaker to trip is longer than if we have a high amount of fault
current.
⦁ What is a fuse?
⦁
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A safety device consis ng of a strip of wire that melts and breaks an electric circuit if the
current exceeds a safe level.
⦁ What should the ra ng of the fuse be?
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⦁ Always follow NEC guidelines for applying low-voltage fuses. Generally, the MINIMUM fuse
size should be based on 125% of the circuits full load current. Time-delay fuses should be
used for induc ve loads and fast-ac ng fuses used to protect non-induc ve loads.
⦁
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What fuses should a motor with a running current of 15A and a star ng current of 90A have?
Around 19 amps. With a me delay fuse.
⦁
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What is the difference between a fuse and OCR?

⦁ Fuse will melt when its rated current is crossed, and cannot be reused, OCR can be rest if
tripped, OCR is adjustable current ra ng fuse is not.
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⦁ How can you reduce the star ng current of a motor?

⦁ By using a reduced voltage starter like star—delta starter, and autotransformer.
⦁ Start-Delta starter: It is a starting method that reduces the starting current and starting
torque. The device normally consists of three contactors, an overload relay and a
timer for setting the time in the star-position (starting position). For the starting period
(time set by the timer), the motors windings are connected in start (Y) and then the
connection is changed to delta during normal run. Because of the start connection, the
starting current is 1/3rd of the DOL (Direct-On-Line) starting; however the starting
torque is also 1/3rd of the DOL starting torque. For this type of starting, the motor
windings must have both ends (2 terminals for each phase, total 6 ends) terminated in
the terminal.
⦁ Soft starter: A soft starter is an electronic device which controls the voltage during the
 starting period with having thrusters in the main circuit. As the motor voltage is low
during start with soft starter starting, the starting current and starting torque is also
low. It contains the motor protection capability and hence separate motor protection
relay is not required. It is also used to control the motor start/stop. Soft starters can be
used for both LV and MV voltage motors.
⦁
⦁ What is the star ng current for a star-delta starter?
⦁ It is 1/3 of the star ng current as it is started in star first and then changed over to delta,
⦁ What is the me delay when switching between star and delta?
⦁ If Star connec on has sufficient torque to run up to 75% or %80 of full load speed, then the
motor can be connected in Delta mode. A me delay is used to let the motor to pick up torque
so that when the speed increases the current reduces, and changes to delta.
⦁ What happens if a motor gets stuck in star configura on
⦁

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The motor would run hot as star windings are designed for the reduced current and not for
DOL current? Possible earth fault/phase to phase fault if no protec on?
⦁ What happens if all 3 contactors get stuck in? There will be no control over the motor thru

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the control circuit,
⦁ Draw a typical circuit diagram for a star-delta motor starter or an autotransformer motor
starter.
⦁ What is the star ng current for an autotransformer starter with a tapping of 50%? The
star ng current can be adjusted according to the star ng current required by tapping the
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auto transformer. However, in an autotransformer starter, the line current and motor current
are not the same. Using a motor with a 600% inrush current and connec ng to the 50%
voltage tap of the autotransformer, the motor current will be 300% (50% of 600%), but the
line current will be only 150% (25% of 600%). No other type of reduced-voltage starter can
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supply, for example, the torque of a 300% current start while drawing only 150% current from
the line.
⦁ Describe how a so start starter works.
⦁ So starter is another form of reduced voltage star ng, when the two scr are connected in a
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series parallel configura on and the triggering is controlled for the voltage output and is
connected in series with the main line voltage.
⦁
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What kind of under voltage protec on is there in a motor starter?

⦁ Low Voltage Protec on (LVP), which prevents automa c restar ng of equipment a er a
power failure, is usually not possible with a manual starter. This means, if the power fails, the
power contacts remain closed (toggle or bu on in ON posi on). When the power is restored,
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the motor automa cally restarts itself. This could create a dangerous situa on, depending on
the applica on. Because of this feature, manual starters are generally used on smaller loads
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where low voltage protec on is not needed.

⦁ What are the problems with star ng a large motor?
⦁
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Most large induc on motors are started directly on line, but when very large motors are
started that way, they cause a disturbance of voltage on the supply lines due to large star ng
current surges. To limit the star ng current surge, large induc on motors are started at
reduced voltage and then have full supply voltage reconnected when they run up to near
rotated speed.
⦁ What are the rela onships between star and delta regarding current and voltage?
⦁ When replacing contacts in a starter, how many would you replace and why?
⦁ Will renew all Six contacts 3 moving and three sta onary contacts. To prevent uneven
contacts surface , which could cause a single phasing.
Motors
⦁ How does a motor work?
⦁ A motor has two parts rotor and stator, the stator has three sets of winding , when supply is
applied to the stator it produces a magne c field, called the synchronous speed, this magne c
field induces EMF into the sta onary rotor which is made up of copper bars connected in
 parallel and short circuited at both ends, the emf produced in the rotor has the same
direc on a given in flemming right hand rule the interac on of the two fields produces a
torque which makes the rotor rotate.
⦁ What planned maintenance is done on a motor?
Insula on of the motor, greasing of the motor , cleaning of the motor and complete overhaul
along with renewal of bearings.
⦁ How can you improve the power factor of a motor?
⦁ By adding capacitors in parallel with the line voltage in the starter.
⦁ What is a synchronous motor? Motor which run on synchronous speed, or a constant speed
as the stator. an electric motor having a speed exactly propor onal to the current frequency.
⦁ What is an asynchronous motor? An induc on or asynchronous motor is an AC electric motor
in which the electric current in the rotor needed to produce torque, is obtained by
electromagne c induc on from the magne c field of the stator winding
⦁ Why would it be beneficial to do an IR test on a motor while the motor is s ll hot?
⦁

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For insulators , an increase in temperature will cause their resistance to decrease, while in a
conductor the increase in temperature causes the resistance to increase.
⦁ How would you overhaul a motor that has been flooded with sea water? Wash the motor

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with fresh water, and dry it with hot air, ll the insula on improves.
⦁ What would a clamp ammeter read if it was clamped around a 3 core cable connected to a
motor known to be carrying 100A?
No, you cannot use a clamp meter around a 3 core cable at the same me. Current flowing
back through the neutral wire will effec vely cancel out current flowing through the live wire,
and it will read 0 amps
DA
A basic ammeter uses the electromagne c field generated by an electrical circuit to move a
needle in propor on to the electrical current
How could you detect if a motor is single phasing?
AN
The following are the effects of single phasing:1) Due to single phasing the current in the
remaining two phases increases and it is approximately 2.4 mes the normal current value.2)
Single Phasing reduces the speed of the motor.3) The motor becomes noisy and starts
vibra ng due to uneven torque produced in the motor.4) If the motor is arranged for standby
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and automa c star ng then the motor will not start, and if the overload relay provided fails
to func on then the motor may burn.5) The windings will melt due to overhea ng and can
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give a fatal shock to the personnel.6) It may cause overloading of the generator.
⦁ How do you change the bearings on a small motor? Open up both end covers a er marking
both ends correctly, removing the rotor , using a puller extract both the bearings , replace the
spare bearings by hea ng them, box back the rotor in place with both end covers and rotate
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with hand to see if motor is freely turning.

⦁ How o en should an electric motor be cleaned? According to a planned maintenance the
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motor is overhauled and bearings are renewed, overhauling depends on the useage of the
motor , however cleaning of the outside fins and cooling fan of the motor is done once a year.
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Circuit Breakers
⦁ Which kind of circuit breaker is mainly used on a low voltage switchboard?
⦁ ACB ( air circuit Breaker )
⦁ What kind of maintenance is done on a circuit breaker?
Record breaker serial number and number of operations.,check that the breaker is open and safely
isolated, Perform a visual inspection of the breaker and remove dust and contaminants from the
interrupter housing, insulation, and mechanism. Do not use compressed air, On all sleeve, needle,
and roller bearings apply 2 or 3 drops of Mobile No. 1 oil. Operate the breaker slowly to be sure there
is no binding or friction and that the movable contact of the interrupter can move to the fully opened
and fully closed position.

What are the main features of a circuit breaker?

The fundamental characteristics of a circuit-breaker are:
⦁ Its rated voltage Ue - This is the voltage at which the circuit-breaker has been designed to
operate, in normal (undisturbed) condi ons.
⦁ Its rated current In - This is the maximum value of current that a circuit-breaker, fi ed with a
specified overcurrent tripping relay, can carry indefinitely.
⦁ Its tripping-current-level adjustment ranges for overload protec on (Ir [1] or Irth [1] ) and for
short-circuit protec on (Im) [1]
⦁ Its short-circuit current breaking ra ng (Icu for industrial CBs; Icn for domes c-type CBs).
What is the most important rating on a circuit breaker? Why?.

Short Circuit Breaking Current of Circuit Breaker

⦁ This is the maximum short circuit current which a circuit breaker can withstand before it.
Finally cleared by opening its contacts.
⦁

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What is the main advantage of a circuit breaker over other devices?
⦁ Circuit-breakers respond quicker than fuses.

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⦁ Circuit-breakers are more reliable.
⦁ Circuit-breakers are more sensitive.
⦁ Unlike fuses which only operate once and need to be replaced a circuit-breaker can be
reset.
⦁ A breaker on the switchboard won’t close. What could be the problem?
⦁ DA
No voltage : fuse blown, faulty wire or grounded wire. Low voltage : due to loose
connection means there has been no discharge of the closing springs, which is what
mechanically closes the main contacts, due to improper adjustment of limit switches. Trip
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latch is not resetting after trip, check to see if breaker is charged ,.charging motor faulty.
High Voltage
⦁ Why is high voltage used? Explain how to safely isolated a transformer.
⦁ The demand for electrical power has gone up in many ships especially with those useing DE
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propulsion when current becomes to high its not prac cal to use the 440 volts supply, Higher
voltage is needed to reduce the current, Any Voltage used on board a ship if less than
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1kV(1000 V) then it is called as LV (Low Voltage) system and any voltage above 1kV is termed
as High Voltage. Typical Marine HV systems operate usually at 3.3kV or 6.6kV. Passenger
Liners like QE2 operate at 10kV.
⦁ Isolated equipment must be earthed down
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⦁ How is earthing achieved on a HV system?

⦁ To minimise the size of earth current a NER ( neutral earthing resistor) is a added in series
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with the earth.

⦁ How do you use a HV tes ng probe to prove a circuit is isolated? Is used to prove dead a er
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disconnec on and isola on,the tester must be tried out before and a er such test by
checking it with a proven supply, tester has a long insulated handle with a HV indicator,finger
guard and handle,and has a brass p.
⦁ What kinds of circuit breakers are used on a HV system?
⦁ For HV type the breakers used are Air Break, Oil Breaker, Gas break using SF6 or vacuum
break.
⦁ How do ACB’s dissipate an arc?
⦁ The arc is algongated and send up the arc runner where it is send to the arc chutes where it
is split up in the spli er plates and cooled off.
⦁ What is a CEM?
⦁ Circuit main earth–means the earthing equipment applied before the issue of, and at a
position recorded in, a SAFETY DOCUMENT
⦁ What is a NER?
 ⦁ Neutral earthing resistor
⦁ Why is a NER used? Used to connect the resistor in series with the earth to reduce the
earthing current to lower than the generator rated current.
⦁ What is a sanc on to test?
⦁ What voltage is considered high voltage? More than 1000 volts
⦁ What voltage would be used to IR test on a 3.3kV HV system? 4.3 m ohm
⦁ What is the most common planned maintenance for on a HV system?
⦁ Why is a HV system not isolated from earth?
⦁ What is the acceptable minimum limit for insula on resistance on a HV system?
⦁ one megohm per kV plus one Test results should be compared with previous readings and
with readings taken for similar equipment. Any values below the NETA standard minimums or
sudden departures from previous values should be inves gated.
⦁ Steering gear

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What is the steering gear? What does it do?
A Steering Gear is the equipment provided on ships to turn the ship to le (Port side) or to right

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(Starboard side) while in mo on during sailing. There are Two Types of steering gear : Rotary
vane type and Ram type.
For regular ships the rudder must be able to turn 35 degree on one side to 35 degree to the other
side and to meet the rules concerning angle velocity, the rudder must be able to turn from 35
degree to 30 degree on the other side in 28 seconds. This is called the minimum angle

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velocity.Designed such that single failure does not put the steering gear out of func on.
Emergency steering: the procedure for emergency steering should be easily seen in the wheel
house and steering gear compartment.
The emergency steering is done by 1) switching off the Auto pilot and the non- follow up push
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bu on on the starter cabinet or directly on the direc onal valve on the steering gear keeping an
eye at the rudder angle indicator Rudder commands are received from bridge. by phone
Describe the main features on the steering gear.
Arranged to restart automa cally when power is restored a er a power failure
Can be operated from the naviga on bridge, in the event of a power failure to any one of the SG
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power units, an Audible and visual alarm will be given of the bridge.
SG control provided both in the W/H and SG compartment.
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SG control system will be supplied from its own separate power circuit, coming from the SG
starter in the SG room. Or directly from the switch board busbar.
Short circuit protec on shall be provided only for SG control supply circuit,
Communica on provided from nav bridge to SG room.
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Low level alarm for each hyd tank.

Alarms : overload , No volt, Phase failure, Low tank level, auto pilot power failure alarm provided,
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Short circuit protec on alarm , main power failure alarm.

Short circuit protec on if provided must be rated not less than twice the star ng current of the
motor.
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ELECTRICAL STOPPER It stops the hydraulic pump when the position of the rudder
turning is at an angle of 36o. It automatically cuts of the supply because it is the maximum
turning angle of rudder. (It normally operates at 35o angle).
Electrical motor overload alarm Whenever hydraulic motor or helesaw pump motor draws
excessive current during bad weather, the steering should not fail. Instead it gives and alarm
about excessive current being drawn by the motor. Continued recurrence of this alarm could
mean that the electrical motor might burn
POWER FAILURE ALARM The full power failure alarm will be raised if the power fails in
black out condition. Emergency power should be arranged within 45 seconds and the
emergency generator must be capable to give power for at least 30 minutes for big ship and
10 min in case of small ships (ships<10,000 ton displacement).
 What maintenance is carried out on the ships steering gear?
⦁ What are the 2 main types of steering gear? Rotary vane and ram type
⦁ What are the regula ons regarding steering gear?
⦁ How would you know if a steering gear motor was single phasing? (Theres no OCR)
Phase fail alarm will ac vate.
⦁ Where will at least 1 steering gear motor be powered from?
From the emergency Generator or emergency source of power.

⦁ Over current protection for steering-gear systems .

Protec on against excess current including star ng circuit if provided shall be for not less than
twice the full load current of the motor.
Steering and Drills : within 12 hrs before Departure , the ships steering gear must be checked and
tested by the ship crew: which includes : Both steering gears, or main and aux steering gear 2)

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Remote SG control system, from naviga on bridge, emergency power supply, the rudder angle
indicator, Remote control system Control system power failure, SG power unit power failure

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alarm, automa c change over and other automa c equipment. Full rudder movement,
communica on between nav and SG room., emergency steering drill every 3 months
⦁ Ba eries
⦁ What safety precau ons should be taken before work is done on a ba ery?
⦁ Use proper PPE, keep non insulated tool away from the ba ery, enter only a er proper
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ven la on in the room, old ba eries should not be stored in the ba ery room.
⦁ What is considered a typical voltage for a fully charged lead acid ba ery? 2.1 v to 2.5 v
⦁ What is an acceptable number for the specific gravity for a fully charged lead acid
ba ery?1.280 and discharge is 1.8V and 1.100
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⦁ What is an acceptable number for the specific gravity for a discharged alkaline ba ery?
⦁ The electrolyte used in the NiCad ba ery is a 30 percent solu on of potassium hydroxide
(KOH) in dis lled water. The specific gravity of the electrolyte remains between 1.240 and
1.300 at room temperature. It must be noted that no appreciable changes occur in the
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electrolyte during charge or discharge. Because of this, the ba ery charge cannot be
determined by a specific gravity check of the electrolyte. The electrolyte level should be
maintained just above the tops of the plates.
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⦁ What is an acceptable number for the specific gravity for a charged alkaline ba ery?
⦁ Should the specific gravity change for either ba ery? Yes for lead acid ba ery , in alkaline
ba ery no appreciable changes occur in the electrolyte during charge or discharge.
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⦁ What ba eries used to supply on ships? Lead acid ba ery

⦁ What first aid treatment should you apply if someone is splashed with acid or alkaline from a
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ba ery?
⦁ As quickly as possible, flush the contaminated area with lukewarm, gently flowing
water for at least 30 minutes, by the clock.
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⦁ If irritation persists, repeat flushing. DO NOT INTERRUPT FLUSHING. If necessary,.

⦁ Under running water, remove contaminated clothing, shoes and leather goods (e.g.,
watchbands, belts). Discard contaminated clothing, shoes and leather goods.
⦁ Transport the victim to an emergency care facility immediately.
⦁ Why should lead acid and alkaline ba eries never be stored near eachother? Because the
rapid electroly c corrosion to metal work an damage to both ba eries is certain .
⦁ What are the advantages and disadvantages of using lead acid ba eries over alkaline
ba eries?
⦁ Lead acid cell : Needs fewer cell to reach a par cular voltage, very limited life, priced
reasonably, ba ery discharge on a open circuits, need regular a en on to keep charge going,
to get uninterrupted power ba ery should be fully charged. And it becomes discharged if kept
discharged over a long period of me.
⦁ Alkaline ba ery : Retains its charge if kept in open circuit and is not effected if kept discharged
 for a long me, but compara vely more expencive, need greater no of cell for a par cular
voltage , it requires less a en on and go on for hours with out charging.

Transformers
⦁ What do transformers do?
⦁ A transformer is an electrical device used to convert AC power at a certain voltage level to AC
power at a different voltage, but at the same frequency.
⦁ What kind of maintenance is done on a transformer?open circuit and short circuit test.
⦁ What precau ons should be taken when isola ng a transformer to do carry out maintenance
on?
⦁ What is an isola ng transformer?
⦁ An isola on transformer is a transformer used to transfer electrical power from a source of
alterna ng current (AC) power to some equipment or device while isola ng the powered
device from the power source, usually for safety reasons.
⦁ How would you IR test a transformer?

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⦁ First disconnect all the line and neutral terminals of the transformer.
⦁

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Megger leads to be connected to LV and HV bushing studs to measure insula on resistance
IR value in between the LV and HV windings.
Bridge Equipment
⦁ What is an ECDIS?
⦁ An Electronic Chart Display and Informa on System (ECDIS) is a computer-based naviga on

naviga on charts. DA
system that complies with IMO regula ons and can be used as an alterna ve to paper

⦁ What is an SVDR? What informa on is fed into an SVDR?

⦁ Voyage data recorder, or VDR, is a data recording system designed for all vessels required to
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comply with the IMO's Interna onal Conven on SOLAS Requirements (IMO Res.A.861(20)) in
order to collect data from various sensors on board the vessel. It then digi zes, compresses
and stores this informa on in an externally mounted protec ve storage unit.
Simplified voyage data recorder (S-VDR), as defined by the requirements of IMO Performance
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Standard MSC.163(78), is a lower cost simplified version VDR for small ships with only basic
ship's data recorded.
⦁ Like the black boxes carried on aircra , VDRs enable accident inves gators to review
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procedures and instruc ons in the moments before an incident and help to iden fy the cause
of any accident.
The information recorded in the unit(s), sometimes also called Black box for ship, may
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include the following information:

⦁ Posi on, date, me using GPS
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⦁ Speed log – Speed through water or speed over ground

⦁ Gyro compass – Heading
⦁
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Radar* – As displayed or AIS data if no off-the-shelf converter available for the Radar video
⦁ ECDIS* – A screen capture every 15 seconds and a list of naviga onal charts in use every 10
minutes or when a chart change occurs
⦁ Audio from the bridge, including bridge wings
⦁ VHF radio communica ons
⦁ Echo sounder* – Depth under keel
⦁ Main alarms* – All IMO mandatory alarms
⦁ Hull openings* – Status of hull doors as indicated on the bridge
⦁ Water ght & fire doors* status as indicated on the bridge
⦁ Hull stress* – Accelera ons and hull stresses
⦁ Rudder* – Order and feedback response
⦁ Engine/Propeller* – Order and feedback response
⦁ Thrusters* – Status, direc on, amount of thrust % or RPM
⦁ Anemometer and weather vane* – Wind speed and direc on
 ⦁ The SVDR is in alarm while the ship is in port. What could be the problem?
The data will be full and it need to be unloaded from the storage device.
⦁ What is a radar? How does it work?
⦁ RADAR – (Radio detec on and ranging), are used in naviga on, to locate naviga on aids,
tracking other vessels. Radar determines distance to an object by measuring the me
required for a radio signal to travel from a transmi er to the object and return.
⦁ What should happen to bridge equipment during a blackout?
⦁ It should be supplied with transi onal power from ba ery for 30 minutes.
⦁ What is a Doppler log? How does it work?
⦁ Doppler speed logs work on the principle of the Doppler effect, which is a shift in
frequency between a transmitted signal and a received signal caused by the motion of
a vessel over the sea bottom –
⦁ What is an echo sounder?

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⦁ Echo sounding is a type of SONAR used to determine the depth of water by transmi ng
sound pulses into water. The me interval between emission and return of a pulse is

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recorded, which is used to determine the depth of water along with the speed of sound in
water at the me.
⦁ The echo sounder is on in port but nothing happens, what could be the problem?
⦁ To shallow water, dirty ar cles obstruc ng the transducer.
⦁ What tests would you do on a GMDSS?
⦁
⦁
⦁
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Ba ery test , check it without main power source.
Draw a typical circuit for naviga on lights. How would you know if there is a fault?

⦁ What is auto pilot? How does it work? Auto pilot is used to keep the ship on a pre
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determined course ,by using a gyro compass & gps feed.
⦁ What equipment is required to work in order for a ship to sail?
⦁ What is AIS? Should it be switched off in port?
⦁ Automa c iden fica on system , It is used for safe naviga on and is used By VTS to steer the
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ship in congested areas, like Singapore, in port is also gives informa on of all vessels around
it so it could be used for that informa on.
⦁ What are NUC lights and where are they powered from?
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⦁ Not under command lights used when the main propulsion of the ship fails and the capt has
no control on the ship, switch situated at the nav panel signalling control.
⦁ Not under command lights , Naviga on and signalling lights coloum
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Fire Figh ng and Fire Safety

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⦁ What fixed installa ons can be used on a ship?

⦁ Co2, sprinkler system, hypermist system,
⦁ What type(s) of ex nguisher can be used on an electrical fire?
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⦁ DCP, CO2
⦁ What type(s) of ex nguisher can be used on a fuel oil fire?
⦁ Ans- Mechanical foam, DCP, Co2
⦁ How do you use a water fire ex nguisher?
⦁ Carry ex nguisher near the fire, Keep ex nguisher towards the fire, Remove safety pin and
Strike the plunger to pierce the co2 cartridge , the pressure created on the upper most part of
the container cause the water from the dip tube to pass and throw as a jet. 6meters for 60
sec.
⦁ What precau ons should be taken when using CO2?
⦁ A er the instruc on given by the master or chief engineer to release co2, before leaving
engine room make sure all Access from the engine room must be closed , Now all crew
member should go to their muster sta on for head count, a er head count follow the du es
 according to muster list like closing vent, doors flaps dampers quick closing valves for the fuel
line, trip the main generators and start the emergency generator, start the fire pump for
boundary cooling, a er head count taken and all found accounted for, Now from the control
sta on the chief engineer can open cabinet and the alarm will sound and ven la on will trip
in the engine room, now operate the pilot cylinder and master valve to release the co2,
⦁ Who is in charge of the opera on of the ships CO2system?
⦁ Only chief engineer and second engineer are permi ed to release co2,with the permission of
the master.
⦁ What is the ETO’s role in a fire onboard a ship?
⦁ Support team, will assist in closing ven la ons , trips , and in charge of all electrical
connec on in the area.
⦁ What kinds of fire detector heads are used and how are they tested?
⦁ Smoke detector , flame , Heat manual call point,
⦁ Smoke : tested using the smoke test spray, heat : tested by the heater blower, Flame : tested

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with a UV lamp flickering , Manual call Point ; Use test key to ac vate alarm.
What kinds of detection components are used other than smoke, heat and flame detectors?

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⦁ Flame detector detect in the 185-235 nm UV and 4.4 μ IR frequency ranges.,smoke test gas and
heater with a blower for heat detector.
⦁ How o en should the fire detec on system be tested?
All detectors have to be tested within a span of 3 months,so tested by tes ng part of each
zone per week for 12 weeks.
⦁ You find a fire in the galley. Go through the procedures of what you would be expected to do

⦁
in this event? DA
Press the closest fire alarm by breaking the glass, switch off the power to the galley
equipment by pressing the emergency stop near the exit of the galley, try to find the type and
source of of fire,switch o he power to the galley which is located near the enterance of the
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galley, if you have a suituable ex nguisher use it to ex nguisher the fireor use a fire blanket ,,
if fire cannot be controlled leave the area a er closing both the fire doors, inform bridge
about the type and loca on of the fire, report to your sta on and proceed according to
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assigned du es.
⦁ What tests should be carried out on a BA set before using it?
⦁ Before useing an alarm test should be carried out, open the cylinder valve , check the
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pressure in the bo le at the pressure gauge, it should show 200 bar, now close the cylinder
valve and see if pressure holding and not dropping more that 10 bar in a minute, if ok press
demand valve and let pressure drop to 55bar an alarm sounds which gives a indica on to
leave the space, if found working well test is complete.
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⦁ What are the main causes of engine room fires?

57% of all engine room fires are due to the leaking oil hi ng hotsports , 9% due to electrical
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fire due to short circuit, insula on failure, 11% due to hot work in engine room, 14%
component failure,
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What pumps can be used to supply water to the fire main?

⦁ bilge , ballast pump, sanitary, or general service pump, provided they are not used for
pumping oil.
⦁ Where are the fire pumps supplied from?
⦁ Have independent sea suc on
⦁ Where would you usually find the emergency fire pump?
⦁ The emergency fier pump should be located away from the class aA machinery s and away
from the main fire pump, the space should be separated by a bulkhear and sufficiently
insulated, and with a air lock between both doors and atleast being fire proof.

Lifesaving apparatus
⦁ How much water ra on per person is in a lifeboat?
⦁ 500ml/per person per day.for 3 days
⦁ What kinds of flares are there on a lifeboat and how many of each?
 ⦁ 3 kinds hand flares 6 nos, rocket parachute flare 4 nos each, and boyant smoke signal, 2 nos
⦁ What is a sea anchor and what is it used for?
⦁ What is a TEMPSC?
⦁ “Totally Enclosed Motor Propelled Survival Cra “ It is a form of lifeboat typically installed on
seagoing vessels "
⦁ What is the maximum me it should take to launch a fast rescue cra ?
⦁ Each rescue boat must be ready for launching in not more than 5 minutes.
⦁ What checks should take place before entering and lowering a lifeboat?
⦁ Check all hooks are engaged before hois ng or lowering
⦁ Check that all loose ropes, wires and fittings are clear before lowering
⦁ or raising a lifeboat. Check that all lines, fittings and connections are secure before lowering or raising.
Check that all connections are secured to the correct attachment. Battery connection removed.
⦁ What would you do if you heard 3 short blasts and 1 long blast on the ships whistle?
Fire and Continuous ringing of the General Alarm bell for 10 seconds and continuous
Emergency sounding of the ship's whistle for 10 seconds

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Abandon Ship 7 or more short blasts on the ship's whistle and General Alarm bell, followed
by one prolonged blast

Man Overboard 3 prolonged blasts on the ship's whistle and General Alarm bell

Dismissal from
Drill
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3 short blasts on the ship's whistle and General Alarm bell
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First aid
What kind of injuries could arise from electricity?
Electric current can cause injury in three ways: Cardiac arrest due to the electrical effect on
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the heart. Muscle, nerve, and tissue, Destruction from a current passing through the body &
Thermal burns from contact with the electrical source
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How would you treat someone having a heart a ack?

If you think someone is having a heart a ack: Have the person sit down, rest, and try to keep
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calm.Loosen any ght clothing.Ask if the person takes any chest pain medica on, If the pain does not
go away promptly with rest or within 3 minutes of taking medica on call for emergency medical help.
How do you control bleeding?
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Remove any obvious dirt or debris from the wound. Stop the bleeding Raise the injured part above
the level of the heart. Help the injured person lie down, preferably on a rug or blanket to prevent loss
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of body heat. If possible, elevate the legs. Don't remove the gauze or bandage. If the bleeding seeps
through the gauze or other cloth on the wound, add another bandage on top of it. And keep pressing
firmly on the area. Leave the bandages in place and get the injured person to the emergency room as
soon as possible.
What is the first thing you should do if you find an unconscious casualty?
When someone looks like they’re asleep but they’re unable to respond to noise or body contact, it’s
likely they’re unconscious. What you need to do - Unconscious and breathing adult Open the airway,
Place one hand on the casualty’s forehead and gently tilt their head back. As you do this, the
mouth will fall open slightly.Place the fingertips of your other hand on the point of the
casualty’s chin and lift the chin, Look, listen and feel for normal breathing – chest movement,
sounds and breaths on your cheek. Do this for no more than ten seconds, Put them in the recovery
posi on This will keep their airway open. Kneel down next to them on the floor. The next
three steps are for if you find the casualty lying on their back. If you find them lying on their
side or their front you may not need all three.

1. Place their arm nearest you at a right angle to their body, with their palm facing upwards.
2. Take their other arm and place it across their chest so the back of their hand is against their
cheek nearest you, and hold it there. With your other hand, lift their far knee and pull it up
until their foot is flat on the floor.
3. Now you’re ready to roll them onto their side. Carefully pull on their bent knee and roll
them towards you. Once you’ve done this, the top arm should be supporting the head and the
bent leg should be on the floor to stop them from rolling over too far.
Hazardous Areas
⦁ What does “intrinsically safe” mean?

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⦁ An equipment or a device i said to be intrinsically safe when the equipment is unable to cause
a spark or explosion when a thermal or electrical energy is passing thru them in a hazardous

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area.
⦁ What is a hazardous area?
⦁ Are zones where the probability of an explosive gas –air mixture being present and therefore
a likely hood of an explosion occurring.
⦁ A piece of equipment has “EEx d IIC T6” wri en on it. What do these figures mean?
⦁ Standards
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Ex = equipment corresponds to a type of protection covered by British standards, and EEx correspondence to
European standards. D for explosion proof, ii stands for surface, and c type of gas hydrogen propane etc..
⦁ What are zones?
⦁ Zone 0 = where a gas/air mixture is con nuously present, Zone 1 = where a Gas/ air mixture
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is likely to occur in normal opera on. Zone 2 =Where a gas /air mixture is not likely to occur
and if it does not for a long me. Areas not classified in zone 0, 1 and 2 are considered non
hazardous area or safe area.
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⦁ What do the temperature groups mean?

While considering the protection against electrical arcs and sparks igniting a
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flammable atmosphere, consideration needs to be given to the surface temperature of

equipment. (Most electrical apparatus dissipates some heat!) Flammable materials
are categorized according to their ignition temperature. Again, rather than work with
an infinite range, six temperature classes are defined as follows: wont ignite below this
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temperature range, T1- 450 deg, T2- 300 deg, T3- 200 deg, T4 -135 deg, T5- 100 deg,
T6- 85 deg.
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What kind of hazardous area equipment would you expect to find in use in a paint store? EEXd
Flame proof light fi ngs, ven la on blower , sprinkler system
. 1. G. System— safety trips.
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Scrubber high level/ low level, deck seal high/ low level, high O2 content, high blower casing
temperature, TRIPS- high casing temp, low or no flow scrubber water, low or no flow deck
seal water, O2 content 8% trip on gas carriers 0.08 ( 80 milibar) and vacuum -0.07 bar( 70
milibar )
Deck seal (IG)
prevent back flow of gases from tanks to ER. Acts as NRV. Dry, wet,semi wet.
IG use on tanker, scrubber, PV valve se ng when it li s.
Iner ng of cargo tanks. Scrubber- cooling and washing of carbon. PV valve se ng 1400 mm
water head @ prside and 250 mm water head @ vacuum side.
What is the reason of oil content monitor of Bilge separator giving false alarm? Oil s cking or
a layer of oil deposited over me on the 15 ppm oil monitor sensor
Describe an oil mist detector.
Sampling tubes, fan , rotator arm, measuring tube, sampling tube, lamp source, mirrors,
 photo cells.
What is humidifier and dehumidifier purpose, working and requirements?
increase or decrease humidity of air supplied through AC system. dehumidifying by means of
hea ng saturated air. Humidifying by injec on of steam or water spray. 40-60% humidity,
comfort zone
What is an incinerator? Principle of opera on?
M/C for burning waste oil sludge rags garbage and sewage in a furnace.

WIDS (Water Ingress Detec on System) is designed for detec ng the presence of water and bilge in all
empty spaces. It is made up of Lidec L20-70DW liquid level detector which can be connected directly
to a central alarm unit. This system offers an independent solu on for safety. At 0.5 m and mot more
than 2 m.

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To elaborate further BNWAS has a three stage alarm system. Once operational, the BNWAS
within 12 minutes will initiate a visual indication on the bridge. If not reset, the BNWAS will

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sound a 1st stage audible alarm, in the bridge, 15 seconds after the visual indication was
initialized.
If the alarm is still not acknowledged within 15 seconds of the first stage alarm, the BNWAS
will sound a second stage remote audible alarm in Master’s cabin or other qualified OOW’s
location. If the second stage alarm is not acknowledged within 90 seconds, it will sound a
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third stage alarm at the location of further crew members who are capable of taking action. If
after any stage the alarm is reset, it will again activate after 12 minutes of last indication.
Such great features make BNWAS( Bridge Navigational Watch alarm system )inevitable part
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of bridge watch keeping and prove to be a great aid in mitigating the risks to ship owners.
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Boilers
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⦁ What types of sensors would you expect on a boiler?

⦁ What safety devices would you expect to find on a boiler?
⦁ Low water alarm ,L.L.water ararm boiler trip,

Refrigera on and AC
⦁ Name the electrical components usually found in a refrigera on or AC
⦁ .system.compressor, dryer oil separator, expansion valve, condenser , eveaporator, blower,
solenoid valves , temp sensor, pressure sensor, difff pressure sensor,
⦁ What is a compressor?
⦁ It a machine used to compressor the refrigerant to its condensing pressure.
⦁ If a compressor is switching on and off – is it fair to think the problem is the motor itself?
What else could be the problem?
⦁ What could be happening to the motor from constantly switching on and off? Due to the high
 star ng current will cause the motor to get hot, and cause insula on failure.
⦁ If the contactor is stuck closed, what could this cause? The motor would not stop and would
have no control from the control circuit.
⦁ Why would a compressor run hot? Undercharged system due to loss of con nuous runnig, air
in the system,

Miscellaneous Electrical
⦁ What is a short circuit fault? How do you test for this? When there is a low resistance path
due to insula on breakdown or to conductors touching each other.
⦁ Fuse of the equipment will melt on high short circui ng current. ,
⦁ Can use a insula on resistance meter to check the condi on of the insulator.
⦁ What is an open circuit fault?
⦁ How do you test for this? When the con nuality of a circuit is broken, can use a mul meter
this fault can be traced.
⦁ How would you safely isolate a piece of equipment? e.g. a Transformer

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⦁ Switching off the main power , confirm with a voltmeter if circuit is dead, switch off supply
and remove the fuses, and display warning n ply card no ce “ DO NOT OPERATE” IF HIGH

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VOLTAGE connect a Earth wore between the equipment and ground.
⦁ What is a live line tester? live line tester is a voltage detector ideal for live line tes ng on
systems up to 1100V DC.
⦁ What is a UPS? What does it do? Uninterrupted power supply, is used in monitoring and
computer system to give backup supply in case of a main power supply failure. Uses a ba ery
and a inverter.
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⦁ What services rely on UPS systems? Computer and automa on services SVDR,
⦁ What is a diode? = A semiconductor device with two terminals, typically allowing the flow
of current in one direc on only. Anode and cathode
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⦁ What is a transistor?= a semiconductor device with three connec ons, capable of
amplifica on in addi on to rec fica on. Collector emmiter base.
⦁ What is a thyristor? = a four-layered semiconductor rec fier in which the flow of current
between two electrodes is triggered by a signal at a third electrode. Called gate.
⦁ What is a PI index? = Poliriza on index is a varia on of the IR test. It is the ra o of IR
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measured a er voltage has been applied for 10minutes (R10) to the IR measured a er one
minute (R1),
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⦁ What is IR tes ng? What voltages should be used?

⦁ The insula on resistance (IR) test (also commonly known as a Megger) is a spot insula on
test which uses an applied DC voltage (typically either 250Vdc, 500Vdc or 1,000Vdc for low
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voltage equipment <600V and 2,500Vdc and 5,000Vdc for high voltage equipment) to
measure insula on resistance in either kΩ, MΩ or GΩ. The measured resistance is intended
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to indicate the condi on of the insula on or dieletric between two conduc ve parts, where
the higher the resistance, the be er the condi on of the insula on.
⦁ How does an IR tester work? Using dc 500volts insula on meter and spot insula on test
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⦁ Where are earth faults most likely to occur? Galley hot plates, deck ligh ng, accommoda on
cabins, hot water calorifier heater, or any heater used in engine room. Hand lamps.
⦁ In what circumstances is working on live equipment permi ed? No person is permi ed to
work in live circuits unless the equipment is covered with insula ng material and prevents
danger from electrocu on,
⦁ unless it is unreasonable under all circumstance for it to be dead. Or if it is reasonable to be
there when it is live,
⦁ wearing proper PPE and insulated tools.
⦁ How can you test a fuse? With a mul meter doing a con nuity test.
⦁ How does a fluorescent light work?
⦁ Fluorescent lamps work by ionizing mercury vapor in a glass tube. This causes electrons in
the gas to emit photons at UV frequencies. The UV light is converted into standard visible
light using a phosphor coa ng on the inside of the tube.
⦁ WORKING Starter switch has a neon lamp with bimetallic strip. In the choke the magne c
 field grows and shrink with AC cycle. Tungsten filament heats up as the current goes thru,
Starter neon lamp heats up a bimetallic switch, the Bimetalic switch heats up and pop it Off,
in the choke the magne c field collapses causing a spike of voltage ( Induc ve kick ), Voltage
spike forces ions all the way through the lamp,If magne c field which collapsed was not a
peak the lamp will not light, The lamp automa cally returns to preheat stage, magne c field
will again collapses whith a larger spike, this makes the lamp warm to keep the arc going, The
ballast also limits current to prevent shorts, becoz as the lamp get warmer the resistence
keep droping, current would keep raising ll the lamp destroy itself.
⦁ What would you expect was wrong if a fluorescent light kept flashing when it was switched
on? The neon starter was defec ve causing the magne c field in the choke to raise and
collapses but not warm enough to ionise the mercury.
⦁ What is the capacitor for in a fluorescent light circuit?
⦁ The ballast ini ally resists the increase in current. This causes the current to lag behind the
voltage, making the circuit inefficient. The Capacitor is there to make the circuit more

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efficient by bringing the two back in phase. To improve power factor.
⦁ What happens if you remove the starter from a fluorescent light while it is lit?
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The lamp will keep burning but will not restart again.
⦁ Do ammeters on the MSB panel and on starter panels carry full load currents? How?
⦁ The circuit is connected to current transformer which reduces the secondary current to max
5 amps in full range, this is propor onal to full load current.
⦁ What is a current transformer? The Current Transformer ( C.T. ), is a type of “instrument

⦁
⦁
What is low loca on ligh ng?
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transformer” that is designed to produce an alterna ng current in its secondary winding
which is propor onal to the current being measured in its primary.

The low loca on ligh ng is an unique system that allows all evacua on routes to stay
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illuminated, thereby communica ng a clear, con nuous and unambiguous 'means of escape'
message which lead to a safe place.
⦁ What types of sensors would you expect to find around the ship? Limit switches, level
switches, pressure switches, temperature switches, proximity switches, bimetallic switches,
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thermocouple,
⦁ How do you test these?
⦁ What is the alarm system? What does it do? How does it work?
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⦁ Alarm & monitoring system with process control and power management. Consists of alarm
and monitoring, of all machinery safe es , bilges liquid levels, tank levels , fire detec on,
reefer monitoring, Air condi oning, Power management , propulsion control, ballast control.
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Miscellaneous
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⦁ What is cathodic protec on?

⦁ Its a protec on where a more powerfull external current is applied to suppress the natural
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electro chemical ac on on the we ed surface of the Hull, Reference electrode measure the
poten al of the hull, A reading is sent to the control panel, The output current of the Anode is
raised or lowered automa cally, Each Anode is protected with a dielectric shield. Hence the
Hull receives a op mum level of protec on.
⦁ What is a water ght door? Explain how a water ght door is safely operated. Where can they
be operated from?
⦁ Water ght doors are special types of doors found on the ships which prevent the ingress of
water from one compartment to other during flooding or accidents.
⦁ Watertight doors drill on ships
⦁ 1.Drills for the operation of watertight doors shall take place every week. Also the
doors should be checked before leaving the port.
2.All watertight doors, both hinged and power operated should be operated daily
during the rounds.
 3.The door should be able to operate from both local and remote places. I.e. bridge
and ship control center.
4.If door is operated from remote location, there should be an audio and visual alarm
during closing,
5.There should be indication of both open and close on the remote place of operation.
⦁ Solas Regulations Regarding Closure of Watertight Doors
(As per Solas regulation, SOLAS chapter II-1, watertight doors from regulation 14 to
regulation 25)
⦁ 1.All the power operated doors must be capable of closing simultaneously from
bridge and Ship Control Center (SCC) in not more than 60 seconds when the ship is
in upright condition.
2.The door shall have an approximate uniform rate of closure under power. The
closure time, from the time the door begins to close to the time it closes completely

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shall be in no case less than 20 seconds or more than 40 seconds with the ship in
upright condition.

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3.In case of hand operation of the door, during power failure, the door must be closed
within 90 seconds.
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⦁ What is a permit to work? When should they be used?
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Permit To Work-: Issued by an authorised person to a responsible person who will perform
the task of repair/maintenance Generally valid only for 24-Hrs. Has at least five sections.
FIRST section states the nature of work to be carried out. SECOND section declares where
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electrical isolation and earthing have been applied and where Danger /Caution notices have
been displayed. THIRD section is signed by the Person receiving the Permit acknowledging
that he is satisfied with the safety precautions taken and the Isolation / Earthing measures
adopted. FOURTH section is signed by the Permit-holder that the work has been
completed/suspended. FIFTH Section is signed by the Issuing authority cancelling the
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Permit
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⦁ What should be done prior to obtaining a permit to work? Risk assessment to be completed,
tool box mee ng to discuss how the work intend to be done,
⦁ What permit might you need for working up the ships mast? What safety equipment would
you use? Working alo permit, risk assessment
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⦁ What precau ons should be taken before doing work in an enclosed space?
⦁ How would you control an oil spill?
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⦁ What is an oily water separator?

⦁ What is li ing gear? How is it rated? How is it tested? What is the colour coding scheme?
⦁ Deck cranes, provision devits, lifera davits, engine room cranes come under li ing gear,
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rated in tons a SWL, colour coding is SWL from 0.1 to 1.9 = blue, 2.0 – 4.9 tons = yellow, 5.0
to 9.9 tons = Green and above 10 tons=Red.
⦁ Chief engineer tells you to do work on a li and you don’t have a permit to work. What do you
do?
I would refuse ll a proper risk assessment and Permit to work was completed.

Difference between governors fitted on main propulsion engine and Generator.

All marine vessels need some sort of speed control system to control and govern the speed of marine
diesel engine used for propulsion. It would be really imprac cal and dangerous to have a ship without
speed control mechanism fi ed on it, and can lead to accidents such as collision or grounding.
       The speed control men oned above is achieved with the help of a governor. Main role of a
governor is not to increase or decrease the speed which can be done via fuel control system ( similar
to an accelerator on your car) but once the speed of the engine has been set, the job of the governor
is to maintain that despite the varia ons in load. In other words the governor controls the speed
varia on and keeps the speed within restrained limits despite these varia ons.
      As per IACS each main engine is to be fi ed with a speed governor so adjusted that the engine
speed can not exceed the rated speed by more than 15%.

Generator on board a ship needs to maintain constant frequency. To maintain constant frequency the
prime mover  should run at constant speed. So the governor fi ed on this type of prime mover should
be able to maintain constant speed to maintain constant frequency. As per IACS each generator
should be fi ed with speed governor which will prevent transient frequency varia on in the electrical
network in excess of + or - 10% of the rated frequency.

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so it can be concluded that governor fi ed on main engine is a constant load governor. It maintains
constant load at different speed se ng set by the fuel lever. Where as a governor fi ed on a

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generator is a constant speed governor. It maintains the engine rated speed despite of load varia ons.

Overcurrent relay
An "Over current Relay" is a type of protec ve relay which operates when the load current exceeds a

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preset value. In a typical applica on the over current relay is used for over current protec on,
connected to a current transformer and calibrated to operate at or above a specific current level.
When the relay operates, one or more contacts will operate and energize a trip coil in a Circuit
Breaker and trip (open) the Circuit Breaker.:
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Overload relay:
"Overload relays are electrical switches typically employed in industrial se ngs to protect electrical
equipment from damage due to overhea ng in turn caused by excessive current flow. Overload relays
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are provided for protec ng components connected to an electrical circuit in the event the current
flowing through the circuit exceeds a predetermined level. An overload relay monitors the current
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flowing in the protected circuit and sends a signal to cause a contactor in the protected circuit to open
when the current flowing in the protected circuit is higher than a preselected level."
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