5 Protective Devices

Protective
Devices
Objectives
1. State what is meant by protective/safety devices and how they
work in simple terms.
2. Explains how protective/safety devices are incorporated in each
system in a ship's propulsion machinery stating that
protective/safety devices are isolated from their control
systems.
3. Explain briefly the following protective/safety devices and
operation mechanism.
a. Main engine shut down such as over speed, lubricating oil low
pressure and etc.
b.Prime mover of generator shutdown
State what is meant by protective
/ safety devices and how they
work in simple terms.
Circuit breakers: A circuit breaker is an auto shut
down device which activates during an abnormality
in the electrical circuit. Especially during
overloading or short circuit, the circuit breaker
opens the supplied circuit from MSB and thus
protects the same. Different circuit breakers are
strategically installed at various locations.
Fuses: Fuses are mainly used for short circuit
protection and comes in various ratings. If the
current passing through the circuit exceeds the safe
value, the fuse material melts and isolates the MSB
from the default system. Normally fuses are used
with 1.5 times of full load current.
Over current relay: OCR is used mainly on the local
panel and MSB for protection from high current.
They are installed where a low power signal is a
controller. Normally relays are set equivalent to full
load current with time delay.
Dead front panel: It is another safety device
provided on the Main switch board individual panels
wherein you cannot open the panel until the power
of that panel is switched off.
Main Switchboard
General Alarm: The general alarm on the ship is
recognized by 7 short ringing of bell followed by a
long ring or 7 short blasts on the ship’s horn
followed by one long blast. The general alarm is
sounded to make aware the crew on board that an
emergency has occurred.
Fire Alarm: A fire alarm is sounded as continuous
ringing of ship’s electrical bell or continuous
sounding of ship’s horn.
Man Overboard Alarm: When a man falls
overboard, the ship internal alarm bell sounds 3
long rings and ship whistle will blow 3 long blasts to
notify the crew on board and the other ships in
nearby vicinity.
Navigational Alarm: In the navigation bridge, most
of the navigational equipment’s and navigation
lights are fitted with failure alarm. If any of these
malfunctions, an alarm will be sounded in an alarm
panel displaying which system is malfunctioning.
Navigational Alarm
Explain how protective/safety
devices are incorporated in each
system in a ship's propulsion
machinery stating that protective /
safety devices are isolated from
their control systems.
A ship’s propulsion engine is what
keeps the ship going at sea.
Considered as the heart of any
vessel, the marine engine of the ship
takes the entire load to propel the
ship forward. Of course, without an
engine a ship is almost a “dead ship.”
 Throughout its life, the propulsion engine of the ship
goes through various loads and stresses from rough
weather to harsh maneuvering and breakdowns.
 To avoid any major loss or damage to the marine

engine, several protective devices are fitted to
safeguard the engine from major damages and
breakdown.
Different Types of
Protections on a
Ship’s Marine
Engine
Basically there are four main types of protection
systems used to safeguard propulsion engine:
1. Alarm: In case of deviation of engine parameters
from a set value, an audible and visual alarm will
sound which will give an early warning of the
problem.
2. Slow down: It is the next stage of protection
when actions taken are not sufficient to control
the ongoing problem; hence engine slowdown is
done to counter the disturbed parameter.
3. Shut down: When there is a higher fluctuation
in the engine parameters which can harm other
systems of the engine, the shutdown protective
devices cut off the fuel supply and the engine
stops.
4. Starting Interlock: This will not allow the
engine to start from the stand-still condition if
some important system within the engine has
not been operated or arranged properly.
Different Engine
Slow Down
Situations
In this situation the main engine will come to dead slow RPM i.e.
below 30 RPM as the slow down protection gets activated. Following
are different slow down situation for main engine:
 Lube oil pressure falls to 1.5 bar

 Cam shaft pressure falls below 2 bar
 There is no flow of piston cooling media (water or oil)
 Oil mist detector or Main bearing sensors has been
activated
 Lube oil temperature at the inlet of engine is high > 60ᴼC
 Piston Cooling temperature is high > 75ᴼC
In this situation the main engine will come to dead slow RPM i.e.
below 30 RPM as the slow down protection gets activated. Following
are different slow down situation for main engine:
 Jacket water Temperature is high > 88ᴼC
 Engine cylinder exhaust temperature is
high>450ᴼC
 Scavenge air temperature is high > 65ᴼC
 Thrust block temperature is high > 75ᴼC
 Low flow of Cylinder lube oil
 Control air pressure is low < 5.5 bar
Different Shut
Down Situations
– Lube oil inlet pressure to engine is very low <1 bar
– Cam shaft Lube oil pressure is very low < 1.5 bar
– Very high Jacket cooling water temperature >95ᴼC
- Low Jacket cooling water pressure < 0.1 bar
– No flow of Cylinder lube oil
– Thrust block temperature very high > 90ᴼC
– Lube oil inlet pressure for turbocharger is low < 0.8 bar
– Over speed of the engine which activates shut down at
107 % of Max. continuous rating MCR
Different
Starting
Interlocks
 Turning gear engage interlock
 Auxiliary blower off interlock
 Lube oil and other important pump not running interlock
 Apart from safety protections on a ship’s engine, various other
systems to ensure that various other operations are not affected.
 An interlock is used to help prevent a machine from harming its
operator or damaging itself by preventing one element from
changing state due to the state of another element, and vice versa.
Explain briefly the following protective
/safety devices and operation
mechanism.
a. Main engine shut down such as over

speed, Lubricating oil low pressure
and etc.
b. Prime mover of generator shutdown
It is imperative that machinery safety devices are
maintained in working order, and that they are tested at
regular intervals according to the instructions in the
maker’s manual. The shutdown systems fitted to each
machine are to be tested approximately once per month
where practical, and must be tested at intervals not
exceeding three months.
A diesel engine is designed with protection
systems to alert the operators of abnormal
conditions and prevent the engine from destroying
itself.
1. Over Speed Device
Because a diesel is not self-speed-limiting, a
failure in the governor, injection system, or sudden
loss of load could cause the diesel to over speed.
An over speed condition is extremely dangerous
because engine failure is usually catastrophic and
can possibly cause the engine to fly apart.
1. Over Speed Device
An over speed device, usually some type of
mechanical flyweight, will act to cut off fuel to the
engine and alarm at a certain present rpm. This is
usually accomplished by isolating the governor from
its oil supply, causing it to travel to the no-fuel
position, or it can override the governor and
directly trip the fuel rack to the no-fuel position.
2. Water Jacket
Water-cooled engines can overheat if the cooling
system fails to remove waste heat. Removal of the waste
heat prevents the engine from seizing due to excessive
expansion of the components under a high temperature
condition. The cooling water jacket is commonly where the
sensor for the cooling water system is located.
2. Water Jacket
The water jacket temperature sensors provide early
warning of abnormal engine temperature, usually an alarm
function only. The set point is set such that if the condition
is corrected in a timely manner, significant engine damage
will be avoided. But continued engine operation at the
alarm temperature or higher temperatures will lead to
engine damage.
3. Exhaust Temperatures
In a diesel engine, exhaust temperatures are very
important and can provide a vast amount of information
regarding the operation of the engine. High exhaust
temperature can indicate an overloading of the engine or
possible poor performance due to inadequate scavenging
(the cooling effect) in the engine.
3. Exhaust Temperatures
Extended operation with high exhaust
temperature can result in damage to the exhaust
valves, piston, and cylinders. The cylinders. The
exhaust temperature usually provides only an alarm
function.
4. Low Lube Oil Pressure
Low oil pressure or loss of oil pressure can
destroy an engine in short order. Therefore, most
medium to larger engines will stop upon low or loss
of oil pressure. Loss of oil pressure can result in the
engine seizing due to lack of lubrication. Engines
with mechanical-hydraulic governors will also stop
due to lack of oil to the governor.
4. Low Lube Oil Pressure
The oil pressure sensor usually stops the
engine. The oil pressure sensors on larger engines
usually have two low pressure set points. One set
point provides early warning of abnormal oil
pressure, an alarm function only. The second set
point can be set to shutdown the engine before
permanent damage is done.
5. High Crankcase Pressure
High crankcase pressure is usually caused by
excessive blow-by (gas pressure in the cylinder
blowing by the piston rings and into the crankcase).
The high pressure condition indicates the engines is
in poor condition. The high crankcase pressure is
usually used only as an alarm function.
A prime mover is an engine that converts fuel
to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is
thus the source of power for its propulsion. In an
engine-generator set, the engine is the prime
mover, as distinct from the generator.
In a diesel-mechanical locomotive, the prime
mover is the diesel engine that is mechanically
coupled to the driving wheels (drivers). In a diesel-
electric locomotive, the prime mover is the diesel
engine that rotates the main generator responsible
for producing electricity to power the traction
motors that are geared to the drivers.
The prime mover can also be a gas turbine
instead of a diesel engine. In either case, the
generator, traction motors and interconnecting
apparatus are considered to be the power
transmission system and not part of the prime
mover. A wired-electric or battery-electric
locomotive has no on-board prime mover, instead
relying on an external power station.
The engine (prime mover) and generator set
of a diesel-electric locomotive are sometimes
coupled as a removable unit called "the power unit.

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Protective

 To avoid any major loss or damage to the marine

 Lube oil pressure falls to 1.5 bar

a. Main engine shut down such as over

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