COOLING WATER SYSTEM

Cooling Water System : Water is used for cooling of jacket, cylinder head, exhaust
valve, turbocharger casing and piston in some type of engines.

Although sea water is available in abundance, it is not used directly for cooling of
diesel engines because of the corrosion which will be caused in cooling water spaces
and the salts deposited in the cooling surfaces will result in reduced heat transfer.

Instead, the water circulated in the engine is fresh water, which then is itself cooled by
sea water. Natural water contains dissolved salts which produce hardness in it. In order
to keep the engine cooling system free from harmful effects of scaling and corrosion,
the water selected should have a characteristic within a predetermined value. (pH value
7 to 8). Distilled water (from Fresh water generator) is used for cooling system.

Shown in the sketch is a jacket water cooling system for Main engine and auxiliary
engine. A thermostatically controlled 3 way valve maintains jacket water outlet
temperature at 80-85 C.
To make up for any leaks in the system, there is a header tank (expansion tank) which
automatically makes up any deficiency. The expansion tank is usually placed high in
the engine room. It is deliberately made to be manually replenished and is fitted with
low level alarm.
To prevent accumulation of air in the cooling water system, a deaerating tank is
provided below the expansion tank.

JCW Cooling Water pump - Fresh water is pumped via one of two centrifugal
pumps. One is normally in use with the other stand-by. The jacket water pump draws
water from the jacket water cooler outlet and delivers it to the engine. The water passes
through to the distributing manifold on the engine side.
The water enters and leaves the engine via a series of cylinder isolating valves. In this
way each cylinder may be individually drained to prevent excessive water and
chemical loss. In addition dual level drains may be fitted which allow either full
draining or draining of the head only. A portion of the water is diverted for cooling of
the turbocharger.

De-aerator is an essential part of engines incorporating water cooled pistons were air
was deliberately introduced in to the system to aid the "cocktail shaker" cooling action.
Air or gas entering the system can lead to unstable and even total loss of cooling water
pressure as the gas expands in the suction eye of the circulating pumps. To prevent
accumulation of air in the cooling water system, a de-aerating tank is provided below
the expansion tank.
Also in the event of gas leakage via the head or cracked liner rapid loss of jacket water
pressure can occur. The de-aerator is a method to try to slow this process sufficiently
to allow the vessel to be placed in a safe position for maintenance. This system also
allows the vessel to operate with minor gas leakage.

Jacket Water Cooler The hot water leaving the engine passes to a temperature control
valve were a portion is diverted to a cooler. Temperature is controlled using both a
feedback signal (temperature measured after the cooler) and a feed forward signal
(temperature measured at outlet from the engine). In this way the system reacts more
quickly to engine load variations.
On Commercial Ocean going vessels mostly two types of JCW coolers are in use,
1. Shell & Tube type – JCW water flows across shell and cooling sea water flows
through tubes.
2. Plate type – Both JCW & cooling sea water flows across alternate plates. This is
being most popular at present.

Fresh Water Generator (Evaporator) – It increases plant efficiency by utilizing heat

in jacket water to produce fresh water. Modern systems sometimes rely on the
evaporator to supplement a reduced size main cooler.
The freshwater generator, if installed, may be connected to the seawater system if the
generator does not have a separate cooling water pump. The generator
must be coupled in and out slowly over a period of at least 3 minutes.

Expansion or header tank - Maintains a constant head on the circulation pumps

reducing cavitation at elevated temperatures. It allows the volume of water in the
system to vary without need for dumping. It also acts as a reserve in the event of
leakage and to make up for loss of water due to evaporation.
The expansion tank is usually placed high in the engine room. It is deliberately made
to be replenished manually or can have automatic float arrangement. For safety it is
fitted with low level alarm.

Preheating in port/anchorage - Attempting to start the engine without heating can

lead to poor combustion, poor lubrication and thermal shocking. So, in port or
anchorage when main engine is idle, JCW temperature is maintained to about 65 to 70 0
C by way of preheating.
There are two existing methods employed for preheating main engine JCW water -
1. With inline steam jacket water heater
2. With the help of JCW from on load auxiliary alternator engines
A drain tank has been included. This is for when the engine is drained down for
maintenance purposes. Because of the quantities of water involved and the chemical
treatment, it is not economically viable or environmentally responsible to dump the
treated water overboard each time. This way the water can be re used.

Central cooling water system : The central cooling water system has only one heat
exchanger cooled by seawater, and all other coolers including jacket water cooler are
cooled by fresh water low temperature (LT) system.
The central cooling water pump circulates low temperature fresh water in a cooling
circuit directly through lub oil cooler, jacket cooler and scavenge air cooler.

The main engine jacket water system has an independent pump circuit with jacket
water pump, fresh water generator and jacket water cooler.
• A central cooling water system, with three circuits:

 seawater system
 low temperature freshwater system
 jacket cooling water system

The advantages of the central coling system are:

• Only one heat exchanger cooled by seawater, and thus, only one exchanger to be
overhauled

• All other heat exchangers are fresh water cooled and can, therefore, be made of a less
expensive material

• Few non-corrosive pipes to be installed

• Reduced maintenance of coolers and components

• Increased heat utilization.

Whereas the disadvantages are:

• Three sets of cooling water pumps (seawater, freshwater low temperature, and jacket
water high temperature)

• Higher first cost.

Quality of Cooling Water :

Though the distilled water matches best to the requirements for cooling water, it is

necessary to add corrosion inhibitor. Because untreated distilled water absorbs carbon
dioxide from the air and then becomes corrosive.

Sea water or fresh water contaminated by sea water even in small amount is not
allowed to be used as cooling water of the engine due to high risk of severe corrosion
and deposits formation in the system. 

Rainwater is heavily contaminated and highly corrosive in general, which is also not

recommended as cooling water. Tap water (drinking water) is not recommended
as cooling water due to risk of chalk deposit formation inside the cooling system.
However, if the distilled water, for example from fresh water generator, is
not available, tap water may be used as cooling water after softening and some other
treatments according to the ingredients.

Cooling Water Treatment : Corrosion within cooling systems can occur if the
coolant, i.e. water, has not been properly treated. The corrosion can take the form of
acid attack with resultant loss of metal from a large area of the exposed surface, or by
Oxygen attack characterized by pitting. Corrosion attack is avoided by providing a
protective coating of metal compound or surface film on the interior walls.

The fresh water is treated with chemicals to keep it slightly alkaline, to prevent
corrosion and scale formation. The water must be treated with corrosion inhibitor.
They must be soluble in water but not poisonous if fresh water generator is present in
the system.

The most commonly used chemical is Sodium Nitride. Nitride

protects mild steel and iron from corrosion by forming a
protective metal oxide on the metal to be protected.
They do not harm water seal rings but will attack any zinc
present. Frequent test must be carried out to check the
concentration and alkalinity.

LIQUIDEWT or Dieselguard NB cooling water treatment is a nitrite-based,

multi-functional corrosion inhibitor for protecting recirculating cooling water systems.
It is ideally suited for use in water systems because it forms a clear, non-staining
solution, which protects the system from corrosion and hard water scale.

Potassium Chromate though extremely effective at preventing

corrosion should not be used if FWG is used in the system as it
is highly toxic.

Checking Cooling Water and the System:

The property of the cooling water may be changed during service due to contamination
or evaporation. Therefore, the cooling water itself and the system should be checked
periodically during service, preferably once a week. These tests may be done by means
of test kits from inhibitor maker with sample water from the circulating system. All
checking results should be recorded and kept for trend evaluation, which contribute to
reliable engine operation with right cooling water treatment.

If test result shows that the contents of cooling water changes suddenly or gradually,
the cooling water system should be checked to trace the cause.
Some of the changes may indicate the cause as follows:

Chloride content increasing:

 Check possibility of seawater penetrating into cooling water.

 Check the system which includes sea water, for example fresh water cooler
cooled by sea water.

pH value decreasing or sulphate content increasing:

 Check if cooling water is contaminated by exhaust gas.

 Check cylinder head by hydraulic pressure test.


COOLING WATER TEST KIT NITRITES, CHLORIDES & PH

Test recommended for maintaining cooling water within the prescribed limits.

Nitrite - Recommended Limits can be in the range of 1200-2400 ppm as NO2. The
nitrite concentration should be maintained within the above recommended limits to
effectively inhibit any corrosive or scaling action within a closed cooling system. Too
high a concentration should be avoided to minimize the cost to maintain the system.
Insufficient dosage can set up a condition where accelerated corrosion can occur in
areas which become unprotected. Dieselguard NB/Rocker NB liquid (Unitor) is dosed
according to the nitrite level recommended.

pH - Recommended Limits 8.3-10. The effectiveness of a corrosion inhibitor is

restricted to within a certain pH range. Treatment with Dieselguard NB/Rocker NB
liquid (Unitor) ensures that this pH range is observed when the nitrite level is
sufficiently maintained to prevent corrosion.

Under certain conditions, because of external contamination, the pH may not fall in to
the range usually found with the correct nitrate dosage. In such cases, Unitor
recommends dosing of 50 ml of “Unitor alkanity control” per ton of cooling water to
raise the pH value when the pH is below 8.3. Retest pH after dosage to confirm pH
value.
Chlorides - Recommended limit max 50 ppm. The chloride value of the cooling water
should be kept as low as possible, any increase in value whether sudden or gradual,
will be an indication of sea water contamination. Check with engine manufacturer for
other specified limits. If the chloride level exceeds 50 ppm, the possibility of corrosion
in the system increases because chlorides have a negative effect on the passivation film
created by nitrites. Therefore, until corrective action has succeeded in bringing the
chloride level back down below 50 ppm, the nitrite level should be kept close to the
upper limit (2400 ppm).