Maritime Knowledge Base
Browse questions and answers across marine machinery, merchant navy careers, shipboard operations and maritime glossary terms.
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Marine Machinery
Troubleshooting guides for pumps, boilers, purifiers, compressors and auxiliary systems.
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Questions about joining the merchant navy, exams, cadetships, ranks and sea-time.
Maritime Glossary
Plain-English definitions of shipping, engine-room, navigation and regulatory terms.
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Practical Q&A for watchkeeping, safety, maintenance routines and onboard documentation.
Results for "Centrifugal pump"
How does a marine centrifugal pump work?
A centrifugal pump moves liquid by spinning it with an impeller, which throws the liquid outward and converts its speed into pressure — the most common type of pump aboard ship.
Marine MachineryWhy does a marine centrifugal pump lose suction or stop pumping?
A centrifugal pump that loses suction has usually lost its prime or drawn in air — the causes lie in air leaks, blocked suctions, low levels and cavitation.
Marine MachineryWhat is cavitation in pumps and propellers?
Cavitation is the forming and violent collapse of vapour bubbles in a liquid when local pressure falls too low — it erodes metal, causes noise and vibration, and reduces efficiency.
Marine MachineryHow does a marine centrifugal oil purifier work?
A marine purifier cleans fuel and lubricating oil by spinning it at high speed so that water and solids separate out — here is the working principle.
Marine MachineryHow does a ship's fuel oil system store, treat and deliver fuel to the engine?
The fuel oil system takes bunkers from the storage tanks, settles and purifies them, heats heavy fuel to the right viscosity, and delivers clean fuel under pressure to the engine.
