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.
Merchant Navy Careers
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.
Shipboard Operations
Practical Q&A for watchkeeping, safety, maintenance routines and onboard documentation.
Results for "Piston rings"
Why won't my marine air compressor build pressure?
A first-principles check for a compressor that runs but won't build pressure — valves, unloader, leaks, rings and cooling.
Marine MachineryWhat causes a scavenge fire in a two-stroke marine engine?
A scavenge fire is the ignition of accumulated oil and carbon in the scavenge spaces of a two-stroke engine — here is why it happens and how to respond.
Marine MachineryWhat is cylinder lubrication in a two-stroke marine engine?
Cylinder lubrication is the separate oil supply fed onto the liner of large two-stroke engines to lubricate, neutralise fuel acids and keep the surfaces clean.
Marine MachineryWhat is an indicator diagram and what does it tell the engineer?
An indicator diagram plots the pressure inside an engine cylinder against volume or crank angle, letting the engineer assess the power, condition and faults of each cylinder.
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.
Marine MachineryHow does a marine air compressor work and why is it needed?
A marine air compressor squeezes air in stages to high pressure and stores it in receivers, chiefly to provide the starting air that turns large diesel engines over.
Marine MachineryWhat is scavenging in a two-stroke marine engine?
Scavenging is the process of pushing the burnt exhaust gases out of a two-stroke engine cylinder and replacing them with fresh air, ready for the next combustion cycle.
