Introduction to Lubrication System of Marine Engine

Lubrication is essential for all types of machinery on board. The lubrication of the main unit is responsible for lubricating and cooling the parts that interact with each other, which generates friction and heat, which causes the parts to overheat. Lubrication provides cooling applications and removes debris or impurities.

Intelligent lubrication type

There are several main types of lubrication systems:

Hydrodynamic lubrication: In this type of lubrication, the motor oil forms a continuous oil film with a consistent thickness between the moving surfaces. The film is formed due to the movement of the moving parts and the autogenous pressure. For example, the journal bearings of the host have hydrodynamic lubrication. A thin film is formed between the main bearing and the journal of the crankshaft by means of a wedge formed by a rotating shaft. Thrust bearings with a tilt pad design also have this type of intelligent lubrication because they form converging wedges for hydrodynamic lubrication.

Hydrostatic lubrication: If an oil film cannot be formed due to the movement of moving parts, oil pressure is provided to the outside. This type of lubrication is called hydrostatic lubrication. For slow moving heavy parts, their relative motion is insufficient to provide self-generating lubrication pressure, so pressure is provided from the outside with the help of a pump. For example, many crosshead bearing designs require an additional crosshead lubrication pump to increase the pressure on the crosshead bearing lubrication because this pressure cannot be generated on its own.