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Crankcase Inspection on a Ship

There are several important factors that need to be taken care of for efficient running of the main
engine on the ship, and one of them is the crankcase of the ships engine. The crankcase is one
such part of the main engine which contains the most sensitive components of the main engine.
Before doing crankcase inspection, are you confused as to what safety rules that are need to be
followed or ever wondered what you should check and what not? If yes, then you have come to the
right place. In this article we will learn the most important points that need to be considered for
efficient working of the crankcase of the main engine. Learn the important checks on crankcase
and what all things need to be included in crankcase inspection on a ship.

Checks Required and Done On board on Crankcase Lubricating Oil

The crankcase lubricating oil needs to be maintained in good condition for efficient running of the
main engine. If not maintained and checked periodically, the crankcase lubricating oil can damage
the bearings and other parts of the engine which can incur heavy loss and wastage of time in
maintenance. Moreover if the damage is more, the ship might need to go off charter which is not
acceptable in shipping activities.

Weekly Checks on Crankcase

In weekly test of crankcase, lubricating oil water test should be done. This is to ascertain that there
is no leakage in the crankcase and its in fine condition. If water content is below 2 % of the total
volume then it is acceptable and can be reduced with the help of purification.

However, if it is above 2% then investigation needs to be made if there is any leakage of water
inside the crankcase. In case of any leakage, the cracks are to be checks and fixed and the
causes of water ingress is to be found. Once this is done the oil in the crankcase has to be
replaced completely.

Other checks also done during weekly checks are to ascertain TBN and viscosity of the oil. The
crankcase must be topped up or change of oil needs to be done as per manufacturers
recommendation.

Once every three months the oil has to be sent for laboratory analysis i.e spectrography analysis
to ascertain that the amount of wear and fine metal particles are within acceptable limit. In case if it
is off limit, the laboratory analysis report will recommend procedure or precautions to be taken to
tackle the situation.
Crankcase Inspection in large Slow Speed Engines

The crankcase inspection is done every month whenever the ship is in port and there is sufficient
time for inspection. Thorough inspection is required during this to analyze the condition inside and
damage to the bearings.

Before inspection following procedures has to be followed:-

Permission has to be taken before reaching port to make sure that the authority is not
having any problem with this. This is called Immobilization permission of the main engine.

After the permission is received the checklist has to be filled.

Safety issues have to be discussed with the people taking part in the inspection.

When the engine is in stopped condition, the lubricating oil pump and cross-head oil pump
have to be stopped and the breaker taken out so that it doesnt start on its own or by any
other person by mistake.

Proper sign and placards to be displayed regarding men at work.

Since engine crankcase is an enclosed space, an enclosed space checklist is also to be

filled.

After stopping the engine and the pumps the crankcase doors have to be opened and
sufficient time is to be given to cool and ventilate the space as the temperature inside is
very hot and deprived of air.

After the cooling and ventilating the space, the person entering the space should be with
proper personnel protective equipments like boiler suit, safety harness, and anti slipping
pads for shoes.

Make sure there are no tools, pen etc in your pockets which might drop inside and cause
damage to bearing and machinery parts

Before entering, the person has to be detailed as what needs be checked inside. Special
attention is also given if any other issue is specified by technical department or any major
problem found on other ships.

Inside Crankcase Following Checks are to be Made

1. Check the overall quality of oil whether it is clean or dirty with carbon particles.
2. Check for any distinguished smell, if found, this could be because of bacterial contamination
of oil. The smell is generally of rotten eggs.

3. Check for any metal particles near the grating in the crankcase.

4. Check the condition and damage to the gratings.

5. Check the slip marks on the web; they should be in the same line. If slip is found then report is
to be made to the company and classification society regarding this.

6. Check for any bluish dark patches, this indicates that hot spots are caused by friction of
insufficient lubrication.

7. Check cross head for any damages.

8. Check cross head guides for damages and marks.

9. Check the bed plate for any welding cracks etc.

10. Check any metal seen near the bearings coming out due to wiping.

11. Check for piping and any loose connections between them.

12. Check the locking wires and locking washers on bolts of stuffing box.

13. Make any other checks specified by technical department.

14. Before coming out make sure there is nothing left inside.