A RADIOISOTOPE TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINING OIL LOSSES IN DIESEL ENGINES

A radioisotope technique for detecting the burning of lubricating oil in engine combustion chambers is described. It was used on a 10-cylinder, 20,000-hp Diesel engine in an oil tanker during a normal voyage. The combustion gases as well as oil leaks from the engine were tested for the presence of lubricating oil. It was suspected that cooling oil from the pistons was leaking into the cylinders via the piston-crown to piston-skirt joints. Hydraulic pressure tests had proved negative. The radioisotope (supplied by the Nuclear Research Centre--Negev) was certified to present no danger to the environment, the ship, or the crew, and no detrimental effect on the engine. The safety rules were simple extensions of normal practice in a ship. System lubricating oil was found to be leaking when the under-piston oil was sampled from the collection trough. The total oil loss was found to be 220 litre/day, varying between 1.8 and 56.6 litre/day/piston.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00475955
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Marine Engineers

  Memorial Building, 76 Mark Lane
  London EC3R 7JN,   England 
• Authors:
  • Caras, I
  • Pasi, M
  • Zaretzky, M
• Publication Date: 1977-8

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 1 p.
• Serial:
  • Marine Engineers Review
  • ISSN: 0047-5955

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Combustion; Diesel engines; Engines; Lubricating oils; Lubrication; Marine diesel engines; Monitoring; Radioisotopes; Tankers; Tracers (Chemistry)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Condition monitoring
• Old TRIS Terms: Combustion gases; Diesel lubrication; Diesel monitoring; Diesel tankers; Engine monitoring; Radioisotope tracers
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172946
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Ship Research Association
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 12 1978 12:00AM