Emma Maersk main engine

[gofastpilot]

I just saw a program about the Emma Maersk making way from China to England. They had a cylinder failure on the 14 cylinder main engine and fixed it in about an hour. Can I assume that they shut the engine down to do the repair or can they isolate seperate cylinders and shut them down while keeping the rest of the engine running? I didn't catch if this ship is diesel electric which it may be........thanks

[Steamer]

They had a cylinder failure on the 14 cylinder main engine and fixed it in about an hour.

It couldn't have been much of a "failure" since just getting the tools in place to do any cylinder work takes more than an hour. To change a cylinder would take most of a day and yes, the engine would be shut down. It is a direct reversing, direct drive engine.

[c.captain]

I've often wondered if a cylinder failed in a large slow speed diesel for some reason and could not be repaired without going into port or anchor, if the connecting rod for that cylinder could be pulled or disconnected allowing the engine to be run at a speed low enough to not enduce the engine shaking itself to pieces long enough to limp into shelter. I ask this because the the loss of the SELANDANG AYU in 2004 north of the Aleutians. Of course with the weather they were experiencing even running at minimal RPM might not have been enough to keep the ship off the rocks but one wonders if there was something they could have done when it was apparent that they could not replaced the liner (which I believe is what failed) in time to save the ship?

[brjones]

Usually you just cut off fuel to that cylinder. The piston will still move up and down, but not fire.Then run at reduced RPM. The older Sulzers you could take the fuel pump off stroke by lifting the follower. There is no way they replaced a piston in one hour. They probably just isolated it.