Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Engine Room Watchkeeping and UMS Operations glossary (page 3)

The engine-room watchkeeping and unattended-machinery-space vocabulary: the ABS automation notations (ACCU, ACC), AC distribution at 440 V 60 Hz, hydraulic accumulators, acoustic enclosures, and the alarm, monitoring, and control systems that permit UMS operation. Grounds each term in the watch routine and the automation standard it depends on.

638 defined terms.

Showing 138 on this page (page 3 of 3).

S

SOLAS II-1/51: Engineers' alarm requirement.
SOLAS II-1/52: Safety system for unattended machinery spaces.
SOLAS II-1/53: Special consideration for passenger ships under UMS.
SOLAS II-2/10: Fire fighting arrangements in machinery spaces.
SOLAS II-2/4: Probability of ignition arrangements covering fuel piping above 220 deg C.
Sounding pipe: Vertical pipe with screwed cap allowing tape sounding of tanks.
Sounding tape: UTI or steel tape graduated for tank sounding with water finding paste.
Specronix: Brand of oil mist detector fitted as alternative to Schaller Visatron.
Standby generator: Backup genset typically on auto-start.
Standby pump: Pump in auto position, starting on duty pump trip or low pressure.
Starting air bottle: 30 bar reservoir storing starting air for main and auxiliary engines.
Starting air pipe explosion: Crankcase fire propagation into starting air line, mitigated by flame arresters.
Starting air valve: Pneumatically actuated valve admitting starting air to cylinder.
STCW Chapter VIII: Standards regarding watchkeeping including engineering watch arrangements.
STCW Code Section A-VIII/2: Mandatory watchkeeping arrangements including engineering watch.
STCW Regulation III/1: Minimum standards for officers in charge of an engineering watch.
STCW Regulation III/2: Minimum standards for chief engineers and second engineers above 3000 kW.
STCW Regulation III/3: Minimum standards for chief and second engineers on vessels of 750 to 3000 kW.
STCW Regulation III/4: Minimum standards for ratings forming part of an engineering watch.
STCW Regulation III/6: Minimum standards for electro technical officers.
STCW Regulation III/7: Minimum standards for electro technical ratings.
Steam dump valve: Valve dumping excess steam to condenser or atmosphere.
Steam tracing: Steam line wrapped around fuel piping for temperature maintenance.
Steering flat: Compartment housing steering gear above the rudder stock.
Steering gear: Hydraulic actuator system providing rudder torque per SOLAS II-1/29.
Stern tube: Tube housing tail shaft with forward and aft seals and lube oil sump.
Stern tube cooling: Sea water or oil cooling of stern tube assembly.
Sterntube tank: Header tank above waterline supplying lube oil to stern tube under gravity.
Stop valve: Globe or gate valve isolating a system.
Strainer: Coarse filter at suction and discharge of transfer pumps.
Stroke: Linear travel of piston between TDC and BDC.
Stuffing box: Sealing arrangement around shaft penetration of bulkhead.
Suction strainer: Basket strainer at pump inlet, cleaned during watch.
Sulphur monitor: Online sensor or sample tap confirming fuel sulphur content for MARPOL Annex VI.
Superheater: Boiler section raising steam above saturation temperature.
Surge alarm: Turbocharger compressor surge indication.
Switchboard ammeter: Generator panel meter showing output current.
Sync check: Relay confirming voltage, phase, and frequency match before breaker closure.
System monitoring: ICMS function logging and trending parameters.

T

Tachometer: Speed indicator on engine and shaft.
Tail shaft: Aftermost section of propeller shaft.
Tank bottom suction: Lower suction in fuel tank, alternative to upper suction for water draining.
Tank gauging: Remote level measurement system on cargo and bunker tanks.
TDC: Top dead center, piston uppermost position.
Telegraph: Engine order communication device between bridge and engine room.
Temperature switch: On off device used in alarms and shutdowns.
Temperature transmitter: Transmitter feeding RTD or thermocouple signal to ECMS.
Test sample: Lube oil, fuel oil, or boiler water sample drawn for analysis.
Theodore alarm: Older brand of integrated alarm system, replaced by ICMS suites.
Thermal oil heater: Heater using diathermic oil for cargo heating, common on chemical tankers.
Thermal oil system: Closed circuit with expansion tank and circulation pump.
Thermocouple: Type K or Type J sensor measuring exhaust temperature.
Thermography: Infrared survey of electrical and mechanical equipment for hot spots.
Thermostat: Self acting valve regulating temperature, used on JW outlet to mixing valve.
Thermostatic valve: Three way valve on cooling water diverting flow between cooler and bypass.
Third Engineer: Engine-room officer below the second engineer.
Three way valve: Valve splitting or combining flow, common on freshwater cooling.
Throttle valve: Restricting valve on steam or hydraulic lines.
Thrust bearing: Kingsbury type bearing taking propeller thrust into hull.
Thrust pad: Tilting pad element in thrust bearing.
TIG welding: Tungsten inert gas welding used in ER repair.
Torsion meter: Strain gauge or magnetic device measuring shaft torque.
Torsional vibration: Cyclic twist in shaft system, design limited by class.
Transfer pump: Pump moving liquid between tanks, often gear or screw type.
Trend graph: Time history plot of any tagged parameter on the ECMS.
Trim: Difference between forward and aft drafts.
Trip system: Independent shutdown circuitry for main engine and auxiliaries.
Troubleshooting: Systematic fault diagnosis using ECMS logs, drawings, and observation.
Tube bundle: Removable nest of tubes in shell and tube heat exchanger.
Tube nest cleaning: Mechanical or chemical cleaning of cooler tubes during PMS.
Tubular feed water heater: Heat exchanger raising feed temperature using bleed steam.
Turbine blade erosion: Wet steam damage on turbine blading, mitigated by water separator.
Turbocharger: Exhaust driven compressor boosting charge air pressure, examples MAN TCA, ABB A100, Mitsubishi MET.
Turbocharger overspeed: Shaft speed above design, alarmed and trended by ECMS.
Turbocharger surge: Reverse flow event on compressor, audible as low frequency thump.
Turning gear: Electric motor and worm reducer rotating engine for inspection and maintenance.
Two stroke engine: Engine completing power cycle in one crank revolution, dominant in propulsion.

U

UMS: Unattended Machinery Space class notation.
UMS round: Daily ER inspection by duty engineer covering all spaces and machinery.
UMS test: Weekly functional test of engineers' alarm, dead man system, and emergency stops.
Unloader: Compressor capacity control device opening discharge or suction valves.
Unloading sequence: Generator load shedding scheme on overload or under frequency.
Upper bearing: Top half of main bearing in some engine designs.
Urea tank: Storage for SCR reagent under IMO MEPC.291(71) guidelines.

V

Vacuum condenser: Condenser operating below atmospheric pressure on turbine exhaust.
Vacuum sewage: Sewage collection system using vacuum transport, common on cruise ships.
Valve actuator: Pneumatic or electric actuator opening and closing process valves.
Vane pump: Positive displacement pump with sliding vanes used for hydraulic and lube oil duties.
Variable injection timing: VIT, fuel pump control adjusting injection timing for load and fuel quality.
VEC: Variable exhaust valve closing on slow speed engines for part load efficiency.
Vent fan: Engine room supply or exhaust fan supplying combustion and ventilation air.
Ventilation fire damper: Automatic damper closing engine room ventilation on fire.
Vibration analysis: Spectral monitoring of machinery vibration for bearing and unbalance defects.
Vibration sensor: Accelerometer or proximity probe feeding online monitoring system.
Viscometer: Online viscosity controller adjusting fuel heater to maintain injection viscosity, brand examples Vaf Viscosense.
Visual alarm: Lamp indication accompanying audible alarm on ECR mimic.
Voith Schneider: Cycloidal propeller for tugs and ferries.
Voltage regulator: AVR maintaining generator terminal voltage at set point.
Volumetric efficiency: Ratio of actual to theoretical air intake on reciprocating engines and compressors.

W

Wartsila 20: Compact medium speed engine used for auxiliary power on smaller ships.
Wartsila 26: Medium speed engine used on offshore vessels.
Wartsila 31: Medium-speed four-stroke engine family.
Wartsila 31DF: Dual fuel variant of the Wartsila 31 platform.
Wartsila 32: 320 mm bore medium speed engine widely used for propulsion and power.
Wartsila 38: 380 mm bore medium speed engine used on container ships and ferries.
Wartsila 46F: Four-stroke medium-speed engine.
Wartsila 50DF: Dual fuel medium speed engine for LNG carriers and dual fuel installations.
Wartsila NACOS: Integrated automation, navigation, and control system suite.
Wartsila RT-flex50: Electronically controlled long stroke two stroke engine in 500 mm bore.
Wartsila RT-flex60C: Electronically controlled two stroke engine common on Panamax tonnage.
Wartsila RT-flex84T: Large bore electronically controlled two stroke engine for tankers and bulk carriers.
Wartsila RT-flex96C: 960 mm bore two stroke engine used on large container ships.
Waste heat boiler: Synonym for exhaust gas economizer.
Waste oil tank: Tank receiving used lube and hydraulic oil for shore disposal.
Watchkeeping arrangements: Schedules in compliance with STCW VIII.
Water lubricated bearing: Stern tube bearing arrangement using sea water for lubrication, an alternative to oil filled type.
Water mist system: Local application fire fighting system in machinery spaces under SOLAS II-2/10.
Water tube boiler: Boiler with water inside tubes, used for high pressure steam.
Watt meter: Switchboard meter showing generator kW output.
Wear down gauge: Tool measuring tail shaft bearing wear at survey.
Weekly tests: Functional tests of emergency generator, fire pump, steering gear, and alarms.
Wet exhaust: Exhaust system with sea water injection used on small craft.
WinGD X-DF: Low-pressure dual-fuel two-stroke engine family.
WinGD X62: Two stroke diesel engine of 620 mm bore.
WinGD X72: Two stroke diesel engine of 720 mm bore.
WinGD X92: Two stroke diesel engine of 920 mm bore for large container ships.
Woodward UG8: Mechanical hydraulic governor still found on older auxiliaries.
Work permit: Hot work, enclosed space, electrical, and aloft permits required under SMS.
Working air: Compressed air at around 7 bar for general engine room use.

X

X DF: WinGD dual fuel two stroke engine family using low pressure Otto cycle.
X type engine: Designation for WinGD low speed engines, examples X62, X72, X82, X92.
Xylan coating: PTFE based coating used on some valve internals for low friction.

Y

Yard guarantee: Builder's guarantee period during which defects in machinery are remedied by the yard.
Yard period: Drydocking interval, typically 30 to 60 months, used to plan overhauls.
Yokohama Fender: Pneumatic ship-to-ship transfer fender developed by Yokohama Rubber.

Z

Zinc Anode: Sacrificial anode for cathodic protection.
Zone classification: Hazardous zone classification on gas and oil tankers.
Zone valve: Sectional valve isolating part of a piping system.