Search found 900 matches

by Big Pete
Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:52 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Water and oil
Replies: 10
Views: 8611

Re: Water and oil

An interesting problem, but it sounds like something no one would guess. It sounds like operator error rather than a structural problem. Maybe someone dumping waste oil down the wrong sounding pipe?

BP
by Big Pete
Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:45 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Re: Problem solving

On the same ship the captain came to me a few days after we left Korea to say that the main Radio (old style morse WT set) was not working and we no longer had any comms with land. I had a look at it but I am no expert and everything on the set and manuals was in Japanese! The fuses were O.K. power ...
by Big Pete
Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:18 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Re: Problem solving

Prety much what I did. I took accurate soundings of the fuel left in the wing tanks before transfering it to other bunker tanks. I then calculated the exact amount of fuel lost. Cracked open the ballast line to the aft peak and slowly let it gravitate up with sea water, while I continually sounded t...
by Big Pete
Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:11 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Re: Problem solving

I think the ways suggested would work, but I found a slightly simpler method using the same priciples. There are no right answers, only different solutions. Another bit of fum we had on board was the first fire drill. When we pressurised the Deck fire main we had no pressure at all, leaks everywhere...
by Big Pete
Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:21 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Re: Problem solving

No connection between fuel system and ballast system. By the way the ship was a Tank Landing Ship (LST) designed to run up a beach, open bow doors and drive off army tanks. I believe she had been used to run supplies from Japan to Vietnam during the war, sold off for commercial use and been used for...
by Big Pete
Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:50 am
Forum: Crew Mess
Topic: Can anyone answer a fwe questions for a project
Replies: 2
Views: 3426

Re: Can anyone answer a fwe questions for a project

Send the questions to me via this site, if they are not too intrusive I will do my best.
BP.
by Big Pete
Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:46 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Re: Problem solving

JK; youv'e got no sympathy!! The ship was a very basic spec, nominally 2,000 DWT ( but actually about 2,200) 2 x 1,000 HP main engines, 2 x D/As, I electric motor for the steering gear (back up was a hand pump). First start arrangement was a a hand pumped air compressor. Certainly no purifiers on th...
by Big Pete
Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:53 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Problem solving
Replies: 17
Views: 15466

Problem solving

Many Years ago ( about 1982) I was Second Engineer on a clapped out, Cypriot flag, ex Japanese Navy Tank Landing ship. On passage one day I took the fuel soundings and found that we had lost most of the fuel out of the aftmost wing tank on one side. After sounding around I found the fuel in the adja...
by Big Pete
Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:38 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: CAT Problem
Replies: 21
Views: 15269

Re: CAT Problem

Sounds like you have found the problem & the solution, the hard part of our job.
As Sherlock Holmes said "Eliminate the impossible, and whatever is left, however improbable, must be true".
B.P.
by Big Pete
Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:36 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: CAT Problem
Replies: 21
Views: 15269

Re: CAT Problem

Post Script:- I just re read your post and I note that you said you "punched through the tubes" this sets off allarm bells!!! Many Engineers hammer metal rods through cooler tubes, but all Engineering text books and manuals warn that this can damage the heat exchanger tubes and should NEVE...
by Big Pete
Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:22 pm
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: CAT Problem
Replies: 21
Views: 15269

Re: CAT Problem

I note that you say the sea water overboard temp is high, as well as the Fresh water. The amount of heat transferred in a system is always proportional to the change in temperature and the mass flow of fluid. With identical engines running at the same power the quantity of heat produced should be th...
by Big Pete
Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:10 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Vacuum distillation plant
Replies: 8
Views: 12212

Re: Vacuum distillation plant

The system is pretty much self regulating, if it is properly designed and installed. The sea water pump cools the condenser and I would expect about 6to 10 C temperature rise across the condenser. Some of this pre-heated water is fed through a flow control valve into the heater of the evaporator she...
by Big Pete
Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:52 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Corrosion pieces
Replies: 6
Views: 8673

Re: Corrosion pieces

Galvanized piping works very well so long as the entire pipe is galvanised, and therefore at an equal electrical potential. Once there is any local damage to the galvanising it creates a corrossion cell, and you have a problem. Personally I prefer to replace corroded steel pipe with thick wall pipe ...
by Big Pete
Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:38 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: Fault Finding
Replies: 15
Views: 24162

Re: Fault Finding

I fully agree about using the entire kit, but some people like to try to save money by only changing the "O" rings they think are worn, and they only order the O rings they think they will use rather than the complete kit. Then of course they have problems. WTF was more or less what I said...
by Big Pete
Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:32 am
Forum: The Workshop
Topic: The nuts and bolts
Replies: 6
Views: 7213

Re: The nuts and bolts

Copper age hardens as well as work hardens. For anyone out there who doesn't know, support the washer on a pice of wire or similar, gently heat to cherry red, (experience as an Engineer again, don't melt it!) and quickly dunk it in cold watergen to lock the crystaline lattice of copper molecules in ...