Corrosive Wear Mechanisms in Marine Diesel Engine Systems
Summary
Marine diesel engines operate under complex conditions where seawater, combustion by-products and particulate matter interact to produce a spectrum of corrosive wear phenomena. Acidic species formed during combustion—including sulphuric and nitric acids—condense on cooler surfaces and attack metallic components in exhaust manifolds, intercoolers and EGR systems. Simultaneously, cavitation and particle-induced erosion accelerate material loss in cylinder liners, crankcase bearings and fuel pumps. The introduction of trace water and dissolved salts from seawater or humid air promotes galvanic couples between dissimilar alloys, further exacerbating degradation. Lubricant breakdown under acid attack reduces film strength, leading to mixed lubrication regimes and metal-to-metal contact. Collectively, these processes compromise engine performance, elevate emission levels and increase maintenance costs. Understanding the interplay of chemical corrosion, mechanical erosion and electrochemical phenomena is vital for the design of robust alloys, protective coatings and tailored lubricant chemistries that ensure reliability in the maritime sector.
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Corrosive Wear Mechanisms in Marine Diesel Engine Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in corrosive wear mechanisms in marine diesel engine systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cavitation: Formation and collapse of vapour bubbles in a liquid, causing high-energy microjets that erode metal surfaces.
Erosion-corrosion: Synergistic wear process where mechanical abrasion and chemical attack accelerate material loss.
Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC): Enhanced dissolution of protective oxide layers due to high-velocity fluid flow, leading to rapid metal thinning.
Acid dew point: Temperature at which acidic combustion products condense, initiating corrosive attack on cooler surfaces.
References
- Condensation-Fouling Interaction in Low-Temperature EGR-Coolers. MATEC Web of Conferences (2014).
- Canvitation deterioration of diesel power plant cylinder liner. Journal of Mechanical and Energy Engineering (2020).
- Dependence of corrosion activity of aquatic-petroleum mixtures on characteristics of aquatic environments. Proceedings of the NTUU “Igor Sikorsky KPI” Series Chemical engineering ecology and resource saving (2022).
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