When checking the cylinder jacket water cooling expansion tank level on a main propulsion diesel engine on your towing vessel while underway on a coast-wise voyage, what should be the expansion tank level?
• Thermal expansion of cooling water in a closed jacket-water system • Purpose of an expansion tank on a diesel engine cooling system • What happens if the tank is too full vs. too low at normal operating temperature
• Think about where the coolant level will be when the engine is COLD versus when it is at NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. Which condition matters most for checking level underway? • If you fill the tank too high when hot, what happens when the engine cools down? If you keep it too low when hot, what risk are you taking when the engine is running hard? • Which answer best allows room for expansion while still guaranteeing the suction to the pumps always stays flooded?
• Be sure you understand that the level is being checked underway at operating temperature, not when the engine is cold or shut down. • Consider that the expansion tank must provide air space for expanding coolant – no air space means no room for expansion. • Verify which option gives a level that is safe for pump suction but still leaves expansion space in the tank at operating temperature.
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