EXPERIMENTAL TUNING OF MARINE DIESEL ENGINE SPEED CONTROLLER PARAMETERS ON ENGINE TEST BED

A diesel propulsion plant for large ships is a very complex and high risk system with strong demands for its reliability. Strict requirements are to be imposed oil the marine diesel engine speed control in all working conditions. This paper deals with the problem of tuning the engine speed controller parameters. A very effective and practical experimental tuning method, based on the experience of engine experts, has been proposed and tested during the final testing of a large marine 2-stroke slow speed diesel engine oil a test bed. The digital engine speed controller with an electrical Synchronous servo motor has been used as the fuel actuator. Several scenarios of the engine speed controller tuning and testing with the fuel actuator and the engine speed response are given in the paper for illustration purpose. The experimental tuning time of optimal controller parameter Values was short, and the final engine tests on the test bed showed very good results for the whole engine working regime. The experimental engine controller tuning method based on expert experience and heuristic knowledge could be very useful during the long-term operation of the engine.