The Napier Sabre H-24 Cylinder Aero Engine

In these very interesting videos from Flight Dojo YouTube channel a salute is given to the astounding performance of the wartime power plant of the Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighter aircraft.

An extremely potent blend of compact racing engine design and wartime necessity made this innovative and original design of 24 cylinder in 2 flat horizontally opposed 12-cylinder banks something of an ultimate petrol-powered aero engine.

There are relatively few common horizontally opposed internal combustion engines in use now, the Porsche 911 car and some MTU or Tedom diesel-hydraulic train power packs being an exception to the rule, these just don’t come close to the Sabre however!

As you watch these videos it becomes clear the incredible power-to-weight ratio that was achieved with often indifferent interest from the air ministry and of course the 25hp Coffman explosive starter must have been impressive as well!

One can only speculate on engine oil challenges faced by mega-powerful high output petrol piston engines and the violent movements that aerial combat must have involved.

Euro 5, 6, And 7 Emissions

With the ongoing debate and concern over NOx and other emissions from automotive, industrial, power generation and marine diesel engines the global regulations on emissions are a moving scene that affects fuel refineries and suppliers, engine manufacturers, lubricant blenders and catalyst manufacturers.

Lubrication Explained is a no-nonsense YouTube channel by an Australian engineer – we have shown a video here that we found very helpful.

Have you ever wondered what the firing sequence and actual appearance and dramas inside an internal combustion engine look like?

Destin at Smarter Every Day also had always wondered and – having access to a very high speed camera – visited some engineers in the north west USA to see a Briggs & Stratton petrol engine that has a transperant cylinder head!

This means all four strokes of the fuel, spark, compression, power, and exhaust strokes can actually be photographed on video – quite incredible! Please see this below:

Bunkering Experiments For The Royal Navy

The rapid developments in the crisis in Ukraine and increasingly threatening security situation means UK forces are looking hard at practicing how to project power further afield in an unstable world.

One interesting trial that was recently undertaken by the Royal Navy was where one of the Royal Fleet Auxilary fueling and support ships linked up with the civilian MT Maersk Peary oil tanker in Lyme Bay to see whether oil could be transferred between the two vessels.

Calling upon civilian tankers and oilers to sustain the navy’s fleet could prove crucial if the military tankers are unable to stock up on supplies by putting into port. The RN website quotes from the Falklands conflict that recently celebrated 40 years and points out that civilian shipping was vitally important in that conflict.

Would you like to know a bit more about the practice of ‘bunkering’ where a ship-to-ship transfer of HFO bunker fuel, distillates, or LNG takes place?

We have embedded interesting videos from Shell Marine and Chief Makoi about bunking with HFO, marine fuel, heavy, or furnace oil and LNG below:

The video on the left tells you a bit about Shell marine’s LNG bunker barge vessel; this allows for heavy vessel’s main propulsion engines to work on dual fuel and lower emissions.

Propulsion plant manufacturers like MAN Energy, MaK, or Bergen engines, offer both 2 or 4 stroke engines working with a diverse mix of fuels.

Lube Oils For Marine Engines – Made In Scotland

The home town of NauticOil is Grangemouth, a small but strategic location that hosts a large oil refinery that is connected by pipeline to North Sea directly and also has pipelines to the west of Scotland oil export terminal at Finnart on the River Clyde, near to HMNB Clyde at Faslane.

This oil refinery and associated petrochemicals, crackers and ethane import infrastructure plays a huge role in UK energy security and products everything from marine HFO to petrol, DERV, LPG, bitumen, and lubricating oils!

Taken together with the central position of Grangemouth – half way in between Glasgow and Edinburgh with large sea port and freight railway, it can quickly be seen that that it is not only good quality whisky that is made in Scotland!

We included a picture and a video about the complex here, although it certainly is not beautiful it is kind of impressive – running 24/7 and 365 days per year and able to process around 60% of the crude oil produced in the UKCS areas.

Lube Oil For Fishing Boats

Try our marine engine lube oils for high-speed diesel engines in fishing vessels, coasting boats, and tug boats.

Purpose designed and formulated from base oils with specialist additives for use in Scania, Volvo Penta, Beta marine, Baudouin, Renault, Perkins, and Caterpillar marine engines and auxiliary generators on offshore platforms and shipping.

Our lubricants are approved for use with Cummins, Deutz, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, and DAF diesel engines for both Euro 5 and Euro 6 that have after treatment systems, EGR, or SCR catalysts.

The 15W40 marine engine oil and the 10W30 product are both low SAPS oils to E9 low emissions standards, SAPS means sulphated ash, phosphorus, and sulphur.

These oils bring the latest standards of performance from the on-road automotive lubrincant technologies to the marine, offshore, and shipping sector.

Our mineral lube oils are suitable for both naturally aspirated and turbo-charged boat engines. They are made in the UK to high specifications.

Diesel engines in fishing vessels or tub boats have an arduous life with a wide range of throttle settings and some short burst manoeuvring before heavy bursts.

NauticOil products give both top engine protection from cylinder polishing for day-in, day-out reliable output, easy turn-over for starting and good thermal stability and a TBN number of 9.5.

With the Skipper show now behind us it is time to consider if your engine could do with an oil change to keep it running at its best!

Call us on 01324 309100 or email info@acute.uk.com or maybe you would be interested to watch this video of 1000hp Scania engines on a Swedish boat?

Gardener Marine Diesel Engines

In this blog we have shown some interesting videos of the products from L. Gardner & Son which made reliable and high torque and economical marine diesel engines in Manchester until the mid 1990’s.

It is reported that a 2-tonne Bentley car could manage 30 miles per gallon with a Gardner diesel fitted and this was in the 1930’s!

Watching these videos gives an idea of Manchester area heritage in manufacture of outstandingly rugged, simple, and fuel economical marine diesel engines.

With the remarkable straight eight prime mover shown there is no cylinder head gasket and a maximum revolutions of 1850 – very different to modern high stress turbocharged engines from Volvo Penta, MTU, CAT, M.A.N or Pielstick brands.

If you want to see more on these diesel engines there are a range on show at the Anson Engine Museum. In the 1900s, there were over 20 stationary diesel engine makers within 20 miles of this museum!

In this case study video from generator supplier Shenton Group you can watch the process of removing 4 old Blackstone gensets that went to the Anson Museum – they were replaced with 3 new MTU 4000 series generators.

The faithful Blackstone generator set which was installed at Cardiff pumping station in the 1970’s is seen here on a lo-loader going to it’s final location.

US Coast Guard RBM – 1650 Horsepower From MTU Engines

In this very interesting video from the Smarter Every Day YouTube channel the author Destin is given a feel of the power of a pair of Detroit Diesel 2-stroke 6-cylinder engines of 825 horsepower on a waterjet propelled and super manoeuvrable US Coastguard response boat medium – the RBM.

As well as the gulf coast sunshine, the remarkable coasty training in evidence, and sheer power of the boat. you get an insight into how important keeping an eye on your 15W/40 marine engine oil is.

The US Coastguard utilise a very neat mechanical device called the falling ball as in this image that allows them to test oil for fuel ingress right there and then on the water after taking oil samples!

All in all, it is mighty impressive to see a jet boat like this at full speed and then basically do a handbrake skid to a halt – not to far removed from the reversing thrust buckets on a commercial airliner when it comes in to land on the runway!

Destin goes interesting places like Opal mines, nuclear submarines, and literal rocket factories as well as meeting Mr Obama – his channel can be seen here.

MTU gas engines

A Fuel First On MTU Gas Engines For Dutch Ferries

Selected by a Dutch operator of catamarans and inland ferries around the Zudier Zee area, these MTU Series 4000 marine engines are powered by natural gas. You can watch a video of these impresssive and eco-friendly power plants below.

As a single fuel engine which comply with emissions regulations with out even needing to have EGR or catalytic treatment of exhaust fumes!

It is an impressive achivement for MTU marine propulsion solutions that is part of wider Rolls-Royce Group.

Marine Engine Oil

Marine Engine Oils Supplier

Marine engine oils brand NauticOil offers a SAE 15W-40 and 10W-30 engine oils that are ideal for all engine types, petrol or diesel, installed in canal boats, speed boats, launches, catamarans, and fast ferry boats and similar vessels.

Volvo Penta Marine Diesel Engine — *Above: The Volvo Penta D13 Marine Diesel Engine As Fitted To HMS Cutlass.*

Outboard 4 stroke engines requiring a lubricant with this level of modern performance and low emissions are generally 10W-30 and to the E9 standard as our product is.

Both options in our range are low SAPS products so are ideal where an exhaust gas re-circulation system is in use or SCR catalyst.