This paper presents information obtained to date on a series of eight 500-hour laboratory test runs on a 16-cylinder GMC-278A submarine diesel engine under a variety of conditions simulating submarine operation.
The project was initiated to evaluate the effect of a diesel fuel at 0.9% sulfur content and snorkel operating conditions on engine wear, deposits, cylinder liner corrosion, etc., and to determine the changes necessary for satisfactory engine life and dependability imposed by these extreme service conditions.
The test work was carried out at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station at Annapolis by EES personnel, under the guidance of representatives of the U. S. Navy Department, the Bureau of Ships, and an industry advisory group of the Coordinating Research Council, Inc.
The results on the initial eight runs, in which a variety of fuels, lubricants, operating conditions, and experimental engine parts have been investigated, have established the nature and extent of remedial measures that will possibly be required to insure acceptable engine life and reliability under the conditions imposed.
The investigation is being continued on the GMC-278A engine to further explore the most promising of these possibilities and will eventually be extended to include all other submarine diesel engines of interest to the U. S. Navy.