Why this course?

This course on diesel engine electrical starting is intended for sales, design and maintenance teams. It is very important to learn how to select and size the right starting batteries and battery chargers. This involves learning lot of parameters and factors which all influence the configuration of the system.

Course Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course the student should be able to:

• List and explain the major parts of the engine DC starting system

• Explain different types of engine starting batteries

• Understand the sizing parameters of Ni-Cad batteries

• Size a Ni-Cad battery for a diesel engine

•  Size a static battery charger for a starting battery

• Calculate the cranking circuit resistance

• Explain DC starting system parameters and needed instruments

Course Contents

The course describes the diesel engine electrical starting system components starting from the batteries and ending up to cranking the engine. The course explains different types of starting batteries and gives special emphasis how to size Ni-Cad batteries for starting applications. Types of battery chargers are also explained and how to size the battery charger for a battery. Different series and parallel battery connections are explained. Specific gravity and ampere hour capacity are also explained.  The course explains how to calculate cranking circuit resistance. This course is the second of sixth of courses on the diesel engine covering the engine itself, fuel system, cooling system, lube oil system, air exhaust system and electric starting system. The course material is divided into the main lesson followed by a quiz exam. The student should the lesson completely then answer the quiz questions to pass this course. The student should score at least 60% to pass this course and get the certificate. The course has a weight of 2 PDH. The course contents are listed below: