Inside the Descartes.
Air, fuel, motion. Explore the diesel that generates electricity aboard a cable ship.
Cylinders & circuits
Clockwise rotation · viewed from the alternator (driving) end.
Nine impulses over two turns.
Each number positions the crankshaft at that cylinder’s combustion TDC. The order follows the clockwise 9L32 manual. No. 1 is at the alternator end.
Latest combustion TDC 8
Next cylinder 640°
The marker identifies the latest combustion TDC. Several cylinders expand simultaneously. Injection advance and valve timing are not reproduced.
Cylinder 1 at the alternator end · cylinder 9 at the free end, near the turbo.
Select a circuit to follow its arrows on the engine.
Simplified functional paths: the actual Descartes pipe routing has not been surveyed here.
From motion to electricity.
The diesel and alternator share the same shaft line. Choose a component to take a closer look.
Ship photograph · H. Cozanet, 2011Drag to rotate · pinch or scroll to zoom
Lubricating oil
Oil before motion.
Prelubrication establishes an oil film between moving components before the engine is cranked.
A marine engine needs its auxiliary systems before it can run.
More load: more fuel, 720 rpm and 60 Hz.
Understand the principle
From fuel to propellers.
The engine and propulsion are linked by an electrical network. This separation supplies the very different needs of a cable ship: sailing, holding position, laying or repairing cable.
- 4 strokes
- One cycle in two revolutions
- 9 cylinders
- Inline layout
- 320 mm
- 9L32 bore
- 400 mm
- 9L32 stroke
Sources & model limitations
The 9L32 engine, 60 Hz network and clockwise rotation have been confirmed. The 720 rpm speed and 400 mm stroke match this Wärtsilä configuration. The exterior is reconstructed from Descartes engine-room photographs published in 2011: nine covers, insulated exhaust manifold, turbo and black filter, gearcase, filters and Alstom alternator. Installed power is not specified.
Length 10.61 m · width 2.89 m · height 4.03 m · shaft axis 1.63 m. Reference dimensions of the 2004 catalogue 9L32 set; the envelope and coupling vary with the generator. The Alstom appearance remains reconstructed from ship photographs.
- Wärtsilä · Marine Project Guide W32, 2004 — 9L32 envelope: figs. 1.1 and 1.3; generator-dependent dimensions
- Wärtsilä · Product Guide 2018 — Dimensioned elevations and engine section: PDF pages 11, 13 and 119
- Orange Marine — The vessel and its missions
- Wärtsilä — Wärtsilä 32 family specifications
- Marine marchande · H. Cozanet, 2011 — A visit to the Descartes engine room
- Photographie du bord · 202 — Covers, insulated exhaust manifold and turbo
- Photographie du bord · 201 — Alstom enclosure and outgoing cables
- Photographie du bord · 206 — Pumps, filters and free-end gearcase
- Wärtsilä · manuel 32-9901 — Cylinder numbering, firing orders and W32 circuits
The envelope and shaft height are calibrated to the 2004 W32 guide and cross-checked against 2018 elevations. The 490 mm cylinder pitch is inferred from length increments of the in-line variants. Local shapes and the Alstom generator are fitted to photographs; no dimensioned drawing or 3D survey of this installation is available here. The photographs date from 2011; subsequent modifications are not documented here. The clockwise firing order follows the W32 manual; internal details, valve timing, injection advance and flows remain educational. The load slider does not calculate actual power or fuel consumption. This animation is not an operating procedure.
Tour concept inspired by Visual Learning. Drawing and code created for this study.