Question 50 MODE01 - Chief MODU Engineer

The Correct Answer is A. **Explanation for Option A (Correct):** Heat damage to fuel injection nozzles is primarily caused by **overheating**, which occurs when the nozzle is exposed to high temperatures for extended periods without adequate cooling. During **long periods of engine overload**, the combustion chamber temperatures and pressures are at their maximum. This increased thermal load transfers excessive heat to the nozzle tip. Furthermore, high loads often reduce the available time for the nozzle to cool down via the fuel flow or contact with the cylinder head structure, leading to thermal stress, cracking, and eventual failure (heat damage). Avoiding prolonged high-load operation is a direct preventative measure against this thermal fatigue. **Explanation for Option B (Incorrect):** While **excessive fuel oil temperature** can affect fuel viscosity and potentially cause cavitation or vapor lock (leading to poor injection quality), it is generally not the primary cause of severe, structural **heat damage** (such as cracking or melting) to the metallic nozzle body itself. The combustion process, rather than the temperature of the incoming fuel, dictates the extreme thermal environment the nozzle tip must withstand. **Explanation for Option C (Incorrect):** **Metallic contact between nozzles and cylinder heads** is necessary and intentional for effective heat transfer and sealing (especially in cooled nozzles). A loss of this contact would actually **worsen** heat damage because the nozzle would lose its primary path for heat dissipation into the cooled cylinder head structure, causing it to run hotter. **Explanation for Option D (Incorrect):** **Hard carbon deposit and varnish on the nozzles** are consequences of poor combustion or excessive heat, rather than the direct preventative factor for heat damage. While these deposits can interfere with spray patterns and contribute to subsequent overheating (by insulating the nozzle), preventing them addresses a symptom or secondary cause, whereas avoiding engine overload (A) addresses the primary thermal input that causes the structural heat damage.