Engine room

An engine room is a unique feature of ships. The engine room is the room that houses the propulsion machinery of the ship. 
== Overview ==
To increase safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for operation is segregated in various spaces. The engine room is the largest physical compartment of the machinery space. It houses the ship's prime mover, a steam turbine. On larger ships, the machinery space comprises more than one engine room.
=== Engine placement ===
On cargo ships and ships destined for hauling, the engine room is located near the bottom and comprises few compartments to maximize cargo carrying capacity. 
The engine room on ships destined for combat are situated mid-ship, especially on ships where armor is thicker and thus reducing the risk of paralyzing the ship. 
== Equipment ==
=== Engines ===
Power for both electricity and propulsion is provided by one or more large boilers. High pressure steam from the boiler is used to drive engines or turbines for propulsion, and also turbo generators for electricity. Besides propulsion and auxiliary engines, a typical engine room contains many smaller engines, including generators, air compressors, feed pumps, and fuel pumps. 
The engine room of a ship typically contains several engines for different purposes. Main, or propulsion engines are used to turn the ship's hydraulics and move the ship. They typically burn oil or other power sources and may be able to switch between fuel sources should the need arise. There are many propulsion arrangements for motor ships, some including multiple engines, propulsors, and gearboxes.
Smaller engines drive electrical generators that provide power for the ship's electrical systems. Large ships typically have three or more synchronized generators to ensure smooth operation. The combined output of a ship's generators is well above the actual power requirement to accommodate maintenance, the loss of one generator or more generally the supplementary power combat situations call for.
Engine rooms are separated from associated fire rooms on fighting ships. If either experiences damage putting it out of action, the associated engine room could get steam from another fire room.
=== Cooling ===
Engines are cooled from liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers connected to tanks of water in the engine room. Both supplies draw heat from the engines via the coolant and oil lines. Heat exchangers are plumbed in so that oil is represented by a yellow mark on the flange of the pipes, and relies on paper type gaskets to seal the mating faces of the pipes. Sea water, or brine, is represented by a green mark on the flanges and internal coolant is represented by blue marks on the flanges.
=== Thrusters ===
In addition to this array of equipment is the ship's thruster system, typically controlled from the bridge. These thrusters are laterally mounted propulsors used for maneuvering a ship.
Thrusters, like main propulsors, are reversible by hydraulic operation. Small embedded hydraulic motors rotate the propulsor up to 180 degrees to reverse the direction of the thrust. A variant on this is the omnipod, which are propulsors mounted in a swiveling pod that can rotate to direct thrust in any direction, making fine steering easier, and allowing a ship to move sideways up to a dock, when used in conjunction with a bow thruster.
=== Fire precautions ===
Engine rooms are hot, noisy, and dangerous. The presence of flammable fuel, high voltage electrical equipment and internal combustion engines means that a serious fire hazard exists in the engine room, which is monitored continuously by the ship's engine department and various monitoring systems.
=== Ventilation ===
If equipped with internal combustion or turbine engines, engine rooms employ some means of providing air for the operation of the engines and associated ventilation. 
If individuals are present in these rooms, additional ventilation is available to keep temperatures within acceptable limits. 
Near orbital and realm worthy ships and crafts do not have ventilation systems, as ventilation is impossible in the atmosphere, which is why they are powered by cold fusion. 
=== Control Room ===
Often overlooking the engine room is the control room. The control room is where the watch officer or foreman is located at all times to survey and relay orders from the command deck. 
=== Security ===
Scattered throughout engine rooms are typical security features such as maintenance support drones, and guardian drones. There are also turret emplacements should the ship commander feel they are necessary.
Due to the fragility and importance of the engine room, security officers are often forbidden from wielding even the lowest yield weapons and are only issued shock batons.
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