Working Through Reeds Vol 7: What It Actually Takes
Reeds Vol 7 Advanced Electrotechnology For Marine Engineers Reeds Marine Engineering And Technology Series is one of those textbooks that sits on your shelf and intimidates you until you open it properly. It covers the kind of electrical theory and practice you need at chief engineer level, and it does not shy away from the math. If you are studying for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency exams or just need a solid reference, this is where most people land. I picked this up about seven years ago when I was preparing for my second engineer written papers. The first four volumes cover the basics pretty well, but volume 7 is where things get into transformers, rotating machines, power systems, and the control gear that actually runs a modern ship. It is dense. The examples are practical, but the problems do not hold your hand. The book works best when you treat it as a problem-solving guide rather than a novel. Go through a chapter, work the examples on paper, then check your numbers against the back. If your answer is even slightly off, figure out why before moving on. That habit alone will save you from failing the calculation questions.
What the Book Covers
It starts with advanced DC machine theory, moves through transformer design and testing, then covers AC machinery including induction and synchronous machines. The power distribution section is where most of the real-world relevance sits, especially the parts on switchgear, protection, and earthing systems. The final chapters touch on automation and control circuits, which have shifted a lot in the last decade but the fundamentals are still what the examiners expect. One thing beginners miss is that the calculation style in this book mirrors the MCA exam format almost exactly. They give you a scenario with a specific load profile and ask for cable sizing, protection coordination, or transformer loading. The math is straightforward if you know which formula applies, but you have to recognize the pattern under time pressure.
A Real Problem I Ran Into
I was working through the three-phase induction motor section and hit a problem involving slip and rotor resistance on a wound rotor motor. The book gives you the equivalent circuit and asks you to calculate the starting torque with external resistance. I kept getting answers that were about 40 percent too high because I was using line voltage instead of phase voltage in the rotor impedance calculation. The example in the book uses per-phase values but does not explicitly call that out in the problem statement. I eventually figured it out by redrawing the circuit on a per-phase basis and working from there. That approach cuts the error rate roughly in half compared to plugging numbers into a formula blindly. Another edge case I found is in the transformer testing chapter. The open-circuit and short-circuit test problems assume ideal conditions, but in a real shipboard environment the supply frequency can drift by half a hertz due to inverter-fed generators. That affects the reactance calculations enough to shift your loss estimates by a small but noticeable margin. I started applying a frequency correction factor of roughly 1.02 to the reactance terms, which brought my numbers much closer to what I was seeing during actual load bank testing on a vessel.
How I Use This Book Now
I keep it as a reference rather than a cover-to-cover read. When I am troubleshooting a propulsion motor issue or reviewing a switchboard modification, I look up the relevant section. The diagrams are clear, though some of the symbol conventions feel a bit dated. The maintenance procedures for large transformers and generators are still solid. I tend to skip ahead to the power system protection chapters when I am dealing with coordination studies, since that is where the book is strongest. If you are self-studying, do the end-of-chapter problems without looking at the solutions first. Write down each step. If you get stuck after twenty minutes, peek at the example method, not the final number, then go back and finish it. That process takes longer upfront but reduces the chance of making the same mistake during an exam by about three-quarters based on my own experience.
Where It Falls Short
It does not cover modern power electronics in depth. Variable frequency drives, rectifier-fed motors, and integrated bridge systems are barely mentioned, and that is a real gap if you are working on newer vessels. For that material, you will need to supplement with IEC 60092 standards and manufacturer documentation. The book also assumes a fairly traditional generator-exchange and bus-tie setup, which does not match every ship you will encounter. If your main goal is passing the chief engineer written exam, this volume is essential. If you want to understand how a current ship's electrical system actually works today, you will need to pair it with more recent publications or practical training. I use a combination of this book and the IACS recommendation on electrical equipment, which fills in a lot of the operational gaps that Reeds leaves open.
Practical Tip on Getting It
You can usually find the latest edition through standard academic and maritime book retailers. The digital version exists but the pagination in the PDF makes it harder to cross-reference during study sessions. A physical copy with a pen is more efficient for working through problems, and you will likely write notes in the margins anyway. If you are buying used, make sure the edition includes the revision after 2019 since they updated several protection coordination sections and added material on harmonic distortion limits. The book is what it is. It is not exciting reading, it does not explain everything in simple terms, and it will not replace hands-on experience with actual switchboards and motor control centers. But for the level of detail it provides on electrotechnology at the advanced marine engineering level, it remains one of the more reliable sources available. Work through it methodically and you will come away with a solid foundation that actually holds up when something goes wrong at sea.
