DEFINATION AND TERMINOLOGY

COMBUSTIBLE GAS INDICATOR:

An instrument for measuring the composition of hydrocarbon gas/air mixtures, usually giving the
result as a percentage of the lower flammable limit (LFL).

FLAME ARRESTER:
A permeable matrix of metal, ceramic or other heat resisting materials which can cool a deflagration
flame, and any following combustion products, below the temperature required for the ignition of the
flammable gas on the other side of the arrester.

FLAME SCREEN:
A portable or fitted device incorporating one or more corrosion resistant wire woven fabrics of very
small mesh which is used for preventing sparks from entering a tank or vent opening or, for a short
time, preventing the passage of flame. (Not to be confused with ‘Flame arrester’).

FLAMMABLE (ALSO REFERRED TO AS ‘COMBUSTIBLE’):

Capable of being ignited and of burning. For the purposes of this guide the terms ‘flammable’ and
‘combustible’ are synonymous.

FLAMMABLE RANGE (ALSO REFERRED TO AS ‘EXPLOSIVE RANGE’):

The range of hydrocarbon gas concentrations in air between the lower and upper flammable
(explosive) limits. Mixtures within this range are capable of being ignited and of burning.

FLASHLIGHT (ALSO REFERRED TO AS ‘TORCH’):

A battery operated hand lamp. An approved flashlight is one which is approved by a competent
authority for use in a flammable atmosphere.

FLASHPOINT:
The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off sufficient gas to form a flammable gas mixture near
the surface of the liquid. It is measured in a laboratory in standard apparatus using a prescribed
procedure.

GAS FREE:
A tank, compartment or container is gas free when sufficient fresh air has been introduced into it to
lower the level of any flammable, toxic, or inert gas to that required for a specific purpose, e.g. hot
work, entry, etc.

GAS FREE CERTIFICATE:

A certificate issued by an authorized responsible person confirming that, at the time of testing, a tank,
compartment or container was gas free for a specific purpose.
HOT WORK:
Work involving sources of ignition or temperatures sufficiently high to cause the ignition of a
flammable gas mixture. This includes any work requiring the use of welding, burning or soldering
equipment, blow torches, some power driven tools, portable electrical equipment which is not
intrinsically safe or contained within an approved explosion-proof housing, and internal combustion
engines.

HOT WORK PERMIT:

A document issued by a responsible person permitting specific hot work to be done during a specific
time interval in a defined area.

HYDROCARBON GAS:
A gas composed entirely of hydrocarbons.

INERT CONDITION:
A condition in which the oxygen content throughout the atmosphere of a tank has been reduced to 8
per cent or less by volume by the addition of inert gas.

INERT GAS:
A gas or a mixture of gases, such as flue gas, containing insufficient oxygen to support the
combustion of hydrocarbons.

INERT GAS PLANT:

All equipment fitted to supply, cool, clean, pressurize, monitor and control the delivery of inert gas to
the cargo tank systems.

INERT GAS SYSTEM (IGS):

An inert gas plant and inert gas distribution system together with means for preventing backflow of
cargo gases to the machinery spaces, fixed and portable measuring instruments and control devices.

INTRINSICALLY SAFE:
An electrical circuit or part of a circuit is intrinsically safe if any spark or thermal effect produced
normally (i.e. by breaking or closing the circuit) or accidentally (e.g. by short circuit or earth fault) is
incapable, under prescribed test conditions, of igniting a prescribed gas mixture.

LOWER FLAMMABLE LIMIT (LFL):

The concentration of a hydrocarbon gas in air, below which there is insufficient hydrocarbon to
support and propagate combustion. Sometimes referred to as lower explosive limit (LEL).

TOXICITY:
The degree to which a substance or mixture of substances can harm humans or animals.
‘Acute toxicity’ involves harmful effects to an organism through a single short term exposure.
‘Chronic toxicity’ is the ability of a substance or mixture of substances to cause harmful effects over
an extended period, usually upon repeated or continuous exposure, sometimes lasting for the entire
life of the exposed organism.
ULLAGE:
The space above the liquid in a tank, conventionally measured as the distance from the calibration
point to the liquid surface.

UPPER FLAMMABLE LIMIT (UFL):

The concentration of a hydrocarbon gas in air above which there is insufficient oxygen to support and
propagate combustion. Sometimes referred to as upper explosive limit (UEL).

INERT GAS SYSTEM ON BOARD:

WHAT IS INERT GAS SYSTEM ?

Oil tankers carry oil of different grades and quality, having property to produce flammable vapors and
gases when loaded for transportation. Even with no cargo on board, there can be harmful flammable
gases present in the hold. When the vapor produced by an oil cargo is mixed with certain concentration
of air primarily containing oxygen, it can result in explosion which results in damages to the property,
marine pollution and loss of life. For safety against such explosion, Inert gas system is used on board. It
can be through as a separate inert gas plant or flue gas produced by ship’s boiler.

Inert gas system is the most important integrated system for oil tankers for safe operation of the ship.

Inert gas is the gas which contains insufficient oxygen (normally less then 8 %) to suppress combustion
of flammable hydrocarbon gases.

Inert gas system spreads the inert gas over the oil cargo hydrocarbon mixture which increases the lower
explosion limit LEL (lower concentration at which the vapors can be ignited), simultaneously decreasing
the Higher explosion limit HEL (Higher concentration at which vapor explodes). When the concentration
reaches around 10 %, an atmosphere is created inside tank in which hydrocarbon vapors cannot burn.
The concentration of inert gas is kept around 5% as a safety limit.

Components and description of IG system:

The following components are used in a typical inert gas system in oil tankers:

1. EXHAUST GASES SOURCE: inert gas source is taken from exhaust uptakes of boiler or main engine as
contains flue gases in it.

2. INERT GAS ISOLATING VALVE: It serve as the supply valve from uptake to the rest of the system
isolating both the systems when not in use.

3. SCRUBBING TOWER: Flue gas enters the scrub tower from bottom and passes through a series of
water spray and baffle plates to cool, clean and moist the gases. The SO2 level decreases up to 90% and
gas becomes clear of soot.
4. DEMISTER: Normally made of polypropylene, it is used to absorb moisture and water from the
treated flue gas.

5. GAS BLOWER: Normally two types of fan blowers are used, a steam driven turbine blower for I.G
operation and an electrically driven blower for topping up purpose.

6. I.G PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE: The pressure within the tanks varies with the property of oil and
atmospheric condition. To control this variation and to avoid overheating of blower fan, a pressure
regulator valve is attached after blower discharge which re-circulates the excess gas back to scrubbing
tower.

7. DECK SEAL: Purpose of the deck seal is to stop the gases to return back which are coming from the
blower to cargo tanks. Normally wet type deck seals are used. A demister is fitted to absorb the
moisture carried away by the gases.

8. MECHANICAL NON RETURN VALVE: It is an additional non return mechanical device inline with deck
seal.

9. DECK ISOLATING VALVE: The engine room system can be isolated fully with the deck system with the
help of this valve.

10. PRESSURE VACUUM (PV) BREAKER: The PV breaker helps in controlling the over or under
pressurization of cargo tanks. The PV breaker vent is fitted with flame trap to avoid fire to ignite when
loading or discharging operation is going on when in port.

11. CARGO TANK ISOLATING VALVES: A vessel has numbers of cargo holds and each hold is provided
with an isolating valve. The valve controls the flow of inert gas to hold and is operated only by a
responsible officer in the vessel.

12. MAST RISER: Mast riser is used to maintain a positive pressure of inert gas at the time of loading of
cargo and during the loading time it is kept open to avoid pressurization of cargo tank.

13. SAFETY AND ALARM SYSTEM: The Inert gas plant is provided with various safety features to
safeguard the tank and its own machinery.
FOLLOWING ARE VARIOUS ALARMS (WITH SHUTDOWN) INCORPORATED IN THE INERT GAS
PLANT ON BOARD SHIP:

 High Level in scrubber leads to alarm and shutdown of blower and scrubber tower
 Low pressure sea water supply (approx. 0.7 bar) to scrubber tower leads to alarm and shutdown
of blower
 Low pressure sea water supply (approx. 1.5 bar) to deck seal leads to alarm and shutdown of
blower
 High inert gas temperature (approx. 70 deg C) leads to alarm and shutdown of blower
 Low pressure in line after blower (approx. 250mm wg) leads to alarm and shutdown of blower
 Oxygen content high (8%) leads to alarm and shutdown of gas delivery to deck
 Low level in deck seal leads to alarm and shutdown of gas delivery to deck
 Power failure leads to alarm and shutdown of blower and scrubber tower
 Emergency stop leads to alarm and shutdown of blower and scrubber tower

FOLLOWING ARE VARIOUS ALARMS INCORPORATED IN THE INERT GAS PLANT:

 Scrubber low level

 Deck seal High level
 Low O2 Content (1%)
 High O2 Content (5%)
 Low lube oil pressure alarm

WORKING OF INERT GAS:

The basis of inert gas production in the IG plant is the flue gas generated from the ship’s boiler. The high
temperature gas mixture from the boiler uptake is treated in an inert gas plant which cleans, cools and
supplies the inert gas to the individual tanks via PV valves and breakers to ensure safety of tank
structure and atmosphere.

The system can be divided into two basic groups:

a) A production plant to produce inert gas and deliver it under pressure, by means of blower(s), to the
cargo tanks.

b) A distribution system to control the passage of inert gas into the appropriate cargo tanks at the
required time.
BRIEF WORKING PROCEDURE OF INERT GAS:

 Boiler uptake gases are drawn to the scrubber unit via flue gas isolating valve(s) to the scrubber unit.
 In the scrubber unit the gas is cooled, cleaned and dried before being supplied in to the tanks.
 Motor driven inert gas blowers supplies the treated gas from scrubber tower to the tanks through .
They are mounted on rubber vibration absorbers and isolated from the piping by rubber expansion
bellows.
 Regulation of gas quantity delivered to deck is taken care of by the gas control valves and the deck
pressure is managed by pressure controller. If the deck pressure is lower than the set point the
output signal will be raised to open the valve more, and vice versa if the deck pressure is lower than
the set-point. These valves will then work in cooperation to keep both the deck pressure / blower
pressure at their respective set point without starving or overfeeding the circuit.
 Before entering the deck line, the gas passes through the deck water seal which also acts as non-
return valve automatically preventing the back-flow of explosive gases from the cargo tanks.
 After the deck seal the inert gas relief is mounted to balance built-up deck water seal pressure when
the system is shut down. In case of a failure of both the deck seal and the non-return valve, the relief
valve will vent the gases flowing from the cargo tank into the atmosphere
 The oxygen analyser which is fitted after the blower separates the “production” and “distribution”
components of the plant and analyzes the oxygen content of the gas and if it is more than 8%, it
alarms and shut downs the plant

FLAMMABILITY DIAGRAM EXPLANATION:

Cargo Operations in Tankers involve a lot of pre-planning and discussion to prevent any mishap. Proper
procedures are to be followed during loading, unloading, tank cleaning or man-entry.

It is known that for any fire to start, it requires a minimum presence of 3 components: Air, Fuel, and
Source of heat.

IN THE CARGO TANKS OF VESSEL:

 Cargo can play the role of fuel and completes one side of triangle.
 Any spark or heat from adjacent compartment(from hot work) or even atmospheric heat can act as
source of heat in the tanks.
 The atmospheric air containing 21% oxygen serves to provide sufficient oxygen for the fire triangle to
complete and a fire hazard to take place.
Removing any one side of the triangle will be an effective step to prevent fire hazard onboard.

Inert gas, which inerts the atmosphere of tank by keeping the oxygen content to a minimum breaks the
fire triangle. The oxygen content in inert gas is around 5% and minimum oxygen concentration required
for combustion is 8%. Onboard ship, the inert gas concentration is usually kept at 2% - 3%.

To study any tank atmosphere in ship, flammability diagram serves as an important tool.
Before learning how to draw this diagram, lets first have a look at it.

EXPLANATION OF FLAMMABILITY DIAGRAM:

The line AB represents the concentration of a mixture that includes air and hydrocarbon gases only. All
the points to the left of the line AB includes the inert gas in the mixture. Those to right of the line AB and
on the line AB doesn't include inert gas.

When inert gas is added to the tank atmosphere, the concentration inside the tank changes drastically.
So does the upper and lower flammable limit of the mixture. It can be seen from the diagram that the
UFL and LFL narrows down to converge at point E when inert gas is added.
It can be inferred that the flammability range of a mixture decreases with addition of inert gas.

Now let's assume a mixture of HC gas, air, inert gas such that it is at point a F in the graph.

If this mixture is diluted with air (Oxygen concentration 21%), then the new concentration of the mixture
will follow a straight line drawn from F to the 21% mark on oxygen percentage (X- axis). i.e. Line FA.

It can be seen from the diagram that on diluting F with air, it passes through the flammable range and
hence it poses a fire hazard.

To tackle this, we need to first Purge the tank with inert gas. Since inert gas has O2 concentration of
around 2%, the concentration of mixture during purging process moves along the line FJ. J is the point of
2% oxygen concentration in inert gas.
The purging is continued till the mixture reaches point H. From H if the mixture is diluted with air of 21%
oxygen, it will follow the line HA, which doesn't fall in flammable range. Hence safe condition is
maintained throughout the process.

While looking at diagram we come across the term critical dilution limit (Line GA). Let's try to
understand this term. The line GA passes by just touching the flammable range portion of diagram. If the
mixture F would have been purged any less than point K (lying between F and L), then while diluting the
mixture it would pass through the flammable range.

Thus critical dilution limit is the minimum amount of purging required to ensure that the mixture
doesn't fall in flammable range while diluting wit hair.

From above, It is well understood that the use of inert gas itself doesn't guarantee the safe environment
of tank during tank operations, until inert gas present is above the critical limit of the environment.

To be on the safer side, it is a common practice to continue purging the mixture F even beyond the
critical dilution limit, to prevent any fire hazard due to purged mixture passing trough flammable range
during dilution with air.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS:

This type of pump does not have a self-priming capability. Consequently, it operates best only when
there is a positive head on the suction side. However, this pump has the distinct capability of having a
large throughput. The pump increases the liquid’s velocity by means of a rotating impeller. The pump is
normally started with the discharge valve closed. However, keeping the discharge valve closed for a long
period tends to heat up the liquid and the pump since the liquid is only churning within. While taking
rounds in the pump room it is important to feel the casing to detect any signs of overheating. A sharp
eye should also be kept for any signs of leakage through joints and glands.

RECIPROCATING PUMP:
These pumps are driven by electric motors or by steam. The prime mover imparts a reciprocating
motion to the plunger which moves within the pump cylinder. The pump plunger is sealed against the
internal circumference of the liner with the help of ‘o’ rings, bucket rings or piston rings. As the plunger
retracts, increase in volume within the cylinder, causes pressure to drop and thus the fluid is pushed
into the cylinder via the suction valve (the delivery valve remains closed during this stroke). As the
plunger extends it forces the fluid out through the delivery valve (suction valve remains closed during
this stroke).These pumps are positive displacement and deliver their rated flow irrespective of load
pressure. Thus it is essential to have a relief valve on the delivery side of the pump. An accumulator (air
vessel) is also fitted on the delivery side to dampen the pulsations, which are inherent in this type of
pump

SCREW PUMP:

This pump consists of one or more screws (termed screws because of their surface profile). It consists of
a central drive screw connected to the prime mover.

me mover.
The other screw(s) known as idlers are meshed with the central drive screw. As the screws rotate, the
liquid is pushed to the discharge side. The pump is self-priming and it does not set up vibrations or
pulsations. These pumps are generally used to handle lubricating and other clean oils.

GEAR PUMP:

This is a positive displacement pump, which is very similar to a screw pump. It consists of 2 gears, which
mesh together within the body. As the gears rotate the liquid is trapped between the casing and the
gear teeth. The liquid is forced out to the discharge side.

EDUCTORS/EJECTOR:

An eductor is used for stripping tanks. It has no moving parts and therefore easy to maintain. It operates
on Bernoulli’s principle. The driving propellant (fluid from main cargo pump), is forced through the
nozzle, thereby creating a vacuum on the suction side. The driving propellant is discharged along with
the stripped fluid.

*In fluid dynamics, Bernoulli’s principle states that for an inviscid flow of a non-conducting fluid, an
increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the
fluid’s potential energy.