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Inert Gas Systems on Oil Tankers

The inert gas system on oil tankers works to prevent explosions from flammable vapors produced by oil cargo. It works by mixing inert gas containing less than 8% oxygen with the hydrocarbon vapors, raising the lower explosion limit and decreasing the higher explosion limit to create an atmosphere where explosions cannot occur. The system takes exhaust gases from the ship's boiler, cleans and cools them in a scrubbing tower to produce inert gas, and distributes it to cargo tanks through isolating valves, deck seals, and pressure controls to inert the tanks. Safety features include oxygen monitors that shut the system down if oxygen levels rise above 8%.

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32 views9 pages

Inert Gas Systems on Oil Tankers

The inert gas system on oil tankers works to prevent explosions from flammable vapors produced by oil cargo. It works by mixing inert gas containing less than 8% oxygen with the hydrocarbon vapors, raising the lower explosion limit and decreasing the higher explosion limit to create an atmosphere where explosions cannot occur. The system takes exhaust gases from the ship's boiler, cleans and cools them in a scrubbing tower to produce inert gas, and distributes it to cargo tanks through isolating valves, deck seals, and pressure controls to inert the tanks. Safety features include oxygen monitors that shut the system down if oxygen levels rise above 8%.

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christian pope
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What is an Inert Gas or IG System on Ships?

Oil tankers carry oil of different grades and quality, having the property to produce
flammable vapours and gases when loaded for transportation.

Even with no cargo on board, there can be harmful flammable gases present in the hold.

When the vapour produced by an oil cargo is mixed with a certain concentration of air
primarily containing oxygen, it can result in an explosion which results in damages to
the property, marine pollution and loss of life

For safety against such explosions, an Inert gas system is used onboard. It can be
through as a separate inert gas plant or flue gas produced by a ship’s boiler.

What is Inert gas and Inert gas system?


Inert gas system is the most important integrated system for oil tankers for safe
operation of the ship.
Inert gas is the gas that contains insufficient oxygen (normally less than 8 %) to
suppress the combustion of flammable hydrocarbon gases.

The 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 vapours can
be ignited), simultaneously decreasing the Higher explosion limit HEL (Higher
concentration at which vapour explodes). When the concentration reaches around 10 %,
an atmosphere is created inside the tank in which hydrocarbon vapours 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 serves 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 the 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 purposes.

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


in line with the 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 a flame trap to
avoid the fire igniting when loading or discharging operation is going on when in port.

11. Cargo tank isolating valves: A vessel has number 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 the 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 the ship:

 High Level in scrubber leads to alarm and shutdown of blower and scrubber
tower
 Low-pressure seawater supply (approx. 0.7 bar) to scrubber tower leads to alarm
and shutdown of blower
 Low pressure seawater 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 Plant


Image for representation purpose only. All rights reserved.

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 the safety of the 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.

Image for representation purpose only. All rights reserved.

Brief working procedure


1. Boiler uptake gases are drawn to the scrubber unit via flue gas isolating valve(s)
to the scrubber unit.
2. In the scrubber unit the gas is cooled, cleaned and dried before being supplied to
the tanks.
3. Motor-driven inert gas blowers supply the treated gas from the scrubber tower to
the tanks. They are mounted on rubber vibration absorbers and isolated from the
piping by rubber expansion bellows.
4. Regulation of gas quantity delivered to the deck is taken care of by the gas control
valves and the deck pressure is managed by the 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 setpoint without starving or overfeeding the circuit.
5. Before entering the deck line, the gas passes through the deck water seal which
also acts as a non-return valve automatically preventing the back-flow of
explosive gases from the cargo tanks.
6. 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
7. 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 shutdowns the plant

Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the
views of Marine Insight. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from
available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority.
The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any
responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not
constitute any guidelines or recommendations on any course of action to be followed
by the reader.

Common questions

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Components of the inert gas system that prevent backflow of explosive gases include the deck seal, which acts as a non-return valve to automatically prevent backflow. In case of failure of this primary mechanism, a mechanical non-return valve provides additional protection. The system also includes a relief valve that vents gases in case both the deck seal and non-return valve fail, thus ensuring the safe escape of gases into the atmosphere .

The wet type deck seal significantly enhances the safety and reliability of oil tanker operations as it acts as a robust barrier against the backflow of explosive gases from cargo tanks. Its functionality is crucial in maintaining positive pressure to sustain an inert environment in the cargo area. By effectively preventing reverse flow and ensuring an emergency relief mechanism, the wet deck seal upholds operational safety and ensures continuity of secure cargo handling activities .

The inert gas system mitigates the risk of overpressure or underpressure in cargo tanks through the installation of a pressure vacuum (PV) breaker. This device controls the pressure fluctuations within cargo tanks during operations. The PV breaker is equipped with a flame trap to prevent fire ignition during cargo loading or discharge, ensuring safe pressure levels are maintained in tanks and preventing potential hazards from pressure deviations .

The oxygen analyzer is crucial for the efficacy of the inert gas system, as it continuously monitors the oxygen content of the produced gas. If the oxygen content exceeds 8%, the system triggers alarms and shuts down the plant to prevent unsafe conditions that could lead to combustion or explosions in cargo tanks. This monitoring ensures that the oxygen level is maintained below a critical threshold, thereby guaranteeing the inert gas composition remains effective in suppressing fire risks .

The inert gas system enhances safety on oil tankers by spreading inert gas over the oil cargo, which increases the lower explosion limit (LEL) and decreases the higher explosion limit (HEL) of flammable hydrocarbons. This adjustment prevents the concentration of vapors from reaching an ignitable level, maintaining safety by creating an atmosphere where the hydrocarbon vapors cannot burn as long as the inert gas concentration is kept below 8%. This method effectively suppresses combustion by reducing the oxygen content to ensure safety during transportation .

The safety and alarm systems in the inert gas plant are critical for operational security as they provide real-time monitoring and automatic shutdown capabilities in response to identified risks. Alarms are triggered for various conditions such as high inert gas temperature, low seawater pressure supply, high scrubber level, and deviations in oxygen content. These alerts lead to the automatic shutdown of blowers and scrubber towers, preventing unsafe conditions from escalating. This proactive approach ensures prompt response to potential failures, thereby safeguarding both staff and cargo .

The inert gas pressure regulating valve stabilizes the system by controlling the pressure within cargo tanks based on oil properties and atmospheric conditions. It manages excess gas pressure by recirculating the surplus back to the scrubber tower, thereby preventing overheating of blowers and ensuring consistent delivery pressure to the cargo tanks. This function maintains system equilibrium, avoiding both over-pressurization and under-supply, which could compromise safety .

The scrubber unit in the inert gas system serves to cool, clean, and moisten the gases drawn from the boiler uptake. Upon entering the scrub tower, the flue gas interacts with water sprays and baffle plates, which reduce the sulfur dioxide content by up to 90% and remove soot particles. This treatment makes the inert gas suitable for suppressing combustion in cargo tanks by ensuring the gas is clean, cooled, and has the appropriate moisture content .

The deck isolating valve plays a crucial role in operating the inert gas system by allowing the engine room system to be fully isolated from the deck system. This separation is essential during maintenance or emergency procedures to prevent the backflow of cargo gases into non-cargo areas. By ensuring each part functions independently when needed, the valve supports safe vessel operations and assists in maintaining control over the distribution system .

Motor-driven inert gas blowers are integral to the function of inert gas systems on oil tankers as they transport treated gas from the scrubber tower to individual cargo tanks. Mounted on vibration absorbers, they minimize operational disturbances, thus ensuring efficiency and stability. These blowers maintain the necessary pressure to supply inert gas, thereby preventing the ignition of hydrocarbon vapors in the cargo tanks, crucial for the safe carriage of oil products .

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