Inert Gas Overview - Tanker Op

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RF0040

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Inert gas systems mainly developed in the early 1970's along with the development of crude oil
washing systems. Initial systems were developed from waste flue gas, particularly on the large
steam turbine driven vessels. Later, inert gas generators had been developed for use on smaller
vessels, which do not have the engine load capacity to produce sufficient inert gas of the required
quality. Today, inert gas systems are mandatory on all tankers fitted with crude oil washing systems
under present MARPOL 73/78 regulations and by all tankers of 20,000 tonnes deadweight and
above under present SOLAS regulations. Venting systems are required by SOLAS regulations. The
requirements of both inert gas and venting systems are governed by SOLAS Regulations Chapter ll2, Regulations 62 and 59. Vapour emission control systems are governed by USCG regulations.
The inert gas, venting and vapour control systems all share common components, of piping and
protective equipment. Therefore, in the physical description of the systems where a component has
been previously described, reference will be made to it to avoid duplication. The inert gas system
contains the majority of components and it is this system that will be described first.
Inert Gas System (IGS)
The purpose of the inert gas system is to provide an atmosphere within the cargo tanks that will
prevent the ignition of fire and explosion, by excluding the presence of sufficient oxygen to support
combustion.
As background for the purpose of the inert gas system it must first be understood that there are
three basic elements that must coexist at the same time in order for combustion to take place. The
three elements, known collectively as the fire triangle, are a source of fuel, a source of ignition and
a source of oxygen. If any one of these three elements is removed then combustion cannot take
place.
Traditionally the prevention of combustion, fire and explosion on a tanker was to eliminate the
sources of ignition. These practices are still in force today and still very relevant to modern tanker
practice. With inert gas systems fitted, a second side of the triangle is removed, providing additional
protection against combustion when sources of ignition either cannot be avoided or accidental or
uncontrollable sources of ignition are introduced.
The inert gas system consists of several components, each of which has a function either to prepare
the gas for use, to provide the means of introducing the gas into the tanks or protecting the cargo
system from failure of the inert gas system. Inert gas is produced either from waste gases from the
vessels boiler system or from a specially designed inert gas generator. All vessels within the Teekay
fleet use the former system of taking waste (flue) gas from the boiler exhaust and processing it for
introduction into the cargo spaces. It is this system that is described in the following paragraphs.
The components of the system are situated in different locations. The main three are the boiler
room, the deck and the cargo control room, with further remote monitoring stations in the engine
control room, pump room, and wheelhouse.
Exhaust gases taken from the boiler uptake are fed through the boiler uptake valve(s) to the
scrubber tower. The scrubber tower cools and cleans the gases before they are fed to the inert gas
fans / blowers. The fans deliver the inert gas to the deck main system through the deck water seal
unit, which provides a barrier between the engine room and deck to prevent the backward flow of
cargo gases to the E.R.
The system must be capable of delivering sufficient quantity of inert gas, which is required by
SOLAS regulations. This must be at least 125% of the maximum discharge rate capability of the
cargo discharge system. It must be able to deliver inert gas with an oxygen content of not more than

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5% by volume at any rate of flow required. The atmosphere within the cargo spaces must be
maintained at both a positive pressure and an oxygen content of less than 8% at all times, except
when it is required for any cargo spaces to be gas freed. The system should be capable of
eliminating the need for air to enter the cargo spaces and be capable of purging the atmosphere in
the cargo spaces of hydrocarbon gases so that any subsequent gas freeing operations will not
create a flammable atmosphere within the cargo spaces at any time.
Boiler Uptake Valves
These valves are fitted on the boiler exhaust uptakes. They are protected from soot and other solid
particles being deposited on the valve seat. This is normally achieved by and interlocked with, an air
seal valve. The uptake valves should not be sited either too low or too high in the boiler uptakes. If
they are fitted too low then gases may be too hot for the system to handle and if too high the risk of
air being drawn in from the exhaust outlets arises. They are also interlocked with the fans / blowers
where the fans cannot be started without the valves being open and when the fans are stopped the
valves will close. They are also interlocked with any boiler exhaust soot blowing mechanisms to
prevent soot blowing operation when the valves are open. They should be sited above the level of
the scrubber tower to prevent any sea water entering the boiler uptakes in the event of the high
water level alarm and interlock failure.
Scrubber Tower
This unit comprises of a large casing through which the gases from the boiler uptakes pass to be
cooled and cleansed fit for use in the cargo tanks. The gases from the boiler exhaust are typically
300+C and contain a lot of sulphur dioxide and solid particles of soot.
The gases enter the scrubber tower through a submerged duct in which the gases are subjected to
a pre-cooling spray before passing through a weir type water seal. These both cool the gases and
removes the larger particles of solids. The water seal prevents any back flow of gases to the boiler
uptakes.
The gases now enter the main body of the scrubber to be cleaned and further cooled. A sea water
inlet near the top of the scrubber tower continuously feeds copious amounts of sea water into the
tower through numerous spray nozzles to maximize the contact between the gases, as they move
upwards, and the water as it falls through the tower. This both further cools and washes out the
sulphur dioxide and soot from the gases. As the gases flow upwards, through the cascading water,
several layers of venturi slots, impingement plates and trays of plastic or stone chippings further
contribute to washout both the solid particles of soot and the sulphur dioxide. They are eventually
washed to the bottom of the scrubber tower and thence overboard via the drain piping.
The sulphur dioxide in the gases mixes with the water to form an acidic compound of hydrogen and
sulphur. This compound is highly corrosive, therefore the scrubber tower and its component and the
overboard drain piping is either made from high chromium stainless steel or specially lined to
prevent damage to the scrubber tower casing and piping.
As the gases pass upwards above the sea water spray nozzles having been washed and cooled,
they then pass through demisters made up of pads or mattresses of polypropelene to remove
excessive moisture and water droplets to dry the gases. This is important as any water carry over
into the fans could cause serious overload damage to the fan motors and corrosion of the fan
impellers and piping.
Graphic - Inert Gas Scrubber Tower

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The scrubber tower has to be designed to handle the quantities of inert gas required by SOLAS
regulations, i.e., 125% of the maximum discharge rate capability of the vessels cargo pumping
system. It should also remove at least 90% of sulphur dioxide and effectively remove any solids.
The outlet gas temperature should not exceed 5C above the sea water temperature.
The scrubber tower should be sited such that it is above the deepest load water line and that the
drainage of the effluent is not impaired under normal conditions of deepest loading, trim and list.
The efficiency of the scrubber should not fall by more than 3% nor the temperature rise more than
3C above the designed gas outlet temperature under normal conditions of trim and list.
Inert Gas Fans / Blowers
As the gases are discharged from the top of the scrubber tower, cooled, cleaned and dried they are
delivered to the inert gas fans or as they are sometimes known, blowers, via the fan suction valves.
Together, with both fans in operation, they should be capable of delivering the 125% capacity of
inert gas to the deck main system. Normally two fans of equal capacity are fitted and in some
systems each fan is capable of delivering the required capacity of inert gas. In other systems one
large fan is fitted capable of delivering the required 125% capacity and a smaller fan fitted for top
up purposes. Each fan must be capable of overcoming the water seal in the wet or semi-dry
deck seal unit.

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The fans also have a fresh air inlet so that the fans can be used for gas freeing the cargo spaces
when required. During normal inert gas operations this inlet is shut and isolated by both a valve and
blank.
The discharge pressure of the inert gas from the fans is monitored, and indicated continuously in
both the cargo and engine control rooms.
Oxygen Analyzer
Between the inert gas fans and the delivery to the deck main system is a fixed oxygen analyzer.
This continuously draws, monitors and records the oxygen content of the delivered inert gas. The
monitor is fitted with an alarm that is activated whenever the oxygen content of the delivered gas
rises above 8% by volume. In certain systems this is interlocked with the inert gas delivery valve.
The fixed oxygen analyzer must have means of being calibrated for both zero and span
measurement.
Temperature Monitor
Also located between the fan discharge and the inert gas delivery valve is a probe to indicate the
temperature of the inert gas being supplied to the deck. This reading is continuously monitored, and
indicated in both the cargo control room and the engine control room.
Inert Gas Delivery Valve
The fans draw the inert gas from the scrubber tower and deliver it either to the deck main system, to
atmosphere, or in some systems back to the inlet side of the fans. Delivery to the deck main is
through a valve, the inert gas delivery valve, interlocked either with a discharge valve to atmosphere
or a recirculation valve return to the fan inlet.
Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, where the purpose of the arrangement is
to regulate the flow of inert gas to the deck main system and prevent the back flow of gases from
the cargo system. In the former system when gas is discharged to atmosphere the gases are
wasted whilst the system continues to function at the regulated capacity. In the latter system the
recirculated gases tend to increase the oxygen content with consequent poorer quality gas initially
being delivered to the deck main system.
In both systems the valves are interlocked so that the deck main delivery valve is shut when the
system is first operated and as the fans are started the inert gases are either discharged to
atmosphere or recirculated as the case may be. The deck main delivery valve should not be opened
until the quality of the inert gas has been reduced to less than 5% oxygen. The delivery valve will
not initially open until given a manual signal after a fan has been started and is running normally.
Once the signal to open the delivery valve is given, the valve will begin to open. At the same time
the discharge to atmosphere or the recirculating valve will begin to close. When the system is
running these two valves, the deck main delivery valve and either the discharge to atmosphere or
the recirculating valve will be automatically controlled to maintain the set pressure required in the
deck main system, i.e., as the required pressure is reached, the delivery valve will begin to close
and the discharge to atmosphere or the recirculation valve will begin to open. These valves will
open and close to the required degree to maintain the set pressure in the deck main system.
In some systems these valves are also interlocked with the oxygen monitor and alarm system such
that if the delivered oxygen content rises above 8%, then the delivery valve would shut and the
discharge to atmosphere or the recirculating valve would fully open. However, if this interlock is
fitted then another interlock between the main cargo pumps and the pressure in the IG deck main

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system must be fitted such that whenever the low/low pressure alarm is activated, then the cargo
pumps will be automatically stopped. This type of system also has disadvantages and is not found
on the vessels of the fleet. If the inert gas pressure in the cargo tanks is initially too low, then the
cargo pumps cannot be started. To overcome this problem an over-ride switch is fitted. However,
when this switch is actuated the alarm and interlock is lost and must be re-activated as soon as
conditions allow.
Deck Seal Unit
Once the inert gas passes through the delivery valve it leaves the E.R. system and enters the deck
system and is next passed through the deck seal unit. This unit provides a physical barrier between
the deck system and E.R. system so that no cargo vapours are allowed to back flow from the cargo
spaces into the engine room. The unit is one of three types, wet, semi-dry and dry.
Graphic - Inert Gas Deck Water Seal [Wet Type]

The wet type of deck seal is the most common found in the fleet. In this type the inert gas is
delivered through piping to the seal inlet casing and passed through a weir water seal. The gas then
moves upwards through a demister mattress of polypropelene to dry the gas and prevent water
moisture and droplets being carried over into the deck main system. The advantage of this type of
unit is that there are no moving parts, but there is always the risk of water moisture and droplets
being carried over into the deck main system.
In the semi-dry type the gas is delivered through a U tube seal and venturi before being delivered
to the deck main system. This system consists of a U bend seal through which the gases pass, a
venturi and a water holding tank. As the gas passes the venturi, it creates a low pressure in the

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water tank, drawing the water out of the U seal, leaving a clear passage for gas delivery to the
deck main system. Again, the advantage of this type of system is the lack of moving parts and under
stable conditions there is little risk of water carry-over. However this is rarely the case and the
inherent disadvantage is when changing discharge conditions cause variations in the gas flow
through the venturi, resulting in water carry-over, which can be considerable.
In the dry type, the deck seal unit consists of two chambers fitted with automatic flow control
valves. In this system when the system is started and the flow of gas is delivered to the deck main
system, the automatic drain valve of the main chamber is opened and the water seal drained out
leaving a dry passage for the inert gas to be delivered to the deck main system. At the same time
the filling valve for the upper chamber is opened and the upper chamber filled to its required level,
before the filling valve is again closed. When the inert gas system is stopped, the main chamber
drain valve is closed and the drain or dump valve of the upper chamber (or drop tank) is opened
releasing the water into the main chamber to create a water seal and prevent the back flow of gases
from the cargo spaces. With this system the risk of water carry over is eliminated, but in the event of
failure of the automatic valves could render the protection device ineffective. All three types of deck
water seals are protected from freezing condition with fitted heating coils in the seal chambers. The
wet and semi-dry types are further protected against the loss of flow and low level, of the sealing
water.
Before being delivered to the cargo spaces the gas passes through either one or two further barriers
to prevent back flow of cargo vapours and the possible flow of cargo liquid into the deck seal unit
due to overfilling of the cargo tanks. Firstly a mechanical swing check non-return valve is fitted
forward of the deck seal unit. If this valve has a positive means of closure then this is considered
sufficient as the secondary means of prevention. However, if this is not the case, then a separate
deck isolating valve must be fitted. This latter arrangement is more common as it provides the
advantage of isolating the deck main system from the non-return valve and deck seal unit for
maintenance and/or repair purposes.
Inert Gas Vent Valve
The section of line between the inert gas delivery valve and the non-return devices has to be fitted
with a vent valve as an additional protection against the back flow of cargo gases. The valve is and
can be either manually operated or interlocked with the inert gas delivery valve such that when the
inert gas delivery valve is open, the vent valve is closed and vice versa.
There should also be a means provided to test the oxygen content of the delivered gas and the
atmosphere in this section of piping between the inert gas delivery valve and the deck non-return
devices. This is normally a portable oxygen meter.

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