DEFINITIONS.

Inert Gas Means a gas or a mixture of gases ,

such as flue gas, containing insufficient oxygen to
support the combustion of hydrocarbon.
Inert Condition Means a condition in which the
oxygen content throughout the atmosphere of the
tank has been reduce to 8% or less by volume by
addition of inert gas.
Inerting Means the introduction of inert gas into
a tank with the object of attaining the inert
condition.
Gas-Freeing Means the introduction of fresh air
into a tank with the object of removing toxic,
flammable and inert gases and increasing the
oxygen content to 21% by volume.
 CONTINUATION
Purging Means the introduction of inert gas into a tank already in the
inert condition with the objective of:
1. Further reducing the existing oxygen content
and / or.
2. Reducing the existing hydrocarbon gas content
to a level below which combustion cannot be
supported if air is subsequently introduced
into a tank.

General:

With an inert gas system the protection against a tank atmosphere

is achieved by introducig inert gas into the tank to keep the oxygen
content low and reduce to safe proportions the hydrocarbon gas
and concentration of the tank atmosphere.
 FLAMMABILITY LIMITS.
A mixture of hydrocarbon gas and air cannot ignite
unless its composition lies within a range of gas in air
concentrations known as the FLAMMABLE RANGE. The
lower limit of this range, known as the LOWER FLAMMABLE
LIMIT is any hydrocarbon concentration below which there
is insufficient hydrocarbon gas to support combustion. The
upper limit of this range, known as the UPPER FLAMMABLE
LIMIT is any hydrocarbon concentration above which there
is insufficient air to support combustion.

The flammable limits vary somewhat for different pure

hydrocarbon gases and for the gas mixture derived from
different petroleum liquids. In practise, however, the lower
and upper flammable limits of oil cargoes carried in tankers
can be taken, for general purposes, to be 1 % and 10%
hydrocarbon by volume, respectively.
 EFFECT OF INERT GAS ON
FLAMMABILITY
When an inert gas is added to a hydrocarbon gas/air
mixture the result is to increase the lower flammable limit
concentration and to decrease the upper flammable limit
concentration. These effects are illustrated in diagram
below, which should be regarded only as a guide to the
principles involved.