PONDICHERRY MARITIME ACADEMY

  Marine boiler is one of the most easy-to-operate systems on board ships. Though most of the mariners will agree to this, they also know that it’s a complex machinery which requires highest standards of safety precautions and correct operating procedures. Accidents on board ships  involving marine boiler has caused severe damage to the property and even claimed human lives in the past. Mariners know the  dangers of high temperature steam  and therefore do not take any chances when it comes to operation and maintenance of boilers. According to an analysis, one of the main reasons behind accidents are improper operating procedures and overriding safety precautions while operating boilers. The main concern of any ship engineer is to operate  all engine room machinery and systems to achieve maximum efficiency without hampering it’s operating life and safety measure. When it comes to  marine boilers , the steam demand is the main crite...

In continuation with the last article on energy audit on ships, we discuss the energy audit of the ship’s boiler. One of the major and important machinery on the ship, a marine boiler comes under special emphasis in an energy audit due to many well marked and potential energy saving areas.   A well maintained boiler is not only safe but is also fuel efficient. Basic Steps of Boiler Audit As discussed earlier, the steps involved in an energy audit are data collection, data analysis and making report. Data Collection:  Finding how the ship uses steam, costs of fuel consumed per day and issues by reducing steam consumption for utilities. For example reduction of domestic hot water temperature or reduction of accommodation heating etc. Data Analysis:  Identifying measures that would lead to energy conservation. These include measures with no investment, with medium investment and with large investment. Audit Report:  The report has to be presented to the owners with th...

An Exhaust Gas Boiler is a type of heat recovering system on ships which allows the exhaust heat of the main engine to produce steam while going out in the atmosphere. Every system, which is operated at high temperature, always has a risk of fire. This applies to EGB which has the inlet temperature of exhaust gases @ 300-400 deg. C. The most common type of Exhaust Gas Boiler (EGB) used on ships are water tube boilers. In water tube type of arrangement, the water passes through tube stack, which is arranged in the path of exhaust gas inside the exhaust gas trunking of the main engine. The exhaust gas flows over the tube stacks and heats the water, thus producing steam. The main constituent of the soot deposit is particulates but in addition, some unburnt residues of fuel and lubricating oils may be deposited in the boiler. Soot deposit and fire in the EGB can be- Due to the poor combustion of fuel in the main engine Due to prolong slow steaming Long maneuvering of the...

A boiler is among the essential machines onboard ships. It is mainly responsible for generating high-pressure steam for the main propulsion system and auxiliary machines. Thus boiler cleaning is required regularly to ensure the smooth functioning of the machine and other systems related to it onboard ships. Failing to clean boilers reduces their efficiency. Uncleaned boilers consume more energy and resources, and this may cause various problems on board ships; for example, the walls of boilers may corrode and cause hazards. Boiler cleaning involves effacing undesirable deposits and pollutants on the inner walls, tubes and various surfaces of the boiler. It prevents carbon and particle deposits like calcium carbonate from entering the boilers. It is one of the most critical operations to be regularly executed onboard ships. Some important points to be kept in mind while boiler cleaning on board a vessel are as follows:- Steps before cleaning Freshwater should be used to operate ...

What happens when there is not enough space at the wharf for a number of ships or boats to be moored? Or what happens when there is a ramp at the stern of the ship (like a car carrier) that connects it to the hold? The answer is that the ship has to be moored perpendicular to the wharf with its stern transom (surface) lying parallel to the jetty. Such “end on” to the quay berthing is called “Mediterranean Mooring”. Mediterranean mooring, also known as “med mooring”, is a technique for mooring a vessel to pier at a perpendicular angle. The ship thus occupies less space as it is connected to a fixed length of pier along the width rather than its length. The disadvantage of Mediterranean mooring is that it is more likely to result in collisions and that it is not practical in deep water or in regions with large tides. Mediterranean mooring can be done in two ways. Now the boats or crafts like yacht can be berthed bow to or stern to with the wharf depending upon the convenience or prefer...

Mooring winches are used to tie the ship to the berth when at a port. While loading and unloading the cargo on the ship, the mooring winches tighten or loosen suddenly. Any extra tightening or loosening of the mooring winches can lead to dashing of the ship with the berth or any other form of accident. For this reason, load sensors are used on the mooring winches. Load sensors sense the tension on the mooring winches and adjust the tightening and losing accordingly. However, it is important that these load sensors are adjusted properly to get accurate results. The article will explain how to adjust the load sensors on the mooring winches. Adjusting Load Sensor Winches consist of strain gauges that sense the load. This strain gauge produces a small voltage when the load is applied to it. The voltage produced will be different for different loading conditions. This voltage is then calibrated to give out the readings on the panel of the winches. These gauges are required to be calib...