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Watch: How Marine Incinerator Operates?
Every operation onboard a vessel produces some waste. Managing that waste is difficult as ships do not have enough storage capacity and cannot dispose of the waste into the sea due to International pollution prevention regulations under MARPOL.
This is where Marine incinerators come in handy, which burn the solid and oil waste following the minimum pollution prevention requirement.
In this video, we will discuss how marine incinerators operate and the procedures for burning waste oil and solid waste.
Marine incinerators are designed to burn waste generated on ships, including waste oil, sludge, and solid waste. It is an essential part of any ship’s waste management system and helps to reduce the environmental impact of vessels.
These are the waste which is produced from daily ship operations:
– Solid wastes consist of paper, oil rags etc., and…
– Oil wastes usually come from leakages, oil changes, machine cleaning, bilges etc.
This waste oil is collected from the ship’s machinery spaces and stored in waste oil tanks.
To incinerate the oil waste, the incinerator is provided with a waste oil burner or atomiser whose supply is taken from the waste oil tank.
The suction of this tank is connected to a waste or sludge oil pump, which sends the oil to the waste oil burner.
Before burning the oil, the primary burner of the incinerator is started to ensure the primary chamber is heated. A forced draft fan is provided to supply oxygen for combustion inside the primary chamber.
Once the desired temperature is reached, the waste oil burner supplies the oil inside the incinerator, and due to the heat in the chamber and flames of the primary burner, the waste oil ignites and burns. The primary blower maintains a stable air supply once the primary burner is off. Also, it does not allow the temperature inside the primary chamber to increase beyond the limit.
The waste oil burner or atomiser keeps burning till the pump is stopped or if there is a change in pressure. A pressure regulation valve continuously monitors the oil supply pressure to the burner. If there is any increase in pressure due to the atomiser not working or burning the waster oil, it will recirculate the oil to the return line safeguarding the pipeline.
The burnt gases are the byproduct of the oil waste, which requires further burning. This is done in the secondary combustion chamber, separated from the primary combustion chamber, using the ceramic wall.
The flue gases are burnt out in the secondary chamber and drawn out from the exhaust passage. Sometimes an Induced Draught Air Ejector is fitted to draw out air from the secondary chamber easily.
When burning solid waste, first ensure it is safe to open the loading door.
Open the door and feed the solid waste from there. There is a safety switch which cuts off the primary burner when the door is open. Hence before the operation, make sure the door is shut correctly. The heat inside the chamber will burn the solid waste.
If needed, fire the primary burner to burn the remaining solid waste.
Ensure the operator and crew know local regulations in different parts of the world which prohibit the operation of incinerators.
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.
The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight.
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About Author
Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.
Disclaimer :
The information on this website is for general purposes only. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, we make no warranties of any kind regarding completeness, reliability, or suitability. Any reliance you place on such information is at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of this website.
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