5.

OIL SEPARATOR

Oil separators are used on refrigeration systems where it’s difficult for the oil to return from the evaporator.
These typically are field built-up systems, such as in supermarkets, and ultra-low temperature systems.
Oil separators are installed in the compressor/ compressors discharge line. They’re usually a vertical container with the
discharge gas connections at the top and an oil return port at the bottom. This return line may be piped directly to the
suction line on single compressor units or on multiple compressor racks would be piped to a holding tank called an oil
reservoir. Some oil separators have a reservoir built into the bottom portion of the container with the upper portion
being the separator. From the reservoir, the oil is then returned to the compressors by use of a mechanical or electronic
oil level control fastened to the compressor crankcase. Oil separators use various modes of oil separation methods to
remove the oil from the discharge gas as it leaves the compressor. These methods include reduction of velocity,
impingement, centrifugal action, or coalescing elements. Oil separators vary in capacity and efficiency depending upon
the mass flow that is being pumped through them and no oil separator is 100% efficient.

Oil separator minimizes the amount of oil circulating in the cooling system. Oil to coat the inside of each cycle of the
cooling components, through which it passes. This reduces the heat transfer efficiency and capacity of
the evaporator and condenser. This is one of the reasons for separation as much oil as possible with the refrigerant
before sending it to the system. Another reason is to slow down the accumulation of oil in those places where it is
difficult to return the oil. This consideration is particularly important where the refrigerant is not mixed. The refrigerant
does not dissolve in oil and oil is not soluble in refrigerant.

The only goal of the oil in the refrigeration cycle compressor lubrication. Thus, oil separator installed in such a way
that oil will be chained to the compressor. As shown here, it is usually installed in the discharge (hot gas line as close
as possible to the compressor with the practical point of view. It is set after the silencer, if the silencer. Oil return line is
connected directly to the compressor crankcase in some designs. In others, it is forwarded to the compressor
suction pipe .
Although oil separators, when used correctly, are very effective in the removal of oils with the refrigerant, they are not
able to delete the circulation of oil with gas discharge. Some oils still finds its way into the system. Therefore, when oil
separators are used, some means must be provided periodically return the accumulated oil in the compressor.

Compressor oil comes in contact with the refrigerant in the compressor. As a result, a certain amount of oil will be
carried out along with the compressed refrigerant leaves the compressor through the discharge line.

Trouble shooting & malfunction of oil separator in the Refrigeration System

Indication:
- Temperature is not dropping in the cold rooms as normal, due to fact that oil act as insulation in the evaporator.
- It may cause excessive frost on the suction line.
- Refrigerant compressor runs for the extended period of time.
- Lubricating oil level in the compressor will drop.
- Refrigerant level will fall if oil has caused blockage.
Causes:
- This may happen if the oil separator is not working properly.
- Oil may carry over from the compressor and may not come back to the compressor due to blockage in the system.
- Defective piston rings or worn out liner of the compressor may cause the oil to carry over along with the refrigerant.
- Compressor may take high capacity current during starting.
Action:
- Check the oil separator for proper functioning.
- Check the drier for proper cleaning and if its require cleaning clean it
- Evaporator coil should be drained to remove any trace of oil.
- If there is oil in the cooling coils, increase the condenser and evaporator temperature differentials and remove excess
frost on the suction pipe.
- Heat pipes with blow torch.

TOPIC: Oils Fuels and Lubricating System

Filters
a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it .

Filter & Strainer on Ship

Filter is a fine mesh screen which is used to remove impurities from oil, water and air on ship. Filters are mounted in
pairs as a duplex system so that one can be used and other is kept on stand by at a time. Filter can be used both in low
pressure (suction) and discharge (high pressure) side of the system and is used to remove the smallest part of dirt which
is carried away in the system. The cleaning frequency of filters depends upon the type of the filter and is decided by the
manufacturer. The schedule is normally included in the planned maintenance system on board.

Strainer is a type of filter used mostly on low pressure or suction side and is used to remove large contamination
particles from the system. This is because the mesh screen openings in the strainer are bigger in size and are similar to
those of coarse filter. If the suction condition is critical, then the strainer can be fitted on the discharge side. This purely
depends upon the make and recommendation of the manufacturer. Normally strainers are cleaned whenever they are
opened or when the pressure drop on the filter side is high.

Types of filters depending upon the Media

1) Hydraulic Filter: Hydraulic filters are very useful for removing solid contamination from lube and fuel oil systems of
marine machinery. Without filters in the lube or fuel oil system, the machinery internal parts,
bearings, piston, rings, liners etc. can get damaged, which will result in inefficient working of the machinery.
Different applications of hydraulic filters are:
a) Fine Mesh Screen Filter: It is the most commonly used filter in lube and fuel oil systems on board. It can be
used both on suction and discharge side of the system. It is normally used in cylinder lube oil line, main engine
and auxiliary engine fuel oil line & diesel oil line, boiler fuel oil line and in different lube oil systems on board etc.
b) Magnetic filter: This normally consists of filter elements which are magnetic in nature and which help in catching
fine metal or ferrous particles that run in the system. These elements are surrounded by a basket screen which
also acts as a filter and simplifies the cleaning of the filter. Magnetic filters are used in lube oil system.
c) Auto Back Wash Filter: In auto back wash filters, when the pressure difference increases, an indication of filter
getting clogged, the auto system cuts-off the filter and opens the bypass. The auto wash takes place with the
help of an electric motor connected to a shaft which cleans the filter. During this operation, the drain of the filter
gets open.
d) Centrifugal filter: As the name suggests, these filters work on the principal of centrifugal force removing high
density fluids and impurity from the oil. It is normally used for lube oil systems. Most of the Auxiliary engines
have attached centrifugal filters.
e) Manual clean filter: In manual filter, there is a handle with a shaft which is connected inside to a filter. When the
pressure difference increases, the filter unit is bypassed and the filter is cleaned manually with the help of a
lever.

2) Water Filter: The sea water and fresh water systems on board ship are provided with line filters in order to trap the
solid impurities flowing in the system. Normally the sea water side has more numbers of filters incorporated in the
line as compared to the fresh water system as the later is a closed system. The different applications for water filters
are:
a) Sea chest Strainer: It is fitted in the main suction line of the sea water inlet system to the ship. The filter casing is
normally fitted with marine growth preventive system. Normally a strainer is used in the sea chest so that the
flow of water in the sea line is always maintained.
b) Fire line suction filter: Fire pump has a suction filter to avoid any solid impurity to come inside the fire line. The
filter mesh screen has a moderate opening screen hole for flow of water.
c) Bilge line filter: All the bilge well suctions are provided with a strainer as the well contains the maximum solid
contamination. The filter may have a bucket screen or a plate screen to trap solid impurities like rags etc.
d) Fresh water system filter: All the fresh water systems such as drinking water system, sanitary water system, boiler
feed water system etc. are incorporated with a line filter in the suction side of the pump.

3) Air Filter: These filters are used on board so that the compressed air supplied to different machinery and systems get
pure air for efficient operation of the same. The different application of the air filters are:
a) Control air filter: The control air system or the pneumatic control of the propulsion plant is very critical. It must
not contain any moisture for it may block the passages in the system and the main propulsion plant may not
 start or reverse etc. The control air filter removes the moisture and collects it in a chamber from where it can be
drained.
b) Turbocharger filter: Turbocharger filters are made of copper mesh which is used on the blower side so that the air
sucked by the blower must not carry any solid or carbon particles, else it may damage the blades and reduce the
combustion efficiency.
c) Compressor filter: All the air used on board is supplied by main or auxiliary air compressor on board. The air is
sucked by the compressor through an air filter located in the first stage and is made up of paper and metal mesh.
d) IG system scrubber filter: I.G system scrubber plant contains moist exhaust. To remove the moisture from the
same, a demister filter is used.

4) Special filters: Some special filters which are used on board the ship are:
a) OWS 1st and 2nd stage filter: The filters used in OWS are expensive and normally of disposable type. The first
stage filter normally consists of felt filter. The second stage filter uses coalescer for bringing down the oil
content to below 15 ppm.
b) Oxygen analyzer filter: Oxygen analyzer is an instrument which is used to measure oxygen content in enclosed
area. It consists of a probe fitted with an integrated air filter to remove dirt from the air drawn.
c) Cartridge filter: This type of filters are used for portable generators, auxiliary compressors and power pack on
board and can be used for fuel oil and lube oil filtration. They are normally of disposable type and can be used
only once.

Purifiers
Usually on a ship, when you say purifier, the first thing that come to mind would be the fuel oil purifier, especially if your
vessel is running on heavy fuel oil. There could be other purifiers onboard for different liquid medium onboard,
hydraulic oil, lube oil, diesel oil.
The various types of purifier are similar, in the sense that they "clean" the medium of impurities such as sand and water,
through centripetal action.
The purifier is essentially an enclosed high speed spinning bowl where the medium is continuosly fed into the chamber.
When the medium is in the bowl, the impurities such as sand and water having a higher specific gravity would be thrown
to the side of the bowl, where they would be trapped. The medium would be free to flow through the purifier to a
storage tank.
After a preset time, the purifier would enter a dumping phase, where the captured impurities would be passed to the
sludge tank for storage and later disposal.

On a side note, taking in HFO at questionable ports are always a problem, where they'll mix water, sand and all sorts of
impurities will be pumped to you. The filters will be getting choked, purifiers will be going crazy constantly dumping the
impurities , sludge tank getting filled up at a high rate. And for the poor engineers, ALARMS SOUNDING ALL NIGHT
LONG!!!

Marine Oil Purifier

Oil purifiers are used on board ship to condition fuel oil and lubricating oil.
The fuel oil used on ships is normally very thick and viscous at normal temperatures. It is called Class C Marine Bunker
oil. It contains a lot of impurities too.
Lubricating oil for diesel engines do get contaminated with carbon deposits, byproducts of oxidation, sludge and metal
particles.
The oil to be purified is first allowed to settle in a settling tank. Any large particles will settle out and can be drained
every watch. After the oil has time to settle, it is passed through fine meshed wire filters to remove any coarse particles.
The oil is then sent to the oil purifier.
The oil purifier makes use of centrifugal force to separate fine solids which cannot be filtered out from the oil.
By rotating the bowl at a very high speed of 15000 rpm or so, the fine solids are separated from the oil.
At these high speeds, the shaft balancing, bearings, and vibration damping mechanism is critical. The high speeds can be
achieved by worm-and-wheel drive.
The building up of speed during starting up is achieved by using friction pads. To prevent serious damage to the drive in
case of seizures or overload, a shear pin, or shear coupling mechanism is installed between the motor drive and the
driven gears.
Although the oil purifier is made to be automatically self flushing, it still needs to be dismantled for manual cleaning
periodically. On the ship, very often, the purifiers are maintained by the Junior Engineer.
When the Bunker Fuel oil is of very poor quality, the purifiers have to be opened up very often. The fuel oil purifier room
is very often oily, slippery, and hot because the fuel oil is heated to temperatures up to 130 degree Celsius.

10 Important Things to Check While Starting Fuel Oil Purifier on Ships

Starting a fuel oil purifier also involves several important steps and checks. Mentioned below are ten most important
things that must be checked while starting fuel oil purifier on ships.
1. Check Oil Level in the Purifier Gear Case – Don’t forget to check the level of the oil in the purifier gear case before
starting the purifier. If the oil is not up to the required level, insufficient lubrication will damage the the gears and
other rotating parts (shaft, bearings etc.) in the purifier gear case.
2. Ensure Break is in Release Position – The purifier break, which is provided near the gear at the bottom of the
purifier, must be in release position. If the break is not released, the purifier will not reach its required speed and
the motor current will increase. Moreover, this will also cause wear down of brakes.
3. Open Inlet and Outlet Valves – Ensure that both inlet and outlet valves of the purifier are in open position. If the
discharge valve is not open, the purifier will overflow resulting in oil in the sludge side. Similarly, if the suction valve
is not open, the purifier will not get the necessary oil supply.
4. Open the Tank Valves – Check the valves of the specific tank (service or settling) where the discharge from the
purifier is to be sent. If the tank valve is not open, the back pressure in the line will increase leading to overflowing
of the purifier.
5. Check the Level of Operating Water – If there is a separate operating water tank provided, check the water level in
the same. If the operating water is not sufficient, the purifier bowl will not lift, resulting in the sludge ports to
remain in open position.
6. Check Feed Pump– Check that the purifier feed pump is running properly, along with oil pressure and temperature.
Some purifiers are provided with attached gear pumps for supplying fuel to the purifier. In such cases, ensure that
the oil temperature is enough to ensure smooth running of the gear pump attached (via shaft and key) . If the
temperature is low, the oil viscosity will be high, which may lead to breaking of the key that connects the shaft and
the gear pump, thus stopping the oil supply.
7. Ensure Heater Valves are Open – Ensure that the fuel oil valves to the steam heater are opened before opening the
the steam line valve near the heater. If the steam is opened first, the tubes can get damaged, leading to ingress of
water in the oil.
 8. Increase the temperature – Increase temperature of the fuel oil to the limit provided in the digital control panel of
the purifier. In all automated purifiers, the control panel is provided with a pre-set minimum temperature limit. The
purifier will not start until the fuel oil reaches this temperature.
9. Check for any abnormal sound or vibration– If you know your machinery extremely well, you will be able to tell if
there is any abnormal vibration or sound during starting. Shut the purifier immediately in such conditions and rectify
the fault completely before starting it again.
How to check? – Take a screw driver, touch the metal end to the purifier body, and the second end to your ear. You
will be able to hear the smooth running of the inside parts more clearly.
10. Check Solenoid Valves – Check all solenoid valves are operating properly by checking the lights on the solenoid
valves. If the lights are not working properly, take a screw driver and bring it near to the top surface of the
solenoid valves. When the solenoid starts working, the screw driver will be attracted to the valve body due to
magnetic effect.

NOTE: If solenoid valves are not working properly, the purifier will also stop operating. For e.g. if the operating water
line solenoid valve is not working properly, the bowl will not lift, or if the high pressure water line solenoid is not working,
then the purifier will not de-sludge.

Bearings

Settling-tanks
Tank contents gauges

TOPIC: Deck Machinery

Lifeboat davits and gear

Mooring winch
Windlass
Winch
Crane

TOPIC: The Use Of Appropriate Specialized Tools And Measuring Instruments