Fire classes, extinguishers and colour bands
• Class A - Solids (paper, wood) - water, foam, DP
• Class B - Liquids (paint, diesel) - foam, DP, CO2
• Class C - Gases (methane, butane, hydrogen) - DP, CO2
• Class D - Metals (lithium, potassium) - Class D powder
• Electrical (computers, generators) - CO2, (DP if needed)
• Class F - cooking oils & fats - Wet Chem
Colour bands - water=red foam=cream DP=blue CO2=black WC=yellow
Scavenge space fire actions
• Raise the alarm with engineers call button & clear the engine room
• Inform bridge request bridge slow down and stop when navigationally safe to do so
• Inform CE
• Stop engine when possible and turn off FO & aux blowers
Stop LO supply (Scav fire can crack piston crown and feed LO to fire)
Close scavenge space drain to prevent oil from spreading to other units or the drain tank
Activate fixed system (CO2 or steam)
Never open scavenger space doors
If engine is unable to be stopped, isolate fuel to this unit electrically or using the plunger to lift the p/p roller off the cam or use an isolation valve if one is present.
OMD goes off
Raise the alarm & clear engine room
Request slow down & stop from bridge when navigationally safe to do so
Inform chief
Stop aux blowers, fuel, ER ventilation
Evacuate ER for atleast 30 mins
Keep LO P/P and CW running to minimise hot spots and cool down engine
Monitor main bearings temperatures
ENCLOSED SPACE PREP
Re-enter ER with BA + check for signs of fire
Investigate cause and see if there is any damage
Perform enclosed space entry for crankcase inspection
Reset OMD and start engine slowly
Economiser fire (indications and actions)
Indications
• High exhaust gas temp outlet from economiser
• Water pressure fluctuations
• Steam pressure rises and boiler level drops due to more steam being produced (VERY IMPORTANT TO MONITOR THIS)
• Visible discolouration of casing, blistering paint, hot spots
• Sparks and black smoke from funnel
• Circulating water temp rises and pressure fluctuates
• Diff pressure of exhaust gas increases
• TC RPM drops and CAC pressure drops due to increase in back pressure
(Scav air temp would rise on 2 stroke)
• Safety valves lifting
Actions
• Raise alarm & call bridge to request slow down and stop of engine when safe to do so
• Keep circ pumps running
• Put the TC covers on and open drains to prevent water entering the cylinders
• Fire teams boundary cool with short bursts to minimise FSE
• At CE’s request, connect the fire main supply to the inlet of the economiser water washing lances and apply sea water drenching to the economiser with the TC drains open and monitor the wash water drain tank level
• If there are indications that the fire has developed into a hydrogen fire, stop circulating water and stop the fixed smothering systems as they will feed it
Flooding in the ER
(possibly found due to there being more than 1 bilge alarm active)
Engineers call button + inform CE
Inform bridge & request slow down/stop
Start internal bilge system
Close WTD
Can also confirm type of water (FW or SW)
Start engine in other compartment if possible
Close sea chest inlet
Use damage control equipment
If the flooding is out of control then we can use the emergency bilge pump which is the highest capacity pump in the ER (SW cooling p/p no.6)
Do this by opening the emergency suction v/v (screw down NR) and throttling closed the SW suction.
Be prepared to abandon ship
Found someone on floor next to main switchboard
Raise the alarm until you get a response
DRABC
D - Isolate the dangers
Move them to safe place if needed
R - Approach and check for any response from the person
A - Check Airways by tilting chin up and checking mouth
B - Check for breathing by observing chest movement and listening
If breathing and unresponsive, put in recovery position
C - Get defibrillator & Start CPR if not breathing
Blackout procedure
(Nickel-Cadmium UPS Batteries will keep essential systems online such as navigation systems(radar, ECDIS, navigation lights, gyro repeater), fire detection, emergency lighting, communications, PMS & MAS/IAMCS, PA, WTD, some CCTV, emergency steering control, ECR computers.)
• Stay calm
• Emergency gen will be on-load automatically within 45 seconds
• Engineers call button
• Inform bridge & CE of current situation
• Bring ME fuel rack to 0
• Close feed of purifier to avoid waste of fuel
• Close boiler main steam stop valve
• Find the problem & rectify
• Start gen pre lub p/p from emgcy supply
• Start ME & DG LO & JWC p/ps & aux blower
• Reset tripped breakers & startup all essential equipment
BA checks
Answer 1
• Red button, open cylinder, check gauge.
• Mask on, take breath & check face seal (up down left right) listening for leaks
• Positive pressure with 2 fingers
• Cylinder off and back on a half turn, should start whistling @ 50-55 bar then fully open it
• Hold breath and cylinder off for 10 secs then small breaths for whistle
• Test supplementary supply (black button)
Answer 2 (probably a better answer)
• Visual inspection of the straps, visor, face seal, cylinder and valves on face mask
• Low pressure test
• Whistle alarm test (50-55 bar)
• Leakage test on cylinder and facemask
• Positive pressure test
• Face seal test
Fire pump requirements
Must be atleast 3 onboard passenger vessels (2 for others)
The main pumps should be in the engine room while the emergency pump should be located in a compartment outside the machinery spaces.
Min capacity = 25m3/hour (SOLAS CH2.2 reg 10)
What is considered a hot surface and where would hot spots occur in the crankcase?
Any surface over 220/230 degrees
Main bearings
Misaligned crankshaft
On 4 stroke - gases passing due to worn piston rings and could also be caused by friction on the liner
On 2 stroke - diaghram hot spot due to scavenge fire
Fire bulkheads
SOLAS CH2-2
Class A:
-must be made of steel or equivalent material
-must prevent passage of smoke or flame for 60 minutes
-must be placed in high risk/high valued areas or areas where passenger will pass through such as stairwells.
-ambient temp must not rise over 139°C and the max temp should not reach over 180°C
(Class A60 - no heat transfer for 60 minutes)
Class B:
-must be made of steel or equivalent material
-must prevent passage of flame for 30 minutes
-placed in medium risk areas
-ambient temp must not rise over 139°C and the max temp should not reach over 239°C
Class C:
-made of non combustible material so they do not give off flammable gasses at 750°C
How does the scavenge space fire occur?
If flakes of burning or glowing carbon deposits drop into the oil sludge at the bottom of the scavenge space.
Blow-by of gases due to worn piston rings
Blow back through scavenge air ports.
Excessive cylinder oil draining to scavenge space
Incorrect atomization
Scav air ports blocked
Scav air cooler not working
Indications of scavenge space fire
Exhaust temperature from cylinder is high
Scavenge air temp is high
Turbocharger may surge and black smoke may come from the air inlet filters
What are quick closing valves? (QCV)
• Fixed on outlets of FO tanks to quickly close off fuel in the event of an emergency such as a fire in the engine room.
• They can be operated manually or remotely.
- Manually by using the lever.
- Remotely via pneumatics
• In both cases, the preloaded spring is released to close the valve and they must be reset manually.
Checks on extinguishers
No corrosion or damage
Pressure gauge
Pin is okay
Tag is okay
• Dry Powder - ensure to shake as the powder can clump together due to condensation
CO2 release procedure
• Evacuate ER
• Seal compartment (fire dampers, WTD, fire doors, escapes)
• Start Emergency Generator
• Stop machinery
• Quick closing valves
• Muster list
• Masters permission
• Open panel with key (alarm goes off)
• Open pilot bottle 1 to open main distribution valve
• Open pilot bottle 2 - passes through 30s time delay (20s minimum as per SOLAS) then actuates bottle release
• Using BA, check for icing on top of bottle to confirm release and can also check the actuating pins
• To manual release, open master v/v then actuate each bottle bank manually
Scavenge air temp is low, what do you do?
Inform chief
Check the LT cooler & adjust 3-way valve to by-pass the cooler more
If the temperature reaches below 30 degrees there is a risk of the air reaching its dewpoint and moisture being released from the air. This moisture can wash away lube oil on the cylinder liner and cause extensive wear and friction between the liner, piston and piston rings as a result
How do oil mist explosions happen in the crankcase?
When the oil hits a hot spot in the crankcase it can vaporise and move to a cooler area where it can condense into an oil mist. If this oil mist travels back to a hot spot it will combust.
Emergency generator requirements and testing
REQUIREMENTS - SOLAS CH 2-1 Reg 42-44
Best practices - MGN 52
• Undervoltage relay should send a signal to the gen and it should be on-load within 45 seconds of a blackout
• Separate compartment from ER surrounded by A60 bulkheads
• 2 starting methods
• Passenger 36 hour supply, cargo 18 hours
TESTING
• Weekly off load, monthly on load
• (To start on-load/automatic, open the intermediate feed breaker to simulate a blackout on the main switchboard.)
• Should change starting method weekly (air & electric) (electric will not start automatically in event of blackout and must be done manually)
• Notify ECR & bridge
• Check ventilation and lighting
• Check emergency start air receiver
• Check the 4 lead-acid batteries
• Check sump level, Fuel level, cooling water level in radiator
• Should be switched to manual and desired starting method
• Start and monitor for ~30 mins and allow exhaust gas temperatures to stabilise. Note down engine parameters and readings
Lifeboat & rescue boat engines can run for how long?
SOLAS CH3
LB = 24 hours @ 6 knots
RB = 4 hours @ 6 knots
Types of fire detectors
Smoke - light scatter / smoke obscuration
Flame - IR / UV
Heat - Bimetallic strip
How does hi-fog work?
• Drop in pressure or increase in flow in the line activates the system / detection system
• It is kept at a standby pressure of 25 bar
• Upon activation, manual or automatic, the high pressure pumps will start and increase the pressure to ~140 bar to the specialised atomizing nozzles
• These nozzles release a very fine mist which effectively cools the fire and locally displaces oxygen at the area of the fire due to it changing into steam
Causes of soot buildup/fire in economiser
Poor combustion
Prolonged low load
Frequent starting & stopping
Lack of soot blowing
Inadequate economiser water washing
Poor grade of fuel or cylinder oil
Low inlet velocity/pressure of water to economiser (less cooling of exh gases)
Higher amount of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene in the fuel (poor combustion)
What can cause a start air explosion?
• Passing start air valve due to:
carbon deposit on the valve seat
Worn seat
Worn spindle
Return spring broken
Back pressure of combustion gases while valve is not fully seated
• Can also be caused by carry-over of oil from the receiver. When the main start air valve is opened, the velocity of the on-rush of air can be hot enough to reach the auto-ignition temperature of the oil
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2 Stroke Engines18
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4 Stroke Engines9
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Engine General25
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Boilers & Steam19
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Compressors9
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Fuel Oil9
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Lube Oil3
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Cooling Water3
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OWS & MARPOL Annex 112
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Emergencies27
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Legislation28
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Electrical32
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Purifiers/Separators6
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Pumps15
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Stability4
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Watchkeeping14
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Sewage & MARPOL Annex 43
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Air Pollution & MARPOL Annex 610
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Refrigeration & A/C11
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Enclosed Space4
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Propulsion and Steering Gear11
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Chemicals1
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Drawings18
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Inert Gas1
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Fresh Water Generators & Potable Water2
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LSA3
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Marpol Annex 51
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Last Vessel1
