Aalborg Solutions

No. 3 August 2001

Oil contamination in marine boilers

Inadvertently mixing oil and water may lead to burnt down boilers. Aalborg Industries gives
advice on preventive maintenance and damage control when oil contamination is suspected.
General

of lime deposits if the contaminated

The isolating effect of oil deposits

An oil-fired steam boiler onboard a

feedwater is not treated sufficiently.

reduces heat transfer much more

ship is fed by returned, condensed

Also, make-up water bunkered a-

than e.g. a limestone scale layer

steam to replace the boiled off wa-

shore might contain humus particles

of equal thickness. To understand

ter as well as with stored make-up

and silica, forming heating surface

the mechanism, we have to focus

water to replace steam lost by con-

deposits when heated.

on the metal temperature as well

sumption, leakage or blow-down.

as the conductivity of the metal

The feedwater is normally treated

Oil as a contaminator

mechanically and chemically in

The most dangerous water contam-

order to suit the steaming process

ination, however, is heavy fuel oil

The conductivity of steel can be set

in the boiler and to ensure good

entering the steam or condensate

to 50 W/m2 C, scale having 2 W/m2

transfer of the heat input from the

from leaking tank coils or heat ex-

C and oil 0.1 W/m2 C. It follows

combustion process to the water.

changers. This kind of leakage in

that oil isolates 20 times as much

A closed cycle process would be

coil flanges or broken gaskets in

as scale, with the same thickness of

preferable in order to ensure a heat

plate heat exchangers frequently

deposit.

transfer of high efficiency, but for

occurs. If the problem is not observ-

investment reasons such systems are

ed in time, the boiler could be com-

The strength of the steel material

practically non-existent in todays

pletely destroyed due to overheat-

will be reduced with increased

auxiliary boiler installations.

ing of the furnace because of redu-

temperature. An example shows

ced water flow and minimised heat

that the material strength in an

transfer/cooling of the boiler tubes.

auxiliary boiler will be reduced to

Types of contamination

and the different types of deposits.

A ship contains heat exchangers for

1/3 of its original design value by

bunker fuel and cargo liquids, heat-

an oil deposit of only 0.5 mm

ing coils and seawater coolers. So

thickness. The steel material starts

when steam from the boiler and

scaling at the fireside, when it is

condensed steam circulate through

not cooled sufficiently and will

the ships system, it is almost inevit-

soon rupture with great damage

able that foreign substances like

as the consequence.

(See photos)

heavy fuel oil, lubricating oil and

First damage control action

(boiler)

seawater will influence the boiler

water quality due to leakage.

The first preventive action to be

A contamination could form depo-

taken when oil leakage into the

sits on the boiler tubes or furnace

feedwater system is suspected is to

walls that are swept by the flames

take a look in the cascade or hot-

on the opposite side.

well tanks. If oil is found in the last

compartment just before the water

With seawater it is well known that

chlorides will form a very hard layer

The result of oil contamination in an

oil-fired boiler.

enters the feedwater piping, it is

recommended to check whether a

dark oily film contaminates the

manhole door before opening up

First damage control action (ship)

boiler water level glasses inside.

the manhole for inspection. The

A careful examination and hydro-

If so, do not blow down the boiler

oil will now only cover the boiler

test of all suspected heating coils,

from the bottom; just surface blow

in the normal water level range

heaters or whatever is leaking in

several times. If you bottom blow

and can be manually removed.

the steam/condensate system. Be

the boiler, it will become totally

Hot or cold water high-pressure

aware that even when one leakage

covered in oil. The boiler should be

jet equipment together with oil

is found, there could be several

shut down and released from pres-

dispersive additives would be

more remaining. When it is assured

sure and the venting valve opened.

efficient for removal of the oil.

that no more leakage can be found,

In case the boiler is completely oily

the piping system, coils and heaters

Afterwards, the boiler can be

inside, the cleaning work could be

have to be cleaned of all remaining

drained slowly until water stops

turned over to a cleaning company

oil. The oil-fired boiler must not be

flowing from the loosened, upper

specialised in such work.

started up again until an oil-free

feedwater supply is guaranteed.

Temperature of furnace wall with sediments on water side

Preventive action
The feedwater/hotwell/cascade

If the waterside of a furnace wall

tanks have to have filters installed,

is fouled with e.g. carbonate,

filled with lofa sponges, coconut

silica, or oil film, the temperature

fibres or similar, which effectively

of the furnace wall increases due

take up small amounts of oil. The

to added thermal resistance.

filter inserts have to be exchanged

regularly according to demand. The
cascade tank can easily be equipped
with a continually measuring oil
detecting device which monitors if
oil is present in the condensate. By
Water
170C
7 bar(g)

locating the sensor in the cascade

Furnace
1200C

tank, it can be assured that oil is

detected before it enters the feedwater section, which means that no

Three examples are made to illustrate the increase in temperature of the furnace

part of the feedwater is being

wall when the waterside of the furnace is fouled with sediments of 2 mm carbo-

contaminated. Aalborg Industries

nate, 0.5 mm silica, or 0.5 mm oil film:

can supply standardised equipment

No sediment

2 mm carbonate

0.5 mm silica

0.5 mm oil film

a0 [W/(m2 x K)]
l1 [W/(m x K)]

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

1.72

0.172

0.10

l2 [W/(m x K)]
a3 [W/(m2 x K)]

38

38

38

38

145

145

145

145

0.5

0.5

S1 [mm]
S2 [mm]

T2 [C]

A more comprehensive system for

preventing oil from entering the
boiler would be to transmit a signal
to an air- or electrically operated

20

20

20

20

133

115

95.8

79.9

three-way valve switching over the

137

119

98.7

82.3

condensate flow to the bilge until

181.9

179.9

178.2

184
256

320
382

467
519

590
633

atotal[W/(m2 x K)]
Q [kW/m2]
T0 [C]
T1 [C]

fulfilling the above specifications.

the oil source is pinpointed and

eliminated. An investment in such
equipment pays off quickly because

In conclusion, the maximum temperature of the furnace wall is increased from

it prevents the boiler from serious

256C to 633C with an oil film of just 0.5 mm. Furthermore, the transferred heat

damage by burnt down tubes and

is reduced from 137 kW/m to just 82.3 kW/m , a reduction of 40%.

furnace room plates.

Aalborg Solutions is published by the Aalborg Industries After Sales and deals with operation
of steam and heating equipment. Ideas and suggestions for topics are most welcome.
Aalborg Industries A/S Gasvaerksvej 24 P.O. Box 844 9100 Aalborg Denmark
Phone: +45 9930 4000 Telefax: +45 9810 2233 E-mail: [email protected]
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