Incinerator protections. A quick check for the inspector

Greetings! In the previous article "Boiler protections. A quick check for the inspector" we discussed the main boiler protections that are checked by different inspectors. In this article we will consider the protections of an equally dangerous mechanism (increased attention from MARPOL inspectors) - the incinerator. Based on the previous article, you can easily check all the incinerator protections using the same methods, so this article will be smaller in volume and I will not describe all the checks in detail.

We will check the protections using the example of the Japanese incinerator Miura BGW-30N, but we will also "hook" a little on the Volcano, Kangrim and Atlas incinerators.

Protections of ship incinerators

First, we will consider the protections that inspectors most often check. And only after that we will look at the auxiliary signaling of incinerators.

General view of the Volcano incinerator

In the table below, you can find all the protections that the Miura incinerator has. In the Fuel Oil Shutdown column, you can see which protections (marked with a circle) stop the incinerator (make a shutdown).

Protections of the Japanese Miura incinerator

Miura BGW-30N incinerator (main components)

The main components of the Miura incinerator can be seen below, I published some excerpts from the official manual.

Incinerator Miura BGW-30N

Incinerator Miura BGW-30N

A marine incinerator is a specialized equipment designed to burn waste on board a ship. It is used to dispose of solid and liquid waste that is generated during the operation of a ship, such as plastic, paper, rags, as well as oil residues and other flammable materials.

The main tasks of a marine incinerator are:

1. Waste volume reduction: Incineration allows for a significant reduction in the volume of garbage, which is important for ships that are on long voyages and have limited space for storing waste.
2. Environmental safety: Incinerators help to comply with environmental regulations, such as the international MARPOL convention, which limits emissions and prohibits the discharge of solid waste into the ocean.
3. Pollution prevention: A lot of flammable waste (such as fuel and oil residues) is generated on board a ship, and an incinerator helps to dispose of it, preventing potential leaks into the water.

Marine incinerators are designed to meet strict international standards, providing high temperature combustion while minimizing emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

Let's move on to the main protections of the incinerator, which are most often checked by inspectors.

1. Miss fire and Flame failure - flame failure (absence of flame). Occurs if the photocell (Flame Eye, or "Eye") does not see the flame in the incinerator firebox. That is, ignition does not occur or it fails. It is very easy to demonstrate Flame failure, just start the incinerator, take the photocell out of its socket and cover it with your palm. In this case, the incinerator should stop (shutdown) and issue a "Flame failure" alarm.

Flame Eye, or "Eye" of the incinerator

Video of Flame failure check on the Atlas incinerator

2. High furnace temperature - high temperature in the incinerator furnace 1100 °C. This protection is demonstrated either on the temperature controller (PID controller), for example, there is one on the Volcano and Kangrim incinerators, or with the help of a special test switch (inside the panel) as on the Miura incinerator.

Alarm test "High furnace temperature" on the Miura incinerator

To demonstrate on the temperature controller, it is necessary to reduce the alarm setting to a value lower than the current one.

Miura Incinerator Control Panel

Miura Incinerator Control Panel

It is interesting that I did not come across a temperature controller with the ability to change its parameters on the Atlas incinerator, and according to the instructions, the maker recommends using a special "testing device". That is, you need to have a calibrator on board greater than 1100 °C. Usually, ships have temperature calibrators up to 650 °C, so if you have this, you need to have such a calibrator (or a testing device from the maker) to demonstrate protection.

3. High exhaust gas temperature - high exhaust gas temperature 320 °C. Usually it can be demonstrated on the temperature switch (thermostat), lowering the alarm temperature. If a PT100 temperature sensor is used, then you already need to use a calibrator.

Exhaust gas temperature thermostat

4. Operation with open door - checking the possibility of operating the incinerator with open doors. Usually, two doors (for loading garbage and removing ash) are equipped with limit switches that prevent the incinerator from starting with open doors. This is done to protect the operator from accidentally opening the doors during operation.

Door with limit switch for ash removal

Door with limit switch for loading garbage

The demonstration of protection consists of opening the door and trying to start the incinerator. In the case of Miura and Volcano incinerators, the incinerator simply will not start, and there will be no alarm. In the case of Atlas and Kangrim incinerators, the incinerator will not start, and the corresponding "Door Open" alarm will also come out.

Door Open Alarm on the Atlas incinerator during operation

It will not be possible to demonstrate this protection during operation of some incinerators due to pneumatic locks that simply will not allow the door to be opened.

Video of checking the main protections of the Miura incinerator

Instructions for checking the protections of the Miura incinerator from the manufacturer

Furnace pressure high

Furnace pressure high - high air pressure in the incinerator furnace. To check, you need to disconnect the air tube that goes to the pressure switch and create the required pressure. The incinerator should stop and the corresponding alarm will go out.

Miura Incinerator Protection Test Procedure Instructions

Burner fan & Cooling fan malfunction - fan malfunction (burner and cooling). To simulate a malfunction, activate the corresponding thermal relay on the contactor.

Important! Before testing the protection of any mechanism, open the official instructions from the maker and perform all checks according to the manual. In addition, if the instructions indicate that you need to open the incinerator control panel and activate the toggle switch to simulate protection, then this is what you need to do. If the inspector does not like this check, you can always refer to the instructions. This will not be a deficiency.

We have reviewed the main four incinerator protections that are most often checked by inspectors on board a vessel. The remaining alarms and shutdowns are checked once every 3-4 months according to PMS.

Miura incinerator control panel (view inside the control panel)

As you can see, the incinerator has many protections and alarms, because it is a responsible and dangerous mechanism that requires increased attention. All protections must function well so that its operation is as safe as possible.

What other incinerator protections do you know? If you have experience checking incinerator protections or have had any interesting cases during inspections, then share them in the comments to this article!

By the way, if you need instructions for the incinerators discussed in this article (or for others, for example, HANSUN, HYUNDAI MAXI, KYOTO Sunflame OSV, Detegasa DELTA, Hyundai - ATLAS MAXI), then all this can be found in our closed telegram channel Marine Engineering Manuals.

Thank you for your attention! I hope this article was useful for you!