TYPES OF DECK SEAL:

1. Dry type deck seal.

2. Semi dry deck seal.
3. Wet type deck seal.
Dry Type Deck Seal

The dry type deck water seal has an upper reservoir (drop tank) and a lower reservoir (sealing tank).
The flow of water from the drop tank to the sealing tank and from the sealing tank to the overboard
discharge is controlled automatically via level sensors and other control equipment.

The above figure indicates a typical dry type deck water seal with upper and lower reservoirs. The
upper reservoir is filled with water at all times and supplies water to the lower reservoir.

The lower reservoir is empty during system operation (gas flowing to tanks) and filled with water
when the inert gas blower is shut down, either because of normal stopping or because of automatic
system shutdown activated by off-design conditions. The filling and drainage of the upper and
lower reservoirs is triggered automatically by the sensing of levels in the sealing tank and drop
tanks, by the on/off status of the blowers or by the gas-to-tank push button switch. The upper and
lower reservoirs are usually equipped with float-type level sensors.

The IMO Guidelines indicate that the deck seal lower reservoir will be filled with water when the
cargo tank pressure exceeds the blower discharge pressure. However, there appears to have been
little action by administrations to ensure that this detail of the Guidelines is followed by, for
example, requiring devices to sense the pressure differential between the inert gas main and the
pressure at the blower discharge.

Semi Dry Deck Seal

 The semi-
dry deck water seal has a separate holding chamber which is connected by pipe to the inert gas
main via an eductor. Instead of passing through a water trap, the inert gas flowing through the
venturi creates a suction effect in the holding tank which draws the sealing water from the loop seal
into the holding tank. This mitigates the undesirable ‘carry over’ of moisture to the cargo tanks.
When the gas flow ceases, the venturi effect is lost and the water from the holding tank rapidly
flows back into the inert gas main loop seal thus creating a water seal which serves to prevent the
backflow of hydrocarbon vapour and/or inert gas from the hazardous to non-hazardous area.
Wet Type Deck Seal
This is the simplest type of water seal. When

the inert gas plant is

operating, the gas bubbles through the water from the submerged inert gas inlet pipe, but if the tank
pressure exceeds the pressure in the inert gas inlet line the water is pressed up into this inlet pipe
and thus prevents backflow. The drawback of this type of water seal is that water droplets may be
carried over with the inert gas which, although it does not impair the quality of the inert gas, could
increase corrosion. A demister should, therefore, be fitted in the gas outlet from the water seal to
reduce any carry-over.
Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PV Breaker)
Pressure Vacuum Breaker or usually known as PV Breaker is a safety measure used in the IG line
on deck. The major functions of a PV breaker are:-

1)Abnormal rise of Pressure in Cargo tanks when loaded specified rate of gas outlets.

2)Abnormal rise of Pressure in Cargo tanks when cargo is unloaded beyond specified rate of the
inert gas blower.
3)Abnormal rise or drop of pressure in cargo tanks when the breather valve doesnot operate
properly for the fluctuation of the pressure in cargo tanks due to variation in atmospheric and sea
water temperatures.