OIL TANKER

PIPING/PUMPING ARRANGEMENT
DEFINITIONS

Pipelines : are simply ,length of steel pipes which connect groups of cargo tanks to one
another and by which those tanks are load and discharged .There are various valves fitted
within the pipeline system , they fall into five basic categories ;

Manifold valves : Cargo is loaded /discharged via shore hoses or metal loading arms which
connect to athwart-hips deck pipe lines known as manifold .Valves which are constructed in
the lines close to the connecting flanges route the cargo as desired by the ship’s officers.

Drop valve : Each of the main tank pipelines has a counter part on deck and a loading lines
which lead vertically from the deck line to the tank lines are known as drop lines . Each main
line has one or two drop lines and drop valve control the flow of oil in those lines .see FIG-
5.2 .

Master valve : At each place where a fore and aft pipeline passes through a tank bulkhead a
v/v is fitted in the line . This is known as master v/v and separate tanks served by same fore
and aft line .These v/v separate in fore and aft direction .

Crossover valve : Athwatship tank lines joining the main lines are known as crossover lines
and the crossover v/v separate the main lines from the each other as well as separating
individual tanks . Thus 2Port tank can be separated from 2Center by a crossover v/v .These
v/v separate in athwatship direction .

The above mentioned v/v are operated in two ways:

1- Manually ; from the deck above by turning a wheel using a metal
extended spindle rod .

2- Automatically ; valves are activated by an hydraulic oil pipeline system similar to that
which operate steering gears.The common type of valves used onboard tankers are gate
valves ,see FIG-5.3 and 5.4 .
Stripping lines : Apart from main pipeline system for loading /discharging operation ,there
are small pipelines , connected to low capacity pumps , which are used for draining or
stripping out the last few centimeters of oil in the tanks ,which are called stripping lines .
The oil is pumped to an aft cargo tank , known as the slop tank , and from there it is pumped
ashore by a main cargo pump . The stripping lines and pumps are also used in tank washing
and ballast operations .

Categories and Classifications of Pumps

Pumps fall into two main categories:

1. Those that use liquid velocity to create pressure

2. Those that use positive displacement to create pressure Pumps are classified, according to
their method of operation, as:

1. Reciprocating

2. Centrifugal

3. Rotary

Reciprocating Pumps :

Reciprocating pumps are positive

displacement pumps, which use the
reciprocating motion of pistons,
plungers, or diaphragms to move the
liquid through the pump.

Reciprocating pumps are used for low

volume, high-pressure applications such
as: chemical feeding; small, high-
pressure boiler feed pumps; and fuel oil
pumps. The discharge from reciprocating
pumps is in pulses rather than a smooth flow of liquid.
Fig. 12 shows a sketch of a plunger pump.

This type of pump moves a certain amount of liquid with each pump cycle. the pump
piston draws liquid through a no-return suction valve into a cylinder which is known as a
“bucket”.

The cylinder is full at the end of the suction stroke and on the reverse stroke the liquid is
expelled from the cylinder through a non-return discharge valve. Most pumps are “double-
acting” to ensure a steady flow of oil, i.e. The piston and cylinder are arranged so that
whether the piston is moving up or down a flow of oil comes from the pump. most pumps
of this type are duplex, having two buckets and two pistons, which ensures that suction is
not lost at the end of a stroke. The drive unit is an integral part of the pump, such pumps
being situated in the pump room.

Positive displacement pumps move a low volume of oil at relatively high pressure. Their
use on tankers is generally restricted to stripping pumps. A typical stripping pump on a
VLCC would move-400 tonnes of oil each hour at a working pressure of approximately 100
psi or 7 kg/cm2.
Centrifugal Pumps:

A centrifugal pump may be defined as a pump that uses centrifugal force to develop velocity
in the liquid being handled. The velocity is then converted to pressure when the liquid
velocity decreases. As kinetic energy is decreased, pressure is increased .
An impeller, which is inside a casing, physically
moves the oil by means of a “throwing”
movement which is similar to the expelling of
water from a bicycle tire when cycling in wet
weather. The oil is “sucked” into the casing via
a suction valve from the tank main lines and is
pumped to the deck lines via a discharge valve.
The pump provides, a continuous flow of oil
and it is powered by a steam turbine drive
unit which, for safety reasons, is installed in the
engine room. The impeller is turned by means
of an extended rotating shaft which penetrates
the engine room/pump room bulkhead through a gas-tight seal.
Centrifugal pumps move large volumes of liquid at a relatively low pressure and
consequently are generally used as main cargo pumps (MCPc) a typical main cargo
pump on a VLCC an move 4,000 tonnes of oil each hour with the pump running at
1,400 revolutions per minute at an operating pressure of approximately 150 psi or
10.5 kg/cm2.
All main cargo pumps have an “emergency shut down” device, often known as the
“trip”. and all officers should be conversant with emergency shut down procedures.
Rotary Pumps :

Unlike the centrifugal pumps discussed

previously, rotary pumps are positive
displacement pumps. Instead of propelling the
liquid, most rotary pumps transfer pockets of
liquid from the low-pressure side of the pump
to the high-pressure side where the pockets
are forced to empty themselves and return to
the low-pressure side for refilling. The
capacity of rotary pumps is much less than
that of centrifugal pumps.
Some common rotary pumps are gear pumps,
lobe pumps, and sliding vane pumps.
Fig. 11 shows a sliding vane pump.
Rotary pumps deliver high-pressure liquid without the pulsations that occur in reciprocating
pumps. Where positive displacement pumps are installed, a means of pressure relief should
be installed in the discharge line before the
discharge valve. If the discharge valve is
inadvertently closed, excessively high pressures
could be produced, which could cause damage to
the pump or piping.
Fig. 9 shows a gear pump, also called a spur gear
pump or an external gear pump. The pump
consists of a housing, a driving gear, and an idler
gear. Arrows indicate the direction of rotation of
the gears. As the gears rotate, they convey
pockets of liquid to the discharge side of the
pump.
The liquid is expelled from the pockets as the
teeth of the gears mesh, because the liquid and the tooth cannot be in the pocket at the
same time. Further rotation of the gears causes the teeth to unmeshed on the suction side
of the pump.
Liquid flows in to fill the void created as the gear teeth come out of the pockets. Gear
pumps are used for pressures up to 10 000 kPa.
Positive Displacement:
This class of pump differs from the centrifugal class by several important factors:

 Generally self priming whereas centrifugal generally require a priming means such as a
belt driven priming pump.
 Require the fitting of a safety valve to limit maximum pressure- this pump cannot be
started against a shut discharge valve.

Centrifugal pumps may be started against a shut or partially shut discharge valve. This is
especially true for larger pumps where the shutting of the discharge reduces starting and
running load.

It should be noted that the partially shutting of the suction valve on both types of
pumps leads to damaging cavitation.

 Positive displacement pumps can handle high differential pressures

 More suited to low to medium flow rates
 May operate with higher viscosity fluids then centrifugal types

Gear

The pump shown above is of very common design. It is used for pumping many types
of liquid and gas and is capable of delivering at very high pressures. This makes it
suitable for hydraulic supply.

The tooth profile is similar involute gear teeth for liquid pumps. For gas pumps
special profiling with very fine tolerances is employed.
Scroll

These pumps are seen in many applications and have a higher capacity then double
row type. Fluid enters the pump and is screwed by the idler shafts along the outer
edge to the discharge port. Axial thrust of the idlers is absorbed by the integral
thrust collar of the driven shaft. The axial thrust of the driven shaft is absorbed by
the thrust bearing.
The scroll sit in a replaceable insert which is sealed to the outer casing by o-rings.

Piston

This type of pump is in common use as a bilge pump or tank stripping pump. For
older vessels steam driven varieties served in almost all systems.
 The design is simple, robust and reliable. Materials are very much dependent on the
usage but bronze is common for larger parts and stainless steel for piston rods.

There are many other forms of positive displacement pump such as rotary vane
(often found in use as cooling water pumps, Scroll or Screw pumps were the fluid
passes axially along the shaft and Diaphragm Pumps (commonly used as portable
salvage pumps)

This air supply valve assembly normally takes the form of a shuttle valve.

Axial Flow

These tend to fit somewhere between postive displacement and centrifugal. They
tend to be of the very large capacity type and are oftern seen in use for supply of
 cooling water for steam ship condensers. This is particularly true where 'scoops' are
employed as the axial flow pump offers very little resistance to flow when idling.

During operation cosiderable end trust occurs and a tilting pad thrust bearing is
employed. Guide vanes smooth flow into and out of the impeller.

Inducers
A type of axial flow pump is sometimes attached to the suction side of a centrifugal pump.
This is called and inducer and is used where the suction heads are very low or where suction
occurs close to the vaporiation pressure of the fluid being pump. Typical examples are the
main condenser extraction pumps on steam ships and cargo pumps on LNG and LPG carriers

Cavitation
Disturbances in the water flow causes rapid localised pressure variations. This can lead to
instantaneous vaporisation and bubble formation. When these bubbles collapse there is a
rapid in rush of water. When this occurs near to a surface this slug of water can strike at
speeds of up to 500m/s and lead to destructive erosion and removal of protective oixides
thereby increaseing rates of corrosion.
Or in other words

CAVITATION is formation of vapour bubbles within a liquid at low-pressure regions that

occur in places where the liquid has been accelerated to high velocities, as in the operation
of centrifugal pumps, water turbines, and marine propellers.

Cavitation is undesirable because it produces extensive erosion of the rotating blades,

additional noise from the resultant knocking and vibrations, and a significant reduction of
efficiency because it distorts the flow pattern. The cavities form when the pressure of the
liquid has been reduced to its vapour pressure; they expand as the pressure is further
reduced along with the flow, and they suddenly collapse when they reach regions of higher
pressure.
 Cargo tank Atmosphere

A tank is an enclosed space which is sealed and may not have any ventilation.
As a result, there is an accumulation of gases which can be dangerous and harmful to
humans.
What do we FEAR MOST when we speak about Cargo Tank atmospheres?

There are Different types of Tankers such as:

 Crude Oil Tankers
 Product Tankers
 Chemical Tankers
 LNG
 LPG
 Bitumen Tankers
 Fruit Juice Tankers (stainless steel tanks)
 Wine Tankers (stainless steel tanks)

BUT, we are speaking about our vessels : Crude Oil & Product Tankers
 Contributing Factors:
 Oxygen

 Flammable Vapors

 External / Internal Spark

Contributing Factors:
 Oxygen Deficiency

 Hydro carbon Gas

 Toxic Gases
 Pyrophoric Reaction OR A potential source of ignition hazard on oil tankers

It is a rapid exothermic oxidation with

What is this ?
Incandescence.
• In an inerted atmosphere, the
Hydrogen Sulphide reacts with Iron
Oxide (rust) and forms Iron Sulphide.
• When a tank is exposed to air,the Iron
How it is formed ? Sulphide is oxidized back to Iron Oxide
This oxidation is accompanied by
generation of considerable heat so that
individual particles may be
incandescent.
All cargo operation is carried in controlled
Prevention ?
inerted condition.

 Contents of a Cargo Oil Tank atmosphere in a Petroleum tanker

1. Oxygen
2. Vapor + Gas mixture
3. Ignition Hazard- Static Electricity

Fire hazards can be best explained by a Fire Tetrahedron

It describes the four different factors required for ignition of a
fire. Essentially all four elements must be present at the same
time for a fire to occur. Removal of any one of these essential
elements will result in the fire being extinguished :
1. Air (Oxygen)
2. Heat ( Internal / External Spark)
3. Fuel (Cargo vapours)
4. Chain Reaction

The Inert Gas is introduced into a tank to remove the Oxygen

side of the tetrahedron by reducing the Oxygen content below
required percentage for combustion.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 16

Introduction of IG in the tank

The Flammability Diagram

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 17

Inerting
Once cargo tanks and associated equipment are suitably dried, air must be removed from the cargo
system before loading to prevent the formation of explosive mixtures and also to prevent product
contamination. Either IG from the ship’s IG generator or a nitrogen supply from shore may be used.
IG from a shipboard IG generator is of relatively low purity content in comparison with ‘pure’
nitrogen from a shoreside supply and usually will contain up to 15% CO2 and 0.5% O2. This can lead
to contamination problems with cargoes, such as ammonia, butadiene, etc. To prevent explosive
mixture formation, the oxygen content of the tank must be reduced to 6% for hydrocarbon gases
and 12% for ammonia using IG or nitrogen.

Purging
When the cargo tanks are suitably inerted, cargo vapours may be introduced to purge the tank of
inerts. If the inerts are not completely purged from the tank, then operating problems will be
encountered in the re-liquefaction plant operations. IG is incondensable and can therefore lead to
high pressure in the plant condenser with associated difficulties. The cargo vapours are introduced
either at the top or bottom of the tank depending on the density of the gas, and the vapour IG
mixture is either vented through the vapour return to the shore flare stack or, where local port
regulations allow, to the ship’s vent stack.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 18

What happens when cargo oil tank atmosphere is diluted with air or when air is introduced for
gas free condition?

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 19

 Controlling Fire Hazard in Cargo Oil Tank

What is the percentage of oxygen required to sustain combustion?  More than 11 %

What percentage of oxygen are we required to maintain in the cargo tanks?  By law less than 8
%. (Some ports require a vessel to maintain less than 5 %.)
A Cargo tank is considered “Inerted” when the oxygen content in the tank is less than 8 % by
volume

Health Hazards

Hazards inside the tank

 Oxygen deficiency. (Minimum 20.8% required for man entry)

 Contact with Body parts

 Inhalation and Ingestion

 Risk of slip / trip/ fall due to cargo cling age in the access areas of tanks.

Hazards outside the tank

 Release of tank atmosphere content during key cargo operations.

 Accidental release by negligence or mechanical faults.

 Accumulation due to still air conditions.

Beware!!!
Hidden risk: The risk of exposure to Health is not only inside a tank but that same atmosphere may
also be present on the open deck areas.

On an oil tanker the cargo oil tank atmosphere changes as per various operations the ship is
performing.
These include the Key Cargo Operations such as:
 Discharging
 Tank Cleaning
 Purging
 Gas Freeing
 Inerting
 Loading

When performing these key cargo operations safely

The most important concern is to have a safe & controlled cargo tank atmosphere

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 20

 General Policy of Cargo tank atmosphere control
Tankers fitted with an inert gas system should maintain their cargo tanks in a non-flammable
condition at all times.
It follows that:
 Tanks are kept inerted when they contain cargo /cargo residue
 The atmosphere within the tank should make the transition from inert condition to gas-free
condition without passing through flammable condition.
 In practice before any tank is gas freed, it would be purged with inert gas until the
hydrocarbon content of the tank atmosphere is below the critical dilution line.
 When a ship is in a gas-free condition before arrival at a loading port, tanks should be re-
inerted prior to loading.

Venting system for a cargo oil tank

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 21

 Discharging Operation

Tank Cleaning Operation

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 22

After tank cleaning there are 3 operations which involve replacement of gas in cargo tanks.
Namely:
 Purging (For reducing the hydrocarbon /H2S content )

 Gas-freeing (For man-entry).

 Inerting (For preparation before arrival load Port)

And there are 2 principal means of Gas Replacement for above operations, these are :
 Dilution , which is a mixing process

 Displacement, which is layering process

Dilution method
Dilution theory assumes Incoming inert gas / air, mixes
with the original gas mixture in tank to form a
homogenous mixture throughout the tank, in result
concentration of original gas decreases gradually.
Important!!!
For complete replacement the entry velocity of
incoming gas should be high enough for the jet to reach
the bottom of tank.

Displacement method
For ideal replacement a stable horizontal interface
should be formed between the lighter gas entering at
the top of tank and heavier gas being displayed from
the bottom of tank through some suitable piping
arrangement. In result the tank atmosphere is changed
gradually.
Important!!!
For complete replacement a relatively low entry
velocity of gas is required. In practice more than one
volume change is necessary

Several arrangements are put in use on board tanker, when using dilution or displacement method.
One feature which is common to all is that the inlet and outlet points should be so located that
efficient gas replacement can take place through out the tank.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 23

There are three principal arrangements:
Inlet Point Outlet point Principle
1 Top Top Dilution
2 Bottom Top Dilution
3 Top Bottom Displacement or Dilution

Displacement /Dilution method-using bottom cargo lines from one tank to other tank

Dilution method-using bottom cargo lines from IG line to tank

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 24

Gas freeing blowers:
Used for
 Gas freeing purposes

 Continuous ventilation during the duration of man entry in cargo oil tank

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 25

 Loading Operation

Increase of tank pressure, as loading is done in closed ullaging system to control the safe
atmosphere in tank

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 26

 Portable Gas Detectors on board
For a safe and effective control of tank atmosphere, it is important to know and understand the
tank content at all stages of operations.
There a various equipments available on board for the detecting the contents in a cargo oil tank.
Some of these are:
 Portable Oxygen Meter (To check oxygen content)
 Explosimeter or Combustible Gas Indicator (To measure hydrocarbon content in a
gas free condition)
 Tankscope (To measure hydrocarbon content in a inerted condition)
 Multi-Gas meters (Basically used to check oxygen, hydrocarbon and any one toxic
gas for a gas free tank).
 Gas detector tubes (To measure other toxic gases such as; ammonia, benzene,
carbon monoxifr, mercaptans.)

Portable Gas Detectors on board

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 27

Q –1

Sketch & describe the piping system for a tanker known as the RING main system.
Give it’s advantages and disadvantages.

The ring main system is as shown in the FIG-5.5. It will be noticed that piping system main
line form a ring around the ship, hence the name.

This system consist of followings:

1- The bulkhead master valves isolating the pump from cargo.

2- Three pumps (average number) are shown and the cross-over line is fitted with valves
for selecting the pump (s) for each line.

3- The line master valves isolating section of the ring main from each other and in effect
from smaller ring mains.

4- The cross-over valves, which are doubled in case one is faulty, isolate the wing tanks
and center tank of any tank from the main line.

5- The suction valves Isolating each athwartships tank (port wing, center, STBD wing) from
each other. It will controls the flow of oil into and out of that tank.

The figure-5.5 shows the basic system. There are variation on this basic outline, to enable
the products carrier to have more

opportunities for separation some tankers have an extra line or lines going from the pumps
to the main line.

Other tankers have a pump room at the center of the system Which in effect gives two
ring main running around the ship thus giving 4 pumping lines and so on.

Advantages:

1- Segregation of cargo.

2- It is simple in operation.

3- The circular layout of pipelines improves line cleanliness.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 28

Disadvantages:

1- There is no stripping line, but this can be overcome by listing the vessel towards the
suction pipe when stripping the center tanks. There is no problem with the wing tanks.

2- It is expensive to build due to the extra Lengths of piping requirements.

3- Maintenance of joints, bends etc create problem & expense.

4- Due to layout of pipeline, route line friction slows the pumping rate.

FIGURE – 5.5 RING MAIN SYSTEM

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 29

Q –2

Draw a plan view of a tanker designed to carry oil products . Show on the plan the
pipeline system for the cargo tanks and the position of the valves .

( Direct line )

The FIG- 5.6 shows a direct line system of pumping cargo in a tanker .

 Two separate pumping unit are provided , each of which deals with one group of tanks , but
which can also be connected to either unit by a cross over valve , so that ether pump can be used
with either group of tanks .

 With this system , two grads of oil may therefore be loaded simultaneously by simply
pumping one grade of oil through one pumping system and the other grade through the other
system into the two separate groups of tanks .

 To ensure that the grades are not mixed at any stage , the whole piping system must be
inspected by a responsible officer before loading or discharging commences to ensure that the
appropriate master v/v are open while the cross over and sea suction v/v are securely closed
/lashed and / or locked before the operation begins .

 In addition to the above precautions , the normal precautions required for the loading /
discharging of oil cargo should be observed .

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 30

FIGURE – 5.6 DIRECT LINE SYSTEM

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 31

Q-3

Draw a plan view of a tanker having combined system of pipeline arrangements.

( The cruciform system )

In many tankers a system of the better features of both the ring main and direct line system has
been incorporated .

The FIG-5.7 shows the combined system of pipeline arrangements .

FIGURE - 5.7 COMBINED SYSTEM

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 32

Q –4

Draw a plan view of a tanker designed to carry crude oil and fitted with a
free flow system of valves. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages. See
FIG-5.8

This system consists of a number of bulkhead sluice Valves arranged on the longitudinal
and transverse bulkheads as shown. When opened, these allow the cargo to flow freely
from one tank into another.

In the arrangement shown, the cargo is intended to flow from the wing tanks into the
center tank, and then aft to the main suctions in last cargo tank (center). It is then pumped
ashore by large capacity main cargo pumps.

Loading is normally carried out via direct loading lines, as shown on The plan.

Advantages:

1- This system is simple in operation.

2- Relatively small number of valves is involved and therefore little maintenance is

required with this system.

3- There is high flow rate of discharging due to large sluice valves.

4- Installation costs are lower than with other pipeline systems.

Disadvantages:

1- The v/l fitted with this system unable to carry more than one grade of cargo.

2- During discharging v/l should have sufficient trim by astern so that oil flows from
forward to aft.

Due to flow of oil to aft cargo tanks, great care require to avoid excessive trim by astern.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 33

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 34
Q–5

Explain dangers and precautions requires to be taken on board an oil tanker

during, loading, carriage, discharging.

The dangers with an oil cargo arises from the gas given off by the oil, which if mixed in the correct
proportion with air, forms an explosive mixture.

The tanker Can be divided into three regions as shown in the figure below.

Region-1. Has oxygen in the air and sources of ignition in the engine room and
accommodation.

Region-2. Has hydro carbon gasses and oxygen in the air but there should be no sources of
ignition.

Region-3. Has hydrocarbon gasses, at times, and oxygen in the air. It also has some
unavoidable sources of ignition which should Be safe. Therefore the dangers will arise if
source of ignition are introduced into regions 2 & 3 or if hydro carbon gas is introduced
into region-1. Consider each of the three occasions.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 35

Loading:

When the oil comes into The cargo tanks evaporation of the oil will take place until
atmosphere inside the tanks is saturated. This mixture inside the tanks will be too rich to
burn. However as the oil comes in, it will displace this atmosphere through the mast risers
and since hydro carbon gas is denser than air it will settle down towards the ship’s deck,
in region-3 and possibly region-1. It will be diluted by the atmosphere and will form an
explosive Mixture. The sources of ignition in region-3 and especially region-1 will need to be
strictly controlled.

Carriage:

If the cargo is heated, then pressure will build up in the tank and this excess pressure will
be relieved By the p/v valve through the mast riser. However the ship will be moving and
the gasses should be blown well clear of the ship and diluted by the air, below the lower
explosive limit.

Discharging:

During this operation the oil will be being pumped out therefore air will be entering the
tanks and so the explosive mixture will be contained within region-2.

All three occasions are dangerous and all safety measures should be taken. However it Can
be seen from the above that loading is the most dangerous time and all safety precautions
should if possible be made vigorously enforced.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 36

Q –6

Sketch and describe a pressure vacuum valve (p.v valve) and explain how it
Operates.

The p/v valve is constructed as shown below. Note that the flame screens or spark
arresters will be double, in case on corrodes.

The cargo tanks are constructed such that they can withstand an internal pressure Of 3.5
p.s.i above atmospheric pressure.
Valve A is set to operate at 2 psi above atmospheric pressure (certainly not more than 2.5
psi). When the pressure inside the tank reaches this figure, valve a will be opened and the
excess gas will escape to the atmosphere through the mast riser.
The positive pressure of the tank and the spring will keep valve B closed. (note that the
pressure could increase due to the cargo being heated when the pressure inside is under 2
psi above the atmospheric pressure, then the spring will reset and close valve A.
Should perhaps due to cooling, the pressure of the tank fall below that of the outside
atmosphere, then The difference in pressure will keep valve a closed. When the inside
pressure is about 0.5 psi below that of the outside, valve b will be opened and air will
enter the tank to equalize the pressures. The spring will Then reset and close valve B.
The reason for the higher valve of the opening pressure for valve a is that it is better to
have a positive pressure in the tank since a higher pressure will lessen the rate of
evaporation of the cargo.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 37

Q –8

Difference Between Reciprocating & Centrifugal Pump?

Reciprocating and centrifugal pumps serve different purposes and operate with separate functions:
 Centrifugal pumps transport huge amounts of liquid at a time, but the level at which the
centrifugal pump operates is reduced as pressure rises.
 Reciprocating pumps push liquid out through a check valve, but the amount of liquid that is
released is limited.
Due to the differences in how they operate, they are ideally suited for dissimilar functions:
 Reciprocating Pumps
Reciprocating pumps operate by moving a plunger back and forth through a cylinder. The
plunger provides pulses of pressure as it moves. Reciprocating pumps can be single action
or double action (pump provides pressure as the piston advances and as it retracts).
Reciprocating Uses
Reciprocating pumps are ideal for providing short bursts of high pressure. Examples include
bicycle pumps and well pumps.

 Centrifugal Pumps
Centrifugal pumps operate by rotating a central impeller. Intake fluid is provided at the
center of the impeller and the spinning acceleration sends it out of the sides of the impeller
to provide pressure.
Centrifugal Uses
Centrifugal pumps are ideally suited for constant lower pressures, such as that found in pool
filters.

OIL TANKER AND PIPING ARRANGEMENTS 38