What is Inert Gas?

It is a noble gas that does not undergo a chemical reaction with any substances. This non-active
characteristic of inert Gas makes it the perfect medium to prevent cargo explosion on vessels.

Vessels carrying cargos that produce hydrocarbon vapours require an inerting solution to eliminate
the risk of explosions and fires in cargo tanks (crude oil tankers, chemical tankers, product tankers,
gas carrier, etc.). Inert Gas System is used to keep the oxygen content below 8%, a standard set by
the International Maritime Organisation ( IMO ). The system offers a combustion solution that
creates inert Gas out of the burning process that contains less than 8% oxygen and a non-explosive
atmosphere in the cargo tanks. Fire needs oxygen, heat, and fuel to burn. Removing one of the
elements in this fire triangle will prevent fire. The fundamental aspect of introducing inert Gas to any
compartment that contains a mixture of hydrocarbon gases is to remove the oxygen content. The
system, therefore, minimizes the risk of explosion.

Inert Gas (IG) piping Fitted on all tankers over 20,000 dwt and all tankers fitted with crude oil
washing (COW) systems. IG piping is usually large diameter low-pressure mild steel, with smaller
diameter branch lines. The internal surface of inert gas piping does not usually corrode. The external
surface is painted but will corrode if the paint coating deteriorates. Using the inert gas system on
board tankers required some careful consideration. Below guideline should be followed when
operating the inert gas system
What are regulations for Inert Gas System on Tankers as per
SOLAS ?
The system shall be capable of : 

a. inerting  empty cargo tanks including slop tanks by reducing the oxygen content of
the atmosphere in each tank to a level at which combustion cannot be supported; 
b. maintaining the atmosphere in any part of any cargo tank or slop tank at an
oxygen content not exceeding 8 per cent by volume and at a positive pressure at all
times both in port and at sea except when it is necessary for such a tank to be gas
free; 
c. eliminating the need for air to enter tank during normal operations except when it
is necessary for such tank to be gas free;                       
d. purging empty cargo tanks including slop tanks or hydrocarbon gas, so that
subsequent gas freeing operations will at no time create a atmosphere within the
tank. 

(3)(a) The system shall be capable of delivering inert  gas to the cargo tanks and stop tanks
at a rate of at least 125 percent of the maximum rate of discharge capacity of the ship,
expressed as a volume ; 

(b) The system shall be capable of delivering merit gas with an oxygen content or not more
than 5 per cent by volume in the inert gas supply main to the cargo tanks and stop tanks at
any required rate of flow. 

(4) The inert gas supply may be treated flue gas from the main or auxiliary boilers, from
one or more separate gas generators or other sources or from any combination thereof.
Director General of Shipping may approve systems using inert gases other than true gas,
provided he is satisfied that an equivalent standard of safety I achieved.  Systems using
stored carbon dioxide shall not be permitted unless the Chief Surveyor with the Govt. of
India is satisfied that the risk of ignition from generation of state electricity by the system
itself is minimized. 

(5) Flue gas isolating valves shall be fitted in the inert gas supply means between the boiler
uptakes and flue gas scrubber.  These valves shall be provided with indicators to show
whether they are open or shut, and precautions shall be taken to maintain them gas-tight
and keep the seating clear of soot.  Arrangements shall be made so that boiler soot blowers
cannot be operated when the corresponding flue gas valves open. 

(6)(a) A flue gas scrubber shall be fitted which will effectively cool the volume of gas
specified in paragraph  (3) of this Schedule and remove solids and sulphur combustion
products.  The cooling water arrangements shall be such that an adequate supply of water
will always be available without interfering with any essential services on the ship. 
Provisions shall also be made for an alternative supply of cooling water; 

(b) Filters or equivalent devices shall be fitted to minimize the amount of water carried
over to the inert gas blowers; 
(c) The scrubber shall be located aft of all cargo tanks, slop tanks, cargo pump rooms and
cofferdams separagraphting these spaces from machinery spaces of Category A.

(7)(a) Atleast two blowers shall be fitted which together shall be capable of delivering to
the cargo tanks and slop tanks, at least the volume of gas required by paragraph (3). 

In a system provided with a gas generator, the Chief Surveyor with the Govt. of India may
permit only one blower if that system is capable of delivering the total volume of gas
required by paragraph (3) to the protected cargo tanks, provided that sufficient spares for
the blower and its prime mover are carried on board to enable any failure of the blower
and its prime mover to be rectified by the ship’s crew. 

(b) Two fuel oil pumps shall be fitted to the inert gas generator, Chief Surveyor with the
Govt. of India may permit only one fuel oil pump on condition that  sufficient spares for
the fuel oil pump and its prime mover are carried on board to enable any failure of the fuel
oil pump and its prime mover to be rectified by the ship’s crew. 

(c) The inert gas system be so designed that the maximum pressure which it can exert on
any cargo tank will not exceed the test pressure of any cargo tank.  Suitable shut-off
arrangements shall be provided on the suction and discharge connections of each blower. 

Arrangements shall be provided to enable the functioning of the inert gas plant to be
stabilized before commencing cargo discharge.  If the blowers are to be used for gas
freeing, their inlets shall be provided with blanking arrangements. 

(d) The blowers shall be located aft of all cargo tanks, cargo pump rooms and cofferdams
separating these spaces from machinery spaces of Category A.  

(8) (a) The design and location of scrubber and blowers with relevant piping and fittings
shall be such as to prevent fire gas leakages into enclosed spaces.         

(b) To permit safe maintenance, an additional water seal or other effective means of
preventing flue gas leakage shall be fitted between the flue gas isolating valves and
scrubber or incorporated in the gas entry to the scrubber. 

(9)(a) A gas regulating valve shall be fitted in the inert gas supply main.  This valve shall
be automatically controlled to close as required.  It shall also be capable of automatically
regulating the flow of inert gas to the cargo tanks unless means are provided to
automatically control the speed of the inert gas blowers required in paragraph (7) of this
Schedule. 

(b) The valve referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph shall be located at the
forward bulkhead of the most forward gas safe space through which the inert gas supply
main passes. 

(10)(a) At least two non-return devices, one of which shall be a water seal, shall be fitted in
the inert gas supply main, in order to prevent the return of hydrocarbon vapour to
machinery spaces uptakes or to any gas safe spaces under all normal conditions of trim;
1st  and motion of the ship.  They shall be located between the automatic valve required by
paragraph (9) of this Schedule and the aftermost connection to any cargo tank or cargo
pipeline. 

(b) The devices referred to in this paragraph shall be located in the cargo area on deck. 

(c) The water seal referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph shall be capable of
being supplied by two separagraphte pumps, each of which shall be capable of maintaining
an adequate supply at all times. 

(d) The arrangement of the seal and its associated provisions shall be such that it will
prevent back-flow of hydrocarbon vapours and will ensure the proper functioning of the
seal under operating conditions. 

(e) Provision shall be made to ensure that the water seal is protected against freezing, in
such a way that the integrity of the seal is not impaired by overheating. 

(f) A water loop or other arrangement approved by Director General of Shipping shall also
be fitted in all associated water supply and dry piping and all venting or pressure sensing
piping leading to gas safe spaces.  Means shall be provided to prevent such loops from
being emptied by vacuum. 

(g) The deck water seal and all loop arrangements shall be capable of preventing return of
hydrocarbon vapours at a pressure equal to the test pressure of the cargo tanks. 

(h) The second non-return device mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph shall
be a non-return valve or equivalent capable of preventing the return of vapours or liquids
or both fitted forward of the deck water seal required by sub-paragraph (a) of this
paragraph.  It shall be provided with either positive means of closure or an additional
valve having such means of closure located forward of the non-return valve to isolate the
deck water seal from the inert gas main to the cargo tanks and slop tanks. 

(i) As an additional safeguard against the possible leakage of hydrocarbon liquids or

vapour back from the deck main, means shall be provided to permit the section of the line
between the valve having positive means of closure referred to in sub-paragraph (h) of this
paragraph, and the valve referred to in paragraph (9) of this Schedule to be vented in a
safe manner when the first of these valves is closed. 

11(a) The inert gas main may be divided into two or more branches forward of the non-
return devices required by paragraph (10). 

(b)(i) The inert gas supply main shall be fitted with branch piping leading to each cargo
tank and slop tank.  Branch piping for inert gas shall be fitted with either stop valves or
equivalent means of control for isolating each tank.  Where stop valves are fitted they shall
be provided with locking arrangements, which shall be under the control of a responsible
ship’s officer.           

(ii) In combination carriers, the arrangements to isolate the slop tanks containing oil or oil
residues from other tanks shall consist of blank flanges which will remain in position at all
times when cargoes other then oil are being carried except as provided for in the relevant
section of the Guidelines on Inert Gas Systems. 
(c) Means shall be provided to protect cargo tanks and stop tanks against effect of over
pressure or vacuum caused by thermal variations when such tanks are isolated from the
inert gas main. 

(d) Piping systems shall be so designed as to prevent the accumulation of cargo or water in
the pipelines under all normal conditions. 

(12) The arrangements for the venting of all vapours displaced from the cargo tanks
during loading or ballasting shall comply with rule 66 of the Merchant Shipping (Cargo
Ship Construction and Survey) Rules, and shall consist of either one or more mast risers
or a number of rigid velocity vents.  The inert gas supply main may be used for such
venting. 

(13) One or more pressure-vacuum breaking devices shall be provided to prevent the cargo
tanks from being subject to : 

i. a positive pressure in excess of the test pressure of the cargo tank if the cargo were
to be loaded at the maximum rated capacity and all other outlets were left shut;
and 
ii. a negative pressure in excess of 700 milimetres water gauge if cargo were to be
discharged at the maximum rated capacity of the cargo pumps and the inert gas
blower were to fail.  Such devices shall be installed on the inert gas main unless
they are installed in the venting system required by rule 66 of the Merchant
Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction and Survey) Rules 1988 or on individual cargo
tanks. 

(b) The location and design of the devices referred to in sub-para (a) of this para shall be
in accordance with rule 66 of the Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction and
Survey) Rules, 1988

Principle of Inert Gas System on Ships

The basic principle of inert gas system is to remove the oxygen content by introducing inert
Gas to any compartment that contains a mixture of hydrocarbon gases.

Thus, system minimize the risk of explosion.

The inert gas system delivers inert gas over the oil cargo hydrocarbon mixture, increasing the
LEL lower explosion limit (lower concentration at which vapours can be ignited) while
decreasing the higher explosion limit HEL (Higher concentration at which vapour explodes).

When the concentration reaches around 10%, an atmosphere inside the tank is created in
which hydrocarbon vapours cannot burn. As a safety precaution, the concentration of inert
gas is kept at around 5%.
 Hot Flue gases from the exhaust of Boiler is taken to the bottom of the scrubber tower
through the boiler uptake valve.
 In the scrubber tower, Flue gases are passes through a series of water spray and baffle
plates to cool, clean, and moisten the gases. The SO2 level drops by up to 90% and
the gas becomes soot-free.
 The flue gas come out from the scrubber tower is free from shoot and So2.
 But it contains moisture. So, it is then passed through a demister to remove moisture
before leaving to suction of the blower.
 The treated gas is delivered to the tanks by motor-driven inert gas blowers from the
scrubber tower. They are supported by rubber vibration absorbers and are separated
from the piping by rubber expansion bellows.
 The gas control valves ( pressure regulating valve ) regulate the amount of gas
delivered to the deck, and the pressure controller controls the deck pressure. If the
deck pressure is lower than the set point, the output signal will be raised to increase
the opening of the valve, and vice versa if the deck pressure is higher than the set
point. These valves will then work together to maintain both the deck pressure and the
blower pressure at their respective setpoints without starving or overfeeding the
circuit.
 The gas passes through the deck water seal before entering the deck line, which also
acts as a non-return valve, preventing the back-flow of explosive gases from the cargo
tanks.
 After the deck seal, the inert gas relief is fitted to balance built-up deck water seal
pressure when the system is shut down. In conditions of a failure of both the deck seal
 and the non-return valve, the relief valve did the work of venting the gases flowing
from the cargo tank into the atmosphere.
 The oxygen analyzer is fitted after the blower. It separates the production and
distribution components of the plant.
 It analyzes oxygen content in the gas and if it is more than 8 percent, alarms activated
and shutdown the plant.

Inert Gas System Components with Description

1. Exhaust Gas Sources :- The source of Inert gas is a.) Exhaust Uptake of Boiler and b.)
Exhaust Uptake of Main engine. It is because Exhaust gas contains flue gases in it.

2. Inert Gas Isolating Valve :- As the name suggest, it isolate the System from the exhaust
uptake.

3. Scrubbing Tower :- The flue gas enters the scrubbing tower from the bottom and passes
through a series of water spray and baffle plates to cool, clean, and moisten the gases. The
SO2 level drops by up to 90% and the gas becomes soot-free.

4. Demister :- A  demister is a device often fitted to vapor–liquid separator vessels to

enhance the removal of liquid droplets entrained in a vapor stream.

Here, it is used for absorbing moisture and water from the treated flue gas. Generally, it is
made up of polypropylene.

5. Gas Blower :- Typically, two types of fan blowers are used: a steam-driven turbine blower
for I.G operation and an electrically driven blower for topping off.

6. I.G pressure Regulating valve :- The pressure within the tanks varies depending on the
oil’s properties and the atmospheric conditions. To control this variation and prevent the
blower fan from overheating, a pressure regulator valve is attached after blower discharge, re-
circulating the excess gas back to the scrubbing tower.

7. Oxygen Analyzer: It is a device fitted after the pressure regulating valve. If the oxygen
level is more than 8% by volume, it will sound an alarm and release inert gas to the
atmosphere.

8. Deck seal :- The deck seal’s purpose is to prevent gases from returning from the blower to
the cargo tanks. Generally, Deck seals of the wet type are used. To absorb the moisture
carried away by the gases, a demister is installed.

9. Mechanical Non return valve :- It is an additional non-return mechanical device in line

with the deck seal.
10. Deck Isolating Valve : – This Valve is used for Isolating engine room system Fully with
deck system.

11. Pressure Vacuum breaker :- The PV breaker valve used for controlling the over or
under pressurization of the cargo tank. The PV breaker vent is equipped with a flame trap to
prevent a fire from igniting while in port during loading or discharging operations.

12. Cargo Tank Isolating Valve :- A vessel has a number of cargo holds, each of which has
an isolating valve. The valve regulates the flow of inert gas to hold and is only operated by a
responsible officer on board.

13. Mast Riser :- Mast riser is used for maintaining a positive pressure of inert gas at the
time of loading of cargo and during the loading time it is kept open to avoid pressurization of
the cargo tank.

14. Safety and Alarm Systems :- The Inert gas system is fitted with safety and alarm system
for safe operation of ship.

Alarms and Systems Fitted in IG System

A. A high level in the scrubber raises an alarm, allowing the blower and scrubber tower to
shut down.

B. Low-pressure seawater supply to the scrubber tower (approximately 0.7 bar) causes an
alarm and shutting down of blower.

C. A low pressure seawater supply (approximately 1.5 bar) to the deck seal causes an alarm
and the blower to shut down.

D. High inert gas temperature (approximately 70 degrees Celsius) causes an alarm and the
blower to shut down.

E. Low pressure in the line after the blower (approximately 250mm wg) causes an alarm
and the blower to shut down.

F. A high oxygen content (8%) causes an alarm and the shutdown of gas delivery to the
deck.

G. A low level in the deck seal causes an alarm and the gas supply to the deck to be cut off.

H. Power failure leads to alarm and shutdown of blower and scrubber tower

I. An emergency stop causes an alarm and the blower and scrubber tower to shut down.

The various alarms incorporated in the Inert Gas plant are following :-

A. Scrubber low level

B. Deck seal High level
C. Low O2 Content (1%)
D. High O2 Content (5%)

Inert Gas System Starting Procedure

Onboard, careful consideration is required for the inert gas system to function properly. The
oxygen content must always be kept at 5% by volume; any further reduction in oxygen
content will result in the mixing of impurities in the gas, which will be difficult to separate.
Before starting the inert gas system, certain precautions must be taken.

1. Open the valve related to the burner of fuel and check Fuel is adequate or not for operation
of Boiler and Inert gas generator.

2. Switch on the electric power of Control panel.

3. The scrubber’s water drain lines must be opened.

4. Check and ensure that the oxygen analyzer is working properly and required then calibrate.

5. Set pressure control setting for inert gas in distribution lines.

6. Set the pressure control valve of the burner.

7. Ensure supply of sea water to the deck seal.

8. Check and ensure that The system lines are lined up.

9. Before entering the port, start the inert gas generator. (Actually, this is done to avoid dark
black smokes from coming out when it starts.)

Inert Gas System Starting Procedure

1. Follow all the I.G system checklist as per guidelines of company.

2. Check and ensure that all cargo openings are closed.

3. Prior to start, line up the system properly.

4. Take the precautionary measure mentioned above.

5. Start the IG system

6. Check the oxygen analyser readings.

7. Supply inert gas to the Deck opening Inert gas main supply valve.

8. Keep an eye to the all Pressure parameters.

9. During cargo Operations, Monitor the temperature and the oxygen level of inert gas.

10. Increase the pressure of inert gas before stopping the inert gas plant.

How is the inert gas fed into cargo tanks?

Process used for Inerting is Displacement Method.
The displacement method differs slightly from the dilution method. The inert gas is used to
displace the air inside the tank in this method. With this method, close to one air change is
required to achieve less than 8% oxygen from an initial 21%.

When Is Inert Gas Plant Used

 During Discharging to replace the volume of the Liquid in the tank.

 For Purging, so as to replace the atmosphere in the tank. 
 To Top up cargo tanks in loaded voyages.  

Can the Exhaust gases of the boiler sent straight to the cargo tanks ?

NO,

Due to the following reasons

 The Exhaust gases of the boiler are very hot and dirty and requires treatment prior
they are sent to the cargo tanks. 
 Any connection between the Non hazardous area (Engine room) and the Hazardous
area(Cargo Tanks) calls for safety barriers between the two areas so as to prevent
back flow of flammable gases to the boiler from the cargo tanks.