S Sea Transport

Lecture 15:
Ventilation and
Control of Sweat
 Purpose of Controlling Ventilation
Cargo damage due to climatic conditions includes such effects as
mould formation, germination of grain, corrosion of metals,
staining of textiles, etc, and may arise from condensation due to
various causes.
The purpose of ventilation is:
to cool or warm the cargo so that no large differences between the
temperature of the cargo and that of the atmosphere arise
to prevent accumulation of moisture in the air of the holds and thus
diminish or prevent condensation in the holds
removal of flammable / toxic / noxious gases
removal of excessive heat which could harm cargo or increase fire
hazard
 Types of Ventilation
Natural Through Ventilation:
Fans are not fitted to the ventilation system and the
ventilation takes place through the careful adjustment of
the ventilator cowls relative to the wind.
In heavy weather it will be necessary to turn all cowls
away from wind and spray; or it might even be necessary
to remove all cowls in order to plug and cover the
ventilators.
Cowls then have to be stowed below decks
Types of Ventilation
Forced Draught Ventilation:
Many installations have equipment which will remove
excess water vapour from the air. This can be used
when feeding air from the outside or re-circulating air
within the hold without bringing air in from outside.
There are many types of installation and they perform
the following functions:
Dry the air
Circulate air through the holds (supply and exhaust)
Record temperature and humidity (recording
instruments)
Forced Draught Ventilation
Principles of operation, briefly, are:
When loading – fans only necessary if loading very
damp cargoes.
After loading – close hatches, start ventilating.
From cold to warmer climates – re-circulate and dry
the air.
Warmer to cooler climates – ventilate when dew point
outside is lower than that inside the holds
Always observe and record temperatures and dew
points. Change between re-circulation and ventilation
as required.
Principles of Ventilation
Ventilate when travelling from a warm to a cold
climate.
Only ventilate when the outside dewpoint is lower
than the dewpoint in the hold. Otherwise, seal the
hold when travelling from a cold to a warm climate.

* Hold temperatures, outside air temperatures and

dewpoints inside and outside of the hold MUST
constantly be monitored.
Hygroscopic and Non-Hygroscopic Cargoes
A non-hygroscopic cargo contains no moisture.
For example: unpacked machinery, tinplates, galvanised
sheets and pipes, pottery, glass, gas cylinders, canned goods
etc.
It does not change weight during the voyage.
Although it cannot give off moisture it offers surfaces on
which moisture will readily form if its temperature is below
the dew-point of the air in the hold.
Hygroscopic cargoes contain natural moisture.
They originate in agriculture, forestry and fisheries and
include some packaging materials.
For example, cocoa beans might contain 6% moisture when
 Relative Humidity
 Relative Humidity is the ratio of the water vapour content of the air to its
saturation value at the same temperature, expressed as a percentage.
 For any hygroscopic cargo there is a relative humidity value at which the
surrounding air is in equilibrium and will therefore neither absorb moisture
from, nor give moisture to, the cargo.
 Thus if the relative humidity of the air is below this value the cargo will give
up moisture to the air; if it is above this value then the cargo will absorb
moisture from the air.
 If the temperature remains constant, a cargo of hygroscopic material will
keep its storage atmosphere steady at a relative humidity corresponding to
its moisture content.
 Because air can contain so little moisture and a hygroscopic cargo so much,
the moisture in such a cargo readily replaces the moisture in the storage
atmosphere which is withdrawn and replaced by drier air due to ventilation.
 Relative Humidity
The relative humidity of the storage atmosphere of a hygroscopic cargo
will rise only moderately with temperature increase, but its dew-point will
rise quicker because warm air can hold more moisture than cooler air.
When a hold contains more than one kind of hygroscopic goods, moisture
can be transferred from one to the other; for instance dried fruit stowed
near lumber.
In a loaded hold, temperature differences between ship’s structure and
cargo develop as the ship changes latitude or crosses areas of steep
temperature gradient; some cargoes do not warm or cool as fast as the
ship does.
Condensation affecting cargo in holds depends on changes in air and sea
temperature and dew-point.
Moisture that causes damage to cargo in a ship’s hold falls roughly into
two categories: “cargo sweat” and “ship’s sweat”
Cargo Sweat
This occurs when the ship proceeds
from a cold area to a relatively warm
one
the cargo provides the condensing
surface
the ship’s steelwork remains relatively
warm and dry.
 Cargo Sweat
Typical examples are as follows:
If a ship is loaded in a cooler port with granulated sugar for carriage
across warmer seas the ship’s steelwork temperature soon follows the
rising temperature of sea water and atmosphere, but the cargo
temperature lags behind. Soon some part of the cargo is cooler than
the dew-point of the external air; if the hold is then ventilated the
sugar may be wetted through condensation and later set hard;
Ventilation should not take place.
If canned goods are loaded in winter at San Francisco for passage
through the Panama Canal, the goods will not be much warmer at
the Canal than when loaded, while the outside dew-point will have
risen. The hold should not be ventilated during this passage because
moisture in the warm ventilating air would condense on the cans,
Ship’s Sweat
This occurs when the ship goes
from a warm area to a relatively
cold one
the ship’s steelwork inside the
hold may provide the
condensing surface.
 Ship’s Sweat
 For example, if bags of cocoa were loaded in West Africa for passage to
Britain:
 The ship’s steelwork assumes the temperature of the sea water and air as
these fall, but the cocoa tends to retain its high loading temperature.
 As cocoa is a hygroscopic cargo it has its own storage atmosphere,
depending on its moisture content and temperature. If it can be cooled at
the same rate as the sea water and outside air, the dew-point of its storage
atmosphere will follow that of the cold steelwork and there will be no
sweating.
 But if it stays warmer than its surroundings, its storage atmosphere dew-
point will stay high; its warmth will cause an upward current to carry
damp air to the underside of the relatively cold deck head, where its
moisture will condense.
 This is called “ship’s sweat”; the moisture is derived from the cargo.