Plan to Reduce Boiler Uptake Fires:
Preventive Maintenance Schedule
- Carry out regular cleaning, inspection, and adjustment to ensure optimal air-fuel ratio for complete combustion. This minimises the production of soot and unburnt carbon particles.
- Ensure the fuel oil fed to the boiler is properly treated to minimise impurities that contribute to incomplete combustion.
- Conduct frequent inspections to identify and address any issues like burner misalignment, damaged refractory, or excessive soot accumulation before they escalate into a fire.
- Whenever a flame failure occurs, immediately investigate and rectify the root cause to prevent prolonged incomplete combustion. Do not attempt repeated re-ignition until the cause is identified and resolved.
Soot Removal:
- Implement a more frequent soot-blowing schedule: Develop a revised soot-blowing schedule that is more frequent than the current practice, balancing the need for soot removal with the risk of accelerating a small fire. The schedule should be based on soot accumulation monitoring, possibly through visual inspection or automated monitoring systems. (This is an important addition because merely avoiding soot blowers during a fire isn't enough – we must remove soot before fires start.)
- Explore the feasibility of alternative soot removal methods such as water washing (potentially utilizing automated systems), to reduce the reliance on soot blowers.
Emergency Procedures (in case of fire): Fire in boiler uptake takes place in three stages:
(i) Normal Soot Fire:
- Inform C/E and senior engineer
- Start standby generator
- Stop the main engine
- Continue water circulating pump
- Do not use soot blowers
- Ensure exhaust valves are closed and cover turbocharger air filter
- Start external boundary cooling
- Use water dosing (for fire fighting) if fitted.
(ii) Hydrogen or Metal Fire:
- Stop the main engine (if not already stopped)
- Stop boiler water circulating pump
- Shut all inlet/outlet valves in water circulating lines
- Drain water from pipelines
- Continue boundary cooling
- If a fixed fire fighting system is fitted, activate it.
- Monitor uptake temperature
- After the fire is out, conduct thorough water washing
- Inspect uptake for damage.
Monitoring and Watch Keeper Instructions:
Watchkeepers will be instructed to continuously monitor the following parameters and report any deviations immediately:
- Any significant rise indicates potential fire.
- Visible sparks or flames are clear indications of a fire.
- Activating high-temperature alarms necessitates immediate investigation.
- While not a direct indicator of fire, it may be a symptom of blocked flue gas pathways due to soot.
- Visual monitoring during routine inspections, aided by potentially installed soot accumulation sensors.