- Immediately inform the Chief Engineer (C/E) and Senior Engineer.
- Start the standby generator and bring it online. This secures power in case the main engine needs to be stopped.
- Stop the main engine AFTER informing the bridge. This reduces oxygen supply to the fire.
- Continue operating the boiler water circulating pump. This helps manage boiler temperature.
- Do NOT use soot blowers. Using them will only accelerate the fire.
- Ensure all exhaust valves are closed after the main engine is stopped to prevent further air supply to the fire.
- Cover the turbocharger air filter. This prevents additional air from fueling the fire.
- Start external boundary cooling. This helps to control the fire's spread.
- If fitted, use water dosing to extinguish the fire.
If the soot fire cannot be controlled and escalates to a hydrogen or metal fire:
- Stop the main engine (if not already stopped).
- Stop the boiler water circulating pump.
- Shut all inlet and outlet valves in the water circulating lines.
- Drain water from the pipelines.
- Continue boundary cooling.
- If fitted with a fixed fire extinguishing medium, activate it.
- Monitor the boiler uptake temperature.
- Once the fire is extinguished, carry out thorough water washing.
- Inspect the inside of the boiler uptake to assess the extent of damage.
(b) To minimize uptake fires, the following measures should be implemented:
- Avoid slow steaming of the main engine for extended periods.
- Ensure proper fuel combustion in the main engine.
- Maintain the fuel system properly (fuel injection pumps, injectors, etc.).
- Carry out regular soot blowing.
- Regularly open up and clean the smoke side of economizer tubes.
- Start the boiler water circulating pump at least two hours before starting the main engines.
- Do not stop the boiler water circulating pump while the main engine is running.
- Keep the boiler water circulating pump running for at least four hours after stopping the main engine.
- Monitor uptake parameters (temperature, differential pressure drop, etc.).
- Monitor gas emissions from the funnel.
(c) Blow-back during auxiliary boiler firing can occur due to:
- Insufficient purging (pre and post) of the boiler furnace after flame failure. This is especially common when operating manually, as pre-purging isn't automatically controlled.
- Accumulation of hydrocarbons inside the furnace.
- Inefficient forced draft (FD) fan performance.
- FD fan damper not opening fully.
- Improper burner atomization.
- Fuel dripping from the burner.
- Improper maintenance of the boiler burner.
- Malfunctioning fuel oil solenoid valve.
(d) To prevent boiler furnace blow-back, standing instructions from the Chief Engineer might include:
- Allow sufficient time for pre-purging the furnace with dampers fully open. This ensures that accumulated vapours are expelled.
- Purge for 5 to 6 times the furnace volume.
- Never reduce or bypass the purging time.
- Carry out boiler burner routines as per the Preventative Maintenance System (PMS).
- Maintain the correct air-fuel ratio for complete combustion.
- Ensure proper treatment of fuel oil fed to the boiler.
- Conduct periodic furnace inspections to check internal conditions.
- If a flame failure occurs, identify and rectify the root cause before attempting to re-fire.
- Do not repeatedly attempt to re-ignite the boiler after a flame failure.