SCAVANGE FIRE

• A scavenge fire can cause serious

damage to the piston rod diaphragm
gland as well as leading to possible
distortion of the air box and cracking
of the liner. Tie rod tension will
almost certainly be affected.
• The worst-case scenario for a
scavenge fire is it leading to a
crankcase explosion. (B&W on some
designs fit a cooling jacket between
the air box and crankcase to help
prevent this.)
• The fire may also spread outside the
scavenge box due to relief doors
leaking or oil deposits on the hot
casing igniting. For these reasons a
scavenge fire should be dealt with
as quickly as possible.

SCAVANGE FIRE

 For any fire to begin there must be present a combustible material, oxygen or air to
support combustion and a source of heat at a temperature high enough to start
combustion
 The combustible material in scavenge is cylinder oil which has drained down from the
cylinder spaces. However in some cases the cylinder oil residues may contained fuel
oil thus oily carbon deposits build up in the scavenge trunking during normal
operation of the engine
 The oxygen necessary for combustion comes from the scavenge air which is plentiful
supply for the operation of the engine
 The heat in the scavenge space, around the cylinder, brings the oil to a condition
where it is easily or under certain conditions the oily carbon deposits may dry out
and ignite
 Piston ring blow past due to sticking or broken piston rings, or even excessive liner
wear, are a major cause of the problem to start combustion.
 Faulty combustion due to late injection or incorrect atomization or other similar
causes may also be responsible as may blow back through the scavenge ports caused
by a restriction in the exhaust to start combustion

INDICATION

 Loss in power and irregular running of the engine,

 High exhaust temperatures of corresponding units,
 High local temperature in scavenge trunk,
 Surging of turbocharger,
 Sparks and smoke emitted from scavenge drains.
 A smoky exhaust and the discharge of sooty smuts or carbon particles will give
external indications.
 If the scavenge trunk is oily the fire may spread back-from the space around or
adjacent to the cylinders where the fire started and will show itself as very hot spots
or areas of the scavenge trunk surfaces.
 In ships where the engine room is designed as UMS, temperature sensors are fitted
at critical points within the scavenge spaces. Activation would cause automatic slow
down of the engine.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN WHEN SCAVANGE FIRE OCCUR

 In the event of scavenge fire the engine must be put to dead slow ahead as soon as
possible and the fuel must be taken off the cylinders affected by the fire or preferably
stopped.
 The turning gear should be put in and the engine continuously turned with increased
cylinder oil to prevent seizure (jam).
 All scavenge drains must be shut to prevent the discharge of sparks and burning oil
from the drains into the engine room
 Air supply should be cut off by enclosing the turbocharger inlets, for mechanically
operated exhaust valves the gas side should also be operated, (hydraulically
operated exhaust valves will self-close after a few minutes).
 A minor fire may shortly burn out without damage, and conditions will gradually
return to normal. The affected units should be run on reduced power until inspection
of the scavenge trunking and overhaul of the cylinder and piston can be carried out
at the earliest safe opportunity.
 Once navigational circumstances allow it, the engine should be stopped and the
whole of the scavenge trunk examined and any oil residues found round other
cylinders removed.
 The actual cause of the initiation of the fire should be investigated
 If the scavenge fire is of a more major nature, if there is a risk of the fire extending
or if the scavenge trunk is adjacent to the crankcase with risk of a hot spot
developing it sometimes becomes necessary to stop the engine.
 Normal cooling is maintained, and the turning gear engaged and operated. Fire
extinguishing medium should be applied through fittings in the scavenge trunk: these
may inject carbon dioxide, dry powder, or smothering steam.
 The fire is then extinguished before it can spread to surfaces of the scavenge trunk
where it may cause the paint to start burning if special non inflammable paint has
not been used
 Boundary cooling of the scavenge trunk may be necessary. Keep clear of scavenge
relief valves, and do not open up for inspection until the engine has cooled down.

ACTION AFTER

 After extinguishing the fire and cooling down, the scavenge trunking and scavenge
ports should be cleaned and the trunking together with cylinder liner and water seals,
piston, piston rings, piston skirt, piston rod and gland must be inspected.
 Heat causes distortion and therefore checks for binding of piston rod in stuffing box
and piston in liner must be carried out.
 Tightness of tie bolts should be checked before restarting the engine.
 Inspect reed valves if fitted, and scavenge relief valve springs.
 Fire extinguishers should be recharged at the first opportunity and faults diagnosed
as having caused the fire must be rectified.
SAFETY FITTING

 Scavenge belt relief door

 Fire fighting media

SCAVANGE BELT RELIEF DOOR

• Fitted to both ends of the

scavenge belt and set to lift
slightly above the maximum
normal working scavenge air
pressure

FIRE FIGHTING MEDIA

• Carbon dioxide- will put out a fire but supply is limited. Susceptible to loss if
dampers do not effective prevent air flow. Co2 is cold and will cause the liner and
piston rod to crack in a hot position.
• Water spray- perhaps the ideal solution giving quick effective cooling effect to the
fire.
• Dry powder- will cover the burning carbon and oil but is messy. As the fire may still
smoulder below the powder care must be taken when the scavenge doors are
removed as the powder layer may be blown away.
• Steam-plentiful and effective

PREVENTION

• Good maintenance and correct adjustment must be carried out

• Scavenge trunking must be periodically inspected and cleaned and any buildup of
contamination noted and remedied.
• The drain pockets should also be cleaned regularly to remove the thicker carbonized
oil sludge which does not drain down so easily and which are a common cause of
choked drain pipes.
• Scavenge drains should be blown regularly and any passage of oil from them noted.
• The piston rings must be properly maintained and lubricated adequately so that ring
blow-by is prevented.
• At the same time, one must guard against excess cylinder oil usage.
• With timed cylinder oil injection, the timing should be periodically checked.
• Scavenge ports must be kept cleared
• The piston-rod packing rings and scraper rings should also be regularly adjusted so
that oil is prevented from entering the scavenge space because of butted ring
segments.
• This may and does occur irrespective of the positive pressure difference between the
scavenge trunk and the crankcase space.
• Fuel injection equipment must be kept in good condition, timed correctly, and the
mean indicated pressure in each cylinder must also be carefully balanced so that
individual cylinders are not overloaded.
• If cylinder liner wear is up to maximum limits the possibility of scavenge fires will not
be materially reduced until the liners are renewed.
ACTION TO TAKEN DURING SCAVANGE FIRE

1) Call & inform bridge, ask to change over from bridge control to
control room control
2) Then reduce the main engine speed
3) Call all remaining engine crew to stand-by in engine room
4) Then consult 2nd engineer & chief engineer for further instruction
5) Further action to be taken;
a. Cut off fuel, increase cylinder lubrication oil, close scavenge
drain, and observe around main engine structure especially
scavenge space
b. Check temperature of scavenge space
c. Check turbocharger for any surging
d. Stand-by mean to fight fire
e. Apply steam smothering slowly (if fitted)
f. Then stop the engine, engage turning gear and apply CO2
smothering at the injection point at scavenge space.

CRANKCASE EXPOSION
- Normally occurs in trunk engine in which
the lubricating oil used in the bearings is
splashed around the crankcase and
broken down into moderate size
particles.
- When there is a hot spot formed example
a bearing, guide, connecting rod, piston
trunk or skirt become overheated, the
falling oil particles to the heated area
easily vaporize and form a white vapour
( in addition some is broken down to
flammable gasses such as Hydrogen and acetylene) which spreads around
the crankcase
- Some of the vapour condenses to form a very small particles which may
eventually permeate or travel the away from hot spot to whole of the
crankcase space
- The condensed droplets, in the form of a dense white mist
- If the mixture of air, very small particles and vapour reaches a certain
proportion and the temperature of the hot spot is high enough to initiate
combustion an explosion can occur (850°C to ignite oil mist)
- Although the most common cause of a localized hotspot is due to friction, it is
not the only cause of a crankcase explosion. A cracked piston crown, blow-by
or an external fire have caused crankcase explosions in the past.
- If the mixture of oil vapour, particles and air too rich (due to some reason or
possibility air can be drawn in so creating the environment for a second and
possible larger explosion

Action to taken if oil mist detected

- Should the oil mist detector activate an alarm condition, then personnel
should take steps to ascertain if the fault is real.
- They should initially assume that it is, the bridge should be informed and the
engines slowed if the oil mist detector has not already done so.
- Should the bridge require manoeuvrability, and it is essential that the engine
be operated then consideration of evacuation of the engine room should be
made.
- Otherwise, the engine should be stopped and turned on gear until cooled.
- The Graviner Oil Mist detector indicates via markings on the rotary valve
which sample point has the high readings.
- By inspection of the graviner, and by viewing crankcase (or thrust, gear case)
bearing readings it is possible to ascertain whether a fault condition exists.
- Under no circumstances should any aperture be opened until the engine has
sufficiently cooled, this is taken as normal operating temperatures as an
explosion cannot occur when no part has a temperature above 270'C (Cool
flame temperature)
- Once cooled the engine can be opened and ventilated (the crankcase is an
enclosed space).
- An inspection should be made to locate the hotspot; the engine should not be
run until the fault has been rectified.

Crankcase safety fitting

- Relief valves
- Number of relief valves
- Size of relief valves
- Vent pipes
- Alarms
- Warning notice
- Fire-extinguishing system for scavenge manifolds

Fire-extinguisher for scavenge manifold

- Crosshead type engine scavenge spaces in open connection with cylinders are
to be provided with approved fixed or portable fire-extinguishing
arrangements which are to be independent of the fire-extinguishing system
of the engine room

Vent pipe

- Where crankcase vent pipes are fitted, they are to be made as small as
practicable to minimize the inrush of air after an explosion. Vents from
crankcases of main engines are to be led to a safe position on deck or other
approved position.
- If provision is made for the extraction of gases from within the crankcase,
e.g. for oil mist detection purposes, the vacuum within the crankcase is not
to exceed 25 mm of water.
- Lubricating oil drain pipes from engine sump to drain tank are to be
submerged at their outlet ends. Where two or more engines are installed,
vent pipes, if fitted, and lube. Oil drain pipes are to be independent to avoid
intercommunication between crankcases.
Relief valve

- Crankcases are to be provided with lightweight spring-loaded valves or other

quick-acting and self-closing devices, of an approved type, to relieve the
crankcases of pressure in the event of an internal explosion and to prevent
any inrush of air thereafter. The valves are to be designed to open at a
pressure not greater than 0.2 bar.
- The valve lids are to be made of ductile material capable of withstanding the
shock of contact with stoppers at the full open position.
- The discharge from the valves is to be shielded by flame guard or flame trap
to minimize the possibility of danger and damage arising from the emission of
flame.

Specific regulation

- Non-return doors must be fitted to engines with a bore greater than 300mm,
at each cylinder with a total area of 115sq.cm/m3 of gross crankcase volume.
The outlets of these must be guard to protect personnel from flame. For
engines between 150 to 300mm relief doors need only be fitted at either end.
Below this bore, there is no requirement. The total clear area through the
relief valve should not normally be less than 9.13cm2/m3 of gross crankcase
volume
- Lubrication Oil drain pipes to the sump must extend below the surface and
multi engine installations should have no connections between the sumps
- Large engines, of more than 6 cylinders are recommended to have a
diaphragm at mid-length and consideration should be given to detection of
overheating (say by temperature measuring probes or thermal cameras) and
the injection of inert gas.
- Engines with a bore less than 300mm and a crankcase of robust construction
may have an explosion door at either end
- Means of detection of oil mist fitted.

STARTING AIR LINE EXPLOSION

- The main cause is leaky cylinder starting air valve or jamming at
open position of this valve.
- The period of greatest risk is during starting and maneuvering but
the incipient (beginning) causes are the accumulation of oil during running of
the air compressor.
- The lubricating oil mists are discharged from the air compressor
into the starting air system and deposited over internal surface of the pipes.
- Due to excessive sump oil level or excessive cylinder lubrication or
defective oil scrapper rings or the oil vapors inhaled from the oily engine
room atmosphere.
- With defects starting air valve, hot gases or flame may enter the
starting air manifold, vaporize the oil, and set fire to the oil mists and greasy
matters that generally deposit on the surface.
- In such event an explosion may occur.
 Prevention
- Discharge of oil from the air compressor into the system can be
reduced to minimum by regular draining of the intercoolers, after coolers, air
receivers and starting air system
- Prevention of oil contaminated is made by use of oil wetted filters
on the suction air compressors.
- Cylinder starting air valve should be removed once every year (total
running hours made by engine makers) to overhaul and grease the working
parts, as the moist air which passes through them tends to wash off the
lubricant and cause the valve to jam.

Safety device
- Starting air systems are generally provided with spring loaded relief
valves or bursting safety caps to avoid damage on the system when
explosion occurs. The safety tube is made of steel, cadmium coated or
copper. Should an explosion occur and cause burst out of the safety tube.
The detector fixed to the safety cap will be bending out and show which tube
has burst.
- The outer hood can be moved around just far enough to blank off
the holes in the inner hood, thus preventing airs leaks when the engine
continue using air. It is only suitable for emergency and the safety tube
should be renewed as soon as possible

Detection
- A leaky cylinder starting air valve can be detected while engine in
operation by local overheating of the pipe adjacent to the valve (inlet). If this
occurred, the engine should be stopped and replaced the valve.
- While in port, the leakage can be detected by shutting the isolating
valve to the air pilot distributor and applying air to the starting air manifold.
Escape of air through open indicator cocks will detect a leaking starting air
valve.