Oil & Chemical Tanker operation
Terminology
Prepared by: MarEngr Md. Humayun Kabir
Chief Engineer(add)
Bangladesh Marine Academy
Auto-ignition
The ignition of a combustible material
without initiation by a spark or flame,
when the material has been raised to a
temperature at which self-sustaining
combustion occurs.
Dangerous area
An area on a tanker which for the
purposes of the installation and use
of electrical equipment is regarded
as dangerous.
Explosion-proof ("Flame-proof”)
Electrical equipment is defined and
certified as explosion-proof (flame-
proof) when it is enclosed in a case
which is capable of withstanding the
explosion within it of a hydrocarbon
gas/air mixture or other specified
flammable gas mixture.
Flashpoint
The lowest temperature at which a
liquid gives off sufficient gas to form
a flammable gas mixture near the
surface of the liquid. It is measured
in the laboratory in standard
apparatus using a prescribed
procedure.
Gas-free
A tank, compartment or container is gas-
free when sufficient fresh air has been
introduced into it to lower the level of any
flammable, toxic, or inert gas to that
required for a specific purpose, e.g. hot
work, entry, etc.
Gas-free certificate
A certificate issued by an authorized
responsible person confirming that at the
time of testing a tank, compartment or
container it was gas-free for a specific
purpose.
Hot work
Work involving sources of ignition or
temperature sufficiently high to cause the
ignition of a flammable gas mixture. This
includes any work requiring the use of
welding, burning or soldering equipment,
blow torches, some power-driven tools etc.
Hot work permit
A document issued by a responsible person
permitting specific hot work to be done during
a specific time interval in a defined area.
Inert gas
A gas or a mixture of gases, such as flue gas,
containing insufficient oxygen to support the
combustion of hydrocarbons.
Inert condition
A condition in which the oxygen content
throughout the atmosphere of a tank has been
reduced to 8% or less by volume by addition of
inert gas.
Intrinsically safe
An electrical circuit or part of a circuit is
intrinsically safe if any spark or thermal
effect produced normally (i.e. by breaking or
closing the circuit) or accidentally (e.g. by
short circuit or earth fault) is incapable,
under prescribed test conditions, of igniting a
prescribed gas mixture.
Lower flammable limit (LFL)
The concentration of a hydrocarbon gas in air
below which there is insufficient hydrocarbon
to support and propagate combustion.
Sometimes referred to as lower explosive limit
Upper flammayble limit (UFL)
The concentration of a hydrocarbon gas in air
above which there is insufficient air to
support and propagate combustion.
Sometimes referred to as upper explosive
limit (UEL).
Naked lights
Open flames or fires, lighted cigarettes,
cigars, pipes or similar smoking materials,
any other unconfined sources of ignition,
electrical and other equipment liable to cause
sparking while in use, and unprotected light
bulbs.
Volatile petroleum
Petroleum having a flash point below
60o C (140o F) as determined by the
closed-cup method of testing.
Non-volatile petroleum
Petroleum having a flash point of 60'C
(140-F) or above as determined by the
closed-cup method of test.
Pressure surge :
A sudden increase in the pressure of the
liquid in a pipeline, brought about by an
abrupt change in flow velocity.
Pressure/vacuum relief valve:
A device which provides for the flow of the
small volumes of vapor, air or inert gas
mixtures caused by thermal variations in
a cargo tank.
Purging
The introduction of inert gas into a tank
already in the inert condition further
reducing the existing content;
Topping up
The introduction of inert gas into a tank
which is already in the inert condition
with the object of raising the tank
pressure to prevent any ingress of air.
Static electricity
The electricity produced on dissimilar
materials through physical contact and
separation.
Static accumulator oil
An oil with an electrical conductivity less
than 100 picoSiemens/meter (pS/m), so that it
is capable of retaining a significant
electrostatic charge.
Static non-accumulator oil
An oil with an electrical conductivity greater
than 100 picoSiemens/meter (pS/m), which
renders it incapable of retaining a significant
electrostatic charge.
Stripping
The final operation in pumping bulk
liquid from a tank or pipeline.
Topping off
The operation of completing the
loading of a tank to a required ullage.
Threshold limit value (TL V)
The time-weighted average
concentration of a substance to which
nearly all workers may be repeatedly
exposed, for a normal 8hour workday
or 40-hour workweek, day after day,
without adverse effect.
Water fog
A suspension in the atmosphere of very
fine droplets of water usually delivered
at a high pressure through a fog nozzle
for use in fire-fighting.
Water spray
A suspension in the atmosphere of
water divided into coarse drops by
delivery through a special nozzle for
use in fire-fighting.
Cathodic protection
The prevention of corrosion by
electrochemical techniques. On tankers
it may be applied either externally to
the hull or internally to the surfaces of
tanks. At terminals, it is frequently
applied to steel piles and fender panels.
Clingage
Oil remaining on the walls of a pipe or
on the surfaces of tank interiors after
the bulk of the oil has been removed.
Cold work
Work which cannot create a source of
ignition.
padding
Tank blanketing, also referred to as
tank padding, is the process of
applying a gas to the empty space in a
storage container
Thank
You !
