Oil content meter

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An oil content meter (OCM) is an integral part of all oily water separator (OWS) systems. Oil content meters are also sometimes referred to as oil content monitors, bilge alarms, or bilge monitors. [1]

An oily water separator (OWS) (marine) is a piece of equipment specific to the shipping or marine industry. It is used to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. This page deals exclusively oily water separators aboard marine vessels. They are found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily waste water such as bilge water before the waste water is discharged into the environment. These discharges of waste water must comply with the requirements laid out in Marpol 73/78. For information on more general oil water separators Oily Water Separators (general).

Bilge

The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship or seaplane, below the waterline, where the two sides meet at the keel. The first known use of the word is from 1513.

Contents

OCM technology

The OCM continuously monitors how much oil is in the water that is pumped out the discharge line of the OWS system. [2] The OCM will not allow the oil concentration of the exiting water to be above the Marpol standard of 15 ppm. This standard was first adopted in 1977 with Resolution A.393(X) which was published by IMO. [3] These standards were updated various but the most current resolution is MEPC 107(49). The oil content meter will sound an alarm if the liquid leaving the system has an unsatisfactory amount of oil in the mixture. If it is still above that standard, then the bilge water will be reentered into the system until it meets the required criteria. The OCM uses light beams to determine how oily the water in the system is. [4] The system will then gauge the oil concentration based on a light intensity meter. Modern oil content meters also have a data logging system that can store oil concentration measurements for more than 18 months. [2]

MARPOL 73/78

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. It was developed by the International Maritime Organization in an effort to minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution. The objective of this convention is to preserve the marine environment in an attempt to completely eliminate pollution by oil and other harmful substances and to minimize accidental spillage of such substances.

International Maritime Organization Specialised agency of the United Nations

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) until 1982, is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO currently has 174 member states and three associate members.

Alarm device type of signal (or device) that alerts people to a dangerous condition

An alarm device or system of alarm devices gives an audible, visual or other form of alarm signal about a problem or condition. Alarm devices are often outfitted with a siren.

Oil content meter No. 100 Oil content meter.jpg
Oil content meter

If the OCM determines that there is far too much of a type of oil, the OCM may be fouled and needs to be flushed out. [1] Running clean water through the OCM sensor cell is one way it can be cleaned. Also scrubbing the sensor area with a bottle brush is another effective method. [1] The new MEPC 107(49) regulations have set out stringent actions that require the OCM to be tamper proof and also the OCM needs to have an alarm that sounds whenever the OCM is being cleaned. [1] When the alarm goes off, the OCM functionality will be checked by crew members. [1]

An OCM is a small part of what is called the oil discharge monitoring and control system. The first part is the oil content meter. The second is a flow meter which measures the flow rate of the water at the discharge pipe. [5] Third, is a computing unit which calculates how much oil has actually been discharged along with the day and time of the discharge. [5] And lastly is the overboard valve control system which is essentially just a valve that can stop the discharge from flowing out at the appropriate time. [5]

Oil discharge monitoring equipment (ODME) is based on a measurement of oil content in the ballast and slop water, to measure conformance with regulations. The apparatus is equipped with a GPS, data recording functionality, an oil content meter and a flow meter. By use of data interpretation, a computing unit will be able to allow the discharge to continue or it will stop it using a valve outside the deck.

Valve device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid or a gas

A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category. In an open valve, fluid flows in a direction from higher pressure to lower pressure. The word is derived from the Latin valva, the moving part of a door, in turn from volvere, to turn, roll.

Oil content meters measure how effective the oily water separators on a ship are functioning. [6] If the OCM computes that the oily discharge is above the 15 ppm standard, the oily water separator needs to be checked by the crew.

There are three types of oil that the oil content meter needs to check for and they are fuel oil, diesel, and emulsions. [6]

Fuel oil A heavy fraction obtained from petroleum distillation burned to generate power

Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. In general terms, fuel oil is any liquid fuel that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash point of approximately 42 °C (108 °F) and oils burned in cotton or wool-wick burners. Fuel oil is made of long hydrocarbon chains, particularly alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatics. The term fuel oil is also used in a stricter sense to refer only to the heaviest commercial fuel that can be obtained from crude oil, i.e., heavier than gasoline and naphtha.

Diesel fuel liquid fuel used in diesel engines

Diesel fuel in general is any liquid fuel used in diesel engines, whose fuel ignition takes place, without any spark, as a result of compression of the inlet air mixture and then injection of fuel. Diesel engines have found broad use as a result of higher thermodynamic efficiency and thus fuel efficiency. This is particularly noted where diesel engines are run at part-load; as their air supply is not throttled as in a petrol engine, their efficiency still remains very high.

See also

Related Research Articles

Marine engineering engineering of boats, ships, oil rigs and any other marine vessel or structure

Marine engineering includes the engineering of boats, ships, oil rigs and any other marine vessel or structure, as well as oceanographic engineering or ocean engineering. Specifically, marine engineering is the discipline of applying engineering sciences, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, and computer science, to the development, design, operation and maintenance of watercraft propulsion and on-board systems and oceanographic technology. It includes but is not limited to power and propulsion plants, machinery, piping, automation and control systems for marine vehicles of any kind, such as surface ships and submarines.

Total dissolved solids

Total dissolved solids (TDS) is a measure of the dissolved combined content of all inorganic and organic substances present in a liquid in molecular, ionized or micro-granular suspended form. Generally the operational definition is that the solids must be small enough to survive filtration through a filter with two-micrometer pores. Total dissolved solids are normally discussed only for freshwater systems, as salinity includes some of the ions constituting the definition of TDS. The principal application of TDS is in the study of water quality for streams, rivers and lakes, although TDS is not generally considered a primary pollutant it is used as an indication of aesthetic characteristics of drinking water and as an aggregate indicator of the presence of a broad array of chemical contaminants.

OCM may refer to:

The term separator in oilfield terminology designates a pressure vessel used for separating well fluids produced from oil and gas wells into gaseous and liquid components. A separator for petroleum production is a large vessel designed to separate production fluids into their constituent components of oil, gas and water. A separating vessel may be referred to in the following ways: Oil and gas separator, Separator, Stage separator, Trap, Knockout vessel, Flash chamber, Expansion separator or expansion vessel, Scrubber, Filter. These separating vessels are normally used on a producing lease or platform near the wellhead, manifold, or tank battery to separate fluids produced from oil and gas wells into oil and gas or liquid and gas. An oil and gas separator generally includes the following essential components and features:

OWS may refer to

An API oil–water separator is a device designed to separate gross amounts of oil and suspended solids from the wastewater effluents of oil refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants and other industrial oily water sources. The name is derived from the fact that such separators are designed according to standards published by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

The cruise ship industry is a significant and growing contributor to the United States economy, providing more than $32 billion in benefits annually and generating more than 330,000 U.S. jobs, but also making the environmental impacts of its activities an issue to many. Although cruise ships represent a small fraction of the entire shipping industry worldwide, public attention to their environmental impacts comes in part from the fact that cruise ships are highly visible and in part because of the industry’s desire to promote a positive image.

In the United States, several federal agencies and laws have some jurisdiction over pollution from ships in U.S. waters. States and local government agencies also have responsibilities for ship-related pollution in some situations.

Environmental impact of shipping

The environmental impact of shipping includes air pollution, water pollution, acoustic, and oil pollution. Ships are responsible for more than 18 percent of some air pollutants.

A centrifugal water–oil separator, centrifugal oil–water separator or centrifugal liquid–liquid separator is a device designed to separate oil and water by centrifugation. It generally contains a cylindrical container that rotates inside a larger stationary container. The denser liquid, usually water, accumulates at the periphery of the rotating container and is collected from the side of the device, whereas the less dense liquid, usually oil, accumulates at the rotation axis and is collected from the centre.

A magic pipe is a surreptitious change to a ship's oily water separator, or other waste-handing equipment, which allows waste liquids to be discharged in contravention of maritime pollution regulations.

A white box system is a mechanical system installed in the engine room of a ship for controlling and monitoring the engine room bilge water discharge from the vessel.

All Cargo vessels where MARPOL Convention is applicable must have an Oil record book where the chief engineer will record all oil or sludge transfers and discharges within the vessel. This is necessary in order for authorities to be able to monitor if a vessel's crew has properly disposed of their oil discharges at sea.

An oil water separator (OWS) is a piece of equipment used to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. There are many different types of oil-water separator. Each has different oil separation capability and are used in different industries. Oil water separators are designed and selected after consideration of oil separation performance parameters and life cycle cost considerations. "Oil" can be taken to mean mineral, vegetable and animal oils, and the many different hydrocarbons.

Marpol Annex I is the first implementation made by Marpol 73/78, one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. The convention was designed to minimize pollution of the seas from ships. The objective of the convention is to preserve the marine environment through the complete elimination of pollution by oil and other harmful substances and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances. The Marpol Annex I began to be enforced on October 2, 1983, and it details the prevention of pollution by oil and oily water.

Port reception facilities are a place that international shipping ports must provide to collect residues, oily mixtures, and garbage generated from an ocean-going vessel. contaminants generated by ships cannot be discharged directly to the ocean. According to MARPOL 73/78 they must be collected by the Port reception facilities all around the world. The Port reception facility must be able to receive dirty oil and other contaminants, and also provide quick and efficient services.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "http://www.martinottaway.com/sites/martinottaway.com/files/content/documents/whitepapers/Initial_Recommendations_for_Bilge_Oily_Water_Separator_System_Design_and_Operation.pdf" (PDF). www.martinottaway.com. Retrieved 2015-06-09.External link in |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 "TN2 Oil Content Meter" (PDF). www.ajsinclair.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  3. ↑ "Chronology & Search". MAX1 Studies. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  4. ↑ "Statutory Info – Bahamas – Oily Water Separator and 15 ppm oil content meter". www1.veristar.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  5. 1 2 3 "What is Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control System (ODMCS) on Ship?" . Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  6. 1 2 "Deckma OMD-24 – Oil Content Meter | Mackay Communications and Marine Electronics and Service". www.mackaycomm.com. Retrieved 2015-07-28.


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