Checks Before
Starting The Purifier
Before starting the purifier or any other machinery, first, check and observe the machinery for lube oil level, check for working carrying on with that machinery, the brake is free, no obstruction nearby, check for leaks around the machinery, etc...
First and foremost Steps,
- Check the valve line up on your own.
- Check the operating water tank level if fitted/open water line valve
- Check sludge valve is open.
- Ensure before the purifier filter is cleaned and purged properly.
Checks After Starting the Purifier during regular watches:
- Adjust the throughput, back pressure, and temperature of the feed inlet if necessary
- gear case oil level, motor amps, general leakages, and vibration have to be monitored
- De-sludge every 2 hours for heavy oil purifiers & every 4 hours for lubricating oil purifiers.
After Stopping The Purifiers:
- De-sludge the purifier after stopping the feed inlet.
- Shut down the steam inlet to the oil.
- Stop the purifier after filling up the bowl with water.
- Apply brakes and bring up the purifier to complete rest.
- If anY emergency, the purifier has emergency stops, pressing it, will stop the purifiers from immediately shutting off the feed.
- Thus we have seen in detail how to start the purifier after carrying out all safety checks and we have also seen how to stop it.
Purifier overflow reasons:
- correct gravity disc size (if this is the reason it will happen only on bunker change)
- Excessive sludge deposit inside the bowl (purifier will vibrate, also motor Amps will increase slightly)
- Sealing water low (if you are in doubt with this point, manually increase the sealing water amount/duration. this may be due to a clogged filter in the waterline. usually, the water line used to have a filter before the solenoid, to avoid the solenoid valve being affected by debris in the water. clean the filter)
- Excessive back pressure or service tank valve closed
- Feed oil temperature high or low(with the large deviation of temperature in purifier inlet oil this may happen.)
- Orifice plat was installed wrongly on the inlet side( this is a human error, it will happen after overhaul or bowl routines).
- Excessive feed rate (Always set the feed rate with normal operating temperature, around 98 degC)
- Main Sealing ring leakage, between bowl and hood.
- Low rpm or wrong direction(low rpm mainly by friction pad worn out)
- Leaking three-way valve
- In case of overflow of the purifier, as a junior engineer, you just close the feed valve.
- If you know the de-sludge operation carries on otherwise inform senior engineers.
Oil change - monthly
- The oil change and check of belt transmission should be carried out every 1500 hours of operation.
- When using a group D oil, the time of operation between oil changes can be extended from the normal 1500 hours to 2000 hours.
- When the separator is run for short periods, the lubricating oil must be changed every 12 months even if the total number of operating hours is less than 1500 hours (less than 2000 hours if a group D oil is used).