|
The SBS2000 Ambient Oil Mist Detector is used to monitor engine rooms and other facilities. As the IMO points out, most engine-room fires are the result of the build up of oil mist. Thus early alarms on the formation of oil mist are crucial to avoiding fires.
The Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) Programme of the OCIMF is particularly aware of leaks in high pressure transmission pipes in connection with hydraulic pressure packs. Section 11.25 of SIRE advises the installation of an oil mist detector if the hydraulic aggregate pumps are located within the main engine compartment.
This small safety investment yields great benefits while more and more vetting inspectors would like to see this equipment onboard. The SBS2000 is ideal for applications where an accurate response to smoke, dust, or oil mist is required at all times.
Ambient oil mist (also called atmospheric oil mist or blue smoke) can be formed in one of two ways: first, oil leaks in pressurized oil lines produce a very fine atomized spray; second, evaporating oil on a hot surface produces blue smoke. These tiny droplets of oil in the air have a low ignition temperature or can be sparked off by other sources.
The SBS2000 is a line-of-site opacity meter. It sends a beam of light across the section to be monitored. If the beam along the line of sight passes through oil mist, smoke, or dust, this light beam is scattered and absorbed and thus the receiver signal is reduced.
The line-of-site measurement principle has the decisive advantage of covering a larger area than single-point extractive-sampling systems. With the latter measurement principle you run the risk of having placed a sensor in an area where oil mist does not build up under any circumstances due to the air flow within the engine room. The line-of-site measurement principle solves this problem elegantly with a measurement range of up to 9 m and is on top of that used as a smoke alarm.
|
