6.2 Gas engine design general
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Resolutions - Maritime Safety Committee - Resolution MSC.285(86) – Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas-Fuelled Engine Installations in Ships – (Adopted on 1 June 2009) - Annex – Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas-fuelled Engine Installations in Ships - Chapter 6 – Compressors and Gas Engines - 6.2 Gas engine design general

6.2 Gas engine design general

  6.2.1 The last gas valve prior to the gas engine should be controlled by the engine control system or by the engine gas demand.

All gas engine components, gas engine systems and gas engine subsystems should be designed to:

  • .1 exclude any explosion at all possible situations; or

  • .2 to allow explosions without detrimental effect and to discharge to a safe location. The explosion event should not interrupt the safe operation of the engine unless other safety measures allow the shutdown of the affected engine.

  6.2.1.1 When gas is supplied in a mixture with air through a common manifold, sufficient flame arrestors should be installed before each cylinder head. The mixture inlet system should be designed to withstand explosions of mixture by means of:

  • .1 explosion relief venting to prevent excessive explosion pressures. It should be ensured that the explosion relief venting is installed in a way that it discharges to a safe location; or

  • .2 documentation demonstrating that the mixture inlet system has sufficient strength to contain the worst case explosion.

  6.2.1.2 The exhaust system should be designed to withstand explosions of unburned mixture by means of:

  • .1 explosion relief venting to prevent excessive explosion pressures. It should be ensured that the explosion relief venting is installed such that they discharge to a safe location; or

  • .2 documentation showing that the exhaust system has sufficient strength to contain the worst case explosion.

  6.2.1.3 The crankcase of gas engines should be provided with:

  • .1 crankcase explosion relief valves of a suitable type with sufficient relief area. The relief valves should be installed in way of each crank throw and should be arranged or provided with means to ensure that discharge from them is so directed as to minimize the possibility of injury to personnel. Refer to SOLAS regulations II-1/27 and 47.2; or

  • .2 documentation showing that the crankcase has sufficient strength to contain the worst case explosion.

  6.2.1.4 It should be ensured that the explosion of unburned mixture within the exhaust system or the crankcase or the explosion of mixture within the mixture inlet is allowed without detrimental effect.

  6.2.2 The design of piping on gas engines should follow the requirements in chapter 2.6 “System configuration” and chapter 2.7 “Gas supply system in gas machinery spaces”.

  6.2.3 The combustion of the gas mixture should be monitored. This can be achieved by monitoring of the exhaust gas or combustion chamber temperature.

  6.2.4 The exhaust pipes of gas-fuelled engines should not be connected to the exhaust pipes of other engines or systems.


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