Green Instruments fire prevention: Detecting hazardous oil mist in engine hotbox

Oil mist is a major cause of engine room fires – and even the smallest build-up of mist can lead to a hazardous situation. This makes continuous detection of even the smallest formation of oil mist paramount to swift mitigation of danger. 

Luckily, the solution is neither costly nor difficult to install. 

The engine hotbox: a potentially dangerous environment

While Green Instruments’ acclaimed G26 Ambient Oil Mist Detector is designed for open spaces such as pump rooms, engine rooms and other facilities, the G26 hotbox installation focuses on an area of particular importance: the protective engine hotbox covering vital parts of the fuel system.

When the warm environment inside the engine hotbox is combined with oil mist or spray, the hotbox represents a significant source of risk. Discovering occurring safety-threatening leakages here is of great difficulty: the cover hides the ominous area and oil mist can be hard, sometimes impossible, to detect with the human eye. 

Early alarm – fast reaction – less damage

The function of Green Instruments’ G26 is based on the well-known double pass opacity measurement system. With configuration of several detectors per monitor and a scanning distance of up to 15 meters per detector, the G26 covers a significantly larger area than single point extractive sampling systems. The G26 detects all types of oil mist and provides immediate overview and early alarms, allowing the operator to react timely to any dangerous situations. Besides reacting to all types of oil mist, the system correspondingly reacts to smoke and dust. Such interferences trigger the alarm and inform of potential fire and explosion hazards inside the engine hotbox. Still, the true optical sensor is not affected by the presence of naturally occurring fumes from running machineries.

Providing the earliest possible warning will reduce the overall risk of hazard as well as minimize the need for subsequent cleaning. Green Instruments’ hotbox monitoring solution requires only periodic cleaning of the protective glass with a clean cloth, followed by a single push on the zero calibration-button – no need for specialty tools. Additionally, the G26 contains no moving parts requiring mechanical maintenance, such as ventilation fans, which makes G26 cost-effective and easy to operate.

The G26 hotbox system is, along other of Green Instruments’ monitoring and protection as well as environmental compliancy solutions, installed onboard many major and well-known cruise line companies. Installations, that not only ensures compliance but protects safety of travelers, crew and assets of the growing cruise industry.