How do you start a purifier without destroying it ? | A Step-by-Step Guide

PIC: A Cool 4th Engineer reads about purifier.

Introduction :

Eeeh.! Does a Busy marine engineer needs to read an intro?

Have a look at this if you are a trainee: Purifier principle

Down below, you can find how to start a Purifier and purifier lineup basics. from start to finish. Decorated with colorful line diagrams for serving your visual memory. Plus adding more beauty to our purifier explanation.

Next time when you hear something about starting a purifier or anything that's even related to a purifier, you could deliver this with a smile.

Essential basics - Purifier Parameters

1. Temperature of the oil - viscosity needs to be reduced before purifying so we heat the oil using heater

2. Rpm of the rotating bowl - For efficient separation and to keep the interface within the limit for that correct rpm should be maintained

this could be obtained either by revolution counter or by ampere ( approximate)

3. Oil Feed (throughput) - as you might be knowing there should be a balance between maximum, and minimum throughput.

2 Pre-checks in your Purifier :

After Line up check,

• brakes
• Lube oil

If your purifier has an attached pump and purifying sequences are set in the controller,
 pressing  "Auto-start" button on the controller does everything for you.


1.Bowl closing
2.Desludging
3.Sealing water
4.Feed inlet


But anyway it's necessary to know the manual starting and stopping of purifiers.
in case if there is any Emergency/malfunction or troubleshooting. or just for the sake of showing off to your junior.

You could even spook your 4th if you say these to him. (give it a try)

An easy Line diagram - purifier starting steps :  

1. Skeleton of any purifier diagram.

PIC: showing line diagram of a typical purifier

2. With feed pump started and heater started

PIC: Showing Line diagram with Feed Pump started

PIC: With steam in and out

The 3-way valve makes sure that the settling tank oil goes to settling tank back without entering the purifier.

3. Open bowl closing water. [ also called as operating water ]

PIC: Opening Bowl closing water

Bowl Closes

PIC: Bow Goes up and closes

2. Open sealing water until it overflows from the water outlet.

PIC: Opening sealing water

Related Read:  Gravity disk in purifiers - A mystery?

3. Slowly Open Feed valve by letting the "3-way valve" to the purifier.

You could see the oil displaces some amount of the sealing water through the water outlet gauge glass.

The feed should be open slowly else there is a chance that the closing bowl might get opened up.

PIC: 3-way valve directed to purifier 

4. Adjust the backpressure by throttling the outlet valve of your purifier or by adjusting feed.

~~Purified oil flows into service tank~~

Adjust the Back pressure to your recommended settings.

Related Read: What's the difference Between Purifier and clarifier?

Enjoy the infographic

Check these while a purifier is running:

1. Check the Fuel Oil Temperature - If it goes above the boiling point of water, okay,
you know what happens next. yeah. "purifier Overflows.!

2. Inlet Pressure of Purifier. which shows the condition of the feed pump filters. If the pressure is less that indicates the feed pump filters are dirty).

3. Back Pressure should remain the same - If back pressure decreases, That indicates oil overflow through the water side or through the sludge side ( leakage )

4.Water overflow through the sludge port.

5. Check for excessive vibration in your purifier.

Related Read: Purifier Overflow reasons and causes

How Desludge a purifier?

1. Close the feed -  Direct the oil to settling tank.

2. Supply sealing water - to save the oil which is left in the purifier.

3. Supply desludging water - at the time of deslugde Amps go high and comebacks to normal (if it's not, then it indicates the bowl has not opened properly).

4.Provide sealing water and repeat the initial steps for further purifying

Putting a purifier to sleep:

1. Set the 3-way valve position to the feed pump's suction.

2.Shut the steam inlet and outlet to the heater

3. Stop the feed pump to the purifier

4. Open the sealing water to displace the oil left in the purifier to service tank.
 and when the sealing water overflows through the water outlet, and shut sealing water.

5.Deslugding:

why you need to desludge your purifier while stopping ? -

For Removing the deposited fuel particles or sediment. so that the sliding bowl can slide easily for the next cycle.

6. Stop the purifier motor

7. Shut the operating water valves, fuel valves, valve to the sludge tank if needed.

Have a nice day. and,

Share this with your juniors if you Liked this piece of article.
that helps me a lot to create more of this content.

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