Yeah that was fun as a wiper cleaning separators 6 in the morning specially in the tropics. long time ago but if if i see it its like yesterday.iloved to be a seaman clarence abel

Michael Brinkmann, just noticed this article for Westalia separators on the new Triple E's :- http://www.marinelink.com/news/separators-westfalia345711.aspx
Regards, Rick

Thank you all for the great explanations of what these "gizmos" are used to
Best Regards
Bendt

Thanks for your help, too, Ozzy!
Rick, the overall is not the problem, but I'm lacking a ship right now...

Jens, remember that fuel oil is heated to very high temperatures to increase combustion & lower viscosity- so the seperator room is usually VERY hot to work in.
My favourite road in Westfalia is Ostwestfalenstraße......
EastWestfalia Road. Huh?
Regards, Rick

Crikey ozzy76, that's even more work than on my tankers! ;-)
Jen,s time you put on a pair of overalls and had a look in the pit (engine room).... lol
Regards, Rick

Ah, yesssss...., Rick, I must admit I couldn't have explained it any better!
If any further questions should arise after I have fed this explanation to my HDSMW ("How-Does-A-Ship's-Machinery-Work-?) translator I'll be coming back to you in no time... (Gee, and I thought a Westfalia separator was a soldier in the Thirty-Years' War.)

This is an extremely *small* Alfa-Laval purifier, and in Swedish langauge, but it shows the principle of what/how a centrifuge works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wxB6k9Elds

@Jens...That's the job of a 4th Engineer...Purifers and air compressors...A third Engineer is in charge of Generators...2nd Engineer Main Engine..
Taking apart Purifers is a constant job..You have several purifers for the fuel system..And then purifers for the Lub oil for the main engine and the Lub oil for the Generators.
Every month the Planned maintence such as AMOS D etc...spits out work required for these machines..So on a Panamx sized container ship with 3 Generators for example..3 x Purifers for the fuel oil system.
2x purifers for the M/E Lube Oil 1 on reserve.
And 3 x purifers for each Diesel Generator .
That's 8 machines..every 2,000 hours they need a service and 6,000 hours complete strip down with bearings etc replaced.
And they can be tempermental machines at times.

:-0 Memories of cleaning old Alfa- Laval separators in the stinking hot purifer room on steam ships!
Jens, it refers to the messy job (before self-cleaning separators were introduced) of stripping the fuel oil & lube oil separators down, to clean them every morning (on some ships) with kerosene or other solvent.
They work by centrifugal principle on the different density of matter.
All Fuel and lubrication (lube) oil is passed through them to remove water, impurities & unwanted particles such as sand & minute metal particles and etc. before the oil is either burnt (i.e. the fuel oil) or reused (the lube oil) in the main engine or generators.
Simple eh?
Regards, Rick

Ozzy, why is that? (Be warned, I haven't the faintest idea of a ship's machinery!):-D

This photo should prove popular with 4th Engineers worldwide :-))))...

WESTFALIA separators - often shut down due to grotty fuels in the 80ties!