Inert Gas Blower Suppliers

The marine inert gas blower is the gas-moving fan that runs the inert gas distribution on a tanker - the forced-draft combustion air blower feeding the IGG burner on oil-fired installations, and the IG main blower pushing the conditioned gas downstream of the scrubber through the deck distribution network into the cargo tanks. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 4 mandates redundant blowers on the IG main with capacity to handle the maximum cargo loading rate plus a safety margin, and the blower sizing decision sits at the heart of the IG system performance envelope. An undersized blower delays cargo operations; an oversized blower wastes capex and engine room space.

Blower suppliers on this category cover the complete fan unit procurement scope - newbuild installations on tanker contracts where the blower is specified against the cargo loading rate and the IG main pressure drop, retrofit and replacement on aging installations where the original fan has reached end of service after 15 to 25 years, capacity upgrades where the operator increases tank inertion rate to support higher cargo throughput, and the standby fan additions where the original installation ran on a single blower without redundancy. The right partner delivers a fan matched to the duty cycle, the gas chemistry, and the class society requirements; the wrong one supplies an industrial fan that fails the wet acidic gas environment downstream of the scrubber within months.

Blower Types - Centrifugal vs Axial, Forced-Draft vs Induced-Draft

Marine IG installations use specific fan configurations driven by the duty cycle and the installation location. Centrifugal blowers (dominant on IG main applications) - high-pressure rise per stage, compact footprint, handles particulate-laden gas, suitable for the wet acidic environment downstream of the scrubber. Casing material is typically corrosion-resistant alloy (duplex stainless or epoxy-coated steel) and the impeller carries hard-facing or coating to handle erosion from scrubber liquid carryover. Axial blowers (occasional on combustion air supply) - lower pressure rise but higher flow rate, used where the inlet duct geometry favours axial flow and the gas is clean. Forced-draft fans (combustion air on the IGG burner) - draw fresh atmospheric air through a filter and push it into the burner at low pressure, typically a smaller centrifugal fan in the 100 to 500 m³/h range. Induced-draft fans (rare on marine IG) - pull gas through the system from the downstream end; most marine installations use forced-draft arrangement instead. The fan choice drives the casing material, the impeller design, the bearing arrangement, and the OEM authorisation that the class society checks at type approval witnessing.

Sizing and Capacity Selection

Marine IG blower sizing runs through a defined calculation tied to the cargo operations envelope. Maximum cargo loading rate sets the minimum IG flow capacity - the IG main has to deliver inert gas at the same volumetric rate the cargo enters the tank, plus margin for cargo vapour displacement and system pressure losses. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 4 requires the system to supply 125% of the maximum loading rate; class society rules add specific capacity and pressure requirements. Tank vapour space pressure drives the discharge pressure - the blower has to overcome the cargo tank back-pressure (typically 100 to 200 mmWG) plus the distribution main pressure drop plus the deck water seal hydraulic head. Gas temperature at the blower inlet affects density and capacity - after the scrubber the gas is at near-ambient with high water vapour content, which changes the volumetric calculation. The right supplier produces the sizing calculation, the performance curve at design conditions, and the class society review documentation as part of the procurement package rather than leaving the operator to verify the duty match.

Brand Landscape

A defined OEM population dominates marine inert gas blower manufacturing, each brand holding a particular technical position:

• ALFA LAVAL Smit - integrated IG system supplier including matched blower scope for Smit Gas installations.
• HAMWORTHY (Wartsila) - matched blower arrangement for Hamworthy Moss IG systems on installed fleet.
• Howden, TLT-Turbo - industrial blower OEMs supplying complete fan units to marine IG integrators.
• Kashiwa Tech Co - Japanese-built marine blowers on Asian tanker installations.
• Aerzen, NEU Process - specialist process blower OEMs covering niche capacity and chemistry applications.
• Atlas Copco - centrifugal blower scope including N2 PSA generator air supply applications.

Brand selection matters where the consuming IG system OEM specifies a matched blower arrangement; mixed-brand integration on retrofit jobs triggers type-approval and traceability complications at class survey.

Newbuild vs Retrofit Procurement

Two operational scenarios drive blower procurement. Newbuild installation - the blower is specified at the shipyard outfit stage as part of the complete IG system package, integrated with the IGG generator and the deck distribution arrangement, factory-tested against the design duty, and witnessed at harbour acceptance test before vessel delivery. Retrofit and replacement - aging blowers reach end of service after 15 to 25 years and need complete replacement, capacity upgrades support increased cargo throughput on tanker conversions, and standby fan additions bring single-blower installations into SOLAS Chapter II-2 redundancy compliance. Retrofit procurement runs against the existing piping arrangement, the available engine room space, and the class society's re-witnessing requirements at recommissioning. Need bearings, impellers, shaft seals, or coupling rubbers for an existing fan? See IG blower spare parts instead of the complete-unit side.

Selecting a Marine Inert Gas Blower Supplier

When you shortlist suppliers, weigh the structural evidence on each profile rather than the marketing surface:

• Engineering capability matched to vessel duty - the supplier produces sizing calculation, performance curves at design conditions, casing and impeller material specification, and the integration drawings against the actual cargo operations duty cycle.
• Class approval matched to vessel registry - IACS member type approval (DNV, ABS, Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, ClassNK, RINA, KR, CCS), SOLAS Chapter II-2 compliance documentation, with certificate copies shipped with each unit.
• Corrosion-resistant material specification - casing and impeller material matched to the wet acidic gas chemistry downstream of the scrubber, with material certificates supporting the expected service life.
• IG system integration experience - documented working relationships with Smit, Hamworthy, Kashiwa, and other IG system OEMs so the blower integrates without on-board re-engineering.
• Factory acceptance test and commissioning - witnessed FAT at the supplier facility, HAT/SAT support at the vessel, and the documentation pack the operator's planned maintenance system needs across the unit's service life.

Suppliers worth shortlisting on this scope deliver engineering depth matched to vessel duty, class approval certification matched to registry, corrosion-resistant material specification, IG system integration experience, and witnessed acceptance test scope. Need the broader IG system equipment - deck water seal, P/V breaker, mast riser, complete generator package? Inert gas generator suppliers cover that adjacent population.