Inert Gas Generator Suppliers

The marine inert gas generator is the engineered unit that produces a low-oxygen atmosphere for cargo tank inertion on oil, chemical, and gas carrier tonnage - the oil-fired flue gas generator with its combustion chamber, scrubber tower, demister, and soot blower on traditional oil tanker installations, or the nitrogen PSA generator with its molecular sieve beds and adsorption cycle on modern chemical, LNG, and LPG carriers. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 4 mandates inert gas systems on tankers over 8000 deadweight tons; the IGG is the unit at the heart of that system, producing the gas that flows through the deck distribution network to keep the tank atmosphere below the lower flammable limit during cargo operations.

On the equipment-procurement side, suppliers cover the IGG unit itself - complete oil-fired flue gas generator packages on newbuild tanker contracts, nitrogen PSA generator installations on modern chemical and gas carrier projects, retrofit and upgrade scope when an aging unit reaches end of service life, and the engineering integration that ties generator output to the vessel's deck distribution system. The right partner delivers a unit matched to the cargo type, the tank volume, the loading rate, and the class society requirements; the wrong one produces an installation that fails the witnessed acceptance test and delays vessel delivery.

What the Inert Gas Generator Covers Onboard

An inert gas generator installation on a commercial tanker consists of a defined equipment population that produces and conditions the inert gas before it enters the deck main:

• Combustion chamber and burner (oil-fired IGG) - the fired vessel that burns fuel oil with controlled air to produce flue gas with low oxygen content, typically below 5% O2 at the chamber outlet.
• Scrubber tower - the seawater-flooded vessel that cools the flue gas from combustion temperature down to about ambient, removes sulphur oxides through wet scrubbing, and saturates the gas with water vapour for the demister to capture.
• Demister and gas conditioning section - the mist eliminator that removes entrained seawater droplets and particulates before the gas enters the deck distribution main, protecting downstream piping and cargo tank atmosphere.
• Combustion air and gas blowers - the forced-draft fans that supply primary combustion air to the burner and the IG main blowers that push the conditioned gas through the deck network.
• Soot blower - periodic cleaning mechanism that removes carbon deposits from the combustion chamber and scrubber internals across operating hours.
• Nitrogen PSA generator (alternative architecture) - air compressor feeding a pre-treatment skid, twin molecular sieve beds (carbon molecular sieve or zeolite) operating on a pressure-swing adsorption cycle, and an N2 buffer tank holding gas at the required purity (typically 95% to 99% N2).
• Control panel and instrumentation - the local and remote control interface running the burner sequence, monitoring O2 content at the generator outlet, controlling combustion air ratio, and integrating with the vessel's central alarm monitoring system.

Component-level renewal - burner assemblies, refractory bricks, scrubber spray nozzles, demister pads, soot blower components, O2 analyzer cells, blower bearings - belongs with inert gas generator spare parts rather than complete unit procurement.

Oil-Fired IGG vs Nitrogen PSA - Two Procurement Routes

Procurement on this category splits across two distinct technologies, each matched to particular cargo and vessel types. Oil-fired flue gas IGG - the traditional architecture dominant on crude oil and product oil tankers, delivering inert gas in volumes that match high cargo loading rates (typically 4000 to 30000 cubic metres per hour), running on the vessel's fuel oil supply, with operating cost driven by fuel consumption during cargo operations. The oil-fired IGG produces inert gas with about 2 to 5% residual O2 at the scrubber outlet, plus some CO2 and SOx that the scrubber removes. Nitrogen PSA generator - the modern alternative dominant on chemical tankers, LNG carriers, and LPG carriers where the cargo cannot tolerate flue gas contamination. The PSA generator produces pure nitrogen at 95% to 99% purity from atmospheric air through pressure-swing adsorption, with operating cost driven by compressor power and the membrane or molecular sieve replacement cycle. PSA generators run smaller in capacity per skid (typically 100 to 2000 Nm³/h) and scale by parallel skids rather than single-large-unit. The choice runs through cargo compatibility, required gas purity, capacity demand, available engine room space, and total cost of ownership across the vessel's service life.

Beyond tank inertion - instrument gas, dry-dock inerting, blanketing on non-tanker tonnage, special atmospheres - nitrogen and hydrogen systems cover that broader population.

SOLAS Chapter II-2 and IMO Compliance

Regulatory acceptance on classed tonnage runs through a defined framework that any IGG installation has to meet. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 4 mandates fixed inert gas systems on all oil tankers of 8000 DWT and above, on chemical tankers, and on LNG/LPG carriers where the cargo dictates inertion. IMO MSC.1/Circ.1466 carries the revised guidelines for inert gas systems covering performance criteria, design requirements, and operational procedures. The IBC Code adds chemical-tanker-specific requirements covering compatibility between inert gas composition and cargo chemistry. IACS member societies - DNV, ABS, Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, ClassNK, RINA, KR, CCS - issue type approval certificates that cover the broader survey acceptance framework, with non-IACS bodies (HRS, INSB Class, RMRS) covering specific flag administrations. The class surveyor witnesses the IGG performance test at the periodical survey - O2 content verification, pressure capacity, alarm and shutdown function, deck water seal integrity - before signing off the unit on the Safety Equipment Certificate.

Brand Landscape

A defined OEM population dominates the IGG manufacturing landscape, each brand holding a particular technical position:

• ALFA LAVAL Smit (Netherlands) - the dominant oil-fired flue gas IGG OEM globally, with the Smit Gas product line covering crude, product, and chemical tanker scope across capacity ranges.
• HAMWORTHY (now part of Wartsila) - Hamworthy Moss IGG dominant on older tanker fleet and significant share of installed base across major flag states.
• KANGRIM Heavy Industries (Korea) - oil-fired IGG on Korean-built tanker tonnage and broader installed base across Asian fleets.
• Atlas Copco - nitrogen PSA generator scope across chemical and gas carrier applications.
• Air Liquide, AIR PRODUCTS - PSA nitrogen systems on large LNG and chemical projects.
• CLARKE CHAPMAN - IGG and gas system scope on UK-built and broader installed tonnage.
• Feen Marine, Fuji Electric, Kashiwa Tech Co - regional and specialist OEM scope across European and Asian markets.
• Survitec, Ocean Clean - service-side specialists with strong brand recognition on installed Smit and Hamworthy units.

Newbuild Installation vs Retrofit Procurement

Two operational scenarios drive the procurement work on this equipment. Newbuild installation - the IGG is specified at the shipyard outfit stage against the cargo tank capacity, the maximum loading rate, the IBC Code requirements where chemical tanker scope applies, and the class society review of the inert gas system arrangement. The supplier integrates with the broader IG system OEMs (deck water seal, P/V breaker, mast riser), produces the engineering documentation, witnesses the factory acceptance test, and supports the harbour and sea trial commissioning before vessel delivery. Retrofit and upgrade scope - aging oil-fired IGG units reach end of service after 20 to 30 years and need complete replacement, or operators convert from oil-fired flue gas to N2 PSA architecture to support cargo flexibility on chemical tanker conversions. Retrofit procurement runs against the existing scrubber and deck distribution piping, the available engine room space, and the class society's re-witnessing requirements at recommissioning.

Selecting a Marine Inert Gas Generator Supplier

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

• Technology matched to cargo scope - oil-fired flue gas IGG for crude and product tankers, N2 PSA generator for chemical/LNG/LPG carriers where flue gas contamination is unacceptable. Brand portfolio that covers both technologies lets the operator standardise across mixed fleets.
• Capacity matched to loading rate - IGG output capacity sized to the maximum cargo loading rate plus the safety margin SOLAS Chapter II-2 requires. Undersized generators delay cargo operations; oversized generators waste capex.
• Class approval matched to vessel registry - IACS member type approval certificate (DNV, ABS, Lloyd's Register, BV, ClassNK, RINA, KR, CCS), MARPOL and SOLAS compliance documentation, IBC Code traceability where chemical tanker scope applies. Certificate copies shipped with the unit.
• OEM integration with broader IG system - documented working relationships with deck water seal, P/V breaker, and mast riser OEMs so the generator integrates with the broader inert gas system without on-board re-engineering.
• Factory acceptance test and commissioning support - witnessed FAT at the supplier facility, HAT and SAT support at the vessel, plus the documentation pack the operator's planned maintenance system needs across the unit's service life.

Suppliers worth shortlisting on this scope deliver technology matched to cargo, capacity matched to loading rate, class approval matched to vessel registry, OEM integration with the broader IG system, and witnessed acceptance test scope. Once the equipment is commissioned, the annual class-witnessed test, scrubber cleaning, combustion tuning, refractory inspection, and overhaul work sit downstream of supply - see inert gas generator service companies for that scope.