Scrubber Expansion Joints

The International Maritime Organization’s 2020 Global Sulphur Regulation which came into force on January 1, 2020 is aimed at reducing the shipping sector’s impact on the environment, including cruise ships, cargo ships, and tankers.

Exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, scrubber systems, wet gas scrubbers, exhaust gas scrubbers among many other designations, are designed to control air pollution by removing the harmful particles from exhaust gases.  These scrubbers remove sulpher oxides and nitrogen oxides from the exhaust fumes generated by combustion in ship engines.  Exhaust gas scrubbers are being installed on a substantial number of ships in order to comply with international regulations.

Metal expansion joints are designed to protect the exhaust scrubber system and connected equipment, as the scrubber can be susceptible to damage from vibrations and movements. Typically, one expansion joint is placed at the inlet, and another is positioned at the outlet.  Most often, the material used for the expansion joint will be the AL-6XN alloy which was designed to be seawater resistant and highly resistant to a broad range of corrosive environments.  In the past, other alloys like Hasteloy have been used, but the AL6XN has proven to be a superior material for highly corrosive and seawater applications.

H.S. White has the knowledge and experience to deliver the expansion joints necessary to provide reliable operation of exhaust gas cleaning systems.  Size capabilities range from 2 inch diameter to 102 inch.

Many of today’s ships are older and offer limited space for installing new scrubber systems. H.S. White will work with ship builders and scrubber installers to find the optimal expansion joint configuration.  Trust H.S. White’s product expertise and our ability to deliver customized solutions with short lead times.