Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5 Rise in soot fire incidents.................................................................................. 5Warning triangle – risk of soot fire................................................................ 6 Scope of this paper .................................................................................... 6Basic Information and Boiler Definitions ............................................................ 7 Heat balance of a main engine .................................................................... 7 Boiler types ................................................................................................ 8 Boiler steam systems................................................................................ 10 The influence of a boiler’s pinch point ........................................................ 11 Sulphuric acid corrosion............................................................................ 12 Steam production – influence of ambient temperatures.............................. 13 Particulate emissions from diesel engines .................................................. 15 Soot fires in exhaust gas boilers ................................................................ 15Boiler Experience and Design Criteria ............................................................. 17 Statistical analyses of soot fires ...................................................................... 17The impact of low gas velocities................................................................ 20 Summary of main reasons for soot fires..................................................... 21 Recommended boiler design criteria ......................................................... 22 Recommended operating conditions ......................................................... 23Closing Remarks............................................................................................ 25 Reference ...................................................................................................... 25