🔍 Key Concepts

• Fuel oil system layout on steam ships (double bottoms, settling tanks, service tanks, heaters, burners) • Purpose of a settling (or settler) tank versus a storage tank • Why boiler burners need clean, deaerated, water-free fuel at steady pressure

💭 Think About

• Trace the flow of fuel from long-term storage all the way to the boiler burners – which piece of equipment is closest to the burners? • Which tank or point in the system would you normally NOT want to draw from directly because of possible water, sludge, or contamination? • Ask yourself what the service pump is supposed to ‘serve’ and what kind of suction conditions (head, cleanliness) it needs to work reliably.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option represents a storage/ballast location versus a conditioned, ready-for-use fuel source • Decide where in the system heating and purification usually occur relative to the service pump (before suction, after discharge, or both) • Confirm which tank on a typical boiler fuel system is designed to provide clean, settled fuel at a constant level to supply service and burner pumps