Ecochlor has launched a new design of ballast water treatment system, EcoOne, which offers the choice of either single-step ClO2 disinfection or a two-step process using filters and ClO2
It claims EcoOne is a revolutionary, cost-effective, filterless ballast water management system with all the performance of the original Ecochlor ballast water management system.
Ecochlor president Steve Candito said, “I would like to thank our clients for their feedback, who asked for a filterless system with the same performance as our original system. We are very confident about the performance of this new system,” he said.
All the land-based testing of EcoOne is completed and additional low-salinity testing has been included.
Two tankers, an Aframax and a VLCC tanker have been included in the testing, and the final shipboard testing for US Coast Guard type-approval is expected by the end of May 2021, with type-approval expected in Q4 2021. IMO BWMS Code testing is complete.
The new system includes Ecochlor’s original ClO2 treatment technology, which has been tested extensively to ensure that it works effectively as a single-pass treatment under all operating conditions; there is no neutralisation or treatment prior to discharge.
There are no TRO sensors, no electrodes and no complex power supplies. This ballast water treatment process is said to offer several advantages over other techniques, which Ecochlor lists as: it is effective in all water types and conditions without the need for crew to adjust the operating parameters; it does not require treatment prior to discharge; there is no need for neutralisation; it does not use TRO sensors which can interrupt the ballasting/deballasting operations; it has very low energy use; and it can handle different modular arrangements with flow rates up to 16,200 m3/hr.
This allows for a consistent, easy-to-use system for the crew without the uncertainty of its effectiveness when faced with varying water types.
Ecochlor vice president of business development Andrew Marshall said, “Why filterless? The short answer is the customer asked for it. Some customers require a high-volume pumping rate without the issues of filters,” he said.
There are some concerns about filterless operations when operating in suspended sediments or turbidity. “UV relies on line of sight to the organism,” he said, “which is why you need a filter on a UV system.”
Hypercholorite reacts with any organisms, living or dead, in the water and requires high doses to ensure efficiency. Ecochlor uses ClO2, which only reacts with living organisms.
“With EcoOne, our operating parameters are very favourable for tanker operators,” he said. This should not damage tank coatings compared to the high doses of hypochlorite required by other systems.
For owners that wish to use a filter, for instance in freshwater, the EcoOne system can be provided in a hybrid format, incorporating a filter.
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