TeamTec has been awarded a contract to supply TeamTec Oceansaver ballast water management systems (BWMS) for two of Höegh LNG’s gas carriers and is supplying custom ejectors for BWMS retrofits
The Höegh LNG gas carriers Arctic Princess and Arctic Lady are to be supplied with TeamTec Oceansaver filtration with disinfection through patented electrodialysis BWMS.
The TeamTec Oceansaver BWMS was the first electro chlorination BWMS to receive USCG type-approval and has recently been approved according to the new IMO Ballast Water Management Code (revised G8).
Höegh LNG and the charterer Equinor jointly selected TeamTec Oceansaver BWMS, citing the strong focus on safety and the need for high-capacity ballast flows. An intelligent chemical dosing algorithm optimises power consumption during ballast operations resulting in minimal consumable usage during de-ballast.
TeamTec acquired the Oceansaver technology in 2017 and has since improved the technology, adding safety features to the already excellent safety rating and further improving the system’s reliability.
TeamTec head of sales ejectors Kåre Steinsvik has also noted a new trend in BWMS retrofit installations. During retrofit installations and BWMS testing, many yards and suppliers have discovered that installed ejectors in the existing ballast system do not work for stripping ballast through the BWMS.
An ejector is customised for the pump supply pressure, suction height and discharge height with very high precision. The science is clearly modelled through the Bernoulli equation, so if all input values are correct, the calculated ejector features will secure delivery exactly as planned. A BWMS retrofit installation can alter the back pressure of the flow system. If it increases, the pump cannot deliver the same flow and pressure as before and the original ejector is unable to meet the performance criteria.
Mr Steinsvik commented that the original ejector needs modifying to meet the new input or replacing with an ejector designed to the new specifications – something the TeamTec Ejector team can provide.
According to Mr Steinsvik, some designers and engineering companies installing and integrating BWMS are aware of this challenge and have contacted TeamTec early in the process. Others may not discover this until start-up/commissioning, but challenges are solvable. In the case of TeamTec, it has its own inhouse ejector foundry and can develop a solution to meet the new flow rate of the BWMS.
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