SUNRUI BalClor® Ballast Water Management System
The International Maritime Organization adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004, which stipulates that all ocean-going ships must install ballast water management systems in accordance with the schedule, otherwise they will be sanctioned and punished for violating the Convention. Against this background, SUNRUI Marine Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd. has successfully developed the BalClor® ballast water management system. It has completely independent intellectual property rights for this technology and the BalClor® series of products. The products have successfully passed the certification of China Classification Society, Det Norske Veritas and Type approval from classification societies, Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, Nippon Register of Shipping and AMS (Alternative System) certification from the US Coast Guard USCG. In 2012, it received special funding support for independent innovation from Shandong Province. In 2013 Successfully selected as a national strategic innovation product.
BalClor® Ballast Water Treatment Principle
The treatment process of BalClor® BWMS for ballast water is divided into three steps: “filtration”, “electrolysis of seawater to produce sodium hypochlorite for sterilization”, and “neutralization”:
The first step is “filtration” – when filling water, use an automatic backwash filter with a filtration accuracy of 50um to filter all ballast water. This step can filter out most marine organisms and solid particles larger than 50um;
Third-party Bioavailability Testing
The second step is to “electrolyze seawater to produce sodium hypochlorite for sterilization” – take a small flow of seawater from the ballast water main pipe and flow it through the electrolysis device. Electrolysis produces a high-concentration sodium hypochlorite solution. After degassing, the solution is injected back into the ballast water main pipe. pipeline, mixed with main pipeline ballast water and diluted to a specific concentration. This concentration of sodium hypochlorite can effectively kill residual plankton, pathogens and their larvae or spores after filtration, achieving the specified sterilization effect (D-2 and other standards). The concentration of active substances in the ballast water pipeline is determined by TRO Automatic control of analyzers and control systems;
The third step is “neutralization” – when the ballast water is discharged, when the residual chlorine concentration in the ballast water is less than the IMO specified value, the neutralization system does not start and the ballast water is directly discharged to the destination sea area; when the residual chlorine concentration is greater than the IMO When the specified value is reached, the neutralization system starts automatically and injects neutralizer into the drainage pipe to neutralize the residual oxidant. The flow rate of the neutralizer is automatically controlled by the control system based on the concentration information fed back by the TRO detector.
Working Principle
The treatment process of BalClor® BWMS for ballast water is divided into three steps: “filtration”, “electrolyzing seawater to produce sodium hypochlorite for sterilization”, and “neutralization”:
The first step is “filtration” – when filling water, use an automatic backwash filter with a filtration accuracy of 50um to filter all ballast water. This step can filter out most marine organisms and solid particles larger than 50um;
The second step is to “electrolyze seawater to produce sodium hypochlorite for sterilization” – take a small flow of seawater from the ballast water main pipe and flow it through the electrolysis device. Electrolysis produces a high-concentration sodium hypochlorite solution. After degassing, the solution is injected back into the ballast water main pipe. pipeline, mixed with main pipeline ballast water and diluted to a specific concentration. This concentration of sodium hypochlorite can effectively kill residual plankton, pathogens and their larvae or spores after filtration, achieving the specified sterilization effect (D-2 standard). The concentration of active substances in the ballast water pipeline is determined by the TRO analyzer and control system automatic control;
The third step is “neutralization” – when the ballast water is discharged, when the residual chlorine concentration in the ballast water is less than the IMO prescribed value, the neutralization system does not start and the ballast water is directly discharged to the destination sea area; when the residual chlorine concentration is greater than the IMO When the specified value is reached, the neutralization system starts automatically and injects neutralizer into the drainage pipe to neutralize the residual oxidant. The flow rate of the neutralizer is automatically controlled by the control system based on the concentration information fed back by the TRO detector.
Equipment Composition
BalClor® BWMS adopts a modular design and consists of three parts: filtration unit, electrolysis unit and neutralization unit. These units can be assembled into 3-7 modules according to the hull space and actual needs for easy installation and maintenance.
Filter Unit
The filtration unit uses an automatic backwash filter to implement full seawater filtration. During filtration, seawater enters the filter chamber through the inlet flange, and part of the unfiltered seawater enters the upper part of the filter through the riser in the middle of the filter element, and finally enters the filter element from above. This means that seawater enters the filter element from both above and below. Plankton with a diameter greater than 50mm will be intercepted by the filter element, and the filtered seawater will pass through the filter screen and reach the filter outlet. The filtered plankton will remain within the entire length of the filter element, allowing the entire filter area to be fully utilized.
When the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the filter reaches the set value, the backwash system automatically starts, and the filter elements with openings at both ends are flushed alternately up and down in sequence. During the backwashing process, the electric motor drives the flushing system, and a set of rotating cover arms located above the filter element begins to rotate to cover the upper end of the filter element; at the same time, the lower flushing arm begins to rotate, corresponding to the lower end of the filter element. Open the drain valve, so that the pressure drop generated inside the filter element will cause the water flowing through the filter element to flow in the reverse direction, flushing the remaining plankton out of the filter element to achieve the best flushing effect.
Electrolysis Unit
The electrolysis unit uses a tube plate electrolyzer. The tube plate electrolyzer has high electrolysis efficiency, low power consumption and mature technology. It is widely used in the anti-marine biological treatment of seawater cooling systems in ships, platforms and nuclear power fields. It is an ideal product for ship ballast water treatment equipment. When direct current is applied to both ends of the electrolytic cell, the chloride ions in the seawater are oxidized on the anode plate of the electrolytic cell. The oxides dissolve in the seawater to generate a high-concentration sodium hypochlorite solution. This solution is degassed by the separator and then injected back into the ballast water main pipe. pipeline, and mix it with the main pipeline seawater to a certain concentration. This concentration of sodium hypochlorite solution can effectively kill residual plankton, pathogens and their larvae or spores after filtration, achieving the sterilization effect specified by the D2 standard.
BalClor® BWMS uses switching power supply as the rectifier device. The function of the switching power supply is to convert AC input power into DC output power to meet the low voltage and high current requirements of the electrolyzer. Compared with the silicon controlled rectifier commonly used in foreign electrolysis equipment, the switching power supply has advantages.
Neutralization Unit
The neutralization unit is used to neutralize residual oxidants in the discharge water. The TRO detector installed at the drainage outlet will monitor the residual chlorine concentration in the discharge water in real time and transmit the results to the control system. When the residual chlorine concentration in the ballast water is less than the IMO prescribed value, the neutralization system does not start and the ballast water is discharged directly to the destination sea area; when the residual chlorine concentration is greater than the IMO prescribed value, the neutralization system automatically starts and injects the ballast water into the drainage pipe. The neutralizer neutralizes the residual oxidant. The flow rate of the neutralizer is automatically controlled by the control system based on the concentration information fed back by the TRO detector.
Features
Advancedness
Branch electrolysis technology facilitates pipeline design and equipment layout;
Electrolytic chlorine production inactivation technology is mature, reliable, safe and effective;
Economy
The core component (electrolyzer) lasts the entire life of the ship and has low maintenance costs.
Only processed during ballast, low power consumption
Adaptability
Suitable for all routes
Suitable for all ship types
Safety
Intrinsically safe design to meet design standards for oil tankers and chemical tankers
Complete hydrogen processing technology to meet nuclear safety standards
Product Advantages
- Use direct electrolysis of seawater to produce sodium hypochlorite to inactivate ballast water. SUNRUI’s seawater electrolysis technology has more than 20 years of successful experience in land application, and the technology is mature and highly reliable;
- The only treatment process for organisms in ballast water is filtration and electrolysis technology. The system is simple and effective, and is not limited by water quality, and can treat turbid seawater;
- Using advanced bypass electrolysis technology, it is easy to install and does not require modification of the main ballast water pipeline;
- The system contains neutralization technology, which can remove residual chlorine that may be present in ballast water, so that ballast water can meet the residual chlorine emission standards stipulated by the International Maritime Organization at any time, so it is suitable for ships on various routes;
- Adopt a variety of electrolysis solutions, which are suitable for both seawater routes and freshwater routes;
- The core component of the equipment – the electrolyzer has a long life, does not need to be replaced during the entire life of the ship, and has low maintenance costs;
- The system power supply has high rectification efficiency, low energy consumption, no need to modify the power station, and low operating cost. According to the statistics of Lloyd’s Register, the operating cost of SUNRUI ballast water management system is less than the average operation of existing technology. half the cost;
- The ballast water volume processed is 100 to 7,000 cubic meters per hour, and the water volume is large. The 12 specifications and models cover all three major ship types;
- The system adopts a modular design, which not only facilitates the design and installation of new ships, but also allows flexible and decentralized installation according to the actual conditions of existing ships.
Other
This product won the national strategic innovative product project in 2013 and is the only company in the industry to win this honor.
At present, SUNRUI Company has an annual production capacity of 500 sets of ballast water management systems, which can meet the market growth and the needs of domestic and foreign shipowners and shipyards.
The company has established strategic cooperative relationships with a number of international shipping giants, and its products have been sold to Greece, Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan and other countries and regions.