nir-vana innovation network

A Ukrainian research group deals with the problems of disinfection and purification of ballast water of seagoing vessels. The urgency of the topic is essentially brought to the international legal level, which provides protection of the World Waters, health and life of the people of coastal states.
On September 11, 2017, a new convention concerning disinfection and purification of ballast water entered into force, which obliges vessels to meet requirements of the new D-2 standard, which determines the stringency of the requirements for the pre-existing standard D-1 for both viable organisms and indicator microbes discharged by ballast water from seagoing vessels.
Realizing the importance of such a problem, the scientists of the Ukrainian research group developed and patented a method of disinfection and purification of ballast water and a new type of installation using the latest engineering and biotechnological achievements. The development of the installation took place with a preliminary study of the world's best analogues and their performance indicators in the World Fleet.
In the device a new chemical reagent iron chelate III with ligand (RNON = 0) was used to treat ballast water to neutralize and destroy invasions (aliens of the World Ocean), the reagent has been successfully tested to destroy mollusks in crop production. The use of sodium hypochlorite is also proposed. The proposed reagents significantly reduce the level of corrosion of the hull of the ballast tanks in contrast to the current use of chlorinated lime, which leads to significant costs for the repair of the ballast tanks and ship demurrage, which significantly worsens the "economy" of the vessel. Water flows from the ballast tank through the filter to the ballast pump, where foreign bodies over 100 nanometers in size are filtered. The water supply regulator is installed after the pump in order to regulate the productivity of the installation. Then the water enters the ultraviolet block, where there is a partial destruction of invasions and pathogenic bacteria.
The arrangement of UV elements in this design is made in the form of a cassette along the movement of the ballast water. This arrangement of UV elements gives their maximum washing, thereby increasing the contact and passage time of water in UV radiation, increasing the efficiency of irradiation and reducing the resistance to liquid movement in contrast to a number of known brands of similar installations, where UV elements are perpendicular to the ballast water flow axis. The electrohydraulic effect was used to disinfect and destroy invasions in ballast waters. The high-frequency discharges that pass between the electrodes create an electromagnetic effect with a high degree of ionization of the ultrasonic effect. This shock has a powerful effect on the liquid, which can be compared with the radiation chemical effect with a high degree of ionization.
Under the action of ultraviolet and X-ray plasma of the streamer channel (plasma discharge) with the release of atomic oxygen is the complete "burning" of organic inclusions, which are in the water. Varying the rates of electrohydraulic shock and studying the features of invasions, pathogenic strains that are in the ballast water, you can destroy any cellular structure of living organisms.
The energy consumption of the installation is 0.3-0.4 kW per 1m, which is quite acceptable for use even on the largest ocean-going vessels, where the capacity of ballast pumping reaches Q = 6 thousand m3/h.
Such an installation can also be successfully used for wastewater purification of coastal organizations.
The system is under developement / lab tested and they are looking for partnerships with industry or investors in order to realize a prototype and go to market.

Advantages & innovations

The proposed a comprehensive solution for a multifunctional BWTS of large-tonnage vessels in accordance with the international requirements of D-2 IMO Convention. The proposed device represent effective simultaneously sequential system: chemical, electrohydraulic, ionized, mechanical that used for disinfection and purification of water ballast. Regarding ionized processes: it also uses the process of ultraviolet irradiation and ionization. Here the main advantage of the process is rational design: parallel arrangement of ultraviolet lamps along the liquid flow. Due to this washing of ultraviolet lamps with the ballast water, the resistance is reduced. Regarding mechanical action: this is the use of a "self-discharge" filter with carbon inserts. The process is constantly cyclic (there is no adhesion of foreign particles from the ballast water to carbon inserts). The reagents used in the device significantly reduce the level of corrosion of the hull of the ballast tanks in contrast to the current use of chlorinated lime. It increases the service life of vessels before service repair

Stage of development

Under development/lab tested

Partner sought

The company is looking for partners in the fields of ship-repair, shipbuilding or cruise shipyards. They are looking for a financial partner to facilitate and speed up the production of the prototipe.