High volume flow / flow rate biofouling protection

Abstract

To provide a device or the like for use in protecting an item or the like immersed in an aquatic environment.SOLUTION: A treatment unit including at least one layer of a permeable fabric structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable fabric structure having a biocide coating on the at least one surface extending at least partially into the plurality of pores, wherein the treatment unit is positioned at a water intake location of the water system, wherein all of the water passing through the water system passes through the treatment unit, and wherein the water requires an average residence time to pass through the treatment unit and the water system and to be discharged from a drain of the water system; Wherein the biocide coating elutes biocide into water passing through the treatment unit, wherein the biocide contacts at least one fouling organism in the water and reduces fouling on one or more substrate surfaces within the water system for at least an average residence time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 020,826, entitled "BIOFOULING PROTECTION OF ELEVATED VOLUME / VELOCITY FLOWS," filed May 6, 2020, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT / US19 / 59546, entitled "DURABLE BIOFOULING PROTECTION," filed November 1, 2019, and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT / US20 / 22782, entitled "BIOFOULING PROTECTION," filed March 13, 2020, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] The present invention relates to improved devices, systems, and methods for use in protecting items and / or structures exposed to, immersed in and / or adjacent to, and / or partially immersed in aqueous environments experiencing high flow rates and / or high volumetric flow rates from contamination and / or fouling due to invasion and / or colonization by certain types and / or kinds of biological organisms. More specifically, improved methods, apparatus, and / or systems are disclosed for protecting such structures and / or substrates from micro- and / or macro-fouling during periods of exposure to the aquatic environment. [Background technology]

[0003] The growth and attachment of various marine organisms to structures in aquatic environments, known as biofouling, is a prominent problem for many industries, including the recreational and industrial boating and shipping industries, the oil and gas industry, power plants, water treatment plants, water management and control, the irrigation industry, manufacturing, scientific research, the military (including the Corps of Engineers), and fishing. Most surfaces exposed to coastal, harbor, or ocean waters (and their freshwater counterparts), such as those associated with boat hulls, underwater cables, chains, and pilings, oil drilling platforms, buoys, containment boom systems, fishing nets, wharves, and piers, are eventually colonized by animal species such as barnacles, mussels (as well as oysters and other bivalves), bryozoans, hydroids, tubeworms, ascidians, and / or other urochordates, as well as various plant species. Biofouling results from interactions between various plant and / or animal species with aspects of the substrate to which they ultimately attach, leading to the formation of adhesives that firmly bind the biofouling organisms to the substrate, which leads to biofouling. Although seemingly simple, the process of biofouling is a highly complex web of interactions influenced by countless microorganisms, macroorganisms, and the ever-changing characteristics of the aquatic environment.

[0004] The economic impact of biofouling is of paramount concern to many industries. Aside from biofouling-induced corrosion in various water-exposed environments, another significant economic impact of biofouling is the formation of biofouling and / or fouling-induced scale on heat exchange and / or other wetted surfaces in many facilities involving water consumption or water transfer. For example, large-scale water systems are used in a wide variety of processes. At their most basic, these systems rely on the transfer of heat from a hot fluid or gas to a cold fluid or gas. This heat is typically transferred through a "heat transfer surface," which is often the metal wall of the heat transfer piping separating the hot and cold materials. In many cases, the fluid will include water, which can often be saltwater drawn from bays, seas, and / or oceans; freshwater drawn from rivers, lakes, or wells / aquifers; or wastewater from a variety of sources. Water is a favorable environment for many life forms, and these fouling organisms often colonize the wetted surfaces of heat transfer piping and can significantly reduce the heat transfer rate of the system. In many cases, even a thin biofilm formed on a heat transfer surface significantly insulates the surface, reducing its heat transfer efficiency and significantly increasing the overall operating cost of the system.

[0005] A wide variety of methods have been used in attempts to halt and / or reduce the accumulation of biofouling in various water systems. One common attempt to ameliorate biofouling is the use of intake filtration, but the large volumes and / or high water velocities required for raw water intake typically limit such efforts to filter fish and / or larger debris from the water stream. In addition to filtration, most water systems, especially those designed for water quality control, treat the raw water stream with some form of oxidizing biocide or other additive, most commonly bleach, and in some cases, gaseous chlorine, bleach / sodium bromide, chlorine dioxide, monochloramine, and monobromamine. In addition to the high cost of purchasing and / or operating such systems, such corrosive substances (which, in the case of chlorine, can be a strong oxidizer) can cause harmful effects far beyond the intended environment of use (i.e., once released, they can damage organisms in the surrounding aquatic environment), and many of these substances can promote corrosion and / or degradation of the very items they are intended to protect or associated system components. An additional problem for many facilities, particularly in the power generation industry, is that regulations developed by and for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) typically allow for an average free chlorine residual of 0.2 ppm or less for two hours per day as a "best available technique." For plants so constrained, treatment is permitted for less than 9% of the day, allowing microorganisms and / or other fouling elements the opportunity to establish, colonize, and form a protective biofilm layer. Similar restrictions and / or safety concerns exist for many other toxins and / or chemicals that may be added to such water in an attempt to limit fouling in water systems.

[0006] In many cases, industries will simply allow fouling and / or scale formation to occur within their water supply systems, and these industries will expect to periodically bypass and / or remove affected systems / subsystems from service to clean, repair, and / or otherwise address the effects of the fouling and / or scale formation. For example, water flow within a given supply system may be stopped and / or reversed, with toxic and / or corrosive agents injected into the system to desirably kill and / or remove some of the fouling organisms and / or other blockages. In various cases, cleaning and / or replacement of various components, such as valves, sensors, heat exchanger piping, and / or other components, may be accomplished. Obviously, such activities can be very costly, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and / or result in damage to contaminated surfaces, and such measures may also require companies to purchase additional system resources (i.e., excess capacity) to accommodate downtime of such evolving systems / subsystems.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for improved devices, systems, and methods that eliminate or reduce the amount of biofouling on surfaces exposed to aquatic environments. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The various inventions disclosed herein involve an understanding of the need for improved methods, apparatus, and / or systems for protecting structures and / or substrates from micro- and / or macrofouling for extended periods of exposure to aquatic environments, including situations where it may be impractical, impossible, and / or inconvenient to completely isolate exposed substrates or other structures within the aqueous environment from the presence and / or other effects of fouling organisms. This includes both water passages and closed loops in which environmental water in the aqueous environment is recycled, consumed, and / or utilized (i.e., for water and / or distilled for freshwater), and / or situations in which sensors or other devices are utilized to record and / or sample the surrounding aqueous environment.

[0009] The various inventions disclosed herein further encompass the understanding that a completely enclosed environment and / or aqueous fluid "loop" that completely isolates a substrate from the surrounding aqueous environment may not adequately protect the substrate from the various adverse effects of the aqueous environment, in that the "protected" substrate may be subject to corrosion or other effects from anoxic, acidic, and / or other conditions that may occur within and / or in close proximity to the substrate (and / or other conditions associated with such surrounding environments, such as the action of microbially induced corrosion). Accordingly, optimal protection of the substrate may be provided by an enclosure or similar device that "pre-treats" or "treats" the intake and / or recirculated water within the aqueous environment at a location somewhat "upstream" from the substrate being protected.

[0010] In various embodiments, biofouling prevention enclosures, filtration media, dosing devices, pretreatment devices, mixing devices, and / or similar devices are described that may be positioned upstream of and / or otherwise near a substrate or other object to enclose, protect, filter, screen, separate, isolate, protect, and / or shield the substrate from one or more features or characteristics of the surrounding aqueous environment, including employing various embodiments described in co-pending Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT / US20 / 22782, filed March 13, 2020, entitled "BIOFOULING PROTECTION," and co-pending Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT / US19 / 59546, filed November 1, 2019, entitled "DURABLE BIOFOULING PROTECTION," the disclosures of which are each incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. More specifically, various embodiments of the enclosure, filtration media, dosing device, pretreatment, and / or mixing device will desirably interact with water and / or other aqueous fluids passing through and / or adjacent to the device, and desirably function to alter the water in various ways, including filtering and / or screening some fouling organisms from the fluid stream while potentially altering the water's chemical composition, and / or optionally applying various amounts of biocides and / or other substances directly and / or adjacent to any fouling organisms that may pass through the device. In various embodiments, the activity of the device may function to protect downstream substrates from direct biofouling by some types of micro- and / or media, as well as, in at least some instances, to promote the formation of a relatively durable "artificial" surface biofilm, coating, or layer on one or more substrates, which may potentially inhibit, hinder, avoid, and / or prevent subsequent establishment, recruitment, and / or colonization of the substrate surface by undesirable types of biofouling organisms for extended periods of time, even in the absence of the device.

[0011] In various embodiments, the disclosed enclosure system may desirably alter environmental conditions within the "protected" aqueous environment to inhibit and / or prevent various biofouling organisms from settling and / or colonizing various substrate surfaces within the aqueous environment. In some embodiments, the enclosure system may include features that alter the type, amount, and / or "mix" of various biofilm-producing organisms within the protected environment to reduce the thickness, rate, and / or extent of biofilm formation, as well as potentially alter the biofilms formed thereby (e.g., reduce the rate of film formation and / or form biofilms with minimal thermal insulating qualities), including altering biofilm composition, thickness, and structural integrity of the substrate. Exemplary embodiments may include changes to the aqueous environment to inhibit and / or prevent larval and / or small organisms from settling on substrate surfaces and / or to reduce or delay such settling. In various alternative embodiments, features of the disclosed enclosures may control and / or modify the volume of water flow and / or residence time of water within specific regions of the protected aqueous environment, may include components that act as flow restrictors and / or directors, may include a fibrous matrix medium that induces fluid mixing and / or laminar / non-laminar flow (including turbulent, laminar, and / or various combinations thereof) within the aqueous environment, including within the fibrous medium itself and / or within or between individual pores of the fibrous medium, and may optionally include components that provide a controlled biocide release profile, including one or more biocide or other chemical / material dosing devices and / or water-soluble or degradable resins that encapsulate biocides that are released as water flows through the dosing devices. In some embodiments, fibrous media may be utilized that may filter and / or shield the protected aquatic environment from larger organisms and prevent organisms from blocking or "clogging" various components of the enclosure system, including the fibrous matrix medium itself.

[0012] In various embodiments of the enclosure, filtration, dosing, and / or mixing device, the system components will desirably incorporate openings, voids, and / or fenestration that allow a certain amount of water or other aqueous fluids from the external aqueous environment into the water system, and in some embodiments, the system may alter the chemical composition and / or turbidity of the liquid water passing through the device and / or remaining within the water system, potentially leading to different levels of clay, silt, finely divided inorganic and organic matter, algae, soluble colored organic compounds, chemicals and compounds, plankton, and / or other microscopic organisms suspended in the liquid within the aqueous fluid system compared to that of the open aqueous environment that may be the source of the fluid (i.e., before passing through the device), which levels may contribute in different ways to different levels of fouling and / or corrosion (and / or lack of fouling and / or corrosion) of different substrates contained within the system.

[0013] In various embodiments, the devices described herein act to generate at least a partially "filtered," "treated," "dosed," and / or "differentiated" aquatic environments within a water supply system having various water system components, including enclosures, boundary walls, valves, heat exchangers, sensors, and / or other devices, in contact with the aqueous medium within the system and that may be considered "substrates" and / or surfaces to be potentially protected. Desirably, the devices described herein make various surfaces and / or system components potentially unfavorable to the settlement and / or recruitment of aquatic organisms that contribute to various types of biofouling (which may include surfaces that create "negative" settlement cues for one or more types of biofouling organisms, as well as surfaces that may lack and / or exhibit reduced levels of "positive" settlement cues). The devices and / or other constructs described in various embodiments herein may also desirably filter, reduce, and / or prevent many marine organisms that contribute to biofouling from entering a water system and / or contacting and / or colonizing submerged and / or partially submerged surfaces of a substrate.

[0014] In various embodiments, the anti-fouling device may include a permeable formable substrate and / or structural material, which in at least one exemplary embodiment may include a woven polyester structure made from spun polyester yarns. In at least one further embodiment, the employment of spun polyester yarns may desirably increase the effective surface area and / or fibrillation of the structural material on a minute and / or microscopic scale, which may desirably (1) lead to a significant reduction in the "effective" or average size of natural and / or artificial openings extending through the structure, (2) reduce the amount and / or width of "free space" within openings through and / or within the structure, thereby potentially reducing the separation distance between the surface of the structure and microorganisms (in the influent / outflow liquids), and / or (3) alter and / or induce changes in water quality downstream of the device in various ways. The reduced average opening size of the structure desirably increases liquid "filtration," reducing and / or preventing various biological organisms and / or other materials from freely passing through the structure, often significantly reducing the total amount of water in a given local area and / or the set of pores or other openings within the structure, while increasing the "residence time" within the structure for a subset of organisms that may ultimately pass through. These factors desirably result in a significant reduction or quantification of the size and / or viability of micro- and macro-organisms (as well as various organic and / or inorganic contaminants and / or other compounds) that enter and exit the walls of the structure. Furthermore, these aspects also desirably reduce the amount, extent, and / or rate of biofouling or other degradation that may occur within the fibrous matrix material itself and / or its openings, desirably maintaining the flexibility, permeability, and / or other properties of the enclosure structure over time.

[0015] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the structural wall of the enclosure may be fenestrated and / or perforated to a sufficient extent to allow some amount of liquid and / or other substance to pass and / or "filter" through the wall of the medium in a relatively controlled and / or metered manner (i.e., from the outside or "open" aqueous environment to a water system located "downstream" of the enclosure), which may include the creation of a "distinct" aqueous environment located downstream from the enclosure but "upstream" from the water system being protected. The movement of liquids and / or other compositions from the open environment to the separated aqueous environment, and the subsequent movement of water from the separated aqueous environment to and / or through the water system's intake, (in combination with various natural and / or man-made processes) desirably induces, promotes, and / or creates a relatively "different" or dynamic "artificial" environment within the "separated" aqueous environment, particularly one having properties that differ in many ways from the dynamic properties of the surrounding aqueous environment, desirably rendering the separated environment "undesirable" for many biofouling organisms, thereby reducing and / or eliminating biofouling from occurring within and / or immediately downstream of the enclosure. Additionally, the presence of numerous small perforations in the enclosure wall may desirably provide varying levels of filtration of the intake and / or exchange liquid, potentially reducing the number and / or survival rate of organisms entering the separated aqueous environment through the wall pores, as well as adversely affecting organisms outside the enclosure that may pass within and / or near the media wall.

[0016] In various embodiments, the presence of the enclosure and any optional openings and / or perforations therethrough may form an "enclosed" or "partially enclosed" aqueous environment downstream from the enclosure that may be less conducive to micro- and / or macrofouling of the internal substrate than the surrounding aqueous environment, and may include the existence and / or presence of cues for local biofilm colonization within the differentiated aqueous environment that are at a lower positive level than cues for local biofilm colonization in the surrounding aqueous environment. Desirably, the enclosure and / or other components of the system may create "differences" in the composition and distribution of various environmental factors and / or compounds within the "differentiated" aqueous environment and / or water system compared to similar factors and / or compounds in the surrounding open aqueous environment, and these "differences" inhibit and / or prevent significant amounts of biofouling from occurring (1) on the surface of any protected substrate, (2) on the interior wall surface of the enclosure, (3) within the interstices of the openings and / or perforations in the wall of the enclosure, and / or (4) on the exterior wall surface of the enclosure. In some embodiments, the enclosure and / or other system components may create a gradient of colonization cues within a "differentiated" aqueous environment that induces and / or promotes some and / or all of the micro- and / or macrofouling organisms to be located somewhat distally from any protected substrate, while in other embodiments, the enclosure and / or other system components may create a microenvironment proximate to one or more protected substrates that is not conducive to biofouling and / or other degradation of the substrate. In still other embodiments, the enclosure and / or other system components may be positioned proximate to and / or immediately upstream of a substrate component, such as directly adjacent to the inlet of a heat exchanger and / or heat exchange tube within a water system, and still provide the various protections described herein.

[0017] In various embodiments, the enclosure may include one or more larger openings, such as an open bottom and / or top (or portions thereof), as well as various openings on the side of the water inlet, along with smaller openings, perforations, and / or pores within the structure, as well as a plurality of fibrous substrate media. In various embodiments, a "large" opening may be defined as an opening within the enclosure that comprises at least 10% or more of the surface area of ​​the enclosure wall's exterior surface area of ​​the system, while in other embodiments, a large opening may comprise an area that is 2% or more, 5% or more, 15% or more, 20% or more, 25% or more, 30% or more, 35% or more, and / or 40% or more of the surface area of ​​the enclosure wall's exterior surface area. In various other embodiments, multiple relatively small openings (i.e., 0.25% to 2% of the surface area of ​​the enclosure wall's exterior surface area) may be somewhat equivalent in function and / or structure to one or more of the larger openings described herein.

[0018] In various disclosed embodiments, the unique protected environment within the aqueous environment downstream from the disclosed system may induce a unique quantity and / or diversity of bacteria and / or other microorganisms within the protected water system, which may induce or enhance the formation of one or more biofilms within the water system; such biofilms may be less "firmly attached" to the substrate than biofilms typically encountered in unprotected environments. Such biofilms may facilitate the removal and / or "scraping" of fouling organisms from the substrate and / or intermediate biofilm layers. In such cases, the microflora and / or microfauna may include different phyla (i.e., different bacteria and / or cyanobacteria and / or diatoms) than those found in the natural or untreated aqueous environment. In some embodiments, the resulting biofilm may be thinner or have compromised structural integrity. In some alternative embodiments, depending on the water volume and / or velocity, moving water in a pumping situation may only allow for the formation of more sessile biofilms than in a more still or static environment, and these sessile biofilms may optionally not contain particularly induced strains and / or may lack sufficient physical support structure and thickness compared to more induced naturally occurring biofilms.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, some or all of the biofouling protection and / or effectiveness described herein for the protected substrate may be provided by the enclosure and its permeable formable substrate, fibrous substrate, and / or structural wall material, desirably without the use of various supplemental biofouling inhibitors, while in other embodiments, the enclosure may include a permeable formable fibrous substrate and / or structural wall material that incorporates one or more biocides and / or antifouling agents in some portion of the wall structure and / or its coating. In some embodiments, the biocides and / or antifouling agents may provide biofouling protection to the walls and / or components of the system itself (the enclosure providing a level of biofouling protection downstream of the substrate), while in other embodiments, the biocides and / or antifouling agents may provide some level of biofouling protection to the substrate itself as well, and in still other embodiments, the biocides and / or antifouling agents may provide biofouling protection to both the enclosure and the substrate, and / or various combinations thereof.

[0020] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the enclosure may include a plurality of replaceable modular components formed from a permeable, formable fibrous matrix of polyester material made from spun polyester yarns, which may be coated on at least one side (such as the exterior-facing surface of the enclosure) with a biocidal compound or coating or paint containing a biocide, wherein at least a portion of the biocidal compound permeates at least a portion of the way into the body of the material. In at least one further embodiment, the employment of ring-spun polyester yarns may desirably increase the effective surface area and / or fibrillation of the structure material on a minute and / or microscopic scale, which may desirably (1) lead to a significant reduction in the average size of the natural openings extending through the structure and / or (2) reduce the amount and / or width of "free space" within openings through and / or within the structure, thereby potentially reducing the separation distance between microorganisms (in the inflow / outflow liquids) and the biocide coating resident on the structure. The reduced average opening size of the structure of such embodiments desirably increases the "filtration" of liquids, reducing and / or preventing various biological organisms and / or other materials from entering the enclosed or bounded environment, while the reduced "free space" within the openings desirably improves or amplifies the effectiveness of the biocide against organisms passing through the enclosure, as the organisms pass in closer proximity to the biocidal coating (including an increased potential for direct contact between the biocide and various organisms). These factors desirably result in a significant reduction in the size and / or viability of micro- and macro-organisms (as well as various organic and / or inorganic contaminants) passing through the enclosure. Furthermore, the presence of biocidal coatings and / or paints and / or additives on and / or within the structure of the enclosure desirably reduces the amount, extent, and / or rate of biofouling or other degradation that may occur in the enclosure material itself and / or within its openings, and desirably maintains the flexibility, permeability, and / or other properties of the structure of the enclosure over time.

[0021] In some embodiments and / or in some aqueous environments, the presence of an optional biocide coating on at least the exterior surface of the flexible material will desirably reduce the thickness, density, weight, and / or extent of biofouling and / or other degradation experienced on and / or within openings in the enclosure itself, which will extend the useful life of the enclosure in its desired location upstream from the substrate. In many situations, biofouling of various components of the enclosure significantly increases the weight and / or stiffness of the components, which can damage the enclosure, the enclosure, and / or structures attached to the enclosure (which may include portions of the substrate itself), as well as adversely affect the buoyancy of the enclosure and / or any objects attached thereto. Additionally, biofouling of enclosure components can reduce the flexibility and / or ductility of various structural components, which can cause and / or contribute to premature tearing and / or failure of the structure and / or associated attachment mechanisms. Additionally, biofouling formation on / within the enclosure can potentially "clog" or reduce and / or close the size of openings through and / or within the enclosure structure, which can potentially alter permeability in an undesirable manner and / or inhibit the ability of water intake to flow freely through the enclosure.

[0022] In at least one embodiment, the fouling prevention enclosure may include multiple interchangeable modules, which may include modular filtration and / or dosing elements of the same or different sizes, shapes, thicknesses, and / or biocide (or other material) coatings, including the use of biocide-coated filter modules in some locations and uncoated filter modules in other locations of the system. Similarly, some modules may include a biocide coating that initially elutes and / or otherwise distributes for a limited period of time after initiation of fluid flow, allowing the water system and / or upstream reservoir compartments to develop differentiated environments that may generate various inhibitory substances to provide subsequent biofouling protection to the substrate after initial biocide elution has declined to lower and / or less effective levels and / or elution or distribution has ceased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] The above and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the embodiments will become more apparent and may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0024] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a fouling prevention system including an anti-fouling enclosure and / or structure. [Figure 1B] 1B illustrates a perspective view of a raceway in the anti-fouling system of FIG. 1A. [Figure 2A] 1 illustrates a series of exemplary raceways and associated components. [Figure 2B] 2B illustrates a side perspective view of one exemplary raceway of FIG. 2A. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary module or structure for use in various fouling prevention systems disclosed herein. [Figure 4A-4B]1 illustrates components of an exemplary anti-fouling system incorporating a deployable anti-fouling sheet or similar component. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of an anti-fouling system that utilizes seawater and / or freshwater as a source of coolant or other water source. [Figures 6A-6B] 1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a system for reducing biofouling and facilitating utilization of seawater, freshwater, brackish water, or some other aqueous liquid for various industrial purposes. [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a natural or artificial reservoir or pond for use as a water source for a single-pass or recirculating cooling system. [Figure 7B] 7B illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a biofouling protection system incorporating various arrangements of enclosure walls and / or other components for use with the reservoir of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7C] 7B illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a biofouling protection system incorporating various arrangements of enclosure walls and / or other components for use with the reservoir of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7D] 7B illustrates another alternative embodiment of a biofouling protection system incorporating various arrangements of enclosure walls and / or other components for use with the reservoir of FIG. 7A. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a system for protecting a water supply system from various biofouling effects incorporating a wall structure having multiple layers. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a biofouling inhibition system that includes a supplemental pumping system for adding and / or removing aqueous liquids and / or other materials or substances to / from the reservoir. [Figure 10A] 1 illustrates a scanning electron microscope photomicrograph of an exemplary spun yarn for use in a fabric medium. [Figure 10B] 10B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the centerbody of the thread of FIG. 10A. [Figure 10C] 1 illustrates an enlarged view of a knitted fabric containing PET yarn. [Figure 11A] 1 illustrates exemplary rolled sheet fabrics for use in various anti-fouling enclosure designs. [Figure 11B] 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a rolled sheet fabric incorporating adhesive, hook-and-loop fastener material. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one exemplary embodiment of a permeable structure having various pore openings and passageways extending from the front to the back of the structure, with a biocide coating at least partially permeating the fabric and within its pores. [Figure 13A] 1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of an uncoated woven polyester fabric. [Figure 13B] 13A illustrates an embodiment of 13A coated with a biocide coating. [Figure 14A] 1 illustrates natural uncoated burlap. [Figures 14B-14C] 14B illustrates the fabric of FIG. 14A coated with a solvent-based biocidal coating and a water-based biocidal coating. [Figure 15A] An uncoated polyester fabric is shown. [Figure 15B] 15B illustrates the fabric of FIG. 15A coated with a biocidal coating. [Figure 15C] Illustrates an uncoated spun polyester fabric. [Figure 15D] 15D illustrates the fabric of FIG. 15C coated with a biocidal coating. [Figure 15E] Illustrates an uncoated spun polyester fabric. [Figure 15F] 15E illustrates the uncoated side of the spun polyester fabric of FIG. 15E after coating. [Figure 16]Illustrates that a series of experimental raceways were constructed to determine the anti-fouling effectiveness of various system embodiments when flowing various amounts of filtered, pre-conditioned, and / or dosed environmental water. [Figures 17A-17D] 17 illustrates the fouling effect of various substrates after 7 days of immersion in the experimental raceway of FIG. 16. [Figure 18] FIG. 17 illustrates a top view of raceway fouling after 7 days of immersion in the experimental raceway of FIG. 16. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of the pump and piping configuration of an additional experimental raceway. [Figure 20A] FIG. 20 illustrates a top view of raceway fouling after 30 days of immersion in the experimental raceway of FIG. 19. [Figure 20B] 20 illustrates several perspective views of the additional experimental raceways of FIG. 19, including illustrations of fouling buildup in the raceways above various outfalls. [Figures 21A-21D] Figure 19 illustrates diagrams of biofouling accumulation on control, protected (i.e., treated water), standard, and large raceways. [Figure 22A] FIG. 20 is a tabular diagram of the raceway dimensions and water flow characteristics of FIG. 19 during initial operation in early March. [Figures 22B-22D] FIG. 20 is a tabular representation of the chemical composition characteristics of the ambient water and the raceway of FIG. 19 over various sampling periods. [Figure 22E.22G] FIG. 20 is a tabular representation of various types and amounts of biofouling on substrates in the raceway of FIG. 19 after 30 days of immersion. [Figure 22F.22H] FIG. 20 is a tabular representation of various types and amounts of biofouling on substrates in the raceway of FIG. 19 after two months of immersion. [Figure 23] 1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a protective pumping system for adding and / or removing aqueous liquids and / or other materials or substances to or from a reservoir or tank. [Figures 24A-24D]Illustrates the different fouling buildup on various substrates after two months of immersion. [Figures 25A-25D] Illustrates biofouling on an unprotected control pump and various associated components, a standard pump and raceway, a high-speed pump and raceway, and a large pump and raceway after two months of immersion. [Figures 26A-26B] FIG. 1 illustrates a tabular diagram of various dimensions and performance characteristics of raceways in an exemplary test setup. [Figure 27] 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a folded or corrugated complex fabric structure, such as an undulating and / or accordion-like fabric surface, which can dramatically increase the surface area and / or potentially change the filtration capabilities of the anti-fouling enclosure. [Figure 28] 10 illustrates an alternative anti-fouling unit that includes multiple fibrous structure modules parallel to the fluid flow, allowing for the use of multiple modules for a single flow of water. [Figure 29] 10 illustrates a schematic top view of another enclosure test examining water preconditioning using multi-layer enclosures, including a one-layer enclosure, a two-layer enclosure, and a three-layer enclosure. [Figure 30] 1 illustrates another experimental test in which metal chains with various protective enclosure configurations were suspended from docks and / or barges at Cape Marina. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] While the disclosure of various embodiments described herein is provided with sufficient specificity to satisfy statutory requirements, these descriptions are not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The subject matter of the claims may be embodied in a wide variety of other ways, may include different steps or elements, and may be used in combination with other technologies, including past, present, and / or future developments. The descriptions provided herein should not be construed as suggesting any particular order or arrangement among or between the various steps or elements, except when the order of arrangement of individual steps or elements is explicitly described.

[0026] Disclosed herein are various easy-to-assemble and / or easy-to-use systems and / or devices that can be utilized in proximity to, around, in, on, and / or under substrates or other objects located in (or disposed within) aqueous environments or aqueous holding tanks that are susceptible to biofouling. In various embodiments, systems, devices, and methods are disclosed that can protect submerged and / or partially submerged substrates or other objects (or portions thereof) from the effects of aqueous biofouling, including the formation and potential retention of biofouling resistance by the substrate for some period of time after various system components may be depleted and / or removed.

[0027] In various embodiments, the disclosed systems may utilize structure or enclosure components formed from relatively inexpensive and readily available materials, such as polyester, nylon, or rayon structures, and / or natural materials, such as cotton, linen, or burlap structures (or various combinations thereof). The structures may naturally or by design degrade over time, particularly within or any time prior to the structure's useful life. In some embodiments, at least one active ingredient and / or biocide may be added to the surface of the structure or incorporated within the structure or enclosure. In a non-limiting example, the biocide may be incorporated into the polymer blend, fibers, filaments, yarns, and / or yarn bundles of the structure using any process commonly known to those skilled in the art. In various embodiments, the modular components of the system may be removable and / or replaceable to enable the system to function indefinitely as a biofouling inhibitor, potentially including the ability to replace some system components during normal operation of the system.

[0028] In various embodiments disclosed herein, the terms "separated aqueous environment," "local aqueous environment," and / or the environment being protected or treated are meant to broadly encompass some and / or all of the intake water that may have passed through the fouling prevention enclosure and / or may have been or will be changed due to the influence and / or presence of the fouling prevention system, and may include one or more (and / or any combination thereof) of: 1) any water that has already passed through the enclosure or other components of the system, 2) any water in any pores or spaces between the interior and exterior surfaces of the enclosure (i.e., "entrained" within the fibrous matrix), and / or 3) any water immediately adjacent to the exterior surface of the enclosure. In various embodiments, "aqueous water" may refer to salt water or sea water, fresh water, and brackish water.

[0029] In some embodiments, the entire amount of water intake may pass through the fouling prevention system, while in some alternative applications, only a portion of the water intake may pass through the fouling prevention system. In various embodiments, the "treated" or "differentiated" aqueous environment will desirably be located "downstream" of the fouling prevention system, such as within the internal piping of a water supply system and / or within the walls of a water storage tank, where the interior walls of the tank may constitute the "substrate" to be protected, and some or all of the water pumped from an external environmental source, such as a stream, lake, well, harbor, or reservoir, constitutes the "open aqueous environment" where the substrate is sought to be protected.

[0030] In various embodiments, fouling prevention systems such as those described herein may be utilized to periodically provide biofouling protection to a protected substrate, which may include suspending biofouling protection when water flow adjacent to the protected substrate may increase, decrease, and / or when some other water flow change is desired (crossflow and / or reverse flow or "backwash" of fluid through a component or element of the fouling prevention system), with biofouling protection potentially resuming during periods when water flow adjacent to the protected substrate is resumed at "normal" or desired levels (which may be the same as or different from the pre-change water flow levels). Such occasions may include the need for substantial levels of cooling water and / or other water beyond the capacity of the system, which may reduce and / or eliminate some or all of the biofouling protection provided by the system during periods of increased flow, but may provide for the resumption of biofouling protection once the water flow rate is reduced below a predetermined design threshold.

[0031] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a fouling prevention system may be provided, with particular utility as a biofouling prevention system for systems using seawater and / or freshwater as a water source. In this embodiment, a floating or partially / fully submerged enclosure or "reservoir" may be provided in an aqueous environment, containing a larger volume of aqueous fluid than may be immediately required by the system on a normal usage basis. The disclosed system may desirably be positioned at the reservoir's water inlet to draw water through the enclosure and into the reservoir. During the time it takes for bulk water molecules and / or droplets to pass through the water column in the reservoir, natural and / or artificial processes within the water column may desirably alter the water chemistry of the water in the reservoir (e.g., reduce the dissolved oxygen level in the water) such that at least one water chemistry factor is increased and / or depleted before the water moves to the inlet for the water system.

[0032] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method for determining the appropriate design, size, shape, and / or other characteristics of the system may be utilized to determine a recommended minimum enclosed or bounded volume and / or water exchange rate, desirably to reduce and / or eliminate biofouling downstream from the system. In some embodiments, such as membrane filter configurations where a system may be utilized to provide headwater and / or other source water for a manufacturing plant (i.e., power plants, desalination plants, refineries, and / or other manufacturing facilities), the disclosed method may potentially be utilized to reduce and / or eliminate biofouling in the water and / or other conduits of the plant, and in some embodiments, without requiring additional filtration and / or microfiltration of the water. In various embodiments, an enclosure or similar system may include multiple modular panels, one or more of which may be replaced when desired. In some embodiments, the panels may be replaced while the system is in normal operation.

[0033] In various embodiments, the design and use of the system can potentially enhance, induce, and / or promote the formation of layers, biofilms, and / or material deposits on the substrate and / or system walls under certain conditions, which reduces, repels, inhibits, and / or prevents micro- and / or macro-organisms from subsequently colonizing, recruiting, and / or fouling some or all of the protected substrate (i.e., providing a level of "biofouling inoculum" on the substrate). For example, various embodiments of the systems disclosed herein can cause the creation of a unique aqueous environment within the water system, resulting in the formation of a unique mixture of microorganisms and / or microflora within that environment, including within one or more aqueous layers proximate the surface of the substrate. In many embodiments, the unique mixture and / or distribution of microorganisms / microflora within the water system can induce and / or induce the formation of a biofilm or other layer of microorganisms on the substrate, which, in combination with various surface bacteria, can release compounds that affect the establishment, recruitment, and / or colonization of fouling organisms on the substrate. In various embodiments, once a unique microbial biofilm layer is established, the layer may remain durable and / or maintain its symptomatic and / or self-replenishing properties, which may continue to protect the substrate from a particular type and / or amount of biofouling for an extended period of time in the absence of the system (i.e., when the system may be temporarily and / or permanently removed and / or damaged). In various embodiments, the biofilms may contain different compositions and may have different structural integrity, thickness, etc. based on (among other things) temperature, salinity, chemical composition, season of the year, type of substrate protected, and / or type of biofouling organisms against which the substrate is protected.

[0034] In various embodiments, chemicals and / or compounds that affect the settlement, recruitment, and / or colonization of fouling organisms on a substrate may include toxins and / or biocides, chemicals and / or compounds that inhibit such settlement, recruitment, and / or colonization, chemicals and / or compounds that may lack positive settlement, recruitment, and / or colonization cues, and chemicals and / or compounds that may generate lower levels of positive settlement, recruitment, and / or colonization cues than those generated on surfaces in the surrounding aqueous environment and / or compared to chemicals and / or compounds that generate positive settlement, recruitment, and / or colonization cues for beneficial organisms (e.g., organisms that may not generally be considered significant biofouling organisms). In some embodiments, the lack of certain "welcoming cues" on the protected substrate and / or associated biofilm may provide extended fouling protection to the substrate. In various embodiments, "welcoming cues" may include nutrients and / or chemicals that micro- and / or macroflora need, desire, and / or facilitate settlement, recruitment, colonization, growth, and / or replication on a given surface, and such "deterrent cues" may include waste metabolites and / or other chemicals that inhibit, inhibit, and / or prevent the settlement, recruitment, colonization, growth, and / or replication of micro- and / or macroflora on a given surface.

[0035] A distinction can be made between "microfouling" (often called "slime"), which is often caused by single-celled microorganisms such as bacteria, diatoms, and protozoa that form complex biofilms; "soft macrofouling," which includes algae (seaweed) and invertebrates visible to the naked eye, such as soft corals, sponges, sea anemones, urochordates, and hydrozoans; and "hard macrofouling," which is from shelled invertebrates such as barnacles, mussels, and tubeworms. Furthermore, it is often possible that a given biocide or biocide dosage level may have different effectiveness against larval and adult members of the same species, as well as different effectiveness based on numerous water chemistry factors, including pH, dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature, and / or many other factors.

[0036] In various embodiments, the inhibition of fouling can be represented by a reduction in the total coverage of the substrate and / or enclosure surfaces / interstices by fouling organisms compared to the total fouling coverage of a substantially similar substrate (without the protective enclosure) submerged and / or partially submerged in a substantially similar aquatic environment. This reduction in fouling can be a 10% or greater reduction in fouling, a 15% or greater reduction in fouling, a 25% or greater reduction in fouling, a 30% or greater reduction in fouling, a 40% or greater reduction in fouling, a 50% or greater reduction in fouling, a 60% or greater reduction in fouling, a 70% or greater reduction in fouling, an 80% or greater reduction in fouling, a 90% or greater reduction in fouling, a 95% or greater reduction in fouling, a 98% or greater reduction in fouling, a 99% or greater reduction in fouling, a 99.9% or greater reduction in fouling, and / or a 99.99% or greater reduction in fouling. Alternatively, the inhibition of fouling of a protected article may be expressed as a percentage of the amount of fouling coating and / or fouling mass (i.e., by volume and / or weight) formed on an equivalent unprotected substrate. For example, a protected article may exhibit less than 10% of the fouling coating of the unprotected substrate (such as when the protected substrate exhibits a fouling coating less than 0.1 inches thick and the equivalent unprotected substrate exhibits a fouling coating 1 inch or more thick), which would reflect a greater than 10-fold reduction in the fouling level of the protected substrate and / or enclosure wall compared to the fouling level of the unprotected substrate. In other embodiments, a protected article may exhibit less than 1% fouling or a greater than 100-fold reduction in the fouling level of the protected substrate and / or enclosure wall. In still other embodiments, the protected article may exhibit less than 0.1% fouling, which is more than a 1000-fold reduction in fouling levels of the protected substrate and / or enclosure wall.In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the protected substrate and / or system component walls may have no appreciable fouling in any affected areas of the substrate and / or enclosure wall, which may represent a fouling level of the protected substrate and / or enclosure of 0.01% (or better) or even 0% compared to the unprotected substrate (i.e., a greater than 10,000-fold reduction in the fouling level of the protected substrate and / or enclosure wall). ASTM D6990 and Naval Shipboard Technical Manual (NSTM) are known reference standards and methods used to measure the amount of fouling percentage range and fouling thickness on a substrate.

[0037] In various additional embodiments, the inhibition of fouling may be represented by a reduction in the total increase in coverage of both the substrate and the surfaces of the system components by fouling organisms compared to the total increase in fouling coverage of a substantially similar substrate (i.e., without a protective enclosure) immersed and / or partially immersed in a substantially similar aquatic environment, which may be measured by visual inspection, physical measurement, and / or based on the increased weight and / or volume of the individual components and / or the combination of substrate and enclosure when removed from the aqueous medium (i.e., the increased weight due to the weight of the fouling organisms attached thereto). This fouling reduction can be a 10% or greater reduction in fouling, a 15% or greater reduction in fouling, a 25% or greater reduction in fouling, a 30% or greater reduction in fouling, a 40% or greater reduction in fouling, a 50% or greater reduction in fouling, a 60% or greater reduction in fouling, a 70% or greater reduction in fouling, a 80% or greater reduction in fouling, a 90% or greater reduction in fouling, a 95% or greater reduction in fouling, a 98% or greater reduction in fouling, a 99% or greater reduction in fouling, a 99.9% or greater reduction in fouling, and / or a 99.99% or greater reduction in fouling. In various embodiments, exemplary weight gains can be determined in wet and / or dry conditions (or other humidity levels), which can significantly affect the extent of the total weight change for a given system design, especially when soft-bodied fouling organisms and / or biofilms and their effects are analyzed and compared.

[0038] Protection Systems and Structural Enclosures In various embodiments, the disclosed systems and / or system components will desirably alter the natural activity of biofouling organisms on "protected" wetted surfaces within a water intake and distribution system, thereby reducing, eliminating, and / or altering natural biofouling of wetted surfaces within the system. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary fouling prevention system 10, which in this embodiment may include an enclosure and / or structure 20, which is a three-dimensional "cube" having an exterior enclosure wall, a pump 30 having fluid piping 35, and a raceway 40 containing a substrate 50. In this embodiment, an aqueous fluid, such as water, is drawn into the cube from the external environment through the enclosure wall, and the treated water flows through the fluid piping 35 and the pump 30 and subsequently into the raceway 40 containing the substrate 50 to be protected. Desirably, a constant flow of water flows into the raceway 40, with excess water passing out through a one-way valve 60 in the raceway 40.

[0039] Figure 1B illustrates a perspective view of the raceway 40 of Figure 1A; in this embodiment, the raceway desirably will substantially surround the substrate (not shown) to prevent environmental water from contacting the substrate in an undesirable manner. Figure 2A illustrates a series of raceways and associated components, and Figure 2B illustrates a side perspective view of one exemplary raceway.

[0040] 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary module or structure 300 that may be used with various systems disclosed herein. The module 300 may comprise a structural enclosure and / or structure 310 that may be secured at its outer periphery by a support structure 320, which in this embodiment may include a flexible and / or rigid outer frame of support beams. Additionally, this embodiment may desirably include a reinforcing material 330 (which may be secured to and / or within the frame, if desired) that may be positioned on the downstream face of the media 310, such as expanded metal or wire mesh or polymer or fabric, which may stiffen and / or otherwise support the media 310 against flow forces from fluid passing through the media 310. If desired, the module 300 may be sized and configured to fit within a receiver of an anti-fouling unit, such as a fluid pipe and / or submerged filtration unit, which unit optionally includes multiple modules or structures (not shown) therein. In some embodiments, the fouling prevention unit may include multiple fibrous structure modules in series and / or parallel in the fluid flow, including the use of multiple modules for a single water flow if desired (see FIG. 28).

[0041] 4A and 4B illustrate components of a fouling prevention system including a plurality of deployable "rolling" sheets 400, each including a storage roll 410 and a deployable flexible sheet 420 that can be unfolded from the storage roll 410 and extended downward (i.e., desirably, in some embodiments, under gravity). In various embodiments, the storage roll 410 can desirably include a buoyant member (e.g., a buoyant Styrofoam™ center tube) that floats in the aqueous medium, while in other embodiments, the storage roll 410 can be attached to a support mechanism, frame, or similar structure (not shown). In various embodiments, a plurality of such deployable "rolling" sheets can be provided across a water system intake or similar location, with the flexible sheet being unfolded to create an enclosure, filtration, and / or dosing membrane for the water flow (illustrated as arrow 430) as described herein. If desired, the various rolled sheets may include attachment features to allow adjacent sheets to be attached to one another.

[0042] 5 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a fouling prevention system that may have particular utility as a biofouling prevention system for water systems that utilize seawater and / or freshwater as a water source. In this embodiment, a floating enclosure 500 or "reservoir" in an aqueous environment 510 is provided, the enclosure having one or more perimeter walls 520 that can contain much larger volumes of aqueous fluid than may be required by the system on a normal usage basis. For example, if the system requires 1000 gallons of water per minute during normal operation, the reservoir may desirably contain at least 10,000 gallons, at least 20,000 gallons, at least 50,000 gallons, at least 100,000 gallons, at least 500,000 gallons, and / or at least 1,000,000 gallons and / or more of water. Optional top and / or bottom covers 530 and 535 may be provided to isolate the enclosed water from the atmosphere and / or deeper water, if desired, such as by using structures, flexible impermeable membranes, or plastic tarp material. A water inlet 540 may be positioned within the reservoir, the inlet supported by a float 550 or other support, and having connected flexible or rigid water piping 560 that carries water (which in some embodiments may have relatively different dissolved oxygen levels, or in various embodiments, other desired water chemistry factor levels) drawn from the inlet 540 for transfer to cooling equipment or other uses. Desirably, water may enter the reservoir through various permeable membranes in the walls, top, and / or bottom. In some embodiments, during the time it takes water molecules to pass through and / or traverse the water column in the reservoir, natural and / or artificial processes may change the chemical composition of the water in the reservoir, such as by the activity of natural and / or artificial oxygen scavengers in the water column, which may reduce the dissolved oxygen level in the water so that it is depleted before moving into the inlet. However, in at least one alternative embodiment, the water inlet may be near the bottom of the enclosure and / or the bottom surface of the reservoir, which is generally the coldest water in the enclosure / reservoir for use in cooling equipment.

[0043] As noted above, at least one exemplary embodiment includes that the method for determining the appropriate design, size, shape, and / or other characteristics of a reservoir and / or fouling prevention system may desirably be utilized to determine a recommended minimum enclosed or bounded volume and / or water exchange rate to reduce and / or eliminate biofouling within the reservoir. In some embodiments, such as membrane configurations, where a reservoir may be utilized to provide a headwater and / or other source water for a manufacturing plant (i.e., power plant, desalination plant, refinery, and / or other manufacturing facility), the disclosed method may potentially be utilized to reduce and / or eliminate biofouling within the water and / or other conduits of the plant, and in some embodiments, without requiring additional filtration and / or microfiltration of the water.

[0044] 6A and 6B illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a system 600 that may be utilized to reduce biofouling and facilitate utilization of seawater, freshwater, brackish water, or some other aqueous liquid by a manufacturing plant, power plant, or some other facility. In this embodiment, system 600 may be positioned within a body of water, or even fully submerged to a depth "D" within the aqueous environment (i.e., an underwater "veranda"), as shown in FIG. 6A. The system may include one or more replaceable impregnated structural enclosures 610 on one or more of its exterior surfaces, having a water suction pipe or other inlet device 620 positioned within a reservoir 630 of system 600; as water is drawn into the suction device, the flow of replacement water may enter the reservoir through media 610 and / or any other openings and / or perforations in and / or between the reservoir walls (which may include the reservoir's ceiling, sidewalls, and / or floor).

[0045] In some embodiments, the reservoir volume may be large enough to accommodate a significant reservoir of liquid, such that the liquid may remain within the reservoir for a desired "residence time" and allow desired changes in water chemistry to occur, reducing and / or eliminating biofouling from occurring within the reservoir and / or facility water piping. In some other embodiments, the reservoir volume may be smaller and not contain a significantly large reservoir of liquid (compared to the expected flow rate into the inlet during use), in which embodiment the liquid may not remain within the enclosure for a desired "residence time" to allow desired changes in water chemistry, but rather may rely primarily on filtration through the filtration media and / or optional biocide application to desirably reduce and / or eliminate biofouling from occurring within the reservoir and / or facility water piping and / or heat transfer surfaces.

[0046] In various desired embodiments, a fully immersed system may be particularly useful where the reservoir holds and / or draws water from a lower or lowest point within the water column, which in some embodiments may be cooler water within the body of water (i.e., useful as cooling water) and / or may contain lower and / or lowest levels of dissolved oxygen (or other desirable water chemistry factors).

[0047] In various embodiments, the system design may desirably contain a volume of water that is equal to or greater than the daily (i.e., 24-hour) water usage for the facility. For example, if a facility utilizes 100,000 gallons of water per hour over a 24-hour period, one preferred system design may contain at least 2.4 million gallons of water. Assuming that one cubic foot of seawater contains approximately 7.48 gallons, one preferred design may contain approximately 321,000 cubic feet, which would result in a reservoir with an interior volume of approximately 113 feet wide, 113 feet long, and 26 feet high (i.e., 331,994 cubic feet). In other preferred embodiments, the volume of water contained may be sufficient to supply at least 8 hours of water usage, while still other preferred embodiments may provide two or more days of water usage. In some desirable embodiments, the water present in the reservoir will desirably be given sufficient "dwell" time to alter the chemical composition of the water in a desired manner (as previously disclosed) to produce some type of "conditioned" water, which may include situations where the complete water needs for a given installation may be provided by the "conditioned" water, and situations where only a portion of the water needs of a given installation may be provided by the "conditioned" water.

[0048] In some alternative embodiments, it may be desirable to modify an existing body of water to include various features of the present system, such as when a natural or man-made water source is utilized to provide water for cooling and / or some other water process. For example, energy generation facilities will often use 300,000-500,000 gallons per minute (or more) of water to cool generating units, while a typical large-scale oil refinery plant may utilize 350,000-400,000 gallons per minute. In such cases, it may not be economical, practical, and / or desirable to construct a single reservoir or series of reservoirs containing a day's worth of water usage. Rather, various embodiments incorporating the "partial" reservoirs and / or fouling prevention components (i.e., vertical sheets and / or skirts) described herein may be utilized to create a tortuous path for water within existing natural and / or man-made reservoirs to match desired water chemical composition levels, and may include features that expose the surface of the flowing water to the atmosphere to promote evaporative cooling of the water reservoir and / or turbulent mixing of the water along the serpentine flow path.

[0049] 7A illustrates a simplified perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a natural or artificial reservoir or pond 700, which may contain a water source for single-pass cooling, as well as a recirculation reservoir or "cooling pond" often used in recirculation systems. As best seen in FIGS. 7B and 7C, a biofouling protection system may include non-limiting examples of multiple enclosure walls 710 and / or removable or replaceable floating boom structures or skirts that may be positioned within pond 700 to desirably create a labyrinthine or tortuous path for aqueous liquid within the body of water, such as by positioning a series of alternating walls 710 within a basin, pond, or harbor that alters the natural flow of the fluid toward an inlet 720. In this embodiment, wall 710 may desirably redirect the liquid along a desired path(s) (e.g., following the path indicated by the solid black arrows) as well as filter and / or dose the water passing through the wall (e.g., following the path indicated by the dashed white arrows), allowing some portion or all of the water to be "conditioned" in a desired manner to obtain various of the improvements disclosed herein. For example, water passing through such a tortuous path will be provided with sufficient "residence" time to alter the chemical composition of the water in a desired manner to produce some type of "conditioned" water, which may include situations where the complete water needs for a given installation may be provided by the "conditioned" water, as well as situations where only a portion of the water needs of a given installation may be provided by the "conditioned" water. If desired, different water "streams" may be treated with different substances in accordance with the present invention, such as in the embodiment of Figure 7C, where a first water stream 750 passes through the entire maze and / or through a permeable enclosure wall to inlet 720, while a second water stream 760 is added to the maze where it travels through only half the maze (or similarly through the enclosure wall) to inlet 720. Such an arrangement may include water from various sources being added directly to conditioned water in an existing water system.

[0050] Another alternative arrangement of the maze is shown in Figure 7D, where a series of circular enclosures are used to create a serpentine path toward the center of the reservoir where inlet 720 is located, located where it can be removed as described above. Such an embodiment can be particularly useful where portions of the structure may become clogged or contaminated over time, allowing the intake water to flow along a serpentine path around the clogged section of the structure, eventually passing through an unclogged section further along the serpentine path.

[0051] If desired, the enclosure and / or other system design may incorporate one or more flow paths for aqueous fluids that gradually increase and / or decrease in width and / or volume, so that the water flow changes cross-section as it approaches the intake, which may be a particularly useful design feature in natural reservoirs and / or man-made tributaries or rivers to provide additional residence time and / or more filtration / dosing activity for the flowing water.

[0052] In another embodiment, the structure or enclosure can be designed as a sheet or wall to protect at least one substrate. The sheet / curtain structure was designed to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of freshwater biofouling of steel plates to prevent biofouling growth. This application may be useful for biofouling protection of various underwater steel and other metal surfaces. Additionally, this application may be useful for any metal, fabric, polymer, or other substrate in fresh or saltwater. The experiment was designed using vertical sheet plates that were deployed on a seawall adjacent to the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences in mid-May and retrieved in mid-September to determine biofouling effectiveness. One plate served as a control, deployed without any protection treatment, while the other two plates were treated with structure protection treatments: one with treated (biocide-coated) fabric facing inward toward the steel plate and seawall, and the other with treated (biocide-coated) fabric facing outward, away from the steel plate and seawall.

[0053] Each plate was constructed from 1 / 8 inch thick steel plate. Each plate had overall dimensions of 18.5 cm wide by 155 cm long. The top of the plate was 1 m below the water surface. The plates were suspended by chains.

[0054] The results and data from the 4-month study are presented in Tables 1 and 2. [Table 1] [Table 2]

[0055] In this experiment, both the control and treatment had small amounts of many native taxa, including small nematodes, crustaceans such as Daphnia, rotifers, gastrotrichs, oligochaetes, diatoms, and protozoa. In freshwater, these small forms are not considered to be sources of biofouling.

[0056] The primary biofouling organisms, especially the dreissenid quagga / zebra mussel and the exoanal bryozoans, were removed from the inward-facing treated fabric (189 / m 2 ) is the fabric facing outward (1108 / m 2 ) was more effective in preventing mussel biofouling than the control 1200 / m 2 (These observations will be retested.) Previous similar experiments with inward-facing fabrics showed 0m 2 Bryozoan coverage was lower on the treated fabric (5.8%) compared to higher coverage on the treated fabric side facing outward (13.3%). The control had lower coverage than the treated fabric.

[0057] Plate studies suggest that treated fabrics designed as sheets, curtains, or shields significantly reduce the number of biofouling mussels. The treated side facing inward shows a significantly higher number of mussels than the control, at 1399 / m². 2, the treatment side facing the outside is 1104 / m 2 whereas 189 / m 2 This is substantiated by data from similar studies. 2 The control had 100% mussel coverage compared to the control. The effect on bryozoan fouling is less clear in this study because the control had lower coverage than the treated fabrics oriented inward or outward. The significant reduction in mussels indicates the potential for successful commercial application with additional modifications.

[0058] Treated enclosure designs, either as sheets or walls, provide reduced settlement of biofouling organisms on steel plates for at least four months. The enclosures substantially reduce quagga and zebra mussel settlement and colonization by 86% compared to controls. The treated side of the fabric facing the substrate (the biocide-coated side of the inner fabric) contained six times fewer (83%) mussels on the steel plate compared to the treated side of the fabric facing away from the substrate (the biocide-coated side of the outer fabric). Skirt or sheet structures can prevent the settlement and colonization of mature quagga and zebra mussels on substrates for at least four months. Early stage larval zebra mussels are able to settle but are unable to develop from the juvenile to adult stage. The point of impact may be during metamorphosis from the early stage to the podveliger stage. Attached photosynthetic algal growth may be present on the outside (treated side) of the structure due to light exposure.

[0059] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a system 800 for protecting a water supply system from biofouling, incorporating a wall structure having multiple layers, each with the same, similar, or different permeabilities; the same, similar, or different materials; and / or the same, similar, or different thicknesses. In another embodiment, the layers may be spaced apart with minimal, no, or significant spacing between each layer. In various embodiments, some layers may be in direct contact with one or more adjacent layers, while in other embodiments, adjacent layers may be separated by a spacing of 1 / 10 inch or less, 0.25 inch or less, 0.5 inch or less, 1 inch or less, or greater. In some other embodiments, layers may be separated by greater distances, such as 1 inch or more, 6 inches or more, 1 foot or more, 10 feet or more, or 100 feet or more. If desired, some layers may be separated by a porous intermediate material or filler.

[0060] If desired, the first upper layer 810 may be removable, such that removal of the first upper layer (which may include a "peel-off" or other type of connection section 815) thus exposes an intact second lower layer 820, removal of the second lower layer exposes an intact third lower layer (not shown), and so on, all upstream of the protected substrate. If desired, the first upper layer may be removable, leaving the remaining lower layers intact, and then a replacement first upper layer may be positioned around the intact lower layer, such as if the first upper layer becomes sufficiently contaminated to warrant removal and / or replacement. Alternatively, multiple upper and / or lower layers may include multiple sacrificial layers, each of which, when sufficiently contaminated, is removed to expose underlying virgin or semi-virgin layers (i.e., still surrounding and protecting the substrate). In some embodiments, the lower layer may be changed, replaced, or removed daily, weekly, monthly, three months, six months, one, two, three, four, and / or even five or more years, with periodic removal, replacement, and / or renewal of the outer and / or lower layers (i.e., removal of the contaminated layer and immediate and / or delayed replacement with a new upper layer), as described above. Such systems may have application in saltwater, freshwater, and / or brackish water, if desired.

[0061] In at least one additional alternative embodiment, the anti-fouling enclosure may include multiple layers or "stages" of fibrous substrate media through which water flow may pass, with each layer or layer division contributing different conditioning properties to the water. For example, a three-stage anti-fouling system may include a first layer to protect the structure, a second layer to condition the water, and a third layer to dose the water and / or kill organisms passing therethrough, etc. If desired, multiple layers may be incorporated into a single replaceable module, or each layer may be individually removable and / or replaceable.

[0062] 9 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of an aqueous flow mechanism of a supplemental pumping system 900 for adding and / or removing aqueous liquids and / or other materials or substances to / from a reservoir 910. In this embodiment, the system includes an outer wall or boundary, which in some embodiments may include one or more permeable walls and in other embodiments may include one or more semi-permeable and / or impermeable walls (and in some embodiments may include some or all walls of an enclosure that are impermeable). A pumping mechanism 920 may be provided having a flow cavity or intake 930 and an intake pipe 940, and the pump further includes an outlet 960 and an outlet pipe or flow cavity or flow channel pipe 970 that extend from the pump outlet, through at least one wall of the reservoir, and through / into the aqueous environment within the reservoir. In various embodiments, at least some flow cavity portion 980 of the outlet tube may extend some distance within the reservoir, with the outlet potentially located proximate and / or distal from a protected substrate or water supply system (not shown) and / or one or more walls of the reservoir. During use, a pumping mechanism may be activated to supply outside water into the reservoir in a desired manner, and / or pumping operation may be reversed to draw water from the reservoir, if desired, to be released in the environment outside the reservoir. Alternatively, the pumping mechanism may be utilized to supply additional oxygen or other water chemistry factors to the reservoir. If desired, some or all of the pumping mechanism and / or the flow cavity and / or water intake 930 may be located within the reservoir, or alternatively within and / or through some portion of the reservoir wall, or may be located outside the reservoir, if desired. In another embodiment, the aqueous flow feature may be a propeller system, pedal system, flow pipe, flow flume, or flow tunnel that may be used in a similar manner to move water or create desired flow characteristics as a pump system.

[0063] In various embodiments, system components may incorporate permeable walls of various configurations, including: (1) an enclosure that completely surrounds the intake or protected substrate (i.e., a "box" or "flexible bag" enclosure); (2) an enclosure with side walls that surround the periphery of the intake or substrate (i.e., a "skirt" or "drape" that surrounds the sides of the substrate but may have an open top and / or bottom); (3) an enclosure formed from modular walls that may be assembled around the intake or substrate, which may incorporate various openings and / or missing modular sections (i.e., an "open geodesic dome" enclosure); (4) an enclosure that surrounds only the submerged portion of the intake or substrate (i.e., an open-top "floating bag" enclosure); and / or (5) an enclosure that protects only a single side of the intake or substrate (i.e., a "drape" enclosure), as well as many other potential enclosure designs. Additionally, the enclosure wall may be relatively smooth or flat, or curved and / or continuous, or the enclosure wall and / or enclosure may, if desired, include highly complex structures such as undulating surfaces, corrugated or accordion-like surfaces (i.e., see FIG. 27), folded, "crinkled" or "squashed" surfaces, and / or other features that may dramatically increase the surface area and / or potentially alter the filtering capabilities of the enclosure wall.

[0064] In various embodiments, the fouling prevention system may incorporate one or more walls comprising a three-dimensional flexible structure comprising fiber filaments and having an average base filament diameter of about 6 mils or less (i.e., 0.1524 millimeters or less). In various alternative embodiments, the enclosure may comprise textured polyester. In addition, natural fiber materials such as 80x80 burlap may be useful for enclosures and in various aqueous environments, even when the natural materials degrade relatively quickly in aqueous environments and the underlying degradation process contributes to significant, measurable pH differences within the system. If desired, various embodiments may incorporate degradable and / or hydrolyzable materials and / or bonds (i.e., between components and / or along the polymer chains of the component materials) that allow the components to degrade in aqueous media after a period of time.

[0065] In some embodiments, a fouling prevention system or its various components may contribute to measurable changes in the pH level of a protected environment, particularly if one or more "target" fouling organisms (i.e., organisms intended to be affected in some way by the fouling prevention system) are sensitive to and may respond "negatively" to increases or decreases in pH levels. Marine organisms are often highly sensitive to slightly acidic pH changes (pH < 8). In contrast, freshwater organisms typically thrive in the pH range of 7 to 8.4 and begin to respond negatively when ammonium levels increase. In some embodiments, a significant change in pH to achieve some or all of the objectives of the present invention may be at a level far less likely to adversely affect metals and other materials within the protected system. If desired, a pH-controlled fouling prevention system may provide the added benefit of reduced scale formation due to reduced pH in a given fluid system, which may be provided at a level lower than would adversely affect the materials from which the water system is constructed.

[0066] FIG. 23 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a protective pumping system for adding and / or removing aqueous liquids and / or other materials or substances to or from a reservoir or tank. In this embodiment, the system includes an optional outer reservoir or tank constructed of a solid material and an inner reservoir or holding tank, which in some embodiments may include one or more permeable walls and in other embodiments may include one or more semi-permeable and / or impermeable walls (some embodiments may include some or all walls of the inner reservoir being impermeable). A pumping mechanism having a flow cavity or water strainer or water intake and intake pipe may be provided, and the pump further includes an outlet and outlet pipe or flow cavity or flow channel pipe extending from the pump outlet, through at least one wall of the inner reservoir, and through / into the aqueous environment within the reservoir. In various embodiments, at least some flow cavity portions may extend some distance into the reservoir, and the flow channel enters the inner reservoir through or near the intake hole(s) of the inner reservoir. The flow path is introduced into the conditioned or treated structure strip. Liquid or other materials in the flow path are exposed to the treated structure strip and pass around, over, under, or through the strip. The internal reservoir can contain one or more treated structure strips, which can be permeable or non-permeable. The treated structure strips can be sized to line the inner surface of the internal reservoir or to fit multiple structure strips within the internal reservoir. Multiple structure strips can be sized and positioned vertically, horizontally, or diagonally within the internal reservoir or cylinder. The conditioned or treated structure strips are attached to the internal reservoir on at least one side of the strip and can be positioned tightly to provide tension or loosely for material flexibility. The amount of tension required for attachment of the strip to the reservoir depends on the flow rate, reservoir volume, and other factors. The treated structure strips provide mixing in laminar flow or flow applications.The flow channel outlet may be positioned proximate to and / or distal from the protected substrate or water supply system, and / or one or more walls of the reservoir. An optional fluid strainer or filter may be positioned at the outlet. During use, a pumping mechanism may be activated to supply outside water into the reservoir in a desired manner, and / or the pump operation may be reversed to draw water from the reservoir, if desired, to be released into the environment outside the reservoir.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, multiple (in some embodiments, 125-250) treated structure strips (i.e., 2" x 30") can be positioned in a vertical configuration (which can include tension-free hanging) within a 25-gallon cylinder reservoir. Water flows through a pre-conditioning filter and then enters the cylinder reservoir through an intake hole located at the bottom of the reservoir. Once the cylinder reservoir is filled, water passes through the top, passes through multiple permeable treated structure strips, and then overflows into the reservoir outlet. The reservoir outlet can contain an optional containment step with treated structure or "bio-balls" or the like. The water can flow into an additional strainer / filter or heat exchanger, or be used for similar purposes. Such a system can be utilized with freshwater, slat and / or brackish water, or another of the other liquids contemplated herein.

[0068] The skirted and stripped tank experiments each potentially have different application roles in reducing biofouling. Both the skirted and stripped tanks had significant reduction effects on mussels, bryozoans, snails, and sponges. The skirted tank demonstrated significant biofouling inhibition compared to the stripped tank walls, which served as a control, particularly nearer the treated fabric lining the tank walls and specifically to prevent biofouling of mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and snails. A small number of mussels were found in the debris accumulation on the skirt fabric, but they did not appear to have metamorphosed into larvae, as no larvae or adults were present on the skirt.

[0069] The strip tank using the central treatment cylinder demonstrated impressive inhibition of invertebrate biofouling organisms, including zebra mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and lung snails, with a suppression level of zero biofouling. Compared to the outer, untreated portion of the tank receiving harbor water inflow (including the tank wall, the outer wall of the central cylinder, the outer surface of the cooling tubes, and the multi-plate artificial substrate), it had a large population of these same organisms.

[0070] The study analyzed protective pumping systems for adding and / or removing aqueous liquids and / or other materials or substances to or from reservoirs or tanks. The study was designed to determine the effectiveness of two independent biofouling treatment systems using high-velocity or pumped water. One system, a "strip tank," used a central cylinder with a high-density treated fabric strip designed to maximize exposure contact and time. The other system, a "skirt tank," used a treated fabric skirt wrapped around the tank's interior walls. Each fiberglass / gelcoat tank held 495 gallons (1,874 liters) of water 30 inches (76 cm) deep. Lake Michigan Harbor water was pumped into the building and split approximately equally between each tank. The influent water was routed through a Groco brand water strainer before entering the tanks. The water then flowed through holes into a central cylinder, and a sampling portion was captured in a standpipe by an attached pump. The water in each tank was then delivered to a series of vertical stainless steel pipes, representing the cooling pipes that might be used in industrial settings. The pipes were each constructed of polished SS316 and unpolished SS304 sections. From these pipes, the water flowed to a second outflow Groco brand water strainer and finally to a drain for disposal. This system offered several points of biofouling potential: 1) the inflow Groco strainer, which was raw water from the harbor, supplying an array of potential biofouling organisms, for one month; 2) Tank wall surfaces (confined to the skirted tank because the skirt was loosely attached to the wall), 4 months. 3) Central treatment cylinder exterior and interior walls, 4 months. 4) PVC standpipe exterior, 4 months. 5) 304SS tubing on both exterior and interior walls, 4 months. 6) 316SS tubing sections on both exterior and interior walls, 4 months. 7) Aluminum manifold holding SS tubing in place, 4 months. 8) Outlet Groco brand water strainers, 1 month. Both the inlet and outlet Groco brand strainer baskets held two microscope slides and four artificial substrate bio-balls. 9) Each tank housed four plates of artificial substrate at the bottom of the tank and cast Christmas trees, 4 months.Figure 23 estimates the water flow through the strip tank.

[0071] Tables 3-7 below present data from stripped and skirted tank experiments relating to the amount of fouling. [Table 3] [Table 4] [Table 5] [Table 6] [Table 7]

[0072] The strip tanks showed clear inhibition of invertebrate biofouling organisms, including zebra mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and pulmonate snails, all without post-treatment in the central cylinder. The control outer untreated portions of the tank receiving harbor water inflow (tank walls, central cylinder outer wall, cooling tube outer surface, multi-plate artificial substrate) had large populations of these organisms: zebra mussels (>1575 / m²), bryozoans (>28% surface coverage), sponges (>45 / m²), and snails (>540 / m²).

[0073] The treated portion of the strip tank, including the inner wall of the central cylinder, the outer wall of the standpipe, and the inner wall of the cooling tube, was free of colonization by the same invertebrate biofouling organisms (zebra mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and pulmonate snails), except for a single snail specimen living at the water / air interface of the central cylinder. Freshwater pulmonate snails are largely tolerant of adverse conditions because they lack gills but possess a pulmonate mantle cavity that captures oxygen from the atmosphere. Thus, they can tolerate low-oxygen environments and avoid the gills' sensitivity to harsh chemical compositions.

[0074] The strip tank cooling lumens did not have biofouling organisms, but there was a slight buildup of debris on the walls (see figure). In comparison, the skirt tank cooling lumens had significantly more debris buildup on the walls than the strip tank lumens (see figure). This difference may also be related to the presence of microfilm (bacteria?) on the interior walls of both the strip and skirt tanks, and the higher biological activity of small invertebrates, particularly nematodes and rotifers, that were present within the tubing of the skirt tank (a single nematode was found in the central cylinder of the strip tank).

[0075] Comparison of diversity changes within the strip tank (Table C6) indicates that the system disproportionately reduced rare taxa relative to common taxa over the course of the 4-month experiment, suggesting a skewed spectral impact of the biofouling treatment. For skirted tank diversity (see below), this may be due to the larger surface treatment area and limited water contact within the central cylinder. This suggests greater induced stress (treatment) compared to the skirted system. This may also be indicated by reference to the skirted tank system (below), where more fouling was present the further away from the treated fabric in the peripheral tank, i.e., the less treatment contact with water. These diversity-related inferences are preliminary and based on limited data.

[0076] The skirted tanks demonstrated significant biofouling inhibition compared to the strip tank walls, which served as a control, particularly nearer the treated fabric lining the tank walls and specifically to prevent biofouling of mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and snails. A small number of mussel larvae were found in the debris accumulation on the skirt fabric, but they did not appear to metamorphose into larvae, as no larvae or adults were present on the skirt.

[0077] The arrangement of the treated fabric, multi-plate artificial substrate, and central cylinder in the skirt tank provided an opportunity to observe differences in biofouling over a 65 cm range, from near the wall fabric to the multi-plate and from the treated fabric to the central cylinder furthest from the fabric. Zebra mussels were virtually nonexistent on the fabric skirt, 7 / m² on the multi-plate, and 31 / m² on the central cylinder. Bryozoan biofouling was nonexistent on the fabric, approximately 1% coverage on the multi-plate, and approximately 10% coverage on the central cylinder. Sponges and snails were consistently absent on the multi-plate and central cylinder. In general, biofouling was significantly less in the skirt tank than in the control strip tank (outer area).

[0078] Comparison of diversity changes within the skirted tank (Table C7) indicates that the system had a balanced impact on rare and common taxa over the course of the 4-month experiment, suggesting a broad-spectrum impact of the biofouling treatment.

[0079] Treated fabric skirts provide at least 4 months of protection from settled biofouling organisms. Biofouling was significantly less in the skirted tanks compared to the control, unprotected tanks. The skirted tanks demonstrate significant deterrence of invertebrate biofouling organisms, including zebra mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and pulmonate snails. A small number of mussel larvae were found in the debris accumulation on the skirt fabric, but never metamorphosed into larvae or adults. Zebra mussels were found at 7 / m on the mulch plates. 2 , 31 / m on the central cylinder 2Sponges and snails were consistently absent on the skirt fabric, multi-plate, and center cylinder. The cooler tube walls exposed to treated water from the skirt experiment contained more debris buildup compared to the cooler tube walls exposed to treated water from the strip experiment. The turbidity of the treated water was significantly higher in the skirt tank compared to the turbidity of the treated water in the strip tank. The tank walls in the skirt experiment had more microfilm present compared to the tank walls in the strip experiment.

[0080] The treated water from the strip experiment exhibited lower biological activity of biofouling bodies compared to the treated water from the skirt experiment. The strip tank showed clear inhibition of invertebrate biofouling organisms, including zebra mussels, bryozoans, sponges, and lungfish. The cooling pipe inner walls exposed to treated water from the strip experiment contained 74% less debris accumulation compared to the cooling pipe inner walls exposed to treated water from the skirt experiment. Biodiversity changes within the strip tank indicated that the system disproportionately reduced rare taxa relative to common taxa, suggesting a skewed spectral impact of the biofouling treatment. This may be due to the larger surface treatment area and limited water contact within the central cylinder, leading to greater induced stress compared to the skirt treatment. The bioball substrate in the strip tank showed a 15.6% reduction in microfouling over a four-month period.

[0081] Residence and dwell time In some cases, it may be possible to create a reservoir of water or other aqueous fluids that significantly exceeds a few seconds, minutes, hours, a day, or a week's worth of fluid usage by a given water system, and various water chemistry "differences" as described herein may be induced within the reservoir to create, maintain, and manage various desired anti-fouling effects on substrates within the water system. However, in other situations, such as drawing water directly from a natural source for immediate use and / or incorporating a reservoir that provides significantly less water than a day's or even a few hours' worth of water usage, particularly where design constraints may be limited by the amount of available real estate, environmental concerns, and / or other concurrent uses of aqueous media, it may be necessary and / or desirable to construct a system with little or no reservoir capacity. In such cases, it may be desirable to provide continuous and / or periodic water conditioning treatments, as described above, that can artificially induce and / or accelerate various water chemistry factors as described herein. In such cases, the chemical composition of the water in the reservoir may be monitored periodically and / or continuously, and one or more water conditioning treatments may be applied to the water in the reservoir as needed.

[0082] For example, it may be possible to determine the minimum desired enclosure size and related components by comparing the expected volume needed over a day or so with the time required to allow the water's chemical composition to reach a desired and / or acceptable level within part or all of the water system (which may be referred to in various alternative embodiments as "residence time," "dwell time," and / or "turnover time"). "Residence time" and / or "residence time," and / or "turnover time" and similar terms may be used interchangeably in some preferred embodiments. "Residence time" is a well-known term applied to fluid retention time within a fluid reservoir and is generally a measure of the average time water molecules spend within the reservoir. While residence time defined for a steady-state system may be equal to the reservoir volume divided by the inflow or outflow rate, in some systems (including various embodiments disclosed herein), residence time may optionally incorporate "mixing" of a certain amount of liquid within the reservoir into the equation. Alternatively, the residence time of a fluid mass may be the total time the mass spends within a controlled volume (e.g., in a reservoir, in a water system, in a chemical reactor, in a heat exchanger or other component, in a lake, and / or even in the human body). The residence time of a "set" of masses may be quantified in terms of the frequency distribution of residence times within the set, known as the residence time distribution (RTD), or in terms of its average, known as the mean residence time.

[0083] "Residence time" may have a similar definition, but is typically specifically applied as "dwell time" (i.e., used in military and / or computer applications). Generally, residence time is the mathematical relationship between volume and flow rate (volume / flow rate), and further, residence time may generally be treated as the inverse of the turnover rate.

[0084] In various embodiments of a fouling prevention system, system components may include one or more components that provide sufficient residence and / or residence time in the protected water body of the water system, such that sufficient time exists for dissolved oxygen (DO) and / or other water quality elements to change to desired levels, and desirably provide sufficient time for fouling organisms to evaluate and assess their attractiveness to settlement within the protected environment. If water preconditioning can occur with sufficient residence time, this may allow fouling organisms to be evaluated in some embodiments to avoid settlement and / or colonization.

[0085] In various embodiments, the amount of residence time sufficient to inhibit and / or prevent fouling of substrates and / or water system components can vary with a variety of factors, including water flow, temperature, type of organism, growing season, salinity, sunlight, available nutrients and / or oxygen, contaminants, etc. In some cases, a minimal amount of water chemical composition change may be necessary to achieve the desired results, while in other embodiments, a more significant water chemical composition change may be necessary to achieve the desired results. In some cases, only a few seconds, minutes, or hours of residence time after passage into and / or through the fouling prevention enclosure may result in sufficient water chemical composition change, while longer residence times of days, months, or years may be necessary to achieve desirable and / or desired results. The residence time required for optimal results may be adjusted or modified based on the application. Some applications require dwell times of 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 4 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, 10 days, 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, or 12 months.

[0086] For example, one exemplary embodiment of a fouling prevention system includes a filtration and / or dosing unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable structure having a biocide coating on at least one surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores, the filtration unit being positioned proximate to a water intake point of a water circuit, some or all of the water passing through the water circuit passing through the filtration unit, the water requiring an average residence time to pass through the filtration and / or dosing unit and the water circuit and be discharged through a drain of the water circuit, the biocide coating eluting a biocide into the water passing through the filtration and / or dosing unit, the biocide contacting a plurality of fouling organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of at least one species of the plurality of fouling organisms to colonize one or more substrate surfaces within the water circuit for at least the average residence time.

[0087] In some embodiments (such as higher flow systems), the fouling prevention system may be sufficient to simply shorten and / or limit the amount of time the organisms have to evaluate and / or "reject" environmental aqueous conditions to sufficiently inhibit colonization and / or settlement, optionally coinciding with various water chemistry changes and / or other effects provided by the fouling prevention system. However, in some other cases, higher flow rates in the water system may force and / or draw fouling organisms into and / or through the protected environment before "evaluation" by the organisms can be achieved and / or before the desired water chemistry changes take effect, which may result in increased fouling due to "opportunistic" settlement and / or colonization occurring at a faster rate, which may be further exacerbated by changes in the organisms' natural detachment rates and different levels of opportunistic "grazing" of the fouling organisms by microscopic predators, etc. In many cases, a "sweet spot" for a desired flow rate (or range or flow rate) will desirably be achieved that minimizes settlement and / or colonization by fouling organisms while increasing and / or promoting detachment of the fouling organisms and / or consumption of the fouling organisms by microscopic predators and the like.

[0088] In some embodiments, the anti-fouling system will desirably create one or more conditions that prevent and / or inhibit various fouling activities within the protected environment, such as by inducing the formation of an anti-fouling biofilm within the protected environment, killing and / or injuring fouling organisms, and / or inducing various biological behaviors within the protected environment that can inhibit the settlement, colonization, and / or growth of fouling organisms on a substrate. For example, such inhibitory activity can include direct effects on the fouling organisms themselves (i.e., inhibiting colonization and / or growth, or promoting detachment), as well as effects on organisms that can form and / or develop biofilms within the protected environment and / or effects on predatory organisms that can prey on fouling organisms within the protected environment. Such inhibitory effects may be permanent, durable, and / or long-lasting, or may be temporary within some or all of the protected environment or various portions thereof for a desired period of time, such as 2 seconds or less, 5 seconds or less, 30 seconds or less, 1 minute or less, 5 minutes or less, 10 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, 1 hour or less, 6 hours or less, 12 hours or less, 1 day or less, or other time.

[0089] In some cases where the minimum reservoir size cannot be achieved or where changes in the water's chemical composition require an undesirable time to achieve, it may be desirable to condition the water as needed, which may include periodic "refresher" processes so that the water in the reservoir is drained and / or otherwise replaced. Furthermore, where the use of a large reservoir is undesirable, the various water conditioning processes described herein may be utilized with smaller reservoirs and / or even continuously within the facility's suction piping, if desired. In such cases, the various water conditioning processes described herein may be used to continuously condition water (such as in a water plant) with nitrogen or other gases and / or chemicals. Such treatments may be particularly useful when sufficient residence time does not exist within a given reservoir to achieve a batch process, or when closed-loop process techniques that continuously treat the water are desired (i.e., when using closed test and treatment loops to determine and / or maintain desired water chemistry levels (such as oxygen levels) within specific ranges. In various embodiments, the various system designs and / or water conditioning treatments described herein may be utilized separately and / or together as needed, which may include, if desired, the use of a reservoir alone during periods of low water demand and the simultaneous use of both techniques during periods of higher water demand. In a similar manner, the water conditioning treatments described herein may be utilized alone during periods of low water demand, with the use of both water conditioning by enclosure simultaneously during periods of higher water demand. It should also be understood that different environmental conditions may require different treatments for the aqueous medium, including seasonal and / or other differences in temperature, sunlight, salinity, high / low water levels, high / low fouling seasons, etc.).

[0090] In many cases, a particular species of fouling organism will survive and thrive within an optimal range or range of conditions, including ranges of temperature, oxygen or other dissolved gas levels, dissolved solids levels, pH, water flow rate, and other conditions. With regard to water flow rate, the specific optimal flow rate will often depend on the type of fouling organism. Many fouling organisms are adapted to "faster" flowing water to survive; for example, zebra mussels are originally river species and thrive at high flow rates. The optimal flow rate for many fouling organisms may depend on the organism's ability to swim and what it eats (i.e., high flow rates often aid in delivering food to immobile or less mobile organisms). Often, if the flow rate drops too low or falls below an organism's critical low flow level, the organism will "starve," begin to weaken, and become unhealthy due to a lack of food and nutrients (including dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and / or other factors). If the flow rate becomes too high, some organisms may not have the time or means to colonize and / or reproduce on the substrate. Generally, most organisms have a "sweet spot" for their optimal flow rate, which in some embodiments can be exploited as part of an anti-fouling enclosure system.

[0091] Large-scale water systems and heat exchanger efficiency Large-scale fluid systems are used in a wide variety of processes, and at their most basic, these systems rely on the movement and consumption of fluids. Often, the fluid will include water, which can be saltwater drawn from bays, seas, and / or oceans; freshwater drawn from rivers, lakes, or wells / aquifers; or wastewater from a variety of sources. Some facilities utilize one-pass or single-pass cooling processes, in which water is drawn into the plant's system and utilized for a single pass through the process and / or equipment, and then the water is discharged to the environment, while other facilities use water recirculation systems that include towers or reservoirs before the water enters the process, equipment, or device that requires drawing unused or unconsumed water, allowing this unconsumed water to be returned to the process or equipment multiple times. Although recirculating water systems draw less water from an external source compared to single-pass systems, recirculating systems typically still require a significant amount of "make-up" or replacement water to replace water lost through evaporation (in the case of open recirculating systems) and "blowdown," or the discharge of liquid containing concentrated dissolved solids.

[0092] In some cases, a one-time or single-pass system may utilize 20 to 40 times as much water to remove waste, heat, or other undesirable parameters as a reservoir system operating with five cycles of recirculation. By way of non-limiting example, a power plant using one-time cooling may draw 20,000 to 50,000 gallons / MWh of water generated, while a comparable plant using recirculation cooling may only draw 500 to 1,200 gallons / MWh. While the water load of a one-time plant is enormous, on the order of 3,500,000 to 8,750,000 gallons per hour to supply a 175 MWh power plant, even a recirculation plant still requires a significant amount of water, on the order of 87,500 to 210,000 gallons per hour for an equivalent 175 MWh.

[0093] Water is a favorable environment for many life forms. In single-pass systems, the water drawn into the system is generally saturated with adult and / or larval fouling organisms and / or larvae, many of which attempt to colonize various submerged surfaces. Even in recirculating systems without or with reduced water intake (compared to single-pass systems), the replacement or "make-up" water entering the system will typically contain a large number of organisms. The flow characteristics of recirculating water systems promote colonization by sessile organisms to use the circulating supply of food, oxygen, and nutrients; in some embodiments, the water temperature may be high enough to support thermophilic populations in various parts of the system. These organisms will often colonize the wetted surfaces of any surface or material within the water system, including pipes, valves, grates, filters, pumps, etc., which can significantly reduce the system's water consumption rate or any desired production rate. In many cases, even a thin biofilm formed on a system surface significantly insulates this surface, reducing its efficiency and significantly increasing the system's overall operating costs. In various embodiments, the disclosed system may significantly improve the efficiency, function, and / or durability of any desired process in small or large scale water systems, including, by way of non-limiting example, cooling water systems for heat exchangers that transfer heat from a hot fluid or gas to a cold fluid or gas, where this heat is typically transferred through a "heat transfer surface," which is often the metal wall of the heat transfer piping that separates the hot and cold materials. [Table 8] [Table 9]

[0094] In various embodiments, the disclosed fouling prevention system includes a method for reducing biofilm formation in any water system, such as a heat exchanger and / or heat transfer piping of a cooling tower, wherein the system component includes a flexible porous structure component (with an optional biocide coating applied to a first surface of the flexible porous structure), the flexible porous structure having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous structure, and placing the structure in a water stream of the cooling tower at a location upstream from the heat exchanger / heat transfer piping, wherein the water stream flows through the plurality of pores from the first surface to the second surface (and the optional biocide, in some embodiments, elutes from the coating into the water stream), and the water chemistry change and / or the optional biocide contacts a plurality of biofouling organisms in the water stream, thereby resulting in a reduced thickness of biofilm on the interior surface of the heat exchanger / heat transfer piping compared to an untreated biofilm thickness from the untreated water stream.

[0095] In addition to directly reducing heat transfer efficiency, biofouling also typically causes and / or leads to scaling and / or corrosion of wetted metal surfaces because, as the biofilm thickens, less oxygen may be accessible to the tube wall material and / or adjacent cells. Bacteria, such as sulfate-reducing bacteria and others, can produce metabolites that attack metals in a process called microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC). Studies conducted in the 1980s and early 1990s estimated that the costs of cleaning, fluid handling, parts replacement, and lost production due to heat exchanger fouling were approximately 0.25% of the GDP of all developed countries. For process plants, the estimated cost for heat exchanger and boiler repairs was approximately 15% of the plant's total maintenance costs, with approximately half of this value attributable to fouling alone. In 2016, the Worldwide Corrosion Authority (NACE International) estimated that the global cost of corrosion was US$2.5 trillion.

[0096] In many systems, heat exchanger components are typically overdesigned by at least 70% to 80%, preferably including compensation for the expected 30% to 50% efficiency loss due to fouling of the heat exchanger surfaces. In addition to reducing heat transfer, fouling buildup can also reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the tubes or flow paths, which increases the resistance of fluids passing through the heat transfer surfaces. Continued reduced flow can dramatically increase the pressure drop across the heat exchanger, further reducing flow rate and exacerbating heat transfer problems (including eventual blockage of the heat exchanger tubes). However, by controlling and / or ameliorating the effects of biofouling in many of these systems, the present system can enable operators to significantly reduce this required "overdesign," resulting in significant savings in capital equipment.

[0097] Similarly, biofouling occurring in various elements of recirculating water systems, such as cooling towers, can significantly alter flow distribution and dramatically reduce evaporative cooling rates. Biofouling in these systems can also produce undesirable effects, such as oxygen concentrations that increase corrosion rates of the metal walls of the system, as well as promote the growth and distribution of potentially harmful organisms, such as Legionella, which lives within amoebae. In various embodiments, an embodiment of a biofouling protection system may include a device for reducing the occurrence of Legionella in water flowing within a water circuit of a manufacturing or power generation plant, the device comprising: an enclosure unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable structure having a biocide coating on at least one surface that extends at least partially within the plurality of pores; and an oxygen removal system that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the water passing through the enclosure unit, wherein a filtration unit is positioned at a water filtration station of the water circuit, at least some portion of the water in the water circuit passes through the enclosure unit, the biocide coating elutes a biocide into the water passing through the enclosure unit, the biocide contacting a plurality of Legionella organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of the plurality of Legionella organisms to reproduce or colonize one or more substrate surfaces within the water circuit.

[0098] In various embodiments, embodiments of biofouling protection systems are disclosed that may significantly reduce the thickness and / or extent of biofouling films that form on any surface of a water system, for non-limiting example, heat exchanger tubing, thereby reducing the insulating effect of biofouling and ensuring the maintenance of optimal heat transfer efficiency levels within the system. In some embodiments, the biofouling protection systems described herein may provide fouling protection to the entire system and / or multiple portions, while other embodiments may provide "localized" or specialized protection to specific areas and / or "modules" of the system, such as, for non-limiting example, the wetted heat transfer surfaces of one or more heat exchangers in the system.

[0099] In one exemplary embodiment, the biofouling protection system may include an optional biocide-impregnated enclosure or "biocide filter" element through which some or all of the water flow may pass. Desirably, the element may inhibit and / or "filter" some and / or all of the various "larger" fouling organisms, including adult organisms of many fouling species and larger, settled larvae such as tunicates, while the biocide within the element will desirably kill, damage, and / or inactivate the various "smaller" and / or immature fouling organisms. Such inhibition may desirably include inhibition of colonization of wetted surfaces for a limited period of time, such as, for example, the time required for the targeted fouling organisms to pass through heat exchanger tubes and / or the entire water system (e.g., in a single-pass system). In various embodiments, the environmental changes potentially induced by the fouling prevention system (which may include effects from the optional biocide-impregnated fibrous substrate media) may induce the formation of a thin, minimal, and / or thermally conductive biofilm on any system surface, by way of non-limiting example, wetted heat transfer surfaces, which desirably provides increased heat transfer efficiency and / or heat transfer component life compared to the heat transfer efficiency / components of existing heat transfer systems that may be negatively affected by biofouling. In various alternative embodiments, the fouling prevention system may induce the formation of an easily removable or reducible biofilm on any system surface, by way of non-limiting example, wetted heat transfer surfaces, which may be removed using less expensive and / or less invasive cleaning methods compared to existing biofilms.

[0100] As a non-limiting example, a fouling prevention system positioned upstream of a heat exchanger unit may include a water treatment enclosure including a flexible porous structure, wherein a coating including a biocide is applied to a first surface of the flexible porous structure, the flexible porous structure having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous structure, the coated structure being placed in a water stream having a first average temperature, the water stream flowing through the plurality of pores from the first surface to the second surface at the first average water temperature, the biocide eluting from the coating into the water stream, the biocide contacting a plurality of biofouling organisms, the water stream being heated to a second temperature higher than the first average temperature, and the biocide inhibiting the plurality of biofouling organisms from colonizing a substrate surface in contact with the water at the second temperature of the water stream. In various embodiments, the effectiveness of the biocide in providing fouling protection to water at both the first and second water temperatures may be comparable, may improve to some extent from the first temperature to the second temperature, and / or may deteriorate to some extent from the first temperature to the second temperature. In various other embodiments, the temperature of the water may alter the rate at which the biocide elutes from the coating (which may include different alterations in the individual biocide elution rates of multiple biocide formulations within a single coating), including elevated temperatures that increase elution of the biocide and elevated temperatures that decrease elution of one or more biocides.

[0101] Various embodiments may include components that contribute to the reduction of microbially induced corrosion (MIC) from a plurality of biofouling organisms in a water stream of a water system, the system may include a flexible porous structure having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous structure with an optional coating comprising a biocide applied to a first surface of the flexible porous structure, the flexible porous structure having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous structure, wherein the coated structure is placed in a water stream, and the water stream flows from the first surface to the second surface through the plurality of pores, inducing a change in the chemical composition of the water and / or optionally eluting the biocide from the coating into the water stream, wherein the change in the chemical composition of the water and / or the biocide inhibits the plurality of biofouling organisms from colonizing a substrate surface positioned downstream of the structure.

[0102] In various embodiments, the biocide-impregnated enclosure will desirably inhibit the growth of biofouling on and / or within the enclosure itself, which will significantly improve the performance, service life, and / or maintainability of the enclosure in the disclosed systems. The presence of the biocide will desirably inhibit the attachment, settling, and / or growth of organisms on the exterior and / or interior surfaces of the enclosure, which can maintain the flexibility of the enclosure and significantly reduce the chance of tears, tears, and / or other failure of the fibrous substrate due to the presence of fouling organisms and / or the resulting increase in overall weight. In addition, the presence and distribution of the biocide will further desirably prevent and / or inhibit the attachment, settling, and / or growth of fouling organisms (especially in the form of spores, propulgates, larvae, and / or juveniles) within the openings and / or "pores" of the enclosure. Biocides often have very different levels of effectiveness against adult and larval members of the same species, and significantly higher dosages of a given biocide are often required to prevent fouling activity by larger and / or mature organisms compared to the dosage required to protect against smaller and / or larval organisms. By inhibiting the passage of larger organisms through the enclosure and applying a higher effective dosage of biocide directly to the smaller organisms as they pass through the biocide-coated pores of the enclosure, the present system provides highly effective fouling protection without requiring high toxicity levels of biocides and / or other system components.

[0103] In various embodiments disclosed herein, the inclusion of one or more biocides and / or other chemicals / toxins in a coating applied to and permeating the surface of a flexible fibrous substrate can significantly improve the dosing and effectiveness of a given biocide in an aqueous medium, such as environmental water, flowing through the substrate of a fouling prevention enclosure. In many cases, the bulk water flow in contact with the substrate will be "disintegrated" or fragmented into numerous individual "streams" of water passing through the openings, pores, and / or interstices of the structure (i.e., in some embodiments, between the individual threads of the structure's fabric). These individual water streams will desirably pass through individual threads of the substrate, many of which have a coating that elutes the biocide and / or other chemicals / toxins directly into the flowing water. These water streams and the eluted biocides will continue to pass through the fibrous substrate, and the tortuous path through the substrate desirably continuously mixes, agitates, and distributes the water with the biocide or other chemicals throughout the various water streams and fouling organisms contained therein. Once the water leaves the substrate, the water stream will rejoin the bulk flow of "treated" water, and the majority of the fouling organisms will have come into contact with and been affected by the biocide or other chemical during and / or after their passage through the fibrous substrate. Thus, the individual stream dosing achieved by the biocide-impregnated substrate in the disclosed fouling prevention system represents a significant improvement over existing biocide or other chemical dosing systems currently in use.

[0104] Because there may be a large number of "pores" or other openings within a given area or volume of an enclosure structure, the walls of these "pores" may potentially be coated with a biocide-eluting coating, making the effective elution surface area of ​​the structure during water flow many times greater than that of a comparable flat surface. In many cases, the amount of biocide eluted during water flow through such porous media may be a factor of 1.1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 100, 1000, or more times greater than that eluted from a comparable sized flat surface. Furthermore, because the biocide may be eluted directly into each of the countless water flows passing through the pores of the structure, the distribution and uniformity of the biocide within the water flow is greatly improved compared to bulk or periodic dosing from one or more locations along the water flow. Additionally, the flexible enclosure structure can be manipulated (i.e., compressed and / or expanded) in various ways to further enhance its usefulness in various environments (i.e., compressing and / or "crushing" the structural medium to reduce its overall size but maintain its large effective surface area).

[0105] In various embodiments, a significant portion and / or all of the aqueous medium "downstream" of the disclosed fouling prevention device will desirably have passed through one or more biocide-impregnated enclosure components, while in other embodiments, some portion of the fluid flow may be bypassed and / or not pass through the biocide-impregnated enclosure. For example, a "skirt" or other biofouling protection device may incorporate a peripheral "wall" of the biocide-impregnated enclosure, while various openings and / or the bottom of the device may be open to the surrounding environment. In such cases, biofouling may still be effective against any protected substrate because the enclosure is present and its effect may still provide some reduction in fouling of the protected substrate compared to an unprotected substrate. In a similar manner, an aqueous stream of water or other liquid can benefit from partial "filtration" of the water flow through a biofouling protection device disclosed herein (i.e., which may incorporate one or more anti-fouling units including biocide-impregnated enclosures), so that the filtration may desirably remove and / or inactivate both larger and / or smaller fouling organisms within the water stream, while some amount of eluted biocide within the water stream will mix with the remaining untreated water to potentially inhibit the activity of biofouling organisms in areas downstream of the fibrous substrate. Such "partial filtration" of similar fouling prevention systems may have particular utility in recirculating water streams, such as cooling towers.

[0106] Structural design and material properties Various embodiments describe a wide variety of structures and / or other structures that may be incorporated into some or all of the fouling protection systems described herein. In many of these embodiments, a coating or paint may be incorporated into the structure, the coating or paint including one or more biocides and / or biotoxic substances that may be released and / or eluted into the fluid flowing through the structure and / or its pores.

[0107] FIG. 10A illustrates one exemplary scanning electron microscope (SEM) photomicrograph of an exemplary spun yarn 1000, depicting a central body or yarn bundle 1010 of entangled filaments 1020, with various filament ends 1030 extending transversely to the central body 1010. FIG. 10B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the central body 1010, highlighting the very fine size of the individual filaments 1020 within the yarn bundle 1010. As best seen in FIG. 10C, which illustrates a close-up view of a knitted structure 1050 including PET yarn, a series of gaps or openings 1080 are positioned between the yardage bundles 1070 during the knitting process, with one or more extending fibers or fiber ends 1090 extending across the various openings (with multiple fiber ends desirably traversing each opening in various embodiments).

[0108] In various embodiments, the structure or enclosure and the substrate protected therein may be separated and / or spaced apart by a minimum distance (i.e., between the interior wall of the enclosure and the exterior surface of the substrate) of about 200 inches, or about 150 inches, or about 144 inches, or about 72 inches or less, or about 36 inches or less, or about 24 inches or less, or about 12 inches or less, or about 6 inches or less, or about 1 inch or less, or about 1 inch or more, or about 6 inches or more, or about 1 inch to about 24 inches, or about 2 inches to about 24 inches, or about 4 inches to about 24 inches, or about 6 inches to about 24 inches, or about 12 inches to about 24 inches, or about 1 inch to about 12 inches, or about 2 inches to about 12 inches, or about 4 inches to about 12 inches, or about 6 inches to about 12 inches, or about 1 inch to about 6 inches, or about 2 inches to about 6 inches, and / or about 4 inches to about 6 inches. In various alternative embodiments, at least some or all of the enclosure may be in direct contact with the substrate in one or more areas (including, but not limited to, the closed portion of the enclosure), and thus, in some embodiments, there may be substantially little or no distance between the medium and the substrate.

[0109] 11A illustrates an exemplary structural material 1100 in rolled sheet form that may be used in various ways to form the various fouling prevention systems and / or elements described herein. In this embodiment, the material desirably comprises a structural material that may include flexible fibrous materials, in this case natural fiber fabrics, as well as woven, knitted, felted, nonwoven, and / or other structures of polyester or other synthetic fibers, and / or various combinations thereof. In various embodiments, structures may be utilized to construct the various embodiments described herein, and / or it may be possible and / or desirable to wrap or otherwise "cover" an elongated substrate with such rolled sheet material, particularly where unrolled and unwrapped sheets may overlap other sheet sections (i.e., along piles or support girders) that may create an "enclosure" that includes a progressively wrapped substrate or water intake, where the structural material is wrapped around the substrate in an overlapping "barber pole" or maypole-type technique, or to line the interior walls of a water tank or irrigation pipe. In such cases, it may be desirable for the structure to be in direct contact with the protected substrate or water intake, and for a very thin layer of liquid between the structural enclosure wall and the substrate surface (and optionally liquid within the structure itself) to constitute the "differentiated environment" described herein.

[0110] In one embodiment, one or more structures and / or enclosure wraps may completely or partially surround a substrate or a portion of a substrate. In a non-limiting example, wrapping a wooden stake with enclosure material in a "barber pole" technique eliminates or significantly reduces fouling of the wooden substrate when the substrate is fully submerged, partially submerged, or positioned at the waterline for at least 18 months, or at least 12 months, or at least 6 months, or at least 3 months.

[0111] In the experiment, piles with loose enclosure bags covering the entire length (bag), tight enclosure wrap covering the entire length (wrap), tight enclosure wrap partially covering the pile at the waterline (waterline), and unprotected piles (open) were randomized and suspended from a line to maintain a section above the waterline. The treated enclosure bags and enclosure wrap significantly reduced fouling on the wooden piles for at least 18 months. The enclosed and wrapped wooden piles had mild fouling consisting of tubeworms and barnacles and no signs of outward perforation. Furthermore, the treated enclosures and wraps had fouling on the fabric after 18 months of immersion. The structures, enclosure wraps, and bags significantly reduced fouling coverage even after more than 1.5 years.

[0112] The enclosure wraps have been shown to eliminate or reduce the presence of boring organisms on wooden stakes for at least 18 months, or at least 12 months, or at least 6 months, or at least 3 months. Treated enclosures completely encased around wooden stakes prevented boring of the wooden stakes, while cloth wrapped around the wooden stakes significantly reduced wood boring for at least 18 months, while boring occurred in wood not protected by an enclosure or wrap. Boring was significantly reduced under the enclosure wrap, and for shipworms, it was prevented by bags with no entrance. The amount of biofouling and boring of wooden stakes or other wooden substrates can be reduced by 100%, 99%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or 10% when fully or partially enclosed by at least one bag or wrap after immersion in saltwater or freshwater for at least 18 months.

[0113] 11B illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a rolled sheet structure 1105 that incorporates adhesive, hook-and-loop material 1110 (and / or stitching) along various portions of the structure that may desirably self-adhere to other fabric portions and / or to other devices and / or components, with the majority of the structure including perforated or permeable portions 1120 as described herein (and in various embodiments, the fastener material itself may include permeable and / or impermeable portions as well). If desired, flaps of material covering some other structure portions may be impermeable to protect the underlying structure.

[0114] In use, the structure may be wrapped around an intake or support girder or other structure to form an enclosure around some portion of the intake or protected substrate, which may include a progressive wrapping method (i.e., "barber pole" type wrapping) or a circular wrapping method (i.e., "round robin" type wrapping) to create various enclosures of similar function to those described herein to protect various portions of the intake or water system from biofouling organisms and / or other degradation. In various embodiments, attachment using hook-and-loop or similar fasteners may be particularly desirable, as such fastening techniques may be permeable, allowing water exchange therethrough in a manner similar to the various permeable materials described herein.

[0115] In another embodiment, the structure or enclosure (fully or partially enclosed) can protect metal chain or other metal substrates from fouling and corrosion. The treated structures and enclosures provide effective protection, significantly reducing fouling and reducing corrosion on metal chains for at least 19 months, or at least 18 months, or at least 12 months, or at least 6 months, or at least 3 months.

[0116] In one experimental test, a metal chain was suspended from an 18-foot dock at Cape Marina or a 10-foot barge at the same marina. The chain on the dock was fixed against the tide and thus had a fully exposed section, a fully submerged section, and an intertidal (submerged / flooded) section. The chain on the barge floated with the tide and had a fully submerged section, a fully exposed section, and a waterline section. As shown in Figure 30, four treatments for the chain, and one control, were tested with three replicates each: (1) a chain with a fully enclosed structure / enclosure covering the entire length (full); (2) a chain with a structure / enclosure fixed around the waterline (waterline); (3) a chain with a structure / enclosure floating (via a boom) at the waterline, i.e., the protective structure moved with the tide (floating); and (4) an unprotected control (open). The chains anchored to the dock were randomized and hung from lines to maintain sections above high water mark. The chains anchored to the barge were hung from cleats and arranged in a block design due to space constraints. All chains were flooded in mid-February.

[0117] Chains that were fully enclosed with at least one structure had very light fouling consisting of tubeworms scattered along the length of the chain after 19 months. The treated structures / enclosures provide effective protection for metal chains positioned at the waterline in the area covered by the enclosure for at least 19 months. Light fouling began to accumulate on chains protected by the enclosure. The floating waterline enclosures began to deteriorate by 19 months, with holes containing fouling on the unprotected chain.

[0118] Corrosion can occur anywhere oxygen cells form on metal when submerged in water. Oxygen cells occur in areas with oxygen or other chemical gradients in the water. Protective structures or enclosures (bagged or wrapped) can reduce or eliminate the effects of corrosion on metal when submerged in water for at least 19 months, at least 18 months, at least 12 months, at least 6 months, or at least 3 months. Experiments have shown minimal corrosion on fully enclosed chains and chains enclosed at the waterline, while unprotected chains were completely covered with biofouling and corrosion. Corrosion can be caused by oxygen gradients inside the enclosure and / or loss of chalk on the chain from friction of the enclosure against the chain. Additionally, corrosion has been observed in areas where the enclosure was damaged and where enclosure material was lost.

[0119] If desired, the system may be constructed using individual component sections that can be assembled into a three-dimensional (3D) structure. For example, individual wall sections of an enclosure may be provided to be attached to one another in various configurations, including triangles, squares, and / or other polygons. If desired, the wall sections may be supported by a relatively rigid frame, or the sections may be highly flexible and / or provided on rollers or other carriers and unfolded to release each individual section before assembly. In at least one alternative embodiment, an open enclosure frame or support may be provided, with elongated sheets or enclosure wall material provided that may be wrapped around and / or layered on the frame segments (and applied to the frame, e.g., in a manner similar to the taping or "shipping wrap" of an object for shipping by a carrier).

[0120] Fibrous Structure Substrate and Filtration In various alternative embodiments, the enclosure, system, and / or its component materials may include three-dimensional structural substrates and / or fibrous substrate structures formed from interwoven and / or intertwined strands of thread formed in a lattice, mesh, mat, or fenestrated structural arrangement, and in various embodiments, may incorporate one or more non-planar and / or non-smooth structural layers. In one overly simplified form, the enclosure may contain multiple horizontally positioned elements interwoven with multiple vertically positioned elements (and various combinations of other fibrous elements aligned in various directions), which may include multiple separate and / or interwoven layers. The flexible material may include one or more spaced apart layers, which may include baffles or various interconnecting sections. Desirably, each thread or other sewing element within the envelope material will include a preselected number of individual strands, at least a portion of which extend outward from the sewing core element in various locations and / or directions, thereby creating a three-dimensional, serpentine network of interwoven threads and sewing strands in the structure. In various embodiments, the various elements of the fibrous matrix may be aligned in virtually any orientation, including diagonally, or in a parallel manner relative to one another, thereby forming right angles, or in virtually any other orientation, including three-dimensional orientations and / or randomized distributions (i.e., felted mats) and / or patterns. Additionally, in some embodiments, there may be significant spacing between individual elements, while in other embodiments, the spacing may be reduced to a very tight pattern to form a tight pattern with little or no spacing between them. In various preferred embodiments, elements such as threads and / or fibers may be made of natural or synthetic polymers, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, nylon, cotton, or combinations thereof.

[0121] Various embodiments of the present invention may include the use of highly ciliated fibrous substrates and / or flexible materials, meaning that the material may contain tendrils or hair-like appendages (i.e., fibers) protruding from its surface or into the pores or open spaces of the three-dimensional flexible structure that forms the fibrous substrate and / or "filtration" medium. The tendrils or hair-like appendages may be part of or incorporated into the material that makes up the three-dimensional flexible material. Alternatively, the tendrils or hair-like appendages may be formed from a separate composition that is adhered or attached to the flexible material. For example, the tendrils or hair-like appendages may be attached to and protrude from an adhesive layer that is itself attached to the surface of the flexible material. In embodiments of the present invention, the tendrils or hair-like appendages may protrude from the surface of the fibrous substrate material, while in other embodiments, the tendrils or hair-like appendages may extend inward from the fibrous material and / or toward and / or into other threads and / or fibers of the material substrate and / or structure. In various aspects of the invention, the tendrils or hair-like appendages may be elastic and / or may vibrate and / or sway due to movement of the enclosure and / or water. In various embodiments, the combination of movement of the cilia themselves and / or the tendrils or hair-like appendages may also cause biofouling organisms to abandon settlement on or within the surface of the enclosure.

[0122] In various embodiments, the presence of many small fibers in the permeable material of the system can provide a significant increase in the complexity of the material's three-dimensional structure, as these structures can extend into and / or around the open interstices of the woven pattern. This arrangement of fibers can traverse the depth of the structure and provide a more tortuous path for organisms attempting to enter the interior environment protected by the enclosure, and / or can provide a significantly larger surface area of ​​the structure for the optional biocide coating to adhere to. In various embodiments, spun polyester has been determined to have highly desirable characteristics as an enclosure material, because the shape and / or size of the three-dimensional "entry path" (i.e., as microorganisms pass through the openings and / or pores of the material) into the enclosure will desirably provide a longer path, a larger surface area, and / or will prove more effective in impeding the entry of fouling organisms into the enclosure and / or retaining a greater amount of biocide coating therein.

[0123] In various embodiments, the three-dimensional topography of the enclosure within the system will desirably contribute to the system's anti-biofouling effectiveness, in that such structural construction may improve the desired "filtration effectiveness" of the walls and / or adversely affect the ability of various fouling organisms to "cling" to the structure and / or protected substrate. However, in other embodiments, the enclosure walls and / or other components may comprise "flatter" and / or "smoother" materials, such as textured yarns or other materials (and / or other material construction techniques), and still provide many of the anti-biofouling benefits disclosed herein. Such materials may be significantly flatter, smoother, and / or less ciliated than materials incorporating spun polyester yarns, while still providing acceptable levels of biofouling protection for various applications.

[0124] In some embodiments, flexible fibrous substrates may be highly desirable for incorporation into various components of the anti-fouling enclosure, especially if they can be bent and / or folded into different configurations to accommodate desired sizes, shapes, and / or permeabilities / densities. For example, a relatively large flexible fibrous substrate may be folded and / or folded so that the substrate has a larger effective surface area / volume for liquid to pass through. Such an arrangement may include pleating and / or folding the substrate material in a manner similar to a pleated air filter, which may increase the effective filtration of the substrate and / or reduce its tendency to clog under certain conditions. Alternatively, the fibrous substrate may be expanded and / or enlarged to fit within a larger volume, if desired.

[0125] Various materials that may be suitable to varying degrees for constructing the system components described herein include various natural and synthetic materials, or combinations thereof. For example, burlap, jute, canvas, wool, cellulose, silk, cotton, hemp, and muslin are non-limiting examples of potentially useful natural materials. Useful synthetic materials may include, without limitation, the polyolefin polymer class (polyethylene, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene, copolymers, etc.), polyester, nylon, polyurethane, rayon, polyamide, polyacrylic, and epoxy. Various types of glass fiber compositions may also be used. Combinations of polymers and copolymers may also be useful. These three-dimensional flexible materials may be formed into fibrous structures, permeable sheets, or other configurations that provide structures capable of providing anti-fouling properties as described herein. Examples of potentially suitable flexible materials for use in constructing the systems described herein include, but are not limited to, burlap, canvas, cotton structures, linen, muslin, permeable polymer sheets, structures constructed from polymer fibers or filaments, and permeable films and membranes. In aspects of the present invention, the flexible material may be selected from natural or synthetic structures such as burlap, knitted polyester or other structures, woven polyester or other structures, spun polyester or other structures, various combinations thereof, or other fabrics with various properties, including those disclosed herein.

[0126] In various embodiments, the flexible material forming one or more enclosures may have a structure formed by intertwined fibers or bundles of fibers (i.e., threads). As used herein, "intertwined" means that the fibers may be nonwoven, woven, knitted, braided, or otherwise interwoven to produce a fibrous substrate capable of the various anti-fouling and / or water permeability and / or water exchange characteristics discussed herein. The material in which the fibers are intertwined may desirably create a pattern of open and closed spaces in the three-dimensional flexible material, with the open spaces defining interstices. Desirably, the fibers that may make up the flexible material may be, for example, a single filament, a bundle of multiple filaments, a filament of natural or synthetic composition, or a combination of natural and synthetic compositions. In embodiments of the invention, the fibers have an average diameter (or "average filament diameter") of about 50 mils or less, about 25 mils or less, about 10 mils or less, about 6 mils or less, about 5 mils or less, about 4 mils or less, about 3 mils or less, about 2 mils or less, about 1 mil or less, about 0.5 mils or less, about 0.4 mils or less, about 0.3 mils or less, about 0.2 mils or less, or about 0.1 mils or less.

[0127] In some embodiments of the invention, the flexible material can comprise a woven or knitted structure. For example, the woven structure can have a picks per inch ("ppi" or fill threads per inch) of about 3 to about 150, about 5 to about 100, about 10 to about 50, about 15 to about 25, about 20 to about 40, and / or approximately 20 ppi. In other embodiments of the invention, the woven structure can have a picks per inch ("epi" or warp threads per inch) of about 3 to about 150, about 5 to about 100, about 10 to about 50, about 15 to about 25, about 20 to about 40, and / or approximately 20 epi or approximately 24 epi. In still other various aspects of the invention, the knitted structure may have courses per inch ("cpi") of about 3 to about 120, about 5 to about 100, about 10 to about 50, about 15 to about 25, about 20 to about 40, and / or about 36 cpi or about 37 cpi. In still other aspects of the invention, the knitted structure has wales per inch ("wpi") of about 3 to about 80, about 5 to about 60, about 10 to about 50, about 15 to about 25, about 20 to about 40, and / or about 36 wpi or about 33.7 wpi.

[0128] Thus, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the woven structure has a yarn size density (i.e., warp yarns multiplied by weft yarns per unit area) of about 9 to about 22,500, about 100 to about 20,000, about 500 to about 15,000, about 1,000 to about 10,000, about 2,500 to about 8,000, about 4,000 to about 6,000, about 2,500 to about 4,000, about 5,000 to about 15,000, about 10,000 to about 20,000, about 8,000 to about 25,000, about 20 to about 100, about 30 to about 50, about 45, or about 40 threads per square inch.

[0129] In another embodiment of the invention, the yarns of the woven or knitted structure can have a size of about 40 denier to 70 denier, about 40 denier to 100 denier, about 100 denier to about 3000 denier, about 500 to about 2500 denier, about 1000 to about 2250 denier, about 1100 denier, about 2150 denier, or about 2200 denier.

[0130] In yet another embodiment of the invention, the woven or knitted structure may have a basis weight per unit area of ​​about 1 to about 24 ounces per square yard (about 34 to about 814 g / m²), about 1 to about 15 ounces per square yard, about 2 to about 20 ounces per square yard (about 68 to about 678 g / m²), about 10 to about 16 ounces per square yard (about 339 to about 542 g / m²), about 12 ounces per square yard (about 407 g / m²), or about 7 ounces per square yard (about 237 g / m²), or about 3 ounces per square yard. In another embodiment of the invention, a desirable spun polyester fiber-based woven structure may be utilized as the envelope material, with the structure having a basis weight of approximately 410 grams per square yard. 2 (See Table 5)

[0131] In various exemplary embodiments, suitable enclosure or structure wall thicknesses can range from 0.025 inches to 0.0575 inches or greater, with desirable embodiments being approximately 0.0205 inches thick, approximately 0.0319 inches thick, approximately 0.0482 inches thick, and / or approximately 0.0571 inches thick. Depending on the size of the perforations and / or openings in the enclosure and the shape, size, and / or tortuosity of the various openings in the system, enclosure walls of greater and / or lesser thickness than those specifically described may be utilized with varying degrees of success and in various system designs with various materials. In various alternative embodiments, the flexible base materials, fibers, and / or threads utilized in the construction of the disclosed fibrous matrices may have wide variations in thickness and / or length, depending on the desired substrate or particular application to be protected. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the thickness of the flexible material can be about 0.001 to about 0.5 inches, about 0.005 to about 0.25 inches, about 0.01 to about 0.1 inches, about 0.02 inches, about 0.03 inches, about 0.04 inches, about 0.05 inches, or about 0.06 inches. Thickness and permeability variations within a single structure, such as a membrane structure, and multiple layers thereof, are contemplated.

[0132] It should be understood that a wide variety of materials and / or combinations of materials may be utilized as system materials to achieve the various objectives described herein. For example, films or similar materials may be utilized as one alternative structural wall material, which may include permeable and / or impermeable films for some or all of the enclosure walls. Similarly, natural and synthetic materials such as rubber, latex, thin metals, metal films, and / or foils, and / or plastics or ceramics may be utilized with varying results.

[0133] Whatever the type of material used, the enclosure may optionally be constructed to be formable so that it can expand and / or contract three-dimensionally, radially, longitudinally, and / or in various combinations thereof. This type of construction desirably allows it to be positioned on and / or around various reservoir and / or intake embodiments in various configurations, which may include, if desired, positioning it so that the enclosure walls can mirror the contours of the surface of any underlying object to which they are attached. In some embodiments, the enclosure may be formed in a mirror image shape of one or more surfaces of the reservoir and / or intake, and will generally be at least slightly larger in size to accommodate a substrate therein.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, the system or enclosure may be constructed of entirely natural enclosure materials, such as burlap or hemp, and deployed to protect substrates in particularly sensitive bodies of water, such as drinking water reservoirs and / or wildlife refuges, where the use of artificial materials and / or biocidal toxins may be prohibited and / or discouraged. In such cases, the enclosure will desirably provide protection to the underlying substrate and / or water intake for a desired period of time without posing a significant potential for contaminating the water and / or harming the local aquatic environment, even if the enclosure were to become detached from the substrate and / or associated support structure (because additional openings in the detached structure would now prevent the development of the protected aqueous environment and its attendant benefits). In such cases, once the substrate no longer requires protection, or if the enclosure becomes contaminated and / or damaged for various reasons, the system components may be removed and / or replaced with new enclosures and / or other components of similar materials, and fouling prevention restored to the substrate as needed.

[0135] In various embodiments, "permeability" is desirably utilized as an indicator of some aspect of the enclosure and / or other system components, since it may be somewhat difficult to measure and / or determine the "effective" porosity of the entire opening of the spun poly and / or burlap material due to the "fuzzyness" and / or randomness in the architecture of this structure, which may be compounded by changes in the flexibility and / or morphology of the structure in wet and / or dry conditions, and which Applicant believes may optionally be important to the effectiveness of various embodiments of the disclosed systems and devices. In various embodiments, the system may include one or more walls comprising a flexible material, with openings and / or pores formed therethrough. In some desirable embodiments, some or all of the openings through the wall may include a tortuous or "curved" flow path, and the tortuosity is the ratio of the actual length of the flow path (L) to the linear distance between the ends of the flow path. t ) is defined as the ratio of:

number

[0136] In one exemplary embodiment, woven structures made from textured or spun polyester yarns may be highly desirable for use in creating exemplary fouling prevention systems; spun polyester yarns potentially have a significant number of fiber ends extending from the yarn in various locations (i.e., a relatively high level of "hairiness" or pilus) and multiple directions, desirably leading to a more complex three-dimensional macrostructure and / or a more tortuous path from the exterior surface to the interior surface of the structure. In various preferred embodiments, these fiber ends may extend into natural openings that may exist in the woven structure, potentially reducing and / or eliminating some "straight path" openings through the structure and / or increasing the tortuosity of existing paths through the structure (which may in some cases extend a considerable distance through the topography of the three-dimensional structure). In various embodiments, it may be desirable for portions of the structure to incorporate openings having a tortuosity greater than 1.25, while in other embodiments, a tortuosity greater than 1.5 may be more desirable for various openings in the structure.

[0137] In many embodiments, the incorporation of permeable elements, components, and / or structures into some and / or all of the system components is highly desirable, allowing for some bulk transport of water through the enclosure in a controlled manner and / or rate. Desirably, the material(s) selected for the enclosure will include one or more walled structures having a level of permeability that allows fluid flow from the surrounding aqueous environment into the water intake and / or reservoir. This permeability will desirably be optimized and / or suitable for the local environment in which the system will be placed, but in general, the enclosure may incorporate a moderate to high level of permeability, as materials with very low permeability may be somewhat less effective in providing sufficient water flow to accommodate the required application. In many cases, local environmental conditions (i.e., water flow, temperature, bio-floral type, growing season, salinity, available nutrients and / or oxygen, contaminants, etc.) and / or local water conditions / velocities (i.e., due to currents and / or tides) may affect the desired permeability and / or other design considerations; for example, higher velocity liquid impingement on the enclosure may result in increased water exchange rates for a given permeability of the material, which may require or suggest the use of a less permeable material in such conditions.

[0138] In various embodiments, the system components can desirably inhibit biofouling of a substrate or substrate portion at least partially immersed in an aquatic environment, the enclosure comprises a material that is or becomes water-permeable during use, the enclosure is adapted to receive the substrate, and in some embodiments, form a distinct aquatic environment extending from the interior / exterior surfaces of the enclosure to a water intake or water system or other protected substrate, and the enclosure or portion thereof is water-permeable at a rate of at least 100 ml / sec per square centimeter of substrate or less upon or after positioning the structure around the substrate. In various embodiments, the water-permeability of the structure can be achieved by forming a structure that allows water to pass through, such as by manufacturing fibers to have a desired permeability. In some embodiments, the structure can be designed to become water-permeable over time as it is used. For example, other water-permeable structures may initially include a coating that makes them substantially impermeable, but as the coating dissolves, erodes, or dissolves, the underlying permeability increases and / or becomes useful.

[0139] In various embodiments, the optimum and / or desired permeability level of the enclosure may approximate any of the structure permeabilities identified in Table 10 (below), and in some embodiments, 100 ml / sec / cm 2 ~0.01ml / sec / sm 2 In various alternative embodiments, the structure or other permeable material may have a permeability in the range of 0.06 ml / sec / cm 2 ~46.71ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.07 ml / sec / cm 2 ~46.22ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.08 ml / sec / cm 2 ~43.08ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.11 ml / sec / cm 2 ~42.54ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.13 ml / sec / cm 2 ~42.04ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.18 ml / sec / cm 2~40.55ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.19 ml / sec / cm 2 ~29.08ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.32 ml / sec / cm 2 ~28.16ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.48 ml / sec / cm 2 ~25.41ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.50 ml / sec / cm 2 ~22.30ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.77 ml / sec / cm 2 ~21.97ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.79 ml / sec / cm 2 ~20.46ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.83 ml / sec / cm 2 ~15.79ml / sec / cm 2 , or 0.90 ml / sec / cm 2 ~14.72ml / sec / cm 2 , or 1.05 ml / sec / cm 2 ~14.19ml / sec / cm 2 , or 1.08 ml / sec / cm 2 ~14.04ml / sec / cm 2 , or 1.11 ml / sec / cm 2 ~13.91ml / sec / cm 2 , or 1.65 ml / sec / cm 2 ~11.27ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.09 ml / sec / cm 2 ~11.10ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.25 ml / sec / cm 2 ~10.17ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.29 ml / sec / cm 2 ~9.43ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.36 ml / sec / cm 2 ~9.20ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.43 ml / sec / cm 2 ~9.02ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.47 ml / sec / cm 2 ~8.24ml / sec / cm 2, or 2.57 ml / sec / cm 2 ~8.16ml / sec / cm 2 , or 2.77 ml / sec / cm 2 ~8.11ml / sec / cm 2 , or 3.68 ml / sec / cm 2 ~6.04ml / sec / cm 2 , or 3.84 ml / sec / cm 2 ~5.99ml / sec / cm 2 , or 4.43 ml / sec / cm 2 ~5.40ml / sec / cm 2 , and / or 4.70 ml / sec / cm 2 ~4.77ml / sec / cm 2 The enclosure may be utilized in or on one or more walls, including a material having a permeability of .beta. [Table 10]

[0140] The water permeability of a material can be a function of numerous factors, including the material's composition, the method and type of construction of the material, whether the material is coated or uncoated, whether the material is dry, wet, or saturated, whether the material itself is contaminated in some way, and / or whether the structure is "pre-wetted" prior to testing and / or use in an aqueous environment. Furthermore, the permeability of a given material can change over time, so that even for a single material, there can be a range of acceptable and / or optimal water permeabilities. In various aspects of the invention, the water permeability of a given enclosure can desirably be an initial minimum permeability sufficient to avoid the formation of constant anoxic conditions in the local (i.e., protected) aquatic environment, while in other embodiments, the permeability may be greater. In various aspects of the invention, the material has a modulus of elasticity of about 100 or less, about 90 or less, about 80 or less, about 70 or less, about 60 or less, about 50 or less, about 40 or less, about 30 or less, about 25 or less, about 20 or less, about 10 or less, about 5 or less, about 4 or less, about 3 or less, about 2 or less, about 1 or less, about 0.5 or less, about 0.1 or less, about 1 or more, about 0.5 or more, about 0.1 or more, about 0.1 to about 100, about 0.1 to about 90, about 0.1 to about 80, about 0.1 to about 70, about 0.1 to about 60, about 0.1 to about 50, about 0.1 to about 40, about 0.1 to about 30, about 0.1 to about The water permeability (milliliters of water per second per square centimeter of substrate) may be about 25, about 0.1 to about 20, about 0.1 to about 10, about 0.1 to about 5, about 0.5 to about 100, about 0.5 to about 90, about 0.5 to about 80, about 0.5 to about 70, about 0.5 to about 60, about 0.5 to about 50, about 0.5 to about 40, about 0.5 to about 30, about 0.5 to about 25, about 0.5 to about 20, about 0.5 to about 10, about 0.5 to about 5, about 1 to about 100, about 1 to about 90, about 1 to about 80, about 1 to about 70, about 1 to about 60, about 1 to about 50, about 1 to about 40, about 1 to about 30, about 1 to about 25, about 1 to about 20, about 1 to about 10, or about 1 to about 5.

[0141] Experimental Results - Test 1 In an exemplary series of experiments conducted during winter in a southern climate (i.e., Melbourne, Florida, USA), four raceways were constructed to carry various amounts of filtered, preconditioned, and / or dosed environmental water. These raceways were attached to pumps by flexible tubing. Each raceway contained a PVC "Christmas tree" settlement substrate, chosen because this configuration is highly attractive to settling larvae. As described herein, three pumps were placed within bags constructed from flexible structural materials incorporating a biocidal coating, while the fourth pump was left open to fouling (which desirably served as a control). One pump was allowed to flow at full force (748 gallons / hour), one pump was set at approximately half flow (approximately 367 gallons / hour), and the third pump was set at approximately one-quarter flow (approximately 160 gallons / hour). The control pump was set at approximately one-half flow (approximately 373 gallons / hour). Four raceways were placed underwater and pumping commenced during early October. The depth of each raceway was set to have approximately 6 inches of water in the raceway above harbor water level, with a one-way outlet at the rear of each raceway. Figure 16 illustrates various views of the experimental setup.

[0142] After 7 days of immersion, raceway fouling differed between the bagged and bagless pumps (see Figure 18). The open pump (Figure 17D) had more and thicker biofilm after 7 days. After 10 days, there was visible macrofouling in the open pump raceways, consisting of hydroids and spat (likely barnacles and tubeworms). The raceways with bagged pumps had only light biofilm and deposits at the inlet, with no apparent difference depending on pumping speed. Fouling on the Christmas tree substrate in the bagged raceways (full force - Figure 17A, 1 / 2 force - Figure 17B, and 1 / 4 force - Figure 17C) consisted of only a light, fluffy, silty biofilm, whereas fouling on the Christmas tree substrate in the open pump raceways consisted of a heavier biofilm, hydroids, tubeworms, urochordates, and spat (likely small barnacles). Water quality was similar in all raceways and was similar to the conditions in the harbor outside the raceways. The largest differences were between the full-power pumps and the static open water, but the difference in water quality for the measured properties appeared to be less than 4%. The open pumps also appeared to have accumulated mild macrofouling over the 10 days, while the bagged pumps only had visible biofilm. The biofilm was lighter and less covering in the raceways where the pumps were protected by the enclosure bags and on the Christmas trees.

[0143] Experimental Results - Test 2 In another exemplary series of experiments, four additional raceways were constructed, and various amounts of treated and / or protected environmental water were flowed through three raceways, and untreated water was flowed through the fourth raceway ("control"). The raceways were attached to pumps by flexible tubing. Each raceway contained a PVC "Christmas tree" settlement substrate, chosen because this configuration is highly attractive to settling larvae. Three raceways (control and two pumping rates) contained 40 gallons of water, and the fourth contained 190 gallons of water.

[0144] In this experiment, three of the four raceways (two regular size, one large) were fronted by boxes with coated structures on all sides. The boxes were completely submerged in water. A pump was installed downstream of the boxes using bent piping so that water was drawn through the boxes and then forced into the raceways (see Figure 19). The control and standard pumps were the same size and drew approximately 200 gallons per hour. The high-speed, large raceway had a larger pump and drew approximately 600 gallons per hour (see Figure 22A). The raceways were placed underwater and pumping began in early March.

[0145] Figures 26A and 26B provide additional description of the various raceways in the test setups. In these experiments, the volume of each raceway and the surface area and volume of the permeable structure box forming the intake were determined, along with the actual pump speeds for various experimental test sets. The number of complete water exchanges per hour in each intake box was calculated, along with the number of water exchanges in the raceway per hour for each test setup. In addition, Figure 26A illustrates the water exchanges within the enclosure, each box, and the entire length of each test setup, along with the amount of water drawn through each square foot of fibrous structure media in each enclosure box. Exemplary residence times are also shown for the raceways, as well as the average complete residence time for water in each fouling prevention system. Figure 26B includes additional disclosure of the amount of biocide that can be released over 30 days of water immersion and flow in each exemplary enclosure (assuming complete release of biocide over 30 days), along with the overall total amount of biocide released per gallon.

[0146] In at least one alternative embodiment, a similar amount of biocide can be suspended in a "slow-release" coating resin that releases the biocide over 60 days (or other desired period), which can provide approximately half the final concentration of biocide to double the total water flow over 60 days (i.e., 846,720 gallons and / or 262,080 gallons for the equivalent 60-day fouling prevention systems of Examples 4 and 2 of FIG. 26B).

[0147] After 30 days of submersion, the protected raceways had visible, mild fouling consisting of tubeworms on the Christmas tree substrate, while the control had significantly more fouling that became visible after several days of submersion (see Figures 22E and 22G). As best seen in Figures 20A and 21A and summarized in Figures 22E and 22G, the fouling in the control raceways was more severe and consisted of dendritic bryozoans, barnacles, and tubeworms on the raceways and Christmas trees, as well as hydroids and urochordates on the Christmas trees. The fouling in the protected (i.e., treated water) standard (Figures 20 and 21B) and protected large raceways (Figures 20A and 21C) was similar and consisted of half the coverage of the substrate exposed to unprotected or untreated water. This reduction in biofouling coverage consisted of tubeworms. Fouling in the high-velocity pump raceway (Figures 20A and 21D - also containing treated water) was more severe and consisted primarily of tubeworms with one dendritic bryozoan on the edge of a panel in the Christmas tree array. Thick sediment had accumulated on the top plates of all raceways. In some cases, this led to the tubeworms growing vertically out from the surface, with their heads above the silt.

[0148] After two months of submersion, visual assessment showed different biofouling community compositions (see Figures 22F and 22H) and less biofouling accumulation on metal substrates in treated water (i.e., standard pump, Figure 24B; high-speed pump, Figure 24C; and large raceway, Figure 24D) compared to metal substrates in untreated water (control, Figure 24A). Submerged assessment of the treatment bags after two months showed different biofilm structure and thickness, and no micro- or macro-biofouling (i.e., standard pump, Figure 25B; high-speed pump, Figure 25C; and large raceway, Figure 25D) compared to the microfouling, macrofouling, and biofilm grown on the unprotected control pump (control, Figure 25A). Tubeworms were the most prominent organisms on metal substrates in treated water. The enclosures may contain biocides or components to reduce tubeworm health or reproduction. The substrate may be preconditioned or conditioned with a hydrogel system containing biocides or other compositions to prevent tubeworm colonization. Treated water may be conditioned to reduce dissolved oxygen, water chemistry, pH, and / or temperature to "toxic" levels for tubeworm survival and reproduction.

[0149] In addition to differences in biofouling on the substrate (unprotected vs. protected), visual differences were observed between the protected and unprotected rear walls of the raceways. The control raceway wall, which included an outfall at the rear of the raceway, showed extensive fouling after 30 days, while the raceway with treated water flow had no visible fouling buildup at the outfall (see Figure 20B). Water quality appeared to fluctuate between treatments (see Figures 22B–22D). Temperature was similar in all treatments at all sampling times. Salinity in the pumped treatments was very stable, while salinity in the static open water areas was more variable. Dissolved oxygen was similar between treatments up to 4 weeks, when it began to decrease from the static open water in all raceways, likely due to fouling in the pumps slowing the water and / or a lack of photosynthesis in the covered raceways. Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the treated water were lower after 2 months compared to the open / untreated water areas. DO differences are believed to take longer to develop in fast-moving water compared to static bodies of water, with various DO differences depending on residence time (in some embodiments, preferably longer residence time), water velocity, and / or water volume.

[0150] As best seen in Figure 22D, differences in water chemistry were determined after one month for the treated water body compared to the open / untreated water body. Ammonium, total dissolved nitrogen, and phosphate were higher in the treated water body compared to the untreated water. Nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate can be nutrients for biofouling organisms, and excessive concentrations of one or more are thought to be "toxic" or otherwise undesirable to the organisms, adversely affecting them. Similarly, increased ammonium levels can be more "toxic" to organisms in a water body with an increased pH. Test results showed more "toxic" ammonium levels in the treated water body compared to the open water body. Test results also potentially indicated that increased phosphate could be overly irritating to the organisms. Many of these differences in water chemistry may depend on residence time (i.e., preferably, in some embodiments, a longer residence time), water volume, and / or water velocity through the substrate.

[0151] Experimental Results - Test 3 Another exemplary series of experiments tested water preconditioning using multiple layers of enclosures, including one layer, two layers, and three layers. This setup represented an enclosure bag within an enclosure bag. Any number of layers of enclosures may be utilized in this experimental setup.

[0152] In this experiment, four raceways were constructed, and various amounts of treated and / or protected environmental water were flowed through three raceways, with untreated water flowing through the fourth raceway ("control"). The water for the control raceway was not pretreated with an enclosure. The water for test configuration 2 was pretreated with one enclosure before flowing through the raceway. The water for test configuration 3 was pretreated with two layers of enclosure, and the water for test configuration 4 was pretreated with three layers of enclosure before the water was pumped into the raceway. The raceways were attached to the pumps by flexible tubing (Configuration 1 without an enclosure, and Configurations 2-4 with an enclosure protecting the pump). Each raceway contained a PVC "Christmas tree" settlement substrate, chosen because this configuration is highly attractive to settling larvae. All four raceways contained 50 gallons of water at a pumping rate of approximately 240 gallons / hour, and the initial residence time of the water in the raceways was 12.3 to 12.6 minutes.

[0153] In this experiment, the front of three of the four raceways was an enclosure box with a coated fabric enclosure structure on all sides. The boxes were completely immersed in water. A pump was installed inside each box using bent piping so that water was drawn through the box and then forced into the raceway (see Figure 29). The raceways were placed underwater and pumping began in early October.

[0154] Table 11 below provides additional description of the various raceways in the test setup. [Table 11]

[0155] In these experiments, the volume of each raceway and the surface area and volume of the permeable structure box forming the intake were determined, along with the actual pump speed for various experimental test sets. The number of complete water exchanges per hour in each intake box was calculated, along with the number of water exchanges in the raceway per hour for each test configuration. In addition, Table 7 illustrates the water exchanges within the enclosure, each box, and the entire length of each test configuration, along with the amount of water drawn through each square foot of fibrous structure media in each enclosure box. Exemplary residence times are also shown for the raceways, as well as the average complete residence time for water in each fouling prevention system. Table 7 includes additional disclosure of the amount of biocide that can be released over 30 days of water immersion and flow in each exemplary enclosure (assuming complete release of biocide over 30 days), along with the overall total amount of biocide released per gallon.

[0156] After three weeks of submersion, the protected raceways had visible, mild fouling consisting of tubeworms on the Christmas tree substrate, while the control had significantly more fouling that became visible after two or three days of submersion. Unprotected raceways (no enclosures) began to show signs of fouling after one week. Raceways with water preconditioned with one enclosure began to show signs of fouling after two weeks. Raceways with water pretreated with multiple enclosures (two and three enclosures) began to show signs of fouling after 2.5 weeks. After three weeks, the unprotected raceways and raceways with water preconditioned with one, two, and three enclosures all contained tubeworms on the substrate and raceway. The unprotected raceways contained hydroids on the substrate and raceway. Fouling in the control raceway was more severe and consisted of dendritic bryozoans, barnacles, and tubeworms on the raceway and Christmas trees, and hydrozoans and urochordata on the Christmas trees. Fouling in the protected (i.e., treated) water was similar, consisting of more than half the coverage of substrates exposed to unprotected or untreated water. This reduction in biofouling coverage consisted of tubeworms. All treatments (unprotected, one-enclosure, two-enclosure, three-enclosure) had similar water quality, water chemistry, and flow characteristics after two weeks. All treatments (unprotected, one-enclosure, two-enclosure, three-enclosure, etc.) contained plankton, including copepods and other holoplankton, in the water after one week.

[0157] In addition to the difference in biofouling on the substrate (unprotected or protected), a visual difference was noted between the protected and unprotected rear walls of the raceways: the control raceway wall, which included an outfall at the rear of the raceway, showed extensive fouling after 3 weeks, while the raceway with the treated water flow had no visible fouling buildup at the outfall (similar to Figure 20B).

[0158] Favorable biofilm formation When a system as disclosed herein is utilized to protect a water system, the biological colonization sequence on the water system components can differ significantly from the normally expected open water sequence. For example, when a system as described herein is utilized, the biological colonization sequence on a substrate can be disrupted (destroyed, altered, etc.) to reduce and / or minimize settlement, recruitment, and eventual macrofouling of the substrate. Once positioned upstream of the water system intake, the protective structure walls of the fouling prevention media and / or other system components can desirably filter and / or impede the passage of various micro- and / or macro-organisms into the enclosure, and the different water conditions created between the enclosure walls and the substrate can prevent some and / or all of the organisms from settling and / or colonizing the substrate if they are already located within the enclosure and / or if they eventually pass through the enclosure. For example, as microscopic plankton and other conventional non-settling and other sessile organisms pass through the permeable structure membrane, varying water conditions within the system may harm or injure some of the plankton, while other plankton that survive and remain active will avoid settling and / or colonizing the substrate surface.

[0159] In various embodiments, initial placement of the system upstream from the substrate may cause and / or induce the formation of a "protective" biofilm layer on the surface of the substrate, which has various desirable properties, such as (1) forming a biofilm layer that minimizes biofilm interference with heat transfer through the underlying surface, and / or (2) forming a biofilm layer that protects the substrate from significant additional fouling thereafter, which may further include providing biofouling protection after the integrity of the enclosure may be breached and the substrate is potentially directly exposed to the outside environment. In various embodiments, a prograding or non-settling biofilm may contain one or more of the following compared to a "native" biofilm: (1) a different amount of life and / or organisms, (2) a different variation in the composition of the organisms, (3) a different thickness of the biofilm, and / or (4) a different structural integrity of the biofilm.

[0160] In various aspects of the invention, proper design and use of a protective system as described herein can create a "different environment" within an aquatic system that influences and / or induces the formation of biological coatings, layers, and / or biofilms on the surface of a substrate that effectively reduces and / or prevents the establishment of biofouling organisms on the substrate. In some aspects of the invention, this reduction and / or prevention can be due to one or more localized settlement cues that discourage (e.g., reduce, minimize, or prevent) the larval settlement of biofouling organisms, which can include the abandonment of settlement on the substrate, while in other aspects of the invention, the reduction and / or prevention can be due to the absence of one or more positive settlement cues that promote the larval settlement of biofouling organisms, which can also reduce settlement on the substrate (and / or various combinations of the presence and / or absence of settlement cues can be involved in various embodiments). In another aspect of the invention, the system components can promote the growth of microorganisms that create one or more localized settlement cues that discourage the larval settlement of biofouling organisms within the distinct aquatic environment created by the system. In further aspects of the invention, the system may promote the growth of microorganisms that create one or more localized clues on and / or within the fibrous substrate material itself that discourage the larvae of biofouling organisms from settling in. Thus, in these aspects of the invention, the larvae of biofouling organisms may be unable or less likely to settle or attach to the submerged substrate or substrate portion protected by the enclosure.

[0161] In various embodiments, biofilms may be formed on the protected substrate, either on the outside of the enclosure and / or inside the enclosure itself. Biofilms at each location may vary based on different amounts and / or distributions of bacteria, cyanobacteria, and diatoms, different bacterial phyla, diversity, thickness, sequestering ability, and / or completeness, as well as other measures. In some embodiments, the relatively high velocity of the treated water flow may "supercharge" the protective or artificial biofilm, which in some embodiments may "grow" faster as a greater amount of "protective" biofilm is added to the substrate. In various embodiments, the enclosure forms an artificial aquatic environment that desirably "grows" one or more "protective" biofilms on the substrate, which may inhibit and / or retard the ability of organisms to attach to the substrate surface. In various alternative embodiments, the "artificial" biofilms formed herein may smooth the surface of the substrate, providing fewer rough or sharp zones for fouling organisms to colonize or become trapped within.

[0162] In various embodiments, an anti-fouling biofilm may be formed on a substrate surface within a water circuit of a manufacturing or power generation plant, wherein water flowing within the water circuit periodically passes through an enclosure unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the enclosure producing one or more changes in the chemical composition of the water that inhibit a plurality of organisms from colonizing one or more substrate surfaces located within or downstream of the enclosure unit, and the anti-fouling biofilm comprises a reduction in the diversity of at least one cyanobacteria, diatoms, or bacteria compared to a biofilm naturally formed in the water outside the water circuit. In various alternative embodiments, the permeable structure may have a biocide coating on its outer surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores of the medium, the biocide eluting into the water and inhibiting a plurality of organisms from colonizing one or more substrate surfaces positioned within or downstream of the enclosure unit, and the anti-fouling biofilm comprising a reduction in the diversity of at least one cyanobacteria, diatoms, or bacteria compared to a biofilm naturally created in the water outside the water circuit.

[0163] There are many generally accepted "standard" progressions or colonization sequences that typically lead to the establishment of a fouling community on a substrate submerged in an aqueous medium, such as seawater, brackish water, and / or freshwater. In a typical sequence, submersion of the substrate in the aqueous medium immediately initiates the physical process of polymer adsorption, followed by the rapid landing, attachment, and colonization of prokaryotic cells and bacteria on any surface within the marine environment. In some cases, the subsequent formation of a microbial biofilm may then promote the attachment of algal spores, protozoa, barnacle cyprids, and marine fungi, followed by the settlement of other marine invertebrate larvae and macroalgae, while in other cases, macrofouling may settle without a biofilm, yet some other macrofouling may prefer cleaner surfaces.

[0164] Marine fouling is typically described as following four stages of ecosystem development. The chemical composition of biofilm formation accounts for the initial steps prior to colonization. Within the first minute, van der Waals interactions coat the submerged surface with a conditioning film of organic polymers. Over the next 24 hours, this layer allows the process of bacterial adhesion to occur, with both diatoms and bacteria (e.g., Vibrio alginolyticus, Pseudomonas putrefaciens) attaching and initiating biofilm formation. By the end of the first week, abundant nutrients and ease of attachment to the biofilm allow secondary colonizers—spores of macroalgae (e.g., Enteromorpha intestinalis, Ulothrix) and protozoans (e.g., Vorticella, Zoothamnium sp.)—to attach themselves. Within two to three weeks, tertiary colonizers, macrofouling, have attached. These include tunicates, mollusks, and sessile cnidarians.

[0165] However, when a system such as described herein is utilized, the biological colonization sequence on the substrate may be altered. For example, the biological colonization sequence on the substrate may be interrupted (disrupted, altered, etc.) to reduce and / or minimize settlement, recruitment, and eventual macrofouling of the protected substrate. Once positioned around the substrate, the permeable protective structure walls of the enclosure may desirably impede the passage of various micro- and / or macro-organisms into the enclosure, as well as potentially alter various aspects of the chemical composition of the water within the enclosure.

[0166] In one exemplary water system protected by the system, the bacterial biofilm formed on a substrate or other item was significantly different from any natural biofilm that forms on a substrate or other object in the open water or other aqueous environment proximate the protected item. In various embodiments, proper system design and operation will desirably induce and / or promote the growth and replication of specific combinations of microorganisms, many of which are typically found at different (i.e., often relatively low) levels in natural environments, and these combinations of microorganisms may have the ability to promote specific "recruitment and colonization" behaviors in other organisms and identify the surface of the substrate as less hospitable and / or "less desirable" (and signal this fact through various means).

[0167] DNA analysis confirmed that surface biofilms formed on PVC and bronze substrates downstream of various system embodiments were significantly different from those formed on similar substrates in open water. This also applied to the biofilm-forming communities present within the systems and to biofilms forming in and on the interior wall surfaces of system components. For example, biofilms appearing on PVC and bronze article coupons in open water were thicker and more diverse than biofilms appearing on PVC and bronze article coupons protected by embodiments of the present invention. In addition, macrofouling was observed on the articles in open water, whereas little or no macrofouling was present on the protected substrates. In some embodiments, biofilms on protected substrates were less diverse than open biofilms, with different amounts of diatoms, bacteria, cyanobacteria, and different bacterial phyla. Additionally, the predominant bacterial phyla and bacterial distribution on each protected substrate differed significantly for each system design. For example, the PVC substrates in the spun poly structure system (the three rightmost bars) were dominated by Proteobacteria (the larger group at the top of the bar) and Bacteriodetes (the second largest group toward the bottom of the bar). In contrast, the bronze substrates in the spun poly structure system (bars 6–9) were dominated by Proteobacteria, with the much smaller remainder dominated by Bacteriodetes. This distribution of the dominant bacterial phyla in the biofilms is for the open bronze bars (columns 1–3), open PVC bars (columns 4–6), protected bronze bars (columns 7–9), and protected PVC bars (columns 10–12). Additionally, the biofilm "integrity" of the protected substrates differed from the open samples in that the biofilms on some of the protected substrates appeared easier to remove and / or clean from the substrate surface compared to the open substrates. In various embodiments, the bacterial phyla and their distribution shown below may be similar for higher water flow rates and / or other anti-fouling system designs. [Table 12]

[0168] Adjusting the aqueous environment and modifying compounds In some embodiments, it may be desirable to provide supplemental modification of the aqueous environment proximate the substrate / object to be protected, including before, during, and / or after a fouling prevention system is placed upstream of the object, as described above. In some embodiments, such modification may include the use of natural and / or artificial mechanisms and / or compounds to alter various components of the water's chemical composition, such as by introducing one or more aerobic microorganisms, chemicals, and / or compounds (including oxygen-depleting compounds) into the aqueous environment proximate the substrate, thereby causing accelerated depletion and / or replacement of dissolved oxygen in the aqueous environment, or other changes in the water's chemical composition. For example, in one embodiment, the object to be protected from biofouling may include the water inlet piping of a water system, a system described herein may be positioned upstream of the water intake, and then supplemental oxygen-depleting compounds or substances, including one or more species of aerobic bacteria, such as aerobic Bacteroides, may be artificially introduced into the reservoir's aqueous environment in large numbers and / or large quantities, desirably to accelerate the reduction of dissolved oxygen levels. Such introduction may be in the form of a liquid, powdered, solid, and / or aerosolized supplement injected or deployed into the seawater and / or enclosed / bounded aqueous environment, or alternatively, oxygen-depleting bacteria or other components may be incorporated into a layer or biofilm formed within or on the interior surface of the enclosure wall prior to deployment. Desirably, the aerobic Bacteroides may comprise a bacterial species already present in the aqueous environment, and the eventual release of such bacteria through openings in the bottom and / or walls / sides of the enclosure is not harmful and / or significant to the surrounding environment. In other embodiments, compounds such as powdered iron (i.e., zero-valent iron Fe or partially oxidized ferrous iron Fe), nitrogen gas, or liquid nitrogen may be introduced into the reservoir to desirably absorb dissolved oxygen from the water, or additives such as salts may be added to the aqueous environment to reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen the water can retain for a limited period of time.

[0169] In various embodiments, the modifying compound may comprise a solid, powder, liquid, gas or gaseous compound, and / or aerosol compound that is introduced into an enclosed or bounded aqueous environment prior to and / or simultaneously with the water contacting the substrate. In some embodiments, the modifying compound may be positioned within the bounded aqueous environment for a limited or desired period of time and then removed from the environment after the desired modification and / or conditioning of the water has occurred (i.e., formation of a "distinct" aqueous environment). In other embodiments, the modifying compound may be dispersed within the bounded aqueous environment, with some embodiments of the compound potentially dissolved and / or dispersed in the water, while other compounds may remain in a solid and / or particulate state. If desired, the modifying compound may desirably include flotation features that maintain some or all of the compound at a desired level within the enclosure and / or within the water column, while in other embodiments, the modifying compound may allow the compound to exit the bottom and / or sides of the system component and / or settle at the bottom of a harbor or other undersea feature within and / or adjacent to the enclosure. In still other embodiments, the modifying compound may alter the density and / or salinity of water or other liquids within the separated environment, which may reduce and / or eliminate the natural tendency of liquids within and / or outside of the separated environment to mix together and / or otherwise flow.

[0170] In at least one alternative embodiment, the modifying compound(s) may be released into external, unenclosed water adjacent to or near the fouling prevention system and, if desired, may flow into and / or through the enclosure. In yet other embodiments, the modifying compound and / or its components may be deployed in combination, with some components located outside the enclosed or separated environment and other components located within the separated environment.

[0171] In some embodiments, the modifying compound may be attached to and / or integrated into the walls of the system, including within the material construct and / or any coating therein / thereon. If desired, the compound may include a water- and / or salt-activated and / or dissolvable material that reacts with aqueous media, affecting the dissolved oxygen levels and / or water chemistry levels within the enclosure for a limited period of time, such as 10 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, and / or 2 days, or the compound may be effective for an extended period of time, such as 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year. If desired, the modifying compound or other material may be located within a replaceable bag that may be located within and / or outside the system, with the material within the bag "depleting" over time and potentially requiring replacement, if necessary.

[0172] In one exemplary embodiment, the modifying compound may comprise a crystalline material that absorbs oxygen from the aqueous environment within the enclosure, such as a crystalline salt of a cationic polymetallic cobalt complex (described in "Oxygen chemisorption / desorption in a reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation," published in Chemical Sciences, the Royal Society for Chemistry, 2014). This material has the ability to absorb dissolved oxygen (O2) from air and / or water and release the absorbed oxygen when heated (i.e., when exposed to ambient sunlight) and / or when subjected to low oxygen pressure. If desired, this oxygen-absorbing material may be incorporated into the wall material of the system, such that oxygen is absorbed immediately when the enclosure is placed in water in proximity to the protected substrate, but such oxygen absorption will decay after a period of time after placement. The enclosure can then be removed from the water (such as after protection is no longer desired) and exposed to sunlight to release the absorbed oxygen and "regenerate" it for subsequent use.

[0173] In another exemplary embodiment, the reformulation compound may include a gas or gaseous compound, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide (or some other gas or compound), which may be introduced into the system in gaseous form or released from pellets or other liquid or solid compounds (potentially including a "dry ice" form of CO). Such introduction or "sparging" may include injection of nitrogen and / or N bubbles into the water, within the system, or within / along the walls of the system. In some embodiments, a system as described herein may be combined with an installed nitrogen dosing system and a monitoring probe for oxygen levels that controls periodic renewal of nitrogen flushes when needed. In various embodiments, nitrogen injection may be achieved using a small nitrogen tank with a porous weighted dispenser (i.e., an aquarium aeration stone), while other embodiments may utilize an on-site nitrogen generator to purify nitrogen from air and then distribute this nitrogen through a pumping system. If desired, the nitrogen distribution system may include a bubble distribution system that releases bubbles of a single size range or various size ranges, if desired. In at least one embodiment, a nitrogen nanobubble injection system may be utilized.

[0174] Desirably, the biocide coating can provide some desired level of fouling protection to the substrate and / or water treatment system component, which can include protection to the surfaces, pores, and / or other openings of the filtration and / or dosing medium. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, the fouling prevention system comprises a water treatment unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure medium having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable structure medium having a biocide coating on at least one surface extending at least partially into the plurality of pores, the water treatment unit further having an oxygen removal system that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the water that has passed through the treatment unit, the water treatment unit being positioned at a water intake point of a water circuit, all of the water entering the water circuit passing through the water treatment unit, the water requiring an average residence time to travel through the water circuit and be discharged through an outlet of the water circuit, the biocide coating eluting a biocide into the water passing through the water treatment unit, the biocide contacting a plurality of fouling organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of at least one species of the plurality of fouling organisms to colonize one or more substrate surfaces within the water circuit for at least the average residence time. In another exemplary embodiment, a fouling prevention system may include an enclosure unit, a water treatment unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable structure having a biocide coating on its outer surface; and an oxygen removal system that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the water passing through the water treatment unit, wherein the water treatment unit is positioned at a water intake point of a water circuit, and all of the water entering the water circuit passes through the water treatment unit, the biocide coating eluting a biocide into the water adjacent to the outer surface of the permeable structure, the biocide contacting a plurality of fouling organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of the plurality of fouling organisms to colonize the outer surface of the permeable structure.In yet another embodiment, a fouling prevention system may include a water treatment unit including at least one layer of a permeable structure having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable structure having a biocide coating on the exterior surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores, the water treatment unit positioned at a water intake point of a water circuit, all of the water entering the water circuit passing through the water treatment unit, the biocide coating eluting a biocide into the water proximate the pores of the permeable structure, the biocide contacting a plurality of fouling organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of the plurality of fouling organisms to colonize the plurality of pores of the permeable structure. If desired, the system may also include an oxygen removal component that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the water passing through the system.

[0175] In at least one alternative embodiment, gaseous compound injection suitable for use in the various systems described herein may include an ozone injection system, such as the Ozonix® system, commercially available from Ecosphere Technologies, Inc. of Stuart, Florida, USA.

[0176] In various embodiments, the modifying compounds described herein will desirably induce a reduction in dissolved oxygen levels in an enclosed or bounded aqueous environment by at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 70%, and / or at least 90% or more within seconds or after application, and / or within minutes or after application (i.e., 1 to 5 to 10 to 20 to 40 to 60 minutes of applied nitrogen bubbling), and / or within hours or after application.

[0177] Differences in the chemical composition of water In some embodiments, the disclosed fouling prevention system, and / or associated reservoir system, will desirably provide (1) a barrier to significant levels of oxygen transport into the water supply system and / or (2) a potential reduction in the available energy and / or nutrient supply within the reservoir for biological and / or chemical reactions that may reduce and / or prevent microbial natural photosynthetic or other metabolic processes and / or undesirable chemical reactions from occurring within the reservoir. Desirably, with the disclosed fouling prevention system in place, the natural biological processes within the reservoir will desirably utilize much of the dissolved oxygen contained in the liquid within the reservoir, thereby significantly reducing the dissolved oxygen level within the reservoir to a level that may approach anoxic levels, but desirably does not exceed anoxic levels for extended periods of time (some dissolved oxygen being replenished via the fouling prevention system).

[0178] In various embodiments, the systems described herein will desirably induce a difference in dissolved oxygen levels and / or other water chemistry levels in the enclosed aqueous environment (i.e., within the enclosure compared to the dissolved oxygen levels or other water chemistry outside the enclosure) of at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 70%, at least 90% or more after at least 1 or 2 hours.

[0179] In various embodiments, the devices of the present invention will desirably provide for the formation of a desired enclosed environment that, when deployed, initiates the formation of a desired localized aquatic environment (i.e., a "differentiated environment") that reduces, stops, and / or reverses biofouling and / or inhibits the establishment of biofouling organisms and / or promotes the formation of a desired biofouling prevention layer and / or biofilm on a substrate, i.e., induces the formation of a beneficial biofilm that results in reduced biofouling on the protected substrate or article. In various embodiments, this "differentiated environment" can form within seconds, minutes, and / or hours of system deployment upstream from the substrate, while in other embodiments, it can take days, weeks, or months to form the desired "differentiated environment." If desired, the system can be deployed well before the substrate to be protected is placed therein, while in other embodiments, the system components can be deployed simultaneously with the substrate or water intake, or the system can be deployed well after the substrate has been submerged and / or maintained in an aqueous environment. In various embodiments, the formation of significant water chemistry differences and / or other unique aspects of the differentiated environment may begin immediately upon deployment or may form within one hour of the system being placed in the aqueous environment (which may include the system being placed alone in the environment and / or in proximity to the substrate to be protected), while in other embodiments, the initiation and / or formation of the desired differentiated environment (which may include the formation of the complete differentiated environment as well as the formation of various fouling-inhibiting conditions that may be altered and / or supplemented as further aspects of the differentiated environment are induced) may require the system to be in operation upstream from the substrate for at least 2 hours, at least 3 hours, at least 6 hours, at least 12 hours, at least 18 hours, at least 1 day, at least 2 days, at least 3 days, at least 4 days, at least 5 days, at least 6 days, at least 1 week, at least 2 weeks, at least 3 weeks, at least 4 weeks, at least 1 month, at least 2 months, at least 3 months, and / or at least 6 months or more.In various embodiments, the various water chemical composition differences that may occur during these various periods may include dissolved oxygen, pH, total dissolved nitrogen, ammonium, ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, orthophosphate, total dissolved phosphate, silica, salinity, temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll, etc.), the various concentrations of which may increase and / or decrease at different times, including different concentrations of individual components at different durations of enclosure flooding.

[0180] In some cases, the devices of the present invention and / or the devices may degrade and / or no longer provide the desired level of anti-fouling and / or environmental shaping effectiveness after a period of time. In various embodiments, the amount of time before an anti-fouling system loses its anti-fouling effectiveness can vary based on numerous factors, including the particular aquatic environment, season, temperature, the makeup of marine life present, temperature, light, salinity, wind, water velocity, etc. It should be noted that based on the conditions of the aquatic environment, the system may temporarily lose its anti-fouling and / or environmental shaping effectiveness and regain its anti-fouling / environment shaping effectiveness when conditions return to normal or to some desired measure. As used herein, "service life" can refer to the amount of time from deployment of the system to the point at which macrofouling levels become problematic on the substrate, while "system life" can refer to the amount of time that the system itself, or its various components (which can include the service life of individual enclosure components, as well as the estimated system life over which the enclosure and / or its various components are typically periodically cleaned, maintained, and / or replaced) remain physically intact and effective upstream of the substrate itself (which in some embodiment enclosures may be exceeded by the "service life" of the biofouling protection provided by the system). In various aspects of the invention, one or both of the service life of the system and / or individual enclosure components and / or enclosure life can be 3 days or more, 7 days or more, 15 days or more, 30 days or more, 60 days or more, 90 days or more, 120 days or more, 150 days or more, 180 days or more, 270 days or more, 1 year or more, 1.5 days or more, 2 years or more, 3 years or more, 4 years or more, or 5 years or more.

[0181] Colony-forming sequence modifications In various embodiments, when a system as described herein is utilized, the biological colonization sequence downstream of the substrate can be interrupted (destroyed, altered, etc.) to reduce and / or minimize settlement, recruitment, and eventual macrofouling of the substrate. Desirably, the permeable protective structural walls of the enclosure can desirably impede the passage of various micro- and / or macro-organisms into the water system, and the biocidal coating can prevent fouling of the enclosure and / or injure and / or harm some and / or all of the organisms as they contact and / or pass through the structure. If desired, the biocidal coating can undergo significant biocidal leaching upon initial placement around the substrate, establishing an initial higher "kill level" that impacts fouling organisms, with the biocidal leaching level significantly decreasing over a period of time.

[0182] In many of the embodiments described herein, the disclosed biofouling protection system can provide a significant level of protection to the substrate as the enclosure treats the environmental water, which can then be held in a reservoir or moved directly to the water system intake. Desirably, the design and positioning of the system upstream from the substrate can optionally significantly alter various water chemical composition characteristics and / or constituents of the liquid in contact with the substrate compared to those of the open aqueous environment. In various instances, the system can induce some water chemical composition characteristics that are "different" compared to the surrounding aqueous environment, while other water chemical composition characteristics can remain the same as the surrounding aqueous environment. For example, while dissolved oxygen levels can often be "different" between the separated and open environments, the temperature, salinity, and / or pH levels in the separated and open environments can be similar or the same. Desirably, the system can affect some water chemistry characteristics in a desired manner, while leaving other water chemistry characteristics minimally affected and / or "untouched" compared to those of the surrounding open aqueous environment. Some exemplary water chemistry characteristics that can potentially "different" and / or remain the same (i.e., depending on enclosure design and / or other environmental factors such as location and / or season) can include dissolved oxygen, pH, total dissolved nitrogen, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, orthophosphate, total dissolved phosphate, silica, salinity, temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll, etc.

[0183] In some exemplary embodiments, measures of one or more water chemistry characteristics may be "different" inside a water system compared to comparable measurements outside the system (which may include measurements at some distance from the system). Such "differences" may include a difference of 0.1% or more between the inside / outside measurements, or a difference of 2% or more between the inside / outside measurements, or a difference of 5% or more between the inside / outside measurements, or a difference of 8% or more between the inside / outside measurements, or a difference of 10% or more between the inside / outside measurements, or a difference of 15% or more, or a difference of 25% or more, or a difference of 50% or more, or a difference of 100% or more. Additionally, such differences may be for multiple chemical composition factors with unequal differences, or may include an increase in one factor and a decrease in another. Combinations of all such described water chemistry factors are contemplated, including situations in which some water chemistry factors remain essentially the same for some factors while various differences may be observed for other factors.

[0184] In various embodiments of the present invention, the system may create a "differentiated aqueous environment" downstream of the system components. Desirably, the artificial environmental conditions created by the system will inhibit and / or prevent the establishment, recruitment, growth, and / or colonization of the substrate by fouling organisms. In various embodiments, the artificial environmental conditions created by the system may include reduced dissolved oxygen levels, which may significantly contribute to reducing biofouling of the substrate, in that reduced oxygen availability may make it difficult for some fouling organisms to colonize and / or reproduce within the enclosure and / or on the substrate. In addition, reduced dissolved oxygen levels may increase the formation of waste products such as hydrogen sulfide and / or ammoniacal nitrogen (i.e., free ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrogen-ammonia, or NH3-N) and / or significantly reduce the opportunity for other organisms to process and / or eliminate such waste products; both hydrogen sulfide and ammoniacal nitrogen are harmful and / or even toxic to various aquatic organisms and / or microorganisms. For example, the biologically mediated nitrogen cycle, which occurs in various bodies of water, may contribute significantly to the reduction of free oxygen within the enclosure, with NH3-N levels depending at least in part on available dissolved oxygen levels. Additionally, in some embodiments, anaerobic ammonia oxidation reactions may potentially be initiated and / or sustained by bacteria within the enclosure, which may produce hydrazine and / or other by-products that also inhibit marine growth. Generally, the concentrations of these by-products will be higher inside the water system than outside the enclosure, and in some embodiments, the individual concentrations and / or relative ratios of these by-products within the enclosure may vary for a variety of reasons.

[0185] For example, in various embodiments, the systems described herein may induce the formation of metabolic waste products, toxins, or other inhibitory compounds, such as NH3-N, at concentrations ranging from 0.53 mg / L to 22.8 mg / L within the water system, which may be toxic to various freshwater organisms (typically pH and / or temperature dependent). In other embodiments, the concentrations of NH3-N occurring within the differentiated environment may range from 0.053 to 2.28 mg / L, which may inhibit biofouling formation within the water system. Additionally, at levels as low as 0.002 mg / L or greater, the ability of various aquatic flora and / or fauna to colonize and / or reproduce may be significantly reduced.

[0186] In some exemplary embodiments, it is further proposed that fluctuations and / or changes in the individual levels of water chemistry, such as dissolved oxygen, ammonium, total dissolved nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, orthophosphate, total dissolved phosphate, and / or silica (as well as various other chemistry components described herein), form an important aspect of some embodiments of the present invention in that the artificial environments created downstream from the system components will desirably "enhance" and / or "inhibit" the proliferation of different macrofouling and microflora and / or macrofouling and microfauna at different time periods. Such continuous changes in differentiated environments may desirably cause the various organisms present within and / or adjacent to the water system to constantly adapt and / or change to adapt to new environmental conditions, which tends to inhibit the dominance of a single species or grouping of species within and / or adjacent to the enclosure. This can have the effect of enhancing competition between the various flora and / or fauna within the system, which may be inhibited and / or prevented by a single species, species, and / or distribution of flora and / or fauna, thereby reducing the potential for a dominant species of bacteria or other micro- or macro-entity to thrive and / or expend energy on fouling the substrate or have the opportunity to form a base onto which other fouling organisms can attach.

[0187] In various embodiments, the system may induce the formation of a fouling-inhibiting water chemistry factor, such as ammoniacal nitrogen, at a higher concentration within the system than in the external aqueous environment. If desired, a concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen may be obtained, which may be 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) or greater, 1 parts per billion (ppb) or greater, 10 parts per billion (ppb) or greater, and / or 100 parts per billion (ppb) or greater. In various embodiments, the system may induce the formation of a fouling-inhibiting water chemistry factor, such as nitrite, at a higher concentration than outside the system. If desired, a concentration of nitrite within the water system may be obtained, which may be 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) or greater, 0.1 parts per million (ppm) or greater, 0.5 parts per million (ppm) or greater, and / or 1 parts per million (ppm) or greater.

[0188] In various embodiments, the configuration of the system upstream from the substrate desirably "conditions" the dissolved oxygen, creating a dissolved oxygen differential between the water bodies inside and outside the water system, which desirably provides a significant improvement in preventing fouling of the protected system components. In many cases, dissolved oxygen conditioning of the differentiated environment may involve the creation of significantly lower dissolved oxygen levels within the water system compared to the external environment, with this dissolved oxygen level fluctuating to varying degrees in response to internal oxygen consumption and external dissolved oxygen levels. In addition, a secondary gradient may also exist between the dissolved oxygen of the "bulk water" within the differentiated environment and the dissolved oxygen in the water within the "boundary layer" at the surface of the protected substrate or article, due at least in part to the low-energy environment within the enclosure compared to the external environment and / or the absence of significant turbulence and / or eddy currents that may "mix" the water within the enclosure. These localized differential conditions may be caused by consumption of oxygen and / or nutrients by organisms and / or other factors on the substrate or on the surface of the article and / or in the water column, which may lead to a further depleted "boundary layer" that contributes to a lack of biofouling and / or the formation of an anti-biofouling biofilm on the protected article.

[0189] Instead of and / or in addition to reducing dissolved oxygen levels in the water contained within the water system, a wide variety of other water chemistry factors can be affected by the design and deployment of the system embodiments described herein, including water chemistry factors that can significantly delay and / or prevent fouling of the protected substrate. For example, when oxygen is depleted in the water system, some species of bacteria naturally occurring within the enclosure will initially convert to the next best electron acceptor, which in seawater is typically nitrate. Denitrification occurs, and nitrate is consumed fairly rapidly. After reducing several other trace elements, these bacteria eventually convert to reducing sulfate, resulting in the by-product of hydrogen sulfide (HS), a chemically toxic substance to most biota and responsible for the characteristic "rotten egg" odor. This elevated level of hydrogen sulfide within the enclosure, among other chemicals, can then inhibit substrate fouling in a desired manner, as described herein. Additionally, hydrogen sulfide within the enclosure may also leach through the walls of the enclosure (i.e., with the bulk flow of water out of the enclosure), potentially inhibiting fouling growth within the pores and / or on the exterior surface of the enclosure.

[0190] In addition to creating localized conditions that inhibit fouling of protected substrates, the various embodiments described herein are also highly environmentally friendly, in that any toxic and / or hostile conditions that form within the system are quickly neutralized outside the system. For example, when fluid is discharged from the system, the displaced fluid may contain components that are toxic and / or hostile to marine life (which preferably reduces and / or prevents fouling from adhering to substrates within the system). However, once outside the system, these components are quickly degraded, oxidized, neutralized, metabolized, and / or diluted by a wide variety of naturally occurring mechanisms in the external aqueous environment and generally do not cause lasting effects to the aquatic environment, even in close proximity to the system discharge itself. This is highly preferable to existing antifouling devices and / or paints that incorporate high levels of biocides and / or other agents, some of which are highly toxic to many forms of life (including fish and humans and / or other mammals) and can persist for decades in the marine environment.

[0191] Antifouling structure with optional biocide In various embodiments, disclosed herein are highly effective devices and / or systems for applying and / or "dosing" biocides into a fluid stream or flow to desirably inhibit the attachment, settling, and / or growth of biofouling organisms within the fluid stream. In various embodiments, an enclosure or structure is disclosed, the structure having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of pores extending from the top surface to the bottom surface through the structure, with a coating or "paint" containing at least one biocide or toxic substance applied thereto. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the coating may be applied to the top surface of the structure, with some portions of the coating passing through and / or into the pores. If desired, the coating application process may include application of suction or vacuum to the bottom surface of the structure, which may desirably draw some portions of the coating into the pores while maintaining patency (i.e., an "open" condition) of the pore openings through the structure. (i.e., the coating desirably will not "block" the majority of the pores through the structure after application to the structure.) Once the coating has dried or otherwise hardened to a desired condition, the coated structure can be formed into a desired shape and / or configuration and then placed in a water stream with the fluid passing through the pores of the structure, with the amount of biocide and / or toxic substance eluted or otherwise distributed into the individual fluid streams passing through the pores. As fouling organisms in the form of spores, propagules, larvae, and / or juveniles also pass through these individual pores, they are exposed to a relatively high dosage of the biocide and / or toxic substance, which desirably inactivates and / or inhibits the organisms' ability to attach, settle, and / or grow within the pores of the enclosure and / or on wetted surfaces further downstream in the fluid stream.

[0192] In various exemplary embodiments, the disclosed enclosures may optionally include the use of supplemental biocides and / or antifouling agents for the media to provide adequate biofouling protection to the enclosure material, intake, and / or protected substrates. This may also include the periodic use of uncoated structural enclosure components for a period of soaking when fouling pressures may be such that the unprotected structure is free of macrofouling and / or when an uncoated enclosure may be sufficient to provide protection to the contained substrate for a desired period of time. In many embodiments, in various alternative optional embodiments, at least a portion of the surface of the enclosure wall structure may be impregnated, infused, and / or coated with a biocidal paint, coating, and / or additive. In some additional embodiments, biocides and / or antifouling agents may be integrated into the enclosure and / or other system components and / or other portions to desirably protect the system itself from undesired fouling. In some exemplary embodiments, the structure or material may act as a carrier for the biocide. Generally, biocides or other chemicals, compounds and / or microorganisms capable of exerting a destroying, deterring, neutralizing, and / or controlling effect on any undesirable or unwanted organisms by chemical or biological means may optionally be incorporated into and / or onto some portions of the material, such as during manufacturing of the material or material components, or the biocides and the like may be introduced into the material after manufacturing. Desirably, one or more biocides in / on the material will inhibit and / or prevent aquatic organism colonization on the exterior surface and / or within openings in the enclosure or other system components, and repel, incapacitate, impair, and / or weaken biofouling organisms small enough to attempt or successfully penetrate openings in the enclosure, thereby making them less able to thrive in the artificial or synthetic local aquatic environment downstream of the enclosure.In various embodiments, the enclosure desirably incorporates a material that maintains sufficient strength and / or integrity to enable protection and / or inhibition of biofouling (and / or enable the formation of a desired artificial or synthetic localized aquatic environment) for a useful life of about 3-7 days or more, 7-15 days or more, 3-15 days or more, at least 1 month, at least 2 months, at least 3 months, at least 6 months, at least 12 months, at least 2 years, at least 3 years, at least 4 years, and / or at least 5 years or more. In some embodiments, a coating containing a water-soluble and / or degradable resin or other degradable material that encapsulates one or more biocides may be used. In such coatings, the resin or degradable material (i.e., PLA or similar) may encapsulate the biocide, and once the resin or material comes into contact with water, the water may penetrate and destroy the resin structure, allowing the biocide to be released into the environment. In another preferred embodiment, a degradable material, similar to a film or sheet material, can be impregnated with at least one biocide to release the biocide as the material degrades. This arrangement desirably provides a highly effective base or structure for controlled biocide dosing of water passing through the substrate, which can now improve mixing of the biocide with water within the pores and / or other areas of the fibrous substrate and / or other areas of the protected environment.

[0193] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the enclosure system contains at least one coating or paint containing at least one active ingredient or biocide, which elutes at a rate over the life of the enclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, elution of the biocide may occur initially on the front or face of the structure and / or within the pores of the structure, and in some embodiments, the breakdown of the water-dissolving resin may allow the pores to increase in size, which may allow the structure to continue to allow water to pass through these pores without rapidly clogging via biofilm or biofouling growth. Increasing pore size may increase the effective surface area of ​​the resin within each pore, which in some embodiments may increase the elution of the biocide and the effectiveness of the biocide treatment. The desired biocide content in a given fluid stream may depend on a variety of factors, including, among others, the level and / or concentration of the biocide in the resin, the rate at which the resin decomposes and releases the biocide, the biocide contact ratio, which may be the surface area of ​​the coating within the pores relative to the pore volume, the rate and / or volume of water flowing through the substrate, and / or the temperature of the flowing water.

[0194] In another illustrative example, biocide or active ingredient levels may be tailored or optimized for environmental parameters, water chemistry, and / or organism type and abundance. Biocide concentrations, elution rates, and release profiles may vary based on water flow rate, water residence time, water exchange, water mixing, water turbulence, etc. Total biocide released or eluted may be calculated based on the total active ingredient or biocide per total volume of water consumption or water flow passing through, on, or around a structure over a set period of time in a water system. In preferred embodiments, the total biocide released into the flowing water after 30 days can be at least 500 parts per million (ppm), at least 100 ppm, at least 80 ppm, at least 50 ppm, at least 40 ppm, at least 30 ppm, at least 25 ppm, at least 20 ppm, at least 15 ppm, at least 10 ppm, at least 5 ppm, at least 1 ppm, at least 75 parts per billion (ppb), at least 50 ppb, at least 10 ppb, at least 5 ppb, at least 1 ppb, or at least 0.1 ppb. In some embodiments, the total biocide released into flowing water after 60 days can be at least 500 ppm, at least 100 ppm, at least 50 ppm, at least 50 ppm, at least 40 ppm, at least 30 ppm, at least 25 ppm, at least 20 ppm, at least 15 ppm, at least 10 ppm, at least 5 ppm, at least 1 ppm, at least 75 ppb, at least 50 ppb, at least 30 ppb, at least 10 ppb, at least 5 ppb, at least 1 ppb, or at least 0.01 ppb.

[0195] Coatings containing biocides and / or other chemicals can be applied to the fibrous media in several ways, including adding the coating to one or both sides of the structure, injecting the coating into the structure, extruding the coating onto the structure, immersing the structure in a coating bath, or by other coating techniques known in the art.

[0196] In at least one exemplary embodiment of the system, the enclosure may include a material that is coated, painted, and / or impregnated with a biocide coating, which desirably adheres to and / or penetrates the material to a desired depth (which may include a surface coating of the material on only one side of the structure, a coating that may penetrate 1% to 99%, or 25%, or 50%, or 75% of the way through the structure, and a coating that may penetrate completely through the structure and coat some or all of the opposing sides of the structure), coating one side, coating two sides, or coating all sides of the structure. In at least one embodiment, the coating may be on or embedded within a surface facing the substrate or article requiring protection, or may be on an opposing surface of the substrate or article. In some embodiments, the biocide coating or paint will contain at least one (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) biocides and / or active ingredients to reduce biofouling and biofilm buildup. Desirably, the biocide will reduce and / or prevent the type, rate, and / or extent of biofouling on the fibrous substrate material itself and / or will have some detrimental effect on microorganisms attempting to pass through openings in the material and enter the downstream aqueous environment (and may also have some effect on microorganisms already present in the reservoir and / or downstream water system). In various embodiments, the presence of a biocide coating or paint along a three-dimensional "entrance path" through the enclosure (i.e., as microorganisms pass through the openings and / or pores of the material) desirably provides a greater surface area and will prove more effective than standard two-dimensional "flat" paint biocide coatings (i.e., hard flat coatings) utilized on rigid, submerged surfaces in marine applications today.In various aspects, particularly where the structure substrate material is highly fibrillated and / or ciliated, coating of such material may desirably provide a higher "functional surface area" of the structure for the biocide coating to adhere to, which desirably improves the potential for anti-biofouling effectiveness since organisms are more likely to be located near and / or come into contact with these small fibers (and any biocide paints, coatings, or additives present on or within them) as they pass through the structure.

[0197] In various alternative embodiments, the enclosure may incorporate a material that is coated, painted, and / or impregnated with a biocidal coating (which may include a surface coating of the material on only one side of the structure, as well as a surface coating from the front and / or back of the structure that may extend into the pores of the structure to some extent), which may extend up to 5% into the pores of the structure, up to 10% into the pores of the structure, up to 15% into the pores of the structure, up to 20% into the pores of the structure, up to 25% into the pores of the structure, up to 30% into the pores of the structure, up to 35% into the pores of the structure, up to 40% into the pores of the structure, up to 45% into the pores of the structure, up to 50% into the pores of the structure, up to 55% into the pores of the structure, up to 60% into the pores of the structure, up to 65% into the pores of the structure, up to 70% into the pores of the structure, up to 75% into the pores of the structure, up to 80% into the pores of the structure, up to 85% into the pores of the structure, up to 90% into the pores of the structure, up to 95% into the pores of the structure, up to 100% into the pores of the structure, up to 100% into the pores of the structure, up to 110% into the pores of the structure, up to 115% into the pores of the structure, up to 120% into the pores of the structure, up to 125% into the pores of the structure, up to 130% into the pores of the structure, up to 140% into the pores of the structure, up to 150% into the pores of the structure, up It may include a coating on one surface of the structure that penetrates up to 40% into the pores, up to 45% into the pores of the structure, up to 50% into the pores of the structure, up to 55% into the pores of the structure, up to 60% into the pores of the structure, up to 65% into the pores of the structure, up to 70% into the pores of the structure, up to 75% into the pores of the structure, up to 80% into the pores of the structure, up to 85% into the pores of the structure, up to 90% into the pores of the structure, up to 95% into the pores of the structure, up to 99% into the pores of the structure, up to 100% of the way through the pores of the structure and / or extends out from the pores onto the opposing surface of the structure.

[0198] In various embodiments, the additional incorporation of the biocide coating or other coating / additive of some embodiments also desirably improves the durability and functional life of the enclosure, system, and / or its components in that biofouling organisms and / or other harmful agents should be inhibited and / or prevented from colonizing the flexible structure and / or perforations therein for a period of time after submersion, thereby desirably maintaining the flexible, perforated nature of the system walls and its attendant benefits. If the biocide is retained primarily in close proximity to the structural substrate (i.e., the biocide may have very low or no biocide leaching levels outside the structure or enclosure), the biocide will desirably significantly inhibit biofouling of the enclosure and / or system walls, while the presence of the system and the "separate aqueous environment" created downstream of it will reduce and / or inhibit biofouling of the protected water system or other substrate. In various exemplary embodiments, the biocide can have extremely low and / or undetectable levels (i.e., less than 30 ng / L) in the water downstream from the enclosure and / or in the water discharged from the water system, while still remaining highly effective in protecting the water system and / or system components from biofouling. In one example, biocide release rates from coated fibrous substrate materials were detected in artificial seawater at 0.2-2 ppm or less over 7 days, and low local concentrations (i.e., biocide release rates) were detected in artificial seawater at 0.2-2 ppm or less over 7 days, and these release rates were effective in protecting the fibrous substrate materials from biofouling.

[0199] A wide variety of complementary coatings incorporating different biocides and / or other dispensing and / or eluting materials can be incorporated into a given system design to provide various antifouling benefits. For example, coatings that release econea and / or pyrithione at different amounts and / or timings can be useful in combating biofouling (Econea primarily targets "hard-shelled" organisms, while zinc or copper pyrithione primarily targets "soft-shelled or shellless" organisms), including embodiments with an initially high release rate that significantly reduces after only hours, days, and / or weeks of submersion, as well as other embodiments with an initially low release rate that increases with submersion time. Exemplary coatings can incorporate a single biocide or formulation targeting one or more fouling species, or the coating can incorporate two or more biocides in different ratios, each targeting one or more different fouling species and / or different life stages of similar fouling organisms. The biocides selected and their concentrations can vary based on a given application and type of biofouling, which can depend on a variety of factors, including the geographic location of the fouling prevention, the season, various local fouling pressures, the particular water application for the fouling enclosure, the design and characteristics of the fouling prevention system, the desired duration of fouling protection and / or structure, and / or the type of substrate for which protection is desired. In some exemplary embodiments, the ratio of the first biocide to the second biocide in the coating formulation can be about 1:1, about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20, about 1:255, about 1:50, about 1:100 or more. In one particularly useful embodiment, the ratio of Econea to zinc pyrithione (or copper pyrithione) can be approximately 3:1 (i.e., 75% Econea to 25% zinc or copper pyrithione) in an exemplary coating formulation that targets both hard and soft shells.

[0200] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the enclosure may include a spun polyester structure having a surface and / or subsurface coating of a commercially available biocide coating, including water-based and / or solvent-based coatings containing a registered biocide, applied to the structure by virtually any means known in the art, including brushing, rolling, painting, dipping, spraying, production printing, encapsulation, and / or screen coating (with or without vacuum assistance). While coating of the material can be achieved on one or both sides of the material, and with a single-sided coating on the inward-facing side of the material, single-sided coating on the outward-facing side (i.e., away from the substrate and toward the open aqueous environment) of the material has demonstrated significant levels of effectiveness while minimizing biocide content, cost, and maintaining advantageous flexibility. While water-based ("WB") biocidal coatings are primarily discussed in various embodiments herein, solvent-based ("SB") biocidal coatings may alternatively be used (and / or in combination with water-based paints) in various applications, if desired.

[0201] In various embodiments, the use of various printing processes for coatings may have the added advantage of allowing for the incorporation of visible patterns and / or logos in and / or on system components, which may include marketing and / or advertising materials to identify the source of the system (i.e., system manufacturer), the identification of one or more users (i.e., a particular marina and / or boat owner / boat name), and / or the identification of the expected area and / or conditions of use (i.e., "saltwater flooding only" or "Jacksonville Harbor use only" or "summer use only"). If desired, various indicators may be incorporated to identify the age and / or condition of the system components, including, for example, printing a "replace by" date on the exterior of a replaceable modular filter unit. If desired, visible patterns may be printed using the biocide coating itself, which may incorporate supplemental inks and / or dyes into the coating mixture, or additional logos, etc., may be printed using a separate additive.

[0202] In various embodiments, the biocidal coating or paint may desirably be applied to the material in an amount ranging from 220 grams per square meter to 235 grams per square meter, although applications of less than 220 grams per square meter, including 100 grams per square meter, and applications of more than 235 grams per square meter, including 300 grams per square meter or more, show significant potential. In various alternative embodiments, the coating mixture may include one or more biocides in various percentage weight percent of the mixture, including up to 10% biocide by weight, such as 2%, 5%, and / or 7% of the mixture, or greater amounts of biocide, including 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and / or more biocide by weight of the coating mixture, and ranges encompassing virtually any combination thereof (i.e., 2% to 10% and / or 5% to 50%, etc.). Where enclosure designs may be particularly large, it may be desirable to significantly increase the percentage of biocide in the coating mixture, which desirably reduces the total amount of coating required to protect the enclosure and / or substrate.

[0203] 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary permeable structure 1200, with various pore openings 21210 and simplified passageways 1220 extending from a front surface 1230 to a rear surface 1240 of the structure 1200. Also shown is a coating substance 1250, optionally containing a biocide or other debilitating substance, with some portion of this coating substance extending into the pore openings 1210 and / or passageways 1220 of the structure 1200 at least some distance "D" from the front surface 1230. In various embodiments, the coating substance will desirably penetrate into the openings / pores of the structure and / or structure walls of the material for some average distance "D" (i.e., penetration depth into the fabric of 3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 50%, 75% or more; see FIG. 12 ). Desirably, a coating material that is often "stiffer" in its dry configuration than the structure to which it is applied is applied in a manner that allows the structure to bend and / or molded to some extent (i.e., the coating desirably will not appreciably or severely "rigidify" the structure to an undesirable degree), allowing the structure to be formed into a desired enclosure shape and / or wrapped around the structure and / or formed into a flexible bag and / or container (if desired). Where a bag or similar enclosure (i.e., a closable shape) is provided, the coating may desirably be applied onto / in the item after its manufacture, which may include coating and / or encapsulating any seams and / or sewn / glued areas under one or more coating layers. In various embodiments, the coating penetration depth will, on average, be no more than half the depth through the material.

[0204] Another significant advantage provided by various features of the present invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the individual fibers of the disclosed permeable structures, which give the structures the ability to "mix" and / or otherwise agitate environmental water within the pores, openings, voids, and / or various openings of the woven or knitted structure. This mixing effect can significantly improve the homogeneity and / or uniformity of water within and / or after it has passed through the enclosure. In some embodiments where a biocide coating is provided, this mixing effect can significantly improve the effectiveness of the eluting biocide in that the biocide concentration may be greatest in the water adjacent to the pore walls, but can be efficiently mixed into the water stream even before the water leaves the enclosure wall. Such an arrangement can ensure a high dosage of biocide to fouling organisms adjacent to the pore walls and also ensure sufficient biocide contact with other fouling organisms in the water stream, even at very low overall biocide dosage levels.

[0205] Once coated with the coating or paint, the material and / or enclosure may be allowed to cure and / or air dry for a desired period of time (less than 2 minutes in some commercial applications, or up to 1 hour or more in other embodiments), or may be forced dried using gas, oil, or electric heating elements. The material and / or enclosure may then be used as described herein.

[0206] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a fouling prevention enclosure may include a flexible fibrous material and / or structure having a coating applied to a first surface of the flexible fibrous material, the flexible fibrous material having a plurality of pores, interstices, and / or other openings extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible fibrous material, the coating extending into the pores such that the plurality of pores have an average minimum pore opening before coating of at least 25 micrometers and an average minimum pore opening after coating of between 75 and 25 micrometers. When the material is placed in a water or other liquid stream, the water flows from the first surface to the second surface through the plurality of pores, and a biocide elutes from the coating into the water stream, the biocide contacting the plurality of biofouling organisms and inhibiting one or more species of the plurality of biofouling organisms from colonizing a substrate surface located downstream of the coated structure.

[0207] In various embodiments, the enclosure may include an optional biocide attached to, coated on, encapsulated in, incorporated into, and / or "woven into" the threads of the material. For example, the biocide may be incorporated into a strip containing one or more biocides at various concentrations, thus desirably preventing various plant and animal species from attaching to or establishing a presence on and / or within the enclosure. In various embodiments, the use of one or more biocides may provide one or more of the following: (1) a biocide to protect the enclosure from fouling; (2) a biocide to protect the substrate from fouling; (3) a biocide to induce environmental conditions that form an "artificial" biofilm on the substrate and / or within the protected environment; (4) a biocide to dose water within the protected environment; and / or (5) a biocide to reduce fouling "buildup" on the surface and / or within the pores of the fibrous structure substrate and / or "filter" element.

[0208] Other methods of inserting and / or applying the coating or anti-fouling agent are contemplated, such as using spray applications known to those skilled in the coating art. Additionally, the enclosure need not contain individual fibrous elements, but instead may be made of perforated and / or flexible sheets containing the agent embedded therein and / or coated onto the material. To provide a fastening mechanism, the enclosure may include fastening elements such as, but not limited to, hook-and-loop fasteners such as VELCRO®, snaps, buttons, clasps, clips, buttons, adhesive strips, or zippers. If desired, the system may include multiple wall structures, each attached to one or more adjacent wall structures (if any) by stitching, weaving, or the like, which may include coating and / or encapsulating any seams and / or stitched / glued areas under one or more coating layers to form a modular enclosure. If desired, enclosure material may be added to extend beyond and / or over the enclosure fastening elements to protect the fastening elements from fouling.

[0209] In alternative embodiments, the enclosure may include closable and / or releasable features, such as Velcro or hook-and-loop fastener components, zippers, magnetic closures, and / or cross-stitched features. Similar connection types may be utilized to connect the side edges of individual sheets together or to allow for removal and replacement of the fibrous substrate media from a support frame or other structure.

[0210] In various embodiments, the enclosure desirably includes anti-bio-fouling properties attached to and / or embedded within the sutures and / or fibers (i.e., various elements of the fibrous matrix) to inhibit and / or prevent biofouling in the system. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-bio-fouling agent is a biocide coating containing Econea™ (tralopyril, commercially available from Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, Belgium) and / or zinc omadine (i.e., pyrithione), although other currently available and / or future developed anti-bio-fouling agents known to those skilled in the art, such as zinc, copper, or their derivatives, may also be used. Additionally, microbially derived anti-fouling compounds and their synthetic analogs may be utilized; these different sources are typically classified into 10 types, including fatty acids, lactones, terpenes, steroids, benzenoids, phenyl ethers, polyketides, alkaloids, nucleosides, and peptides. These compounds can be sequestered from seaweed, algae, fungi, bacteria, and marine invertebrates, including larvae, sponges, worms, snails, mussels, and others. Any one or more (or various combinations thereof) of the above compounds and / or equivalents (and / or any future-developed compounds and / or equivalents) can be utilized to create biofouling structures that prevent both microfouling, such as biofilm formation and bacterial attachment, and macrofouling, such as attachment of larger organisms, including barnacles or mussels, to one or more targeted species, or, if desired, can be utilized as a more "broad-spectrum" foulant prevention against multiple biofouling organisms.

[0211] In one exemplary embodiment, a desirable spun polyester fiber based woven structure may be utilized as the envelope material, with the structure having a weight of approximately 410 grams per meter. 2 (See Table 13) [Table 13]

[0212] Table 14 illustrates several alternative construction specifications that may be utilized as the enclosure material with varying levels of utility. [Table 14]

[0213] For various structure or enclosure embodiments, the target paint / coating add-on weight is approximately about 5 grams per meter. 2 ~500g / meter 2 , about 50 grams / meter 2 ~480g / meter 2 , about 100 grams / meter 2 ~300g / meter 2 , approximately 120 grams / meter 2 ~280g / meter 2 , approximately 224 grams per meter 2 (or up to ±10% thereof).

[0214] In various embodiments where the addition of a biocide or other coating may be desired, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the coating may be applied to the enclosure after the system is fully assembled and / or constructed, while in other embodiments, the coating may be applied to some or all of the system's components prior to assembly and / or construction. In still other embodiments, some portions of the enclosure may be pre-coated and / or pre-treated, while other portions may be coated after assembly. Furthermore, if process and / or treatment steps during the manufacture and / or assembly of the enclosure involve techniques that may adversely affect the quality and / or performance of the biocide or other coating properties, it may be desirable to perform those process and / or treatment steps on the enclosure and / or enclosure components prior to application of the coating. For example, if a heat-sensitive biocide and / or coating may be desired, material processing techniques involving high temperatures may be employed to fabricate and / or process the structure and / or enclosure walls prior to application of the biocide coating (i.e., to reduce the chance of heat-related degradation of the biocide and / or coating).

[0215] In various embodiments, coating materials or other additives (including biocide coatings or other materials) can be applied to and / or incorporated into the enclosure structure, potentially resulting in an altered level of permeability, which can transform a material that may be less suitable for protecting a substrate from biofouling into one that, once in the coated condition, is more desirable for protecting a substrate from biofouling. For example, as described herein, uncoated polyester structures experimentally demonstrated relatively high permeability to liquids (i.e., 150 mL of liquid passed through the test structure in less than 50 seconds), which may be less desirable for forming an enclosure to protect a substrate from biofouling. However, when properly coated to a desired level with a biocidal coating, the permeability of the coated structure can be substantially reduced to a highly desirable level, such as a moderate permeability level (i.e., 100 mL of liquid passed through the test structure in 50-80 seconds) and / or a very low permeability level (i.e., little or no liquid passed through the test structure). In this way, the planned transparency level can optionally be "dialed" or tailored for each selected structure, if desired.

[0216] During prolonged immersion testing in an aqueous environment, one embodiment of an enclosure incorporating a polyester-coated structure exhibited no macrofouling and / or very minimal macrofouling of the coating. Furthermore, one example polyester structure was more permeable during the immersion period, while another example became less permeable during the immersion period.

[0217] Fibrous matrix material and / or administration vehicle FIG. 13A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an uncoated 23×23 polyester woven structure that experimentally demonstrated relatively low permeability to liquids (i.e., 100 mL of liquid passed through the test structure in approximately 396 seconds), which, depending on local conditions, may be on the lower end of the desired permeability range for forming some enclosure designs to protect substrates from biofouling as described herein. When coated (see FIG. 13B), these materials became essentially impermeable before submersion but more permeable after submersion. As noted above, the desired permeability level can be “dialed in” or tailored for each selected structure, if desired. In various embodiments, the permeability of a given structure and / or enclosure component may change or differ in wet or dry conditions, if desired.

[0218] During prolonged immersion testing in an aqueous environment, the uncoated 23x23 polyester and coated polyester structures all showed no macrofouling on the enclosure and / or substrate. Furthermore, each of these materials underwent a significant increase in permeability during immersion: the uncoated 23x23 polyester structure allowed 150 mL of liquid to pass in 120 seconds, while the first coated 23x23 polyester structure allowed 150 mL of liquid in 160 seconds, and the second coated 23x23 polyester allowed 150 mL of liquid in 180 seconds.

[0219] In another alternative embodiment, Figures 14A-14C illustrate a natural material, burlap, uncoated (Figure 14A), coated with a solvent-based biocidal coating (Figure 14B), and coated with a water-based biocidal coating (Figure 14C). During permeability testing, the uncoated burlap structure demonstrated a permeability of 50.99 ml / sec / cm, while the coated burlap structures had permeabilities of 52.32 ml / sec / cm and 38.23 ml / sec / cm for the solvent-based and water-based biocidal coatings, respectively. After 32 days of submersion in salt water, the permeability of both coated structures increased significantly to 85.23 ml / sec / cm and 87.28 ml / sec / cm, while the uncoated burlap structure decreased in permeability to 20.42 ml / sec / cm. In observing fouling, the uncoated burlap structure experienced very minimal fouling, and the coated burlap structure experienced virtually no macrofouling.

[0220] Additionally, in another alternative embodiment, uncoated 1 / 64 polyester structures were coated with a solvent-based biocidal coating and alternatively with a water-based biocidal coating. During permeability testing, the uncoated 1 / 64 polyester structures demonstrated a permeability of 26.82 ml / sec / cm2, while the coated 1 / 64 polyester structures had permeabilities of 44.49 ml / sec / cm2 and 29.25 ml / sec / cm2 for the solvent-based and water-based biocidal coatings, respectively. After 32 days of submersion in saltwater, the permeabilities of all 1 / 64 polyester structures significantly decreased to 10.99 ml / sec / cm2, 13.78 ml / sec / cm2, and 13.31 ml / sec / cm2, respectively. Fouling observations showed that the uncoated 1 / 16 polyester structure was subject to some degree of fouling, while the coated 1 / 64 polyester structure was virtually free of macrofouling.

[0221] A variety of different structural fabrics were manufactured, coated, and utilized in the construction and testing of anti-biofouling enclosures. In a first embodiment (shown in FIG. 15A with a 1000 μm scale), a textured polyester fabric is coated with a biocide coating on a first surface, with a substantial amount of this coating penetrating completely through the fabric to the opposing second surface (some areas of the coating on the second surface are thinner than others). FIG. 15B illustrates this coated fabric at a 1000 μm scale. On average, this coated fabric has 523.54 (±2.33) pores per inch. 2 and approximately less than 5 percent of the pores were blocked (on average).

[0222] Figure 15C illustrates another preferred embodiment of a 100% spun polyester structure, and Figure 15D illustrates this structure coated with a biocidal coating. During testing, the uncoated 100% polyester structure had a biocidal absorption rate of 10.17 ml / sec / cm of the structure. 2 The coated poly structure demonstrated a permeability of 0.32 ml / sec / cm 2 and 1.08 ml / sec / cm 2 After 23 days of submersion in water, the permeability of both coated structures did not change significantly, with the uncoated poly structure experiencing very minimal fouling and the coated poly structure experiencing virtually no macrofouling. However, in various other embodiments, other techniques for preparing spun polyester yarns, such as core-spun staple fibers around a continuous core, open-end spinning, ring spinning, and / or air-jet spinning, are expected to yield similarly favorable results.

[0223] In another embodiment (uncoated structure shown in Figure 15E with a 500 μm scale), a spun polyester fabric is then coated on a first surface with a biocide coating, with a substantial amount of this coating partially penetrating through the fibers and / or pores of the fabric (in some embodiments, up to 50% or more penetration through the fabric). Figure 15F shows the opposing uncoated side of the structure at 1000 μm, which also demonstrates the significant pore size reduction that can be achieved using this coating technique, if desired. On average, this coated fabric has 493 (±3.53) pores per inch. 2 and approximately 7-10 percent of the pores were completely blocked by the coating material (on average).

[0224] Experimentally, all of these structure embodiments demonstrated desirable levels of permeability, which can be attributed to the large number of small pores, smaller size fibers, and / or various combinations thereof. Various coating methods were highly effective in coating and permeating the structures to the desired levels, producing highly effective materials for incorporation into protective enclosures.

[0225] The disclosed specification illustrates various structures potentially suitable for use in various embodiments of the present invention, along with exemplary permeabilities of these structures in uncoated and coated states. For example, at Port Canaveral Harbor (Port Canaveral, Florida, USA), the permeability is 0.5 ml / sec / cm. 2 ~25ml / sec / cm 2 ~50ml / sec / cm 2 ~75ml / sec / cm 2 ~100ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 0.1 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 100ml / sec / cm 2 ,cm 2 , or approximately 1 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 75ml / sec / cm2 , or approximately 1 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 10ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 1 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 5ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 5 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 10ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 10 ml / sec / cm 2 ~About 20ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 10 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 25ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 10 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 50ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 20 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 70ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 10 ml / sec / cm 2 ~About 40ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 20 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 60ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 75 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 100ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 60 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 100ml / sec / cm 2 , or approximately 10 ml / sec / cm 2 ~Approx. 30ml / sec / cm 2 It has been experimentally determined that a permeability range of at least 0.32 ml / sec / cm is sufficient (depending on local conditions) to prevent significant amounts of fouling from occurring on and / or within the enclosure and / or on the protected substrate, while still allowing sufficient water flow. In another exemplary embodiment, a permeability range of at least 0.32 ml / sec / cm is sufficient to prevent significant amounts of fouling from occurring on and / or within the enclosure and / or on the protected substrate. 2 , and up to 10.17 ml / sec / cm 2 It has been determined that a permeability range of at least 1.5 ml / sec / cm is the optimum range of desirable permeability characteristics and / or the desired range of expected permeability changes over the life of the enclosure. In other embodiments, 2 , and up to 8.0 ml / sec / cm 2ranges may be desirable (and any combination of the various ranges disclosed herein). Because the incidence of fouling intrusion and / or rate of fouling growth in a given region and / or body of water for a particular fouling organism can often be highly dependent on a multiplicity of interrelated factors, as well as the local and / or seasonal conditions of the intended area of ​​use (and, among other things, the substrate intended to be protected), the acceptable permeability range of a given structure for a given enclosure design may vary widely; thus, a structure's permeability that may be optimal and / or suitable for one enclosure design and / or location may be less optimal and / or suitable for another enclosure design and / or location. Therefore, desired permeability values ​​and ranges should be interpreted as a general trend in the permeability and / or ability of a given structure to provide anti-fouling protection while avoiding prolonged anoxic conditions and anaerobic corrosion in a given body of water, but should not be interpreted as excluding the use of a given structure in other enclosure designs and / or water conditions.

[0226] In various embodiments, the permeability of the fibrous substrate medium and / or enclosure material may desirably be maintained within a desired permeability range over its in situ service life (or, if desired, until a desired biofilm layer is established), such that any potential increase in the permeability of the material due to changes in the structure and / or material (by way of example) of the enclosure will desirably approximate any expected decrease in the permeability of the material due to clogging of pores by organic and / or inorganic debris (including any biofouling of the material and / or its pores that may occur). This balance will desirably maintain the integrity and / or function of the enclosure and the properties of the differentiated environment over extended periods of time, providing significant protection to the enclosure and / or protected substrate.

[0227] In various embodiments, the enclosure walls may incorporate various materials that undergo permeability changes during prolonged immersion testing in an aqueous environment. For example, uncoated synthetic materials may generally become less permeable over time (this may be due to gradual fouling of the structure once positioned around the substrate; however, considering the initial swelling of the structure and biocide, and biofouling, permeability may remain or increase as the coating bleeds or dissolves). Meanwhile, some materials coated with biocidal coatings may undergo various permeability changes, including some embodiments in which they become less permeable over time. Additionally, natural test fibers (burlap) in the uncoated state became more permeable, while biocide-coated burlap became less permeable over time. In various embodiments, variations in coating parameters (i.e., coating addition / thickness, application method, application of vacuum to maintain and / or increase pore size, drying parameters, etc.) and various fiber parameters (i.e., construction, material, initial permeability, presence or absence of constraint during drying, presence or absence of heat setting, etc.) can enable the production of a wide range of desired permeability characteristics and expected permeability changes over the life of a given enclosure design. Thus, it is possible to influence (and / or control) whether permeability increases or decreases over time and associated correlation with product life cycle when deployed in an aqueous environment.

[0228] In various embodiments, the enclosure can desirably inhibit biofouling on a substrate at least partially immersed in an aquatic environment, the enclosure comprising a material that is or becomes water permeable during use, the enclosure adapted to receive the substrate and form a distinct aquatic environment extending from the surface of the substrate to at least the interior / exterior surface of the structure, and the structure or portion thereof has a water permeability, or greater / lesser permeability, with a flux of about 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter of substrate, about 100 milliliters of water per minute per square centimeter of substrate, or values ​​therebetween, upon or after positioning the structure around the substrate.

[0229] In various embodiments, water permeability of the structure can be achieved by forming the structure to allow water to permeate through it, such as by weaving the fibers to have the desired permeability and / or optionally coating the fibers with a biocide coating (or a non-biocide-containing coating) that provides the fibers with the desired permeability. In some embodiments, the structure can be designed to become water permeable over time as it is used. For example, other water-permeable structures may initially have a coating that makes them substantially impermeable, but as the coating dissolves, erodes, or dissolves, the underlying permeability increases and / or becomes useful.

[0230] System Component Assembly In various embodiments, the system may comprise a single enclosure or may include multiple modular components that can be assembled in various system shapes, sizes, and / or capabilities. For example, a system design may desirably include multiple anti-fouling wall structures, each attached and / or assembled to one or more adjacent wall structures (if any) by stitching, weaving, hook-and-loop fasteners, Velcro, etc., which may include coating and / or encapsulation of any seams and / or sewn / glued areas. Alternatively, other connection techniques, such as thermal bonding, ultrasonic welding, and / or other energy-based bonding techniques, adhesion or glue, and other stitching and / or two-dimensional weaving / knitting techniques, may be utilized as needed. In other alternative embodiments, three-dimensional structure molding techniques may be used to create a "tube" or bag of material for the enclosure that has no exterior-facing seams on the sides and / or only one or more seams and / or openings on the top and / or bottom. In some particularly desirable embodiments, the attachment and / or bonding of the various wall sections of the enclosure will preferably be accomplished so as to maintain some level of flexibility within the attachment areas.

[0231] In a similar manner, various embodiments of the enclosure will desirably incorporate permeable and / or flexible attachment mechanisms and / or enclosures such that relatively hard, uninterrupted, and / or impermeable surfaces are desirably not presented by the enclosure to the surrounding aqueous environment. Often, biofouling entities may prefer hard, uninterrupted surfaces for settlement and / or colonization, which may provide such entities with a "foothold" for subsequent colonization on adjacent flexible structural sections, such as those of the enclosures described herein. By reducing the potential for such "foothold" locations, many of the disclosed enclosure designs may significantly improve the biofouling resistance of the various disclosed embodiments and / or their provided substrate protection. In at least one embodiment, the enclosure may be specialized for a substrate, fabricated as a single construct without seams and / or impermeable wall sections.

[0232] In the case of hook-and-loop or "Velcro" fasteners, the employment of such connection devices may be particularly well-suited for various enclosure embodiments in that such fasteners may be permeable to aqueous media in a manner similar to the permeable enclosure walls. Such design features may allow liquids within the enclosure to leach through the fastener components and / or enclosure walls in a similar manner, thereby inhibiting fouling of the fastener surface as described herein. Alternatively, the connection "flaps" of a flexible hook-and-loop fastener may be disposed over a corresponding flexible or non-flexible attachment surface to provide additional protection to the attachment surface.

[0233] In various embodiments, the permeability of the structure can be influenced and / or altered by a variety of techniques, including mechanical processes, such as through the use of perforation devices (i.e., needles, laser cutting, drawing to create micropores, etc.), abrasive materials, and / or pressure and / or vacuum effects (i.e., water and / or air jets), or chemical means (i.e., etching chemistries). In a similar manner, low permeability structures are desirably treated to increase the permeability of the structure to within a desired range, while in other embodiments, higher permeability structures can be modified (e.g., by using paints, coatings, clogging, or coagulants) to a desired amount of lower permeability.

[0234] In many embodiments, the type and / or permeability level of the enclosure wall material(s) selected will be a significant consideration in the design and placement of the enclosure and / or various enclosure components. Upon initial placement of the enclosure in an aqueous medium, the permeable material will desirably allow sufficient water exchange to occur between the open environment and the enclosed and / or bounded environment, allowing for a differentiated environment that protects against the formation of biofouling. However, because various fouling pressures and / or other factors can potentially modify and / or otherwise affect the permeability and / or porosity of a given enclosure wall material in an aqueous medium over time, it is often important that the permeable material continue to allow the desired level of water exchange that maintains the differentiated environment, and desirably avoids the occurrence of prolonged anoxic conditions within some enclosure embodiments. Due to these concerns, it may be desirable to select a higher permeability level for the enclosure wall material so that clogging and / or closure of some of the pores of the material should not significantly affect the anti-fouling performance of the enclosure, even though the water exchange rate may decrease, increase, and / or remain the same at different times during the enclosure's service life.

[0235] System Placement and Spacing In use, a system as described herein would desirably be positioned upstream of and / or within the fluid flow path in contact with and / or around a substrate submerged in an aqueous medium. This includes protecting an object before it is first submerged in an aqueous medium (i.e., a "virgin" immersion of an object in an aqueous environment), as well as protecting a previously submerged object that has been removed from an aqueous medium and cleaned and / or descaled. In other embodiments, the system may be installed to protect objects already submerged in an aqueous environment, including objects that may have previously been submerged for an extended period of time and / or that already have a significant amount of biofouling thereon.

[0236] Non-limiting examples of substrates include any substrate or material used with, in combination with, or in conjunction with any water consumption, such as large-scale water consumption using a water intake system. Non-limiting examples of substrate uses involving water consumption include any water intake system for commercial or industrial use, or any material or substrate downstream of a water intake, including, for example, marine or freshwater filtration systems, filtration system equipment such as membrane filters, water inlet filters, piping, and / or water storage tanks, lift and boat storage structures, irrigation water storage tanks and irrigation piping, and / or equipment, and / or any parts thereof, water management systems and / or system components such as gates, dams, valves, sluice gates, and / or seawalls, wastewater systems, reverse osmosis water systems, commercial water plants, water systems used in heating, injecting, treating, cleaning, diluting, cooling, and / or transporting structures, smelting facility systems, oil refineries, and industries producing chemicals, food, and paper products. Other mechanisms affected by biofouling that can be addressed using the present disclosure include microelectrochemical drug delivery devices, paper and pulp industry machinery, underwater equipment, fire protection system piping, and sprinkler system nozzles. In addition to interfering with mechanisms, biofouling also occurs on the surface of living marine organisms, known as epibenthic organisms. Biofouling is also found in nearly every situation where water-based liquids come into contact with other materials. Significant industrial impacts include agriculture, membrane systems (e.g., membrane bioreactors and reverse osmosis spiral-wound membranes), and maintenance of water cycles in large-scale equipment and power plants. Biofouling can also occur in oil pipelines carrying oil containing entrained water, particularly used oil, cutting oil, oils made water-soluble by emulsification, and hydraulic fluids.

[0237] In various embodiments, the substrate to be protected can be a surface or subsurface made from any material, including, but not limited to, a metal surface, a fiberglass surface, a PVC surface, a plastic surface, a rubber surface, a wood surface, a concrete surface, a glass surface, a ceramic surface, a natural structure surface, a synthetic structure surface, and / or any combination thereof.

[0238] Thus, while illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that all terms used herein are descriptive rather than limiting, and that many changes, modifications, and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention.

[0239] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual reference was individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and was set forth in its entirety herein.

[0240] The various headings and titles used herein are for the convenience of the reader and should not be construed as limiting or restricting any of the features or disclosures thereunder to the particular embodiment(s). It is to be understood that the various exemplary embodiments may incorporate numerous combinations of the various advantages and / or features described, and all manner of such combinations are contemplated and expressly incorporated herein.

[0241] The use of the terms "a," "an," and "the" and similar referents in the context of describing the present invention should be interpreted to encompass both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" should be interpreted as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to"), unless otherwise stated. The recitation of ranges of values ​​herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of individually referring to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually set forth herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is intended merely to better clarify the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention, unless otherwise stated in the claims. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

[0242] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect that skilled artisans will adopt such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Claims

1. 1. A device for reducing biofouling in a water system, comprising: a treatment unit including at least one layer of a permeable fabric structure having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable fabric structure having a biocide coating on at least one surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores; the treatment unit is located at an intake point of the water system, and all of the water passing through the water system passes through the treatment unit; the water requires an average residence time to pass through the treatment unit and the water system and be discharged through a drain of the water system; The device, wherein the biocide coating elutes a biocide into the water passing through the treatment unit, the biocide contacting at least one fouling organism in the water and reducing fouling on one or more substrate surfaces within the water system for at least the average residence time.

2. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the coated permeable fabric structure in the treatment unit has a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

3. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer of the permeable fabric structure comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

4. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water immediately upstream of the treatment unit is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the water immediately downstream of the treatment unit.

5. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately upstream of the treatment unit is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately downstream of the treatment unit.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric structure.

7. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the downstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric treatment unit is substantially free of said biocide coating.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the water system comprises a single-pass system.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the water system comprises a recirculation system.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the water system comprises a make-up water circuit of a recirculating system.

11. 1. A method for reducing biofouling on a substrate in a flowing water stream, comprising: applying a coating comprising a biocide to a surface of an enclosure, the enclosure having a plurality of pores extending from a first surface to a second surface of the enclosure, the coating extending into the plurality of pores such that the plurality of pores have an average minimum pore opening before coating of at least 25 micrometers and an average minimum pore opening after coating of 75 to 25 micrometers; placing the coated enclosure in the flowing water stream, wherein the flowing water stream flows from the first surface to the second surface through the plurality of pores, the biocide eluting from the coating into the water stream, the biocide contacting biofouling organisms and reducing colonization of biofouling organisms on a substrate surface located downstream of the coated enclosure.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the enclosure comprises a flexible fabric material having a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

13. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the flexible fabric material comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

14. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the flowing water stream upstream of the enclosure is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the flowing water stream downstream of the enclosure.

15. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the flowing water stream upstream of the enclosure is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the flowing water stream downstream of the enclosure.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream exterior surface of the enclosure.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the downstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric filter media is substantially free of the biocide coating.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the enclosure is positioned within a water intake of a single-pass system.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the enclosure is positioned within a water intake of a recirculation system.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the enclosure is positioned in a makeup water circuit of a recirculation system.

21. 1. A device for reducing biofouling in a water system, comprising: A filtration and processing unit comprising: at least one layer of permeable filter media having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the at least one layer of permeable filter media having a biocide coating on the outer surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores; an oxygen removal system that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the water passing through the filtration unit; the filtration unit is located at the intake location of the water system, all of the water entering the water system passes through the filtration unit, and the water requires an average residence time to pass through the filtration unit and the water system and be discharged through a drain of the water system; a device wherein the biocide coating elutes a biocide into the water passing through the filtration and treatment unit, the biocide contacting a plurality of fouling organisms in the water and inhibiting the ability of the plurality of fouling organisms to colonize one or more substrate surfaces within the water system for at least the average residence time.

22. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the permeable fabric filter media in the filtration unit has a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

23. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the at least one layer of the permeable fabric filter media comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

24. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately upstream of the filtration unit is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately downstream of the filtration unit.

25. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately upstream of the filtration unit is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately downstream of the filtration unit.

26. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric filter media.

27. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the downstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric filter media is substantially free of the biocide coating.

28. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the water system comprises a single-pass system.

29. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the water system comprises a recirculation system.

30. 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the water system comprises a make-up water circuit of a recirculating system.

31. 1. A method for reducing biofouling from a plurality of biofouling organisms in a cooling water stream experiencing high temperatures, comprising: applying a coating comprising a biocide to a first surface of a flexible porous fabric, the flexible porous fabric having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous fabric; placing the coated fabric in the cooling water stream, wherein the cooling water stream flows through the plurality of pores from the first surface to the second surface at a first average water temperature, the biocide eluting from the coating into the cooling water stream, the biocide contacting the plurality of biofouling organisms and inhibiting the plurality of biofouling organisms from colonizing a substrate surface located downstream of the coated fabric; the cooling water stream enters a cooling water circuit and is heated to a second average temperature, the second average temperature being greater than the first average temperature, and wherein the effectiveness of the biocide in inhibiting the plurality of biofouling organisms from colonizing a substrate is not reduced by the elevated average temperature of the cooling water stream.

32. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the flexible porous fabric comprises a material having a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

33. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the flexible porous fabric comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

34. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the cooling water stream upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the cooling water stream downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

35. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the cooling water stream upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the cooling water stream downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

36. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric.

37. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the downstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric is substantially free of the biocide coating.

38. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned within a water intake of a single-pass cooling system.

39. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned within a water intake of a recirculating cooling system.

40. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned in a makeup water circuit of a recirculating cooling system.

41. An artificially produced biofilm, 1. An artificially created biofilm comprising an anti-fouling biofilm formed within a water system, wherein water flowing within the water system periodically passes through a filtration and treatment unit comprising at least one layer of permeable fabric filter media having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the permeable fabric filter media having a biocide coating on the exterior surface that extends at least partially within the plurality of pores, the biocide eluting into the water and inhibiting organisms from colonizing one or more substrate surfaces located within or downstream of the filtration and treatment unit, the anti-fouling biofilm comprising a reduced diversity of at least one cyanobacteria, diatoms, or bacteria compared to a naturally created biofilm in water outside the water system.

42. 42. The artificially produced biofilm of claim 41, wherein the anti-fouling biofilm deposited on the substrate is thinner than a biofilm that occurs naturally in water outside the water system.

43. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the anti-fouling biofilm deposited on the substrate has weaker structural integrity than a biofilm that occurs naturally in water outside the water system.

44. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the anti-fouling biofilm deposited on the substrate comprises primarily Proteobacteria or Bacteroidetes.

45. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the anti-fouling biofilm deposited on the substrate comprises very low amounts of Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria.

46. 1. A method for reducing microbially induced corrosion (MIC) from a plurality of biofouling organisms in a water stream of a water system, comprising: applying a coating comprising a biocide to a first surface of a flexible porous fabric, the flexible porous fabric having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous fabric; placing the coated fabric in the water stream, wherein the water stream flows from the first surface to the second surface through the plurality of pores, the biocide eluting from the coating into the water stream, the biocide contacting at least one biofouling organism and reducing biofouling organism colonization on at least one substrate surface positioned downstream of the coated fabric.

47. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the flexible porous fabric comprises a material having a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

48. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the flexible porous fabric comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

49. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the water stream located upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the water stream located downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

50. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the water stream located upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the portion of the water stream located downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

51. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric.

52. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the downstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric is substantially free of the biocide coating.

53. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned within a water intake of a single pass water system.

54. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned within a water intake of a recirculating water system.

55. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the flexible porous fabric is positioned in a make-up water system of a recirculation system.

55. 1. A device for reducing the occurrence of Legionella in cooling water flowing in a cooling water circuit of a manufacturing or power generation plant, comprising: A filtration and processing unit comprising: at least one layer of permeable fabric filter media having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a plurality of pores extending therebetween, the at least one layer of permeable fabric filter media having a biocide coating on the outer surface that extends at least partially into the plurality of pores; an oxygen removal system that removes at least a portion of the dissolved oxygen in the cooling water passing through the filtration unit; the filtration unit is positioned at a cooling water filtration station of the cooling water circuit, and at least some of the cooling water in the cooling water circuit passes through the filtration unit; 1. A device wherein the biocide coating elutes a biocide into the cooling water passing through the filtration unit, the biocide contacting a plurality of Legionella organisms in the cooling water and inhibiting the ability of the plurality of Legionella organisms to grow or colonize one or more substrate surfaces within the cooling water circuit.

56. 56. The device of claim 55, wherein the permeable fabric filter media in the filtration and treatment unit has a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

57. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the at least one layer of the permeable fabric filter media comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

58. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the cooling water located immediately upstream of the filtration and treatment unit is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the cooling water located immediately downstream of the filtration and treatment unit.

59. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the cooling water located immediately upstream of the filtration unit is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the cooling water located immediately downstream of the filtration unit.

60. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric filter media.

61. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the downstream exterior surface of the permeable fabric filter media is substantially free of the biocide coating.

62. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the cooling water circuit comprises a single-pass cooling system.

63. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the cooling water circuit comprises a recirculating cooling system.

64. 57. The device of claim 56, wherein the cooling water circuit comprises a makeup water circuit of a recirculating cooling system.

65. 1. A method for reducing biofilm formation in piping of a water system, comprising:

1. A method comprising: applying a coating comprising a biocide to a first surface of a flexible porous fabric, the flexible porous fabric having a plurality of pores extending from the first surface to a second surface of the flexible porous fabric; and disposing the coated fabric in a water stream of the water system at a location upstream of the piping, wherein the water stream flows from the first surface to the second surface through the plurality of pores, the biocide eluting from the coating into the water stream, the biocide contacting a plurality of biofouling organisms within the water stream and inducing the formation of a biofilm of reduced thickness on the interior surface of the piping compared to an untreated biofilm thickness from an untreated water stream.

66. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the flexible porous fabric has a permeability in the range of 5 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter to 100 milliliters of water per second per square centimeter.

67. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the at least one layer of the flexible porous fabric comprises a three-dimensional flexible material selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fabrics, natural and synthetic membranes, natural and synthetic sheets, and fabrics, membranes, films, and sheets made from combinations of natural and synthetic materials.

68. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially similar to the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

69. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately upstream of the flexible porous fabric is substantially higher than the dissolved oxygen content of the water located immediately downstream of the flexible porous fabric.

70. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the biocide coating is on an upstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric.

71. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the downstream outer surface of the flexible porous fabric is substantially free of the biocide coating.

72. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the reduced thickness biofilm has weaker structural integrity than the untreated biofilm.

73. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the reduced thickness biofilm comprises primarily Proteobacteria or Bacteroidetes.

74. 66. The method of claim 65, wherein the reduced thickness biofilm comprises very low amounts of Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria.

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