ATB Ballast Transfer via Umbilical Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ballast water treatment systems for Articulated Tug and Barge (ATB) vessels are unsuitable due to limitations in salinity, ballast pump capacity, temperature, hold time, discharge pressure, and electrical power, making it challenging to manage invasive species and maintain regulatory compliance.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop ballast and de-ballast system using either fresh or salt water, with a tug ballast tank and a barge trim tank connected by umbilical lines, allowing for efficient transfer of ballast water between the two, eliminating the need for sea discharge and utilizing a marine centrifugal pump for operational convenience and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ballast water treatment systems are installed on ATB tugs, then ballast water can be treated to kill invasive organisms, but the systems are unsuitable due to limitations in salinity, ballast pump capacity, temperature, hold time, discharge pressure, and electrical power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ballast water from the treatment system entirely, eliminating the need for treatment equipment on ATB tugs. Instead, ballast water is transferred to and from the barge, which has sufficient capacity and resources to handle ballast operations, thereby avoiding all the limitations of installing treatment systems on small tug vessels.
Solution Approach 2:
The barge serves as an intermediary in the ballast water management system. Rather than treating ballast water on the tug, the system uses the barge as a intermediate storage and transfer point, allowing the tug to offload ballast water to the barge where it can be held and discharged under more favorable conditions.
2Ease of manufacture
If potable water is used as ballasting medium, then treatment of ballast water is not needed, but potable water in large quantities is often not available in many tug boat ports of call
Solution Approach 1:
The barge's ballast tanks serve multiple functions: they can hold seawater for the tug's ballast operations, serve as temporary storage for transferred ballast water, and provide stability for the barge itself. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for the tug to carry large quantities of potable water or install treatment systems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If shore based facility is used to transfer ballast water, then ballast water introduction into local environment is eliminated, but shore based facilities are virtually non-existent in many U.S. ports and require underway operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tug and barge into a single operational unit for ballast water management. The barge's ballast tanks are integrated with the tug's ballast system via umbilical lines, creating a combined ballast management capability that provides the benefits of shore-based facilities (preventing invasive species discharge) while maintaining the operational flexibility of underway operations.
4Device complexity
If ballast water is pumped into ballast tanks in one geographical area and discharged in another, then ballast water management is simplified, but water-borne organisms transported in the ballast water can create havoc when deposited in new environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system discards the harmful practice of discharging ballast water containing invasive organisms by transferring it to the barge for holding and controlled discharge. The barge recovers and holds the ballast water in its tanks, preventing the discharge of invasive species while maintaining the simplicity of the ballast water transfer operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides an operationally feasible, cost-effective, and regulatory compliant solution for managing ballast water, preventing invasive species discharge and meeting the unique operational requirements of ATB tugs, while adhering to environmental regulations.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a marine centrifugal pump for operational convenience and cost-effectiveness
Data Source
AI summary
A ballast and de-ballast system and method for an articulated tug barge (ATB) or integrated tug barge (ITB) are described herein. The system includes a tug ballast tank located on the tug, the tug ballast tank being configured to hold ballast water; and a barge trim tank located on the barge, the barge trim tank being configured to hold ballast water. The system further includes at least one umbilical line connecting the tug ballast tank to the barge trim tank. The system is configured to transfer ballast water between the tug ballast tank and the barge trim tank via the at least one umbilical line.