Ship Bilge Water Purification Using Engine Heat Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for purifying oil-contaminated water on ships are time-consuming, require large settling tanks, and are inefficient during heavy seas, failing to meet environmental discharge limits of 15 ppm oil content.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing excess heat from ship engines to evaporate oil-contaminated water at sub-atmospheric pressure, condense, and recirculate excess oil, eliminating the need for initial settling steps and chemical agents, with a plant design that includes an evaporation chamber, heat exchanger, and oil gauge for continuous operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional purification methods using large settling tanks are used, then oil separation can be achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and requires large equipment volume
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses evaporation to transform water from liquid to vapor phase, separating it from oil contaminants. The water is evaporated at elevated temperature and then condensed back to liquid form, leaving oil residues behind. This phase transition mechanism enables rapid purification without requiring large settling tanks or prolonged settling times.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the temperature parameter by heating the bilge water to evaporate water at elevated temperatures. This parameter change accelerates the separation process significantly compared to conventional gravitational settling at ambient temperature, reducing purification time while maintaining separation efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional purification methods are used, then oil separation can be achieved, but large settling tanks and complex pumping schemes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the water component from the oil-contaminated bilge water through evaporation, leaving the oil residues behind. This extraction approach simplifies the plant design by eliminating the need for large settling tanks and complex pumping schemes required in conventional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical gravitational settling system with a thermal evaporation-condensation system. Instead of relying on gravity and large tank volumes for separation, the process uses heat transfer and phase change, significantly simplifying the equipment requirements.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional purification methods are used, then some oil separation occurs, but the oil content remains above the 15 ppm discharge limit
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporation-condensation process effectively removes water from the oil-contaminated mixture, concentrating the oil residues in a small volume. When the water is evaporated and then condensed, it leaves behind almost all oil contaminants, achieving purification levels well below the 15 ppm discharge limit with high efficiency.
4Manufacturing precision
If chemical purification methods like flocculation are used, then oil separation can be enhanced, but chemical agents forming emulsions must be avoided
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces chemical purification methods with a thermal evaporation process. This substitution eliminates the need for chemical agents entirely, avoiding the problem of chemical-emulsion formation and allowing the use of any cleaning agents on board without interfering with the purification process.
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 method reduces oil contamination in bilge and sludge water to below 15 ppm, allowing for efficient on-board purification, reducing operational costs, and minimizing heavy metal content, enabling environmentally friendly sea discharge.
Implementation Method 1
heating of oil-contaminated water... using excess heat from the ship's engine(s)
Implementation Method 2
evaporating the water... at sub-atmospheric pressure
Implementation Method 3
condensing the water
Implementation Method 4
evaporating the water at sub-atmospheric pressure
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for purification of bilge and sludge water on a ship, especially at sea, using excess heat from the ship's engine(s) to a level of oil contamination of less than 15 ppm. The invention also relates to a plant for carrying out the method, and a vessel including such plant, as well as the use of the method and plant.