Ship Bilge Water Contaminant Separation Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bilge water treatment systems on ships are unreliable, complex, and costly, often leading to illegal discharge of contaminated bilge water due to limitations in separating fluid organic contaminants, which pose health, fire, and environmental hazards.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor-based contaminant separation system using an endless belt with adsorbing/absorbing material that selectively absorbs contaminants from bilge water, combined with a gravitational separation device to concentrate and drain water, reducing the water content of the waste and facilitating compliant discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional oily water separators are used to separate contaminants from bilge water, then environmental compliance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the contaminant separation function from complex mechanical separators and implements it through a simple conveyor belt system with adsorbing material. The endless belt carries adsorbing material through the bilge water, selectively extracting oil and organic contaminants without requiring complex internal separation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical separation systems (centrifugal separators, coalescing plates) with a conveyor-based system using adsorbing materials. The separation is achieved through chemical adsorption rather than mechanical forces, simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Reliability
If conventional oily water separators are used to separate contaminants from bilge water, then environmental compliance is improved, but maintenance frequency and system downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adsorbing material on the conveyor belt becomes saturated with contaminants and is then discarded or regenerated. The belt system allows for easy replacement of the adsorbing material layer, and the contaminated material can be recovered and disposed of separately, simplifying maintenance compared to complex separator systems.
3Device complexity
If conveyor belt system is used to adsorb contaminants from bilge water, then device complexity is reduced, but adsorption capacity at peak load may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt system can be segmented into multiple parallel belts or sections, each handling a portion of the bilge water flow. This modular approach allows the system to scale in capacity by adding more segments while maintaining the simplicity of the basic design.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor belt speed and the residence time of the belt in the bilge water can be dynamically adjusted to optimize adsorption capacity during peak load conditions. The system can operate at different speeds depending on the contaminant load, balancing throughput with effective separation.
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 effectively reduces the water content of contaminant waste, enhancing safety and environmental compliance by efficiently separating contaminants from bilge water, allowing for reliable operation and cost-effective disposal.
Implementation Method 1
the endless belt comprising an adsorbing/absorbing material, said conveyor arrangement comprising a first portion submergible into the bilge water and contaminants in the bilge water sump
Implementation Method 2
the endless belt comprising an adsorbing/absorbing material, said conveyor arrangement comprising a first portion submergible into the bilge water and contaminants in the bilge water sump
Implementation Method 3
When a portion of the endless belt is submerged into the contaminated bilge water, the adsorbing/absorbing material of the endless belt mostly adsorbs/absorbs contaminants, as water tends to be released and drip off rapidly
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
A ship comprises a bilge water sump (5) collecting bilge water (6) and contaminants. A first contaminant separation device is provided comprising a conveyor arrangement (8) with an endless belt (16) comprising adsorbing/absorbing material. The conveyor arrangement has a first portion (10) submergible 'into the bilge water and contaminants in the bilge water sump, and a second portion (11) being spaced from the first portion and provided with means (13) for releasing adsorbed/absorbed contaminants from the conveyor belt and means for collecting the contaminants released. The conveyor arrangement is further provided with means (12) for driving the endless belt along a moving path defined by guiding means.