ULTRA-SEP Bilge Water Separators has gained the first U.S. Coast Guard certification worldwide for treating emulsions to new IMO Standards MEP.107 (49).
ULTRA-SEP are designed and manufactured by Coffin World Water Systems (CWWS). The USCG certificates of approval are issued to all eight available ULTRA-SEP models. The approved CWWS systems range from model ULTRA-SEP 250 to model ULTRA-SEP 10000 providing 25 to 10 cubics metres per hour capacity, respectively. Additional certifications are pending from other major certifying agencies, including the European Union and the Russian Register of Shipping.
The requirements of MEPC.107(49) are effective for all bilge water separators installed on vessels after January 1, 2005. Because of the fundamental differences in technologies for separating free and emulsified oils, the new regulation effectively demands the redesign of all existing oily water separators, along with testing and certification of oil content alarms.
Using proven technology, CWWS has designed its new dual-stage bilge water separators to optimize performance in both processing phases while providing maximum efficiencies for shipboard operations. ULTRA-SEP separators combine a first-stage coalescing separator with proprietary ultra-filtration membranes in the second stage to separate and remove free and emulsified oils from bilge water. The first stage handles free oils using the same technology familiar to operators using more than 6,000 HELI-SEP oily water separators delivered worldwide since 1982. The SPIR-O-LATOR membranes that remove emulsified oils in the second stage have been used in shoreside terminals for almost a decade. ULTRA-SEP systems are capable of producing clean water with less than 5ppm oil content. That performance exceeds the requirements of IMO regulation MEPC.107(49) and also meets the more stringent discharge limits mandated by many cruise ports and other environmentally sensitive regions.
CWWS developed its solution to MEPC.107(49) based on extensive research in alternative technologies for separating emulsified oils from water. As configured in CWWS's systems, the use of ultra-filtration membranes for treating emulsions offers numerous practical benefits, including trouble-free operation under a wide range of shipboard operating conditions. Unlike batch systems using chemicals or biological agents, ULTRA-SEP bilge water separators are capable of continuous operation, a key IMO requirement, without need for system redundancy or disposal of chemical or biological sludge. These automated systems require minimal operator intervention.
ULTRA-SEP systems also provide benefits for space and both capital and operating costs compared with systems using centrifuges and evaporators.
