Ship&Offshore | Ausgabe GreenTech/2017
The impact of ballast water treatment on vessel performance
CleanShip Solutions Looking beyond the continuing debates and discussions regarding ballast water management legislation and timelines for implementation, it is important to examine the impact of ballast water treatment on vessel performance. CleanShip Solutions, a retrofit engineering specialist, has highlighted some critical points.
Vessel performance can be affected by a ballast water treatment system in many ways, some of which could have ongoing commercial and/or contractual implications.
Ballast pumping rates
During the course of a vessel design, marine engineers determine the ballast pumping rates and head requirements based on a combination of the cargo requirements of the vessel, as well as the calculated maximum head loss in the ballast system. From this data, marine engineers will identify and select suitable ballast pump(s) for this intended duty – ensuring the pump selected will operate within the “efficiency zone” on the performance curve.