GEA, Danaos Collaborate with Separators
Mile by mile better and more efficient: With the new GEA marine Separator 35 GEA supports its long-standing customer and partner Danaos Shipping, Greece.
With a fleet of 60 container ships, Danaos Shipping ranks among the top 3 in the Greek shipping business. The company was founded in 1972 by Dr. Dimitris Koustas. Today, his son, Dr John Koustas, who also has more than 30 years of extensive experience in the shipping industry, is President and CEO. Danaos shipping is very active in researching innovations in ship operation and has participated in several EU-funded projects.
The company is also an active member of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), Europe's first private association for the protection of the marine environment. Within the framework of the technical cooperation, it was therefore logical to install the new GEA marine Separator 35 on a Danaos ship, to test it under the given conditions and to incorporate the results in the further development of the GEA separators.
The separator was installed on board ZIM LUANDA by vessel’s crew and commissioned by PAN MARINE service engineers during sailing from Piraeus to Barcelona. ZIM LUANDA is a container ship with 4.250 TEU. The retrofit of the new GEA marine Separator 35 worked smoothly. Danaos Shipping especially praised the compactness of the plant. It takes up little space, as the space requirement has been reduced by half compared to the GEA OSE Separator. The 360° accessibility enabled easy handling during operation and maintenance.
The synchronized drive technology reduces maintenance time on the drive unit by 95 percent. In line with the more efficient energy balance of the frequency-controlled drive unit, the new GEA marine Separator saves time, energy and effort in operation. The new separators are used to treat fuel and lube oil. Furthermore, fine-grained catalysts, so-called cat fines, are successfully reduced.
The direct drive of the separator requires no belt or clutch. Spindle and motor are available for the first time as a "Modular exchange drive unit".
This simplifies installation and maintenance of the machine immensely. Only after 16,000 operating hours or after two years will the drive unit be replaced by a GEA OEM certified Exchange Drive Unit with full warranty.
GEA engineers close to their customers
Danaos Shipping will continue to provide GEA with all data obtained in daily operations for evaluation. Regular visits of GEA employees and the long-standing partner PAN MARINE on board the ship, as well as the constant exchange with the crew of ZIM LUANDA help GEA to further develop the separator technology.
The advantages of the new GEA marine Separator at a glance:
- Integrated direct drive for maximum energy efficiency
- Extended maintenance interval of 16,000 hours instead of 8,000 hours
- Easily replaceable drive system
- Quick and easy installation
- Small footprint and 360° accessibility
- Best certified flow rate in the marine market
- Ready for intelligent connectivity
- compatible for all fuel types
- hot separation add-on
