BWMS Technology: US Patent Granted to Siemens

The U.S. Patent Office has awarded Siemens Water Technologies a patent for a system and method to control biofouling of filters used as a first stage of treating ballast water in its SeaCURETM Ballast Water Management System.

The patent, entitled “Method and System for Biofouling Control of Shipboard Components" (U.S. patent no. 8,591,740 B2), involves injection of biocide into ballast seawater before it reaches the large surface filter intakes to reduce the growth of marine organisms that can clog the filters.

Siemens explains that the technology is already incorporated in their SeaCURE Ballast Water Management System that uses a combination of physical separation and a proprietary, on-demand treatment with biocides, produced in-situ from seawater, without the addition of chemicals. The SeaCURE system is based on more than 30 years experience on over 2,500 shipboard installations of Siemens’ well-known Chloropac® biofouling control system.

The SeaCURE system employs filters to remove or break larger organisms using a 40-micron weave-wire screen and provides reliable, non-stop operation at high sediment loads while minimizing backwash flow. The biofouling control provided to the filter assures SeaCURE’s reliable function and minimizes maintenance requirements of the system. The SeaCURE system can be used not only for treating ballast water, but also for treating onboard cooling water circuits.

“The development of this technology to prevent biofouling is another important distinction of the SeaCURE Ballast Water Management System,” said Dr. Lukas Loeffler, Siemens Water Technologies CEO. “The U.S. patent is affirmation of our continuing commitment to innovation.”