PreBilge Taking command of bilge water challenges *IMO approved Oily Water Separator Stormy waters International regulations demand the reduction of oil content in bilge water to 15 ppm before it can be discharged into the ocean. Yet while bilge water treatment systems are carefully regulated by International Maritime Organization (IMO) resolution MEPC.60(33) or MEPC 107(49), many ship owners and ship operators possess type-approved systems that fail to do their job at sea. This lack of performance is a rising concern as discharge limits and the punishments for exceeding them grow increasingly strict. In order to ensure regulatory compliance, many ship owners and ship operators have been forced to equip their treatment systems with costly additional filters. High-performance treatment systems do exist, but for various reasons they have been out of reach for many vessels. Application Bilge water treatment is a complicated challenge. Today’s bilge water is an ever-changing cocktail containing not only diesel oil and water, but also heavy fuel oil, lube oil, hydraulic oil, oil additives, chemicals and detergents. This unpredict­ able mixture has to be separated into three distinct phases: oil, water and sludge. The process is complicated by the presence of emulsions: even mixtures of immiscible liquids, such as tiny oil droplets mixed into the water phase of bilge water. Although gravity would normally cause these droplets to separate from the water, particles or surfactant chemicals from cleaning products used on board can prevent this from happening. PreBilge – a new way of thinking PreBilge is an ideal solution in cases where switching to a new bilge water treatment technology is not a viable option. It does away with the idea that one technology has to be replaced by another. Instead, it works in cooperation with the bilge water treatment system already installed. Operating principle PreBilge is is installed as a continuous pre-treatment loop, starting and ending at the bilge water tank. It is connected in much the same way that a lube oil separator is connected to

a lube oil tank, and works in a similar fashion. Just as the lube oil separator keeps the lube oil tank clean, PreBilge continuously maintains the bilge water tank, ensuring a clean bilge water feed that the existing treatment system can handle. Since the oil monitoring and overboard discharge are handled by the existing treatment system, no type approval or adjustment to the vessel’s IOPP certificate are necessary. PreBilge technology PreBilge makes use of centrifugal separation, which is the most effective means available for dealing with complex bilge water mixtures. So in spite of its compact...