On 15 May, the U.S. Coast Guard(USCG) presented a type approval certificate for the largest PureBallast 3 reactor size: 1500m3/h. Customers can now select any PureBallast 3 system configuration for use in United States waters.
Launched in late 2018, the 1500m3/h reactor for PureBallast 3 is optimized for 50% more flow than the former largest reactor size. It thus enables a range of more streamlined and cost-efficient system configurations for vessels with large ballast water flows. With USCG type approval in hand as well as IMO revised G8 type approval, those configurations are now available for use worldwide and will remain so even after 28 October 2020.
“Customers have shown great interest in the new possibilities of the 1500m3/h reactor for PureBallast 3,” says Peter Sahlén, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast. “Those customers who require USCG type approval can now take advantage of the full range of configurations, which extend from 32 m3/h with a skid-mounted system up to 6000m3/h with dual systems.”
For vessels with ballast water flows of 1000m3/h or more, the configurations encompassed by the new USCG type approval offer significant benefits. A 3000m3/h system can be achieved with just two reactors, for example, while a 1500m3/h system goes from two reactors to one.
“Today’s UV ballast water treatment systems are already smaller and more cost-effective to install than electrochlorination systems for large flows,” says Sahlén. “Being able to configure a PureBallast 3 system with even fewer reactors further reduces complexity and cost.”