Search
Close this search box.

Marine EGCS use Ultrasonic Clamp-on Flowmeters to Measure Sea Water Usage

Successful partnerships with a number of scrubbing system manufacturers has led to our involvement in over 100 installations of this environmentally significant technology. ECGS or exhaust gas cleaning systems utilise large amounts of sea water in their operation.

BFU Ultrasonic “Clamp-on” Flow meters fit onto the outside of the pipe during operation and therefore remain unaffected by the corrosive sea water. They can be retro-fitted to existing ECGS systems as well as being serviced or repaired without breaking into the pipework or decommissioning the system.

What is an exhaust gas cleaning system?

There are several different designs of marine exhaust gas cleaning systems (often referred to as scrubbers) that remove sulphur oxides from ship’s engine and boiler exhaust gases. However the majority of ‘wet’ systems have 3 basic components. (1) A vessel which enables the exhaust stream from an engine or boiler to be intimately mixed with water – either seawater or freshwater (or both). For reasons of available space and access the exhaust gas cleaning units tend to be high up in the ship in or around the funnel area. (2) A treatment plant to remove pollutants from the “wash” water after the scrubbing process. (3) Sludge handling facilities – sludge removed by the wash water treatment plant must be retained on-board for disposal ashore and cannot be burned in the ship’s incinerators.

The system may be an “open” type, whereby water is taken from the sea, used for scrubbing, treated and discharged back to sea, with the natural chemical composition of the seawater being used to neutralize the results of SO2 removal. Typically open seawater systems use 45m3/MW h for scrubbing.

New Regulations

January 1st 2020 is the implementation date for a significant reduction in the sulphur content of the fuel oil used by ships. The decision to implement a global sulphur cap of 0.50% mass/mass (m/m) in 2020 was taken by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the regulatory authority for international shipping.

Impact for the Shipping Industry

The IMO estimates that up to 70,000 ships may be affected by the new global IMO sulphur cap in 2020. Switching to low sulphur fuel will add significant cost running vessels. However, installing an SO2 Exhaust Gas Cleaning System will ensure efficient use of HFO and compliance with the new emissions regulations. Vessels will also remain more profitable and retain their current fuelling patterns.

Clamp-on Ultrasonic Flow Meter

Our BFU-100 range of budget ultrasonic flow meters have excellent specifications but at a more affordable price than similar products making them the ideal choice for a variety of applications. Our easy to use budget ultrasonic flow meters are available for a wide variety of pipe materials in sizes from 50mm up to 700mm. We also have versions that can measure both flow and heat energy. 

Share this article

This article is published by

Bell Flow Systems are a UK based manufacturer and distributor of flow meters, fluid transfer equipment and flow measurement solutions for both industrial and domestic markets worldwide. We offer a wide selection of flow meters...

Related Articles