Naval Authorities Rely on OSE Separators from GEA
The trend of modernizing ships and fitting them with more efficient separator systems, which has been noticeable since 2014 particularly in Europe and North America, has continued seamlessly into the first quarter of 2015, GEA reported. More than 50 OSE separators from GEA from the Oelde site have been ordered since the start of the year for ship modernizations for U.S. and Canadian naval authorities alone. The objective of the retrofits is to make the shipping operations of the navy, coastguard and shipping authorities even more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly in the treatment of fuel and lube oil as well as bilgewater – against the background of upcoming more stringent standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
“The latest generation of OSE and WSE separators is being used, which specialize in the treatment of fuel and lube oil as well as bilgewater. With further improved performance and separating efficiency, this compactly designed and energy-efficient generation of the E series also ensures that separators that are smaller overall are needed on board. The result for the ship operators: significant space saving, lower maintenance costs and reduced spare parts storage,” said Michael Fibbe, Area Sales Manager of GEA in Oelde. The high level of standardization of the OSE type series with its optional use of common parts contributes to a further reduction in parts storage. The IMO-certified OSE separators, which are designed for unmonitored continuous operation fulfill all the regulations of the classification societies.
Treatment of the bilgewater on board is performed by separator systems from the BilgeMaster-E range with outputs up to 5000 l/h. On demand, they are able to reduce even to less than 5 ppm the residual oil content of 15 ppm in the bilgewater pumped overboard, as permitted according to IMO regulations.
The CatFineMaster from GEA ensures efficient cat fines reduction in heavy oil treatment onboard: with a target concentration under 5 ppm and separation of all particles greater than 3 μm. “The CatFineMaster is therefore the first onboard system on the market that guarantees maximum reduction of cat fines and thus the best possible fuel composition,” Michael Fibbe emphasized. The system solution presented for the first time at SMM 2014 comprises an OSE separator as well as a feed pump that is adjustable in the process for optimal adaptation of the heavy oil flow rate to the respective process requirements. This contributes to an additional efficiency improvement at the same time as saving energy. The system is rounded off with the new, intelligent GEA Westfalia Separator IO control and optional measuring and analysis instruments.
“The performance-optimized OSE marine separators from GEA set sustainable market standards in terms of separating precision, weight, power consumption and space requirement. They therefore offer commercial and governmental ship operators viable solutions for all current and upcoming requirements in terms of cost-saving operation as well as increasingly stringent international regulations on marine and climate protection,” Michael Fibbe said.