Remote monitoring device for ballast water treatment system and remote monitoring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10145832-B2
Application number	US-201314388396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2013
Priority date	Mar 28, 2012
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A state of a ballast water treatment system of a ship detected by a variety of sensors is monitored by transmitting it to a control means provided with a data storage/transmission means. The control means transmits from a satellite communication means to a satellite communication means on the receiving side via a communication satellite, and a host computer receives it. The host computer analyzes and monitors information from the various sensors S 1 to S 6 and sends back an optimal operation state, which is received by the satellite communication means on the ship side via the communication satellite, and the control means maintains an operation of the ballast water treatment system based on instructions from the host computer. According to the remote monitoring device for a ballast water treatment system as above, the ballast water treatment system can be monitored and controlled from remote.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A remote monitoring device for a ballast water treatment system provided to a ship, comprising:
the ballast water treatment system comprises a treatment effect confirmation means, an environment safety monitoring means, a control means, and a data storage/transmission means for treatment effect data and environment safety data connected to the treatment effect confirmation means and the environment safety monitoring means, wherein
the data storage/transmission means are connected by wireless with a host computer provided away from the ship,
the host computer monitors a state of the ballast water treatment system in advance before the ship reaches a port by using the control means based on treatment effect data and environment safety data received from the data storage/transmission means, maintains and manages operations of the ballast water treatment system to be proper, determines an amount of hypochlorite supplies to maintain the ballast water treatment system, and sends instructions for the amount of the supplies to the port for preparation work of the supplies to begin before the ship reaches the port,
the treatment effect confirmation means detects a state of a hypochlorite as an active substance of a bactericidal agent in ballast water when loading the ballast water, and
the environment safety monitoring means detects a state of the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent remaining in ballast water when discharging the ballast water.

2. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment effect confirmation means is one or more kinds selected from a residual oxidant sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an oxidizing-reducing potentiometer, a dissolved oxygen meter, a level meter of a bactericidal agent tank, a flowmeter of a bactericidal agent, and a flowmeter of an electrolytic device.

3. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein the environment safety monitoring means is one or more kinds selected from a residual oxidant sensor, an oxidizing-reducing potentiometer, a level meter of a bactericidal-agent neutralizer tank, and a flowmeter of a neutralizer.

4. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the environment safety monitoring means is one or more kinds selected from a residual oxidant sensor, an oxidizing-reducing potentiometer, a level meter of a bactericidal-agent neutralizer tank, and a flowmeter of a neutralizer.

5. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent is an active chemical ingredient of the bactericidal agent.

6. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a ballast tank that holds the ballast water and that is fluidly connected to a water intake port via a main line of the ship and a water discharge port via a discharge line of the ship,
a bactericidal agent storage tank that stores the bactericidal agent and that is fluidly connected to the main line at a first position located upstream of the ballast tank towards the water intake port of the ship, and
a neutralization storage tank that stores a neutralization agent that neutralizes the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent and that is fluidly connected to the discharge line of the ship at a second position located downstream of the ballast tank towards the water discharge port of the ship.

7. The remote monitoring device for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 6 , wherein
the host computer is configured to operate the control means to operate one or more valves in the ballast water treatment system to control the bactericidal agent storage tank and the neutralization storage tank in response to instructions received from the host computer via the data storage/transmission means.

8. A remote monitoring method for a ballast water treatment system provided to a ship, comprising:
transmitting treatment effect data and environment safety data obtained by a treatment effect confirmation means and an environment safety monitoring means provided to the ballast water treatment system to a data storage/transmission means;
wirelessly transmitting the data, via the data storage/transmission means, to a host computer provided away from the ship;
maintaining and managing operations of the ballast water treatment system to be proper, via the host computer, by monitoring from remote a state of the ballast water treatment system in advance before the ship reaches a port by using the control means based on treatment effect data and environment safety data received from the data storage/transmission means;
determining, via the host computer, an amount of hypochlorite supplies to maintain the ballast water treatment system; and
sending instructions for the amount of supplies to the port for preparation work of the supplies to begin before the ship reaches the port, wherein
the treatment effect confirmation means detects a state of a hypochlorite as an active substance of a bactericidal agent in ballast water when loading the ballast water; and
the environment safety monitoring means detects a state of the hypochlorite of a bactericidal agent remaining in ballast water when discharging the ballast water.

9. The remote monitoring method for a ballast water treatment system according to claim 8 , wherein the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent is an active chemical ingredient of the bactericidal agent.

10. The remote monitoring method for the ballast water treatment system according to claim 8 , further comprising
operating, via the host computer, the control means to operate at least one or more valves in the ballast water treatment system to control the bactericidal agent storage tank and a neutralization storage tank in response to instructions received from the host computer via the data storage/transmission means.

11. A ballast water-treatment remote monitoring system comprising:
a treatment effect confirmation sensor installed on a ship that includes a ballast tank that detects a state of a hypochlorite as an active chemical ingredient of a bactericidal agent in ballast water during loading of the ballast water;
an environment safety monitoring sensor installed on the ship that includes the ballast tank that detects the state of the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent in the ballast water during discharging of the ballast water;
a controller that is installed on the ship, that includes, or is communicatively connected to, a memory storage unit that electronically stores the state of the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent detected by the treatment effect confirmation sensor and the environment safety monitoring sensor;
a transmitter and a receiver communicatively installed on the ship that includes the ballast tank that is communicatively connected to the controller and the memory storage and that transmits the state of the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent detected by at least one of the treatment effect confirmation sensor and the environment safety monitoring sensor that is stored in the memory storage;
a host computer that is structurally detached from the ship, that is communicatively connected with the controller of the ship via the transmitter and the receiver of the ship, that remotely monitors and remotely manages the hypochlorite of the bactericidal agent within the ballast water in advance before the ship reaches a port, that receives treatment effect confirmation data and environmental safety data stored in the memory storage

Assignees

• Kurita Water Ind Ltd

Inventors

• FUKUZAWA Kotaro
• Koga Tetsuo
• Hayashi Kazuki
• Fukase Tetsuro

Classifications

• C02F2103/008

  Originating from marine vessels, ships and boats, e.g. bilge water or ballast water · CPC title

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• G01N27/06

  of a liquid (involving electrolysis G01N27/26) · CPC title

• G01N33/1886

  using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys · CPC title

• G01N11/00

  Investigating flow properties of materials, e.g. viscosity, plasticity; Analysing materials by determining flow properties · CPC title