Press / Application Stories / NK ballast water treatment / Protecting marine environment with ballast water treatment
Protecting marine environment with ballast water treatment
Atlas Copco sealed a contract with NK, the Korean manufacturer of gas systems, to supply MAS+ GA oil-injected screw compressors and FD refrigerant dryers for a ballast water treatment system.
Protecting the marine environment
During loading/unloading cargo and traveling without cargo, a ship suffers large lateral forces. To balance these forces, the ship takes sea water on board: the so-called ballast water. Ballast water treatment protects the marine environment when the ballast water is discharged again. NK’s ballast water treatment system ensures that less than 10 viable organisms and a certain value of microbes are discharged with the ballast water in another area than where the intake of the water has taken place.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decided in 2004, with strict regulations from 2017, that every newly built and operating ship must have a ballast water treatment in place. Many companies are now developing ballast water treatment systems using various kinds of systems using ozone, filtering, UV, etc.
NK’s ozone systems rely on Atlas Copco’s compressors
A lay-out of NK's ozone ballast water treatment system
NK and Atlas Copco are partners since 2006, working together to design an ozone water treatment system. Atlas Copco made the MAS+ GA oil-injected screw compressor and a FD refrigerant dryer to fit into this system.
Atlas Copco’s MAS+ GA and FD dryer provide clean compressed air, which the system uses to produce ozone. This ozone purifies the ballast water in the final step of the process.
These combined efforts result in a long-lasting partnership. Together, both companies will continue looking for new solutions and systems. NK has recently issues the order for 55 sets of
MAS+ GA compressors
and
FD dryers
. This way, Atlas Copco cooperates in a system that helps to reduce the impact of shipping on the environment.
More information on NK:
http://nk-eng.nkcf.com/
