LOW FLOW SEPARATOR FOR OILY BILGE WATER

PRESENT NAVAL POLLUTION ABATEMENT SYSTEMS BEING USED FOR THE SEPARATION OF OILY CONTAMINANTS FROM THE BILGE WATER PRIOR TO DISCHARGE HAVE BEEN SIZED FOR 10 GPM AND 50 GPM FLOW RATES. THESE SYSTEMS, AT THEIR DESIGN FLOW RATES, ARE SUITABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF THE NAVY'S FLEET. THE REMAINING 30 PERCENT OF THE FLEET TYPICALLY REQUIRES A BILGE PROCESSING SYSTEM SIZED FOR FLOWS IN THE 1 TO 5 GPM RANGE. PRESENTLY, THERE ARE NO EFFORTS BEING DIRECTED TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW FLOW ON-BOARD POLLUTION ABATEMENT SYSTEM. UTILIZATION OF THE EXISTING SYSTEMS WOULD RESULT IN INEFFICIENT USE OF AVAILABLE SPACE. IN ADDITION, IT APPEARSTHAT THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE EXISTING SYSTEMS WILL NOT MEET THE WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR BILGE WATER DISCHARGE (15 PPM OIL OR LESS) ESTABLISHED BY THE MARPOL PROTOCOL. FOSTER-MILLER, INC. HAS CONCEPTUALLY DEVELOPED A NOVEL 1 TO 5 GPM CENTRIFUGAL OIL-WATER SEPARATOR WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THIS APPLICATION. THE DESIGN OF THIS LOW FLOW SEPARATOR IS BASED ON PROVEN MECHANICAL FEATURES FROM THE EXISTING FOSTER-MILLER CENTRIFUGAL COALESCER. WITH A PROJECTED SIZE OF ONLY 7 IN. IN DIAMETER AND 8 IN. IN LENGTH, THIS LIQUID/LIQUID SEPARATOR WOULD EASILY ADAPT TO THE SPACE CONSTRAINTS OF EVEN THE SMALLEST CRAFT.