THERMAL SEPARATION OF OIL FROM BILGE WATER

In 1978, MTG Marinetechnik was commissioned to undertake the first phase of investigation into the feasibility, for ships of the West German Navy, of an evaporation process, utilising waste heat, for oily bilge-water separation. In co-operation with others, the company designed and produced an experimental unit which has now been tested on a test rig. The article describes the construction and operating principles of this experimental unit, and gives an account of the tests. The unit was found to be capable of removing the oil, including emulsions, and leaving the water in a very clean condition; the necessary heat for evaporation could be obtained from the cooling-water of main or auxiliary Diesel engines. A further development in the form of a prototype for shipboard installation is described as promising.