Marine Maintenance Technology International - April 2016

(^66) ⠿ MARINE MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL | APRIL 2016
⠿ ULTRASONIC TECHNOLOGY
Ultrasonic technology is cost-effective, maintenance-free and can prevent
fouling of marine underwater structures, hulls, and box and grid coolers
Sven Fromm, Clever Marine Services
F
ouling is the process of organisms
attaching themselves to hard
surfaces such as vessel hulls, sea
chests or box coolers. These growths
can be found within and outside of water
pipelines, cooling systems, and drinking
water or other tanks. Ultrasonic antifouling
(UTAF) technology is used in cooling
towers and in drinking water systems in the
agricultural industry, and is now available
for the marine and offshore industries.
Traditionally, ships and other subsea or
semi-submersible structures are protected
against biological growth by antifouling (AF)
coatings and an impressed current cathodic
antifouling (ICAF) protection system. The
AF paint protects the hull from biofouling
due to its toxicity and ICAF introduces an
impressed current into the metal to be
protected. Both systems require frequent
replacement or maintenance of parts
susceptible to wear and tear. AF coatings

• even if tributyltin-free – can still have
  environmental impacts and vessel hulls need
  to be recoated at least every five years.

Ultrasonic technology

Clever Marine Services (CMS) is the

worldwide sales representative for the UTAF

solutions manufactured by Harsonic and

distributed by Hanseatic Industrial Care

(HAINCA). CMS has offered class-approved

ultrasonic thickness measurement (UTM)

services and non-destructive testing (NDT)

for six years and it has vast experience with

ultrasonic antifouling equipment.

When first learning of the HAINCA UTAF

solution, CMS was skeptical the technology

could deliver the promised result, but the

test results and improvement after installing

the technology were convincing. The

product gives a shipowner the ability to

use hard-wearing coatings for the hull, in

connection with UTAF, to protect the hull,

sea chests, heat exchangers or cooling

pipes. This means less frequent recoating

Antifouling

of antifouling paints and no need to change

copper cathodes and other parts of the

impressed current system.

HAINCA and Harsonic spent years

developing and testing the UTAF in harsh

marine and offshore environments.

Cooperation with CMA CGM, Wagenborg

Passagiersdiensten, Peter Döehle, Bourbon

and Ocean Shipmanagement was important

in the trials of the system. The most common

use of the systems is for protection of heat

exchangers, sea chests and filters; it has

been tested in the Mediterranean, the North

Sea and Baltic Sea, off the West African

coast, the Caribbean, and off the northern

and southern coasts of South America.

Prevention is better

than the cure

BELOW: Biofilm development (1) is the

basis for any growth of barnacles and

other marine organisms

HAINCA UTAF

transducer installed

on a box cooler

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