Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Identified Reverse Osmosis System Vendors

US Watermaker Dallas, OR

Contact: Jim Broehl Phone: (800) 548 4502 Date: April 3, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Broehl believed that RO systems could be used feasib ly as a source of ballast water. As an example of this potential, he indicated that seagoing tugs typically generate 1,500 gal/day of potable water and that processing ships generate 10,000 to 100,000 gal/da y. However, Mr. Broehl also indicated that the generation rate of potable water would depend on the space available onboard vessels. For example, while oil platf orms can produce millions of gallons of potable water per day, the equipment used to generate that amo unt of water likely would not fit on small vessels. For vessels of about 300 gross regist ered tons, Mr. Broehl believed that a realistic size for a reverse osmosis system would be about 5,000 gal/day, while for larger commercial vessels there would be an upper limit of roughly 25, 000 gal/day.

When asked if there were any specific features that woul d make reverse osmosis systems technologically or economically infeasible, Mr. Broe hl stated that he believed their systems could be retrofit into tug or fishing boats with relative ease. He also pointed out that many of his company’s systems are sold to vessels that don’t alread y have reverse osmosis systems installed

onboard.

In terms of energy demand, Mr. Broehl stated that as a general rule of thumb, roughly 1 horsepower is required to generate 1,000 gal/day of potable wa ter. Mr. Broehl also mentioned that the reverse osmosis systems draw their power dir ectly from the generators powered by the vessels’ engines.Regarding the cost of reverse osmosis systems, Mr. Bro ehl provided the information summarized

in Table B-1. He estimated annual O&M costs to be roughly 3% of equipment and installation costs. Mr. Broehl could not provide an estimate for ene rgy-related costs, as he believes there are too many factors to allow for accurate estimation. Mr. Broehl also indicated that systems generating more than 10,000 gal/day would need to be custom built by his company, and that systems producing more than 20,000-gal/day would require specializ ed equipment, such as multi-stage centrifugal units. Annual O&M costs for these systems would be much greater than what is listed in Table B-1. Mr. Broehl believes they co uld be as great as 10 percent of the equipment and installation cost.

Table B-1. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment, Installation, and Annual O&M Costs

Capacity (gal/day) Equipment

Cost Installation

Cost Annual

O&M Cost 1 1,500 $11,000 $4,000 to $8,000 $450 to $570 10,000 $37,000 $10,000 $1,410

Notes: 1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 3 percent of the equipment and installation cost of each system.

Mr. Broehl pointed out that if RO systems were to be us ed solely for ballasting purposes, then the filtration requirements could be reduced to allow for faster water production. He also noted that water temperature would affect generation rates. Fo r example, a temperature drop from 70 to 30°F would reduce water production rates by roughly half.

When asked about how RO and distillation systems compare , Mr. Broehl indicated that the size and maintenance requirements for distillation systems would make them a bigger commitment relative to RO systems. He also indicated that their maintenance would be more expansive relative to RO systems due to scaling and fouling issues th at must be addressed.

Mr. Broehl commented that he believes, however, that di stillation systems are a great alternative for vessels that generate a lot of waste heat since distillation systems would utilize that waste

heat. Mr. Broeh also noted stated that he believes vess els are becoming more energy efficient, resulting in less available waste heat for potable wat er generation. He also believes that distillation systems are being used less extensively as re sult of this trend.

For RO systems, the potable water recovery is roughly 10 t o 40 percent of the total volume processed by the system. The remaining 60 to 90 percent would be brine discharge. This discharge would contain salt at concentrations of roughly 40,000 ppm. Depending on the quality of the discharge and the vessel regulations, Mr. Broehl pointed out that consideration would needto be given to the potential need to store or treat brine d ischarge onboard before it could be

released to surface waters.Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Identified Distillation System Ve ndors

GEA Westfalia Northvale, NJ

Contact: Frank Kennedy Phone: (201) 767-3900 Date: April 3, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Kennedy believes that the feasibility of using potable water for ballasting would depend on the size of the ship. Larger commercial vessels such as cargo tankers or boat carriers could use such a large volume of water that it would be difficult for distillation systems to keep up with ballasting demands. Mr. Kennedy estimated that vacuum di stillation could be used to provide 30 to 50 tons/day of potable water, although his company only man ufactures units that product 10 to 30 ton/day.

According to Mr. Kennedy did not believe the required ene rgy to produce ballast water onboard would be feasible, given how great ballasting rates could be relative to the production rates of distillation systems; however, he mentioned that ships use waste energy to produce water and do

not use dedicated heat sources such as boilers. Mr. Kenn edy mentioned that older vessels may not be designed in such a manner that waste heat could be used efficiently. Also, some vessels may not generate enough waste heat to supply the evaporator adequately. This may be because they operate more efficiently, thereby generating insuff icient waste heat, or because the evaporator must share the waste heat with other units (e.g., super or turbo chargers).

In terms of size, Mr. Kennedy indicated that distillati on systems can easily retrofit into small vessels and his company’s systems are frequently sold as retrofits. For smaller vessels (i.e., tugs or fishing vessels), he estimated that units could be retro fit with systems capable of producing 1to 5 ton/day of potable water. Larger commercial vessels co uld retrofit units that would produce

100 or more ton/day.

Mr. Kennedy also provided equipment and installation cost es timates, which are summarized in Table B-2. Based on his estimates, the cost of purchasing a nd installing a distillation system would range from $40,000 to $150,000, depending on the overall production capacity of the distillation system and the level of effort required to install the system. Mr. Kennedy was unable to provide estimates for operation and maintenance costs.

Table B-2. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and Installation Costs

Capacity (ton/day) Equipment Cost Installation Cost 10 $30,000 to $50,000 $10,000 to $15,000 30 $45,000 to $50,000 $50,000 to $100,000

According to Mr. Kennedy, the U.S. market is favoring RO systems over distillation for potable water production. To this extent, he estimated that 70 perc ent of U.S. vessels use RO systems while the remaining 30 percent use distillation systems. He also noted that distillation systems are becoming less common because vessels are generally operating more efficiently, resulting in less available waste heat to supply to distillation system s.Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Identified Reverse Osmosis System Vendors

Matrix Fort Lauderdale, FL

Contact: Eric Bentschneider Phone: (954) 524-5120 Date: April 3, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Bentschneider does not believe the use of potable wat er would be feasible from a regulatory standpoint, as he believes that regulations would not allow vessels to use potable water for ballast and then discharge that ballast without first treating it, even if the ballast was made up of potable water only.

According to Mr. Bentschneider, RO systems could provide 400 gal/day to several hundreds of thousands of gal/day; however, this production capacity would depend on the size of the unit that

the vessel could accommodate. Mr. Bentschneider estimat ed that RO units producing 400 gal/day would be roughly the size of a microwave appliance, while the largest units would occupy a space equivalent to four automobiles parked side-by-si de.

Regarding the energy demand that RO systems would place upo n vessels, Mr. Bentschneider forwarded ERG to Matrix’s website, which contained lite rature specifying typical energy

demands.

Mr. Bentschneider was unable to provide ERG with cost e stimates for his company’s systems.Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Identified Distillation System Ve ndors

Alfa Laval Richmond, VA

Contact: Larry Bogia Phone: (215) 443-4175 Date: April 3 and April 5, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Bogia does not believe it would be feasible to generat e potable water for ballasting. According to Mr. Bogia, large vessels (i.e., tankers or cruises) generate roughly 1 ton/hour or approximately 20 to 25 tons/day of potable water. Mr Bogia beli eves it would be difficult for these large vessels to produce water at a sufficient rat e to keep up with ballasting requirements. Mr. Bogia estimated that cruise ships would need to produce ab out 400 to 500 tons/day of potable water to replace spent fuel and does not believe the y could do so feasibly.

Mr. Bogia also believes that distillation systems woul d not be feasible for meeting ballast water requirements onboard smaller vessels. For a hypothetical ballasting rate of 20 gal/min (1,200 gal/hour), Mr. Bogia believes that the required distillati on system would not fit into a small vessel. Furthermore, he did not believe that small ves sels would be able to provide sufficient waste heat to power the evaporators. On larger vessels, Mr. Bogia stated that he does not expect evaporator size to be an issue, as it would be smaller than whatever ballast water treatment system the vessel would need to equip. However, as stated before, he does not believe distillation systems could produce enough water to meet the large ballas t requirements expected of these types of vessels.

In terms of power demands, Mr. Bogia estimated that gener ating potable water at a rate of 10 tons/day would require 300 kilowatts of waste heat. For a 300-gross registered ton vessel, he does not believe this would be an issue, as they generate roughly 2,000 kilowatts, of which 1,000 kilowatts is generated as waste heat,. Mr. Bogia expects that 1,600-gross registered ton vesselswould generate roughly 4 to 5 megawatts of power, of which 60 to 70 percent would be utilized

as waste heat (i.e., 2.4 to 3.5 megawatts).Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Distillation System Vendors

Maxim Evaporators Shreveport, LA

Contact: Lucky Rich Phone: (318) 629-2461 Date: April 4, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

When asked if distillation systems could be used feasibly as a source of ballast water, Mr. Rich stated that he believed it could be feasible, but noted tha t his distillation systems could only support a water production range of 200 gal/day to 50,000 gal/day.

Mr. Rich provided characteristic weight, dimension, and ene rgy requirements for his company’s 200 and 7,500-gal/day distillation systems (Table B-3). The ene rgy requirements for these two systems range from 75,000 to 2,900,000 BTU/hr. Mr. Rich noted tha t the distillation systems are powered from engine waste heat, and that they do not pow ered by dedicated heat sources (i.e., boilers).

Table B-3. Summary of Vendor’s Distillation System Speci fications

Capacity (gal/day) Weight

(lb) Dimensions, L x W x H (in) Energy

Requirement (BTU/hr) 200 125 20 x 11 x 23 75,000 7,500 2,900 82 x 44 x 68 2,900,000

Mr. Rich also provided equipment and O&M cost estimates, which are summarized in Table B4. Based on his estimates, the cost of purchasing and instal ling a distillation system would range from $10,812 to $102,000. Mr. Rich also estimated annual O&M costs to be roughly two percent of the equipment cost. For the systems shown in Table B-4, this would yield an annual O&Mcost of $212 and $2,000 for the 200- and 7,500-gal/day systems, respecti vely. Mr. Rich was

unable to provide installation cost estimates for these sy stems.

Table B-4. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs

Unit Capacity (gal/day) Equipment

Cost Annual

O&M Cost 1 200 $10,600 $212 7,500 $100,000 $2,000

Notes: 1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 2 percent of the equipment cost.

Mr. Rich noted that retrofitting distillation systems into an existing vessel would depend on accessibility to the engine room. If a vessel’s engine room were equipped with access doors, the evaporator could be loaded into the vessel with relative ease. However, if there were restricted access to the engine room, it would be necessary to cut hole into the hull of the vessel in order to get the distillation system into the engine room.

Mr. Rich also commented on RO systems, and that they are typically used in vessels that cannot generate enough waste heat to justify the use of a distil lation system for potable water. He believes that 60 percent of all vessels operate RO syst ems and that the remaining 40 percent utilize distillation systems.Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Reverse Osmosis Vendors

FCI Watermakers Santa Ana, CA

Contact: Joe Pinto Phone: (714) 850-0123 Date: April 4, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Pinto believes that it would be feasible to use RO s ystems as a source of ballast, since they would provide a continuous supply source of potable water that would run off of energy already being supplied by vessel’s generators during engine operation.

Mr. Pinto provided the RO system power requirements summari zed in Table B-5. Overall, the power requirement ranges from 3 to 30 kilowatts, depending on the size of the unit. Mr. Pinto also noted that the power requirements would vary, depending o n the number of membranes in the RO system, the feed water quality, and the types of pumps and motors used in the engine

room.

Table B-5. Summary of Vendor’s Power Requirements

Unit Capacity (gal/hr) Power

Requirement (kW) 284 3 500 15 938 15 1,792 30

Mr. Pinto also provided equipment and annual O&M cost estima tes for RO systems, which are summarized in Table B-6. Depending on the size of the unit , the equipment cost may range from$73,000 to $152,845. Mr. Pinto was unable to provide installation or O &M cost estimates, as he

believed that those costs are case specific and will de pend on the degree to which the equipment is kept in good working condition. Mr. Pinto did indicate, however, that he believed a range of 3 to 10 percent of the installation cost would offer a reaso nable estimate of annual O&M costs.

The annual O&M costs shown below assume an annual O&M c ost of 3 to 10 percent of the equipment cost.

Table B-6. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs

Capacity (gal/hr) Equipment

Cost Annual O&M

Cost 284 Not Provided Not Provided 500 $73,000 $2,190 to $7,300 938 $95,000 $2,850 to $9,500 1,792 $152,845 $4,585 to $15,285

Notes:

1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 3 to 10 percent of the equipment cost.

Mr. Pinto also noted that, for RO systems, water qualit y would affect potable water generation rates. Feedwater with a relatively high degree of salin ity would negate generation rates; therefore, a vessel’s ability to generate potable water would vary by geography. According to Mr. Pinto, feedwater temperature would also affect RO sys tem generation rates, where colder water would result in reduce generation rates.

When asked about whether RO systems filter organisms from the feedwater, Mr. Pinto indicated that this would depend on the membrane filter installed in the RO system, and that the filtration requirements for the system could be adjusted as needed. Mr . Pinto also indicated that to produce potable water, it would be necessary to install addition equi pment to disinfect the potable water produced by the RO system. In the regard, Mr. Pinto indicat ed that water from the RO system is typically sterilized using chlorine or UV sterilization. UV sterilizers can sterilize 5 to 6 gal/min on smaller ships (i.e., ships that are 50 to 60 feet in len gth). He expects smaller vessels to employ chlorination and larger vessels to typically use UV steri lization.Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Disinfection System Vendors

Headhunter Fort Lauderdale, FL

Contact: Scott Mulligan Phone: (305) 597-7520 Date: April 5, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

According to Mr. Mulligan water sterilization onboard ve ssels is primarily achieved through chlorination, silver ionization, or UV methods. The choi ce in sterilization method would affect how it would be installed in the vessel. If using chlorinat ion or silver ionization equipment, it would be installed between the potable water generator and the storage tank. If UV equipment is used, it would be installed after the storage tank.

Mr. Mulligan also indicated that he does not believe it i s feasible to generate potable water at rates that would meet vessel ballasting rate requirement s. Furthermore, Mr. Mulligan also indicated that turbidity would negate the overall steriliz ation of the potable water.

Mr. Mulligan also provided ERG with installation and annua l O&M cost estimates for UV sterilizers (Table B-7). The annual O&M cost assumes a t ypical UV lamp life of 2 years and a typical lamp cost of $600. According to Mr. Mulligan, Headhun ter’s UV sterilizers are primarily sold to yachts measuring 100 to 200 feet in length.

Table B-7. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs

Capacity (gal/hr) Installation

Cost Annual O&M

Cost 83 $3,000 $300Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A Telephone Questions for Disinfection System Vendors

Jowa USA Littleton, MA

Contact: Berendt Bittner Phone: (978) 486-9800 Date: April 9, 2012

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to U SEPA and explained that EPA was conducting research to determine if it is feasible for ve ssels to use onboard potable water generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also exp lained that they were not authorized to handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the v endor should not, under any circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. E RG also explained that any information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice.

Overview:

Mr. Bittner provided the equipment specifications summariz ed in Table B-8, and indicated that he believes it could feasible for small vessels to gene rate potable water for ballasting purposes; however, he does not believe the same would hold true fo r large vessels.

Table B-8. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment Specifications

System Type System

Name Capacity

(gal/day) Dimensions

(mm) Power

(watts) Chlorinator Dosing &

Chlorinating Unit 253,605 800 x 800 x 2,640 250

Silver Ion Sterilizer AG-S 95,102 48 x 480 x 150 <30

UV Sterilizer UV1 6,732 to 9,588 200 x 471 x 80 35

UV Sterilizer UV4 28,356 to 44,880 300 x 471 x 120 80

UV Sterilizer UV51 148,920 to 271,320 300 x 927 x 200 290Mr. Bittner also provided ERG with equipment and installat ion cost estimates for the chlorinator,

silver ion sterilizer, and UV sterilizer systems provi ded in Table B-9. The installation cost estimates provided by Mr. Bittner assume an installation cost of 10 percent.

Table B-9. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs

System Type System

Name Capacity

(gal/day) Equipment

Cost Installation Cost Chlorinator Dosing &

Chlorinating Unit 253,605 $13,560 $1,356

Silver Ion Sterilizer AG-S 95,102 $3,995 $400

UV Sterilizer UV1 6,732 to 9,588 $2,550 $255

UV Sterilizer UV4 28,356 to 44,880 $3,550 $355

UV Sterilizer UV51 148,920 to 271,320 $6,100 $610

When asked if he could provide annual O&M cost estimates fo r the units listed in Table B-9, Mr.

Bittner indicated that he was unable to do so because th e costs would depend on the volume of water disinfected in a given year. However, according to Mr. Bittner, the consumables that would require maintenance over time would include chlorine, electrodes, and UV lamps for chlorinators, silver ion sterilizers, and UV sterilizers , respectively. Mr. Bittner was unable to provide an estimate of the amount of chlorine required per gal lon of water disinfected, as Jowa

does not vend chlorine to its customers. For silver ion st erilizers, he stated that the electrode will require replacement after disinfecting roughly 1,850,000 gallons , and that each electrode will cost $850. For UV sterilizers, Mr. Bittner estimated lamp replacements will be necessary every 8,000 hrs of operation. The total cost for each individual r eplacement will vary by model as

follows:

• UV1 system - $195 (one lamp required);

• UV4 system - $195 (four lamps required); and

• UV51 system - $217 (five lamps required).