BERNHARD SCHULTEDSHIPMANAGEMENT CO.

LTD CYPRUS

M/T PROTEO

IMO NUMBER: 9038830

CALL SIGN: 3FCV3

REVISED BY: ELABORATED BY:

Carlos Diaz Leonardo Araujo

Second Engineer Engine Cadet

OCTOBER, 2019
 INDEX

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 3
FRESH WATER GENERATOR ............................................................................ 4
1. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ................................................................ 4
2. COMPONENTS OF THE DISTILLER ...................................................... 5
3. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION .................................................................... 5
4. MAINTENANCE OF EVAPORATOR SECTION..................................... 8
5. ASSEMBLY SCHEME FOR PLATE CHANNELS ................................... 9
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................... 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................. 13

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 INTRODUCTION

On board merchant vessels, the generation of fresh water is produced by a

freshwater distiller, which evaporates sea water by means of heat transfer using
hot water from the main engine or steam, and then condensates it to generate
freshwater, it is a very complex process and very important for all Engine officers
onboard, the fresh water produced is used for various processes and it is a key
element for the function of the vessel and for human consumption.

The distiller uses plate heat exchangers in the evaporator and the
condenser; those plates must be clean every two months approximately and in the
process of the overhaul it s a must to know the correct assembly of the plates and
their correct positions, due to the fact that if there is a mistake in the assembly the
distiller will not work properly.

Another important points when it comes to the distiller’s working

conditions are to keep the parameters of the distiller in the correct status, such as:
vacuum, temperature of the heating medium, content of salt in the outlet water,
temperature in the casing, the water level inside the casing, etc… so it is essential
for the engine officer in charge of the distiller be aware of all theses parameters
and supply the proper conditions to the machine.

Knowing the process of evaporation of sea water and the consequent

condensation is important for keeping the freshwater distiller working properly
and in good conditions, and also its maintenance.

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 FRESH WATER GENERATOR

1. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

The fresh water generator used on board MV/SS MT PROTEO is made by

ALFA LAVAL DESALT company, there are two distillers on board, one works
while the other one is in stand by condition, the technical specification are
described ALFA LAVAL DESALT company:

Table 1. Distillers’ technical specification

Type JWSP-26-C100
Freshwater production per 24 hours 30 m3
Heating medium: jacket water temp. min 78 ºC
Heating medium: steam of 4,0 kp/cm2 1.400 kg/h
Cooling medium: seawater temp. max 32 ºC 73 m3/h
Net weight empty 738 Kg
Weight in operation 838 Kg

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

In the current time, the distiller cannot reach 30 m3 Freshwater production

per 24 hours, due to the prolonged time that the machine has been on service
(around 20 years).

It is important to empathize that according to the Safety Instructions of the

maker, the distiller is not to be operated in polluted water or within 20 miles from
the coast, and freshwater must not be produced from the polluted water, as the
produced water will be unsuitable for human consumption

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 2. COMPONENTS OF THE DISTILLER

The distiller consists of the following main components:

1. Separator Vessel. Separates the produced water from the brine

2. Evaporator Section. Consists of a pleat heat exchanger, and is enclosed in the
separator vessel.
3. Condenser Section. Consists of a pleat heat exchanger, and is enclosed in the
separator vessel.
4. Combined Brine/Air Ejector. Extracts air and brine from the separator
vessel
5. Combined Ejector/Cooling Water pump. Supplies sea water for the
condenser, jet water for the combined brine air ejector and feed water for
evaporation.
6. Freshwater Extraction/transfer Pump. The pump extracts the produced water
from the condenser, and transfers same to the freshwater tank.
7. Salinometer. The Salinometer checks continuously the salinity of the
produced water.
8. Electric Panel. Contains starters for the electric motors and terminals for the
Salinometer.

3. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

The boiling point of the seawater is descended from 100 ºC to approximately

70 ºC by means of a vacuum inside the distiller, this is very important because
there is no need to supply such amount of energy to the distiller to get 100 ºC for
evaporating the feed water or sea water. The vacuum is reached by the Bernoulli
principle, which states that a region of fast flowing fluid exerts lower pressure on
its surroundings.

The vacuum necessary for the evaporation is established and maintained by

the combined brine/air ejector, which is driven by the Combined Ejector/Cooling

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Water pump, on board there are two pumps (located in the floor deck) which have
this function.

The vacuum in the distiller is measured in percentage from 0 % to – 100 % (1

bar to -1 bar), the normal status is under – 90 % or - 0,9 bar (Kg/cm2).

The process stars when the feed water enter the evaporator section through an
orifice, and distributes itself into every second plate channel (evaporation
channels).

The jacket water or steam (heating medium) distributes itself into the
remaining channels thus transferring its heat to the feed water in the evaporation
channels.

Having reached the boiling point temperature the feed water undergoes a
partial evaporation. The mixture of generated steam and brine enters the separator
vessel, where the brine is separated from the steam. The brine is extracted from
the distiller by Combined Brine/Air Ejector.

Image 1. Aft view of the distiller

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

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 The Steam goes through a demister (filter) the steam enters every second
plate channel in the condenser section (condensation channels). The demister can
be showed in the next picture.

Image 2. Components of the Distiller

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

The last picture represents an external and internal view of the distiller,
some of the main components of the Distiller can be showed, the Evaporator
Section is in the low part while the Condenser Section is higher.

The seawater supplied by Combined Ejector/Cooling Water pump distributes

itself into the remaining channels (condensation channels) thus absorbing the heat
transferred from the steam during the condensation. The steam changes into liquid
water, the produced fresh water is extracted and transferred to the Fresh Water
Tank by the Freshwater Extraction/transfer Pump. On board there are two fresh
Water tanks (port side and starboard side), each one have the capacity of 185,8 m 3
(Total capacity 371,6 m3)

On the delivery side of the pump an electrode unit is fitted, which together
with the Salinometer continuously checks the salt content of the produced water,
on board the alarm for maximum content of salt is activated at 9 ppm (mg/L) of
salt. According to the Instruction Manual of the Distiller, the salt content of the
produced water is so low that it meets all common requirements on boiler feed

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water. A solenoid valve is activated when the salt content is above 9 ppm and the
produced water is rejected.

4. MAINTENANCE OF EVAPORATOR SECTION

According to the Distiller’s Instruction Manual the overhaul interval for the
evaporator section is every 8.000 operating hours (approximately once a year), but
in the actual condition of the distiller, there are not chemicals to be used for
conditioning feed water, that’s why the evaporator section gets unsuitable for
working in a very short interval of time. The actual interval is around 700
operating hours.

The procedure for maintenance of evaporator section is described as:

1- Remove bolts in front cover, and open.

2- Loosen 6 nuts in plate stack shifting between them, so that no not is
carrying the entire load alone
3- Remove plate stack
4- Submerge plates completely in a hot, inhibited acid bath at maximum 50
ºC for 24 hours.
5- Examine plates and gaskets for possible damage, and remove damaged
plates and/or replace damaged gaskets.
6- Reassemble evaporator section in accordance with assembly scheme.
7- Pressure test evaporator section before closing front cover in order to
identify a leak.

In the current time the acid used as a cleaning agent is called DESCALEX, its
composition is Sulphamic Acid in a concentration between 60-100%, it is a very
irritating acid. It is a powder that is mixed with water which the plates are
submerged. It is very important every time this acid is used avoid any contact with
eyes or skin, the correct PPE such as: gloves, goggles and suit must be used.

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 5. ASSEMBLY SCHEME FOR PLATE CHANNELS

The correct assembly scheme for plate channel in the evaporator section is
described in the Distiller’s Instruction Manual.

The plate channels for the evaporator section corresponds to the E plates, by
the other hand the plate channels for the condenser section corresponds to the K
plates. In the next picture you can see the correct assembly scheme for each one of
the sections, you can tell that each one of the plates has a different direction for
the lines, the lines are opposite so the heat transfer can be incited.

Image 3. Correct assembly scheme for condenser and evaporator sections

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

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 According to the picture the first piece to be fitted in the condenser section
is the plate stack followed by the KE, KD, KV, KD, KV… KS. The same
assembly scheme is fitted for the evaporator section EE, ED, EV, ED, EV… ES.

Table 2. Types of plates

Type Evaporator Condenser

Section Section
Start Plate ES KS
End Plate EE KE
Water Plate EV KV
Steam Plate ED KD

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

In the next picture you can see the correct positions for the gaskets in
every plate channel, so if any of the gaskets gets damaged the correct position
must be used for the fitting of the new gasket. It is important to tell that the EV
plates have a small orifice which allows the inlet of feed water.

It is a must to meet the correct position of the gaskets to avoid any mixture
of seawater and the heating medium in the evaporator section, and also to evade
any mixture of seawater and produced water in the condenser section.

Image 4. Position of the Gaskets

Source: Instruction Manual for Plant Type JWSP-26-C100

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 Another important fact to be metioned is that the plate channels of both
sections are made out of titanium, so they can be very resistant to the corrosion of
seawater.

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 CONCLUSIONS

The distiller produces fresh water from sea water by an evaporator section (which
evaporates sea water) and a condenser section (which condensates steam into
fresh water). The distiller can use jacket water or steam as a heating medium in
the evaporator section.

The boiling point of the seawater is descended from 100 ºC to approximately 70

ºC by means of a vacuum which is reached by the Bernoulli principle, which
states that a region of fast flowing fluid exerts lower pressure on its surroundings.
The vacuum is established by the Combined Ejector/Cooling Water pump.

The exchanging of heat in each of the section is produced in plate channels which
are made out of titanium, those plate channels have lines which are opposite so the
heat transfer can be incited.

If a gasket of any of the plate channels are damaged and must be changed, it is
important to meet the correct position of the gaskets to avoid any mixture of
seawater and the heating medium (evaporator section) or seawater and produced
water (condenser section).

The Salinometer continuously checks the salt content of the produced water, on
board the alarm for maximum content of salt is activated at 9 ppm (mg/L) of salt.

The overhaul interval for the evaporator section is every 8.000 operating hours,
but in the actual condition of the distiller, there are not chemicals to be used for
conditioning feed water, that’s why the evaporator section gets unsuitable for
working in a very short interval of time. The actual interval is around 700
operating hours.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Instruction Manual for NIREX FRESHWATER DISTILLER Type JWSP-

26-C100. Maker: Alfa Laval Desalt. 1992

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