Seawater Dispersant SWD – Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Seawater Dispersant SWD?
Seawater Dispersant SWD is a liquid marine-growth dispersant designed to help prevent marine organisms from adhering to surfaces inside seawater cooling systems.
2. What is the main purpose of SWD?
The main purpose of SWD is to help keep seawater cooling systems free from microbiological and macrobiological growth, helping maintain efficient seawater flow, heat transfer and cooling capacity.
3. What types of marine growth does SWD help control?
SWD is designed to disperse new microbiological and macrobiological growth that can develop inside seawater cooling systems.
4. Does SWD remove existing marine growth?
No. SWD is a preventive treatment. It helps disperse new marine growth but does not remove established or existing fouling.
For systems with significant existing fouling, the cooling system should be properly cleaned before starting an SWD treatment program.
5. Why should the seawater cooling system be cleaned before using SWD?
Because SWD is primarily a marine-growth preventative, existing deposits and fouling should be removed first. Starting treatment on a heavily fouled system may reduce the effectiveness of the preventive program.
6. How does SWD help maintain cooling efficiency?
Marine growth can restrict seawater passages and accumulate on heat-transfer surfaces. Regular SWD treatment helps control new biological growth, supporting proper seawater circulation and heat-transfer performance.
7. How should SWD be dosed?
The reference application recommends dosing:
0.5 litres of SWD per 100 tonnes of seawater flow
The product should be introduced into the seawater cooling system for approximately one hour.
8. Where should SWD be introduced?
The product can be fed to the external sea chest using suitable dosing equipment such as:
9. How long should each SWD treatment last?
The recommended treatment period is approximately one hour.
10. How frequently should SWD be dosed?
Treatment frequency depends on the vessel's trading and operating conditions.
Vessels operating continuously in coastal waters:
Dose approximately every 3 days.
Ocean-going vessels:
Dose approximately once per week during ocean passage and approximately every 2 days when operating in coastal waters.
11. Why is more frequent dosing recommended in coastal waters?
Coastal waters can have higher concentrations of marine organisms and biological activity. Therefore, seawater cooling systems may have a greater tendency toward marine growth, requiring more frequent preventive treatment.
12. Can SWD be used as a replacement for mechanical cleaning?
No. SWD is a preventive dispersant, not a substitute for cleaning heavily fouled cooling systems.
Existing marine growth should be removed using an appropriate cleaning procedure before starting the preventive SWD program.
13. Is SWD suitable for marine seawater cooling systems?
Yes. SWD is specifically intended for seawater cooling systems on marine vessels, where biological fouling can affect seawater flow and heat-transfer performance.
14. What are the key benefits of regular SWD treatment?
Regular treatment can help:
-
Prevent new marine growth from adhering to cooling-system surfaces
-
Control microbiological growth
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Control macrobiological growth
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Maintain seawater circulation
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Support efficient heat transfer
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Maintain cooling-system capacity
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Reduce the tendency toward biological fouling
15. What is the basic SWD treatment procedure?
A typical treatment sequence is:
1. Clean the seawater cooling system if existing fouling is present.
2. Prepare the SWD dosing arrangement.
3. Calculate the required dosage based on seawater flow.
4. Dose at 0.5 L per 100 tonnes of seawater flow.
5. Introduce the product through the external sea chest.
6. Maintain dosing for approximately one hour.
7. Repeat treatment according to vessel operating/trading conditions.
16. Is continuous dosing required?
The supplied application information recommends periodic dosing rather than continuous dosing. The treatment interval should be selected according to whether the vessel is operating in coastal or ocean-going conditions.
17. What happens if the cooling system already has heavy marine fouling?
Existing fouling should first be removed through an appropriate cleaning procedure. SWD should then be introduced as a preventive treatment to help control subsequent marine growth.
18. Can SWD improve the cooling capacity of a vessel?
SWD does not directly increase the designed cooling capacity of the equipment. Its role is to help maintain the system in a condition where seawater flow and heat-transfer performance are not unnecessarily reduced by new biological fouling.
19. What is the recommended dosage of SWD?
The reference dosage is:
0.5 L per 100 tonnes of seawater flow for one hour.
Actual dosing should be confirmed against the current product TDS and vessel-specific seawater flow conditions.
20. What is the recommended dosing frequency?
|
Vessel Operating Condition |
Recommended Frequency |
|
Continuous coastal operation |
Every 3 days |
|
Ocean-going operation |
Once per week |
|
Ocean-going vessel in coastal waters |
Every 2 days |
21. What is the most important point to remember when using SWD?
The most important point is that SWD is a preventive marine-growth dispersant, not a heavy-duty fouling remover. Clean the cooling system first when existing fouling is present, then maintain regular preventive treatment.