Dehydration system for environmentally acceptable marine lubricants

NEWPORT, Del., Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has developed a system to dehydrate environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) to ppm levels of water increasing the lifetime and operating properties of these lubricants. In 2013, the EPA began requiring the use of EALs for all sea to water interfaces in vessels operating in US waters. While these lubricants are non-sheen forming and break down in water, they also absorb water more rapidly. This has damaging effects on the lubricant and equipment, requiring frequent lubricant replacement. CMS’ system can extend the life of marine lubricant significantly, a potential annual savings of thousands of dollars.

CMS’s system has been tested on the most widely used EALs including esters and poly alkyl glycols (PAGs) and has been shown to remove water and lower the total acid number (TAN) (in the case of esters) without depleting performance additives.

The CMS system is designed for in-line use while at sea, eliminating the need for dry docking. The system fits through a ship hatch and releases the water as vapor, eliminating the need for disposal of water while at sea. The system requires only a 120 or 220 volt connection and is easily hooked up to your oil reservoir. The CMS system is currently operating on several marine vessels and has greatly improved lubricant life and operation for those vessels.

Early users have been overwhelmingly positive about the CMS dehydration system. As one user said, “I used to have to buy expensive filters weekly to manage the water in my system. The CMS system has eliminated that cost completely.” The U.S. Coast Guard has also purchased the system for their own use and explains, “Dehydration is necessary for EALs and this type of portable system is the only way to do that.”

Compact Membrane Systems is an industrial separations company based in Newport, Delaware. They possess deep expertise in membrane separations with >3000 systems in the field and continuous manufacturing for over 10 years.