Apparatus and method of vessel emission management

• US 20050165518A1
• Filed: 01/24/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glosten, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Glosten Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Hurley, William Lefevre Jr., Reynolds, Kevin John
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements

Abstract

An emission management system (200) for a vessel (100) adapted to travel on water. The emission management system includes a monitoring assembly (202) for monitoring an emission from the vessel. The monitoring assembly is adapted to automatically detect the emission from the vessel and generate a data set representative of a vessel location at a time the emission occurred. The emission management system also includes a data storage system (210) in communication with the monitoring assembly for recording the data set generated by the monitoring assembly.

Claims

1. An emission management system for a vessel adapted to travel on water comprising:

(a) a monitoring assembly for monitoring an emission from the vessel, the monitoring assembly adapted to automatically detect the emission from the vessel and generate a data set representative of a vessel location at a time the emission occurred; and

(b) a data storage system in communication with the monitoring assembly for recording the data set generated by the monitoring assembly.

2. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly includes a sensor assembly adapted to detect the vessel location at the time the emission occurred from an emission source selected from a group consisting of a ballast water system, a power plant, an incinerator system, a bilge water system, a treatment plant, solid waste disposal system, and a liquid removal system for removing liquid from a selected area of the vessel.

3. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is adapted to measure a quantity of the emission discharged from the vessel and generate a data set indicative of the quantity of the emission for recording by the data storage system.

4. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is adapted to monitor a concentration of contaminants in the emission and generate a data set indicative of the concentration of contaminants in the emission for recording by the data storage system.

5. The emission management system of claim 1, further including a tamper prevention system in communication with the monitoring assembly for determining when an occurrence of tampering of the monitoring assembly has occurred.

6. The emission management system of claim 1, further including a data transfer system in communication with the monitoring assembly for transmitting data recorded by the data storage system to a location located remotely of the vessel.

7. The emission management system of claim 1, further including a regulation database system in communication with the monitoring assembly, the regulation database system adapted to receive location data and retrieve emission regulations applicable to a location indicated by the location data.

8. The emission management system of claim 7, wherein the regulation database system is adapted to analyze the emission regulations applicable to a location of a proposed emission or an actual emission from the vessel and determine if the proposed or actual emission is in compliance with the emission regulations.

9. The emission management system of claim 1, further including a form generator in communication with the monitoring assembly, the form generator adapted to prepare a predetermined form disclosing a type of the emission and the vessel location at the time of the emission.

10. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is adapted to determine and record a location of origin of a segment of ballast water entering the vessel.

11. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly is adapted to record a location of origin of a segment of ballast water entering the vessel and record a location of discharge of the segment of ballast water when the segment of ballast water leaves the vessel.

12. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly includes a detection assembly for determining if the emission was treated and for generating a data set indicating if the emission was treated for recording by the data storage system.

13. An emission management system for a vessel adapted to travel on water having a ballast tank for storing ballast, the emission management system comprising:

(a) a flow monitoring assembly for automatically detecting a location of origin and a quantity of a segment of ballast water entering the vessel and generating data representative of the location of origin and the quantity of the segment of ballast water; and

(b) a data storage system in communication with the flow monitoring assembly for storing the data generated by the flow monitoring assembly.

14. The emission management system of claim 13, wherein the flow monitoring assembly automatically tracks the segment of ballast water when pumped between tanks of the vessel, detects a location of discharge of the segment of ballast water when the segment of ballast water is discharged from the vessel, and reports the location of discharge to the data storage system for storing.

15. The emission management system of claim 13, further comprising a regulation generator in communication with the flow monitoring assembly, the regulation generator adapted to receive location data representative of a location of the vessel during an actual or a proposed discharge of ballast water from the vessel and adapted to display regulation compliance material specific to the location.

16. The emission management system of claim 13, further including a form generator in communication with the data storage system for automatically filling out a form reporting the location of origin and the quantity of the segment of ballast water entering the vessel, and a location of discharge of the segment of ballast water.

17. An emission management system for a vessel for traveling on water, the vessel adapted to take on and discharge ballast water, the emission management system comprising:

(a) a monitoring assembly for monitoring a flow of ballast water into and out of the vessel, the monitoring assembly including;

(i) an origin location sensor for determining a location of origin for a selected segment of ballast flowing into the vessel;

(ii) a quantity determining system for determining a quantity of the selected segment of ballast flowing into the vessel;

(iii) a tracking system for tracking the selected segment of ballast within the vessel;

(iv) a discharge location sensor for determining a location of discharge of the selected segment of ballast from the vessel; and

(b) a data storage system in communication with the monitoring assembly for storing data indicative of the location of origin, the quantity, and the location of discharge of the selected segment of ballast.

18. The emission management system of claim 17, further comprising a regulation generator in communication with the monitoring assembly, the regulation generator adapted to receive location data and generate regulation compliance data specific to a location indicated by the location data.

19. The emission management system of claim 18, wherein the regulation generator is adapted to analyze the regulation compliance data applicable to the location of a proposed or an actual discharge of the selected segment of ballast from the vessel and determine if the proposed or the actual discharge violates the regulation compliance data specific to the location.

20. The emission management system of claim 17, wherein the monitoring assembly is adapted to track movements of a plurality of selected segments of ballast from entrance into the vessel to discharge from the vessel and adapted to generate data upon discharge of the selected segments of ballast indicating the location of origin, the location of discharge, and the quantity of each of the plurality of selected segments of ballast.

21. The emission management system of claim 17, wherein the data storage system is adapted to store data relative to the location of origin of a plurality of selected segments of ballast present in a single ballast tank, and wherein at least two of the plurality of selected segments of ballast have different locations of origin.

22. An emission management system for managing emissions from a vessel adapted to travel on water, the emission management system comprising:

(a) a user interface adapted to receive discharge location data from a user indicating a location of an actual or proposed emission and to receive emission data indicating a type of the emission;

(b) a regulation compliance system in communication with the user interface, the regulation compliance system adapted to receive the discharge location data and from the user interface and generate regulation compliance data indicating a set of regulations of the location of emission that govern the emission; and

(c) an emission management system processor in communication with the user interface and regulation compliance system, the emission management system processor adapted to receive the discharge location data, the emission data, and the regulation compliance data and determine if the emission is in compliance with the set of regulations.

23. The emission management system of claim 22, wherein the emission is ballast water, and wherein the user interface is adapted to receive uptake location data from a user indicating a location of an actual or proposed uptake of the ballast water, and wherein the emission management system is adapted to receive the uptake location data, the discharge location data, the emission data, and the regulation compliance data and determine if the emission is in compliance with the set of regulations.