Apparatus and method of vessel emission management

• US 7,890,226 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US12/499,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 701/21, 702/2, 707/104.1, 707/10, 114/183.R, 114/125, 114/182, 114/121, 210/98, 210/109, 210/748, 440/88.N, 73/233.1
• 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 configured to automatically detect the emission from the vessel and to generate a data set representative of a vessel location at a time the emission occurred;

(b) a user interface configured to receive proposed emission data, wherein the proposed emission data identifies a proposed emission and a proposed discharge location; and

(c) a data storage system in communication with the monitoring assembly configured to record the data set generated by the monitoring assembly and the proposed emission data received by the user interface.

2. The emission management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring assembly includes a sensor assembly configured 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 configured to measure a quantity of the emission discharged from the vessel and to 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 configured 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 configured to detect 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 configured to transmit 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 configured 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 configured to analyze the emission regulations applicable to a location of a proposed emission or an actual emission from the vessel and to 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 configured 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 configured 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 configured to record a location of origin of a segment of ballast water entering the vessel and to 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 configured to determine if the emission was treated and further configured to generate 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 configured to automatically detect a location of origin and a quantity of a segment of ballast water entering the vessel and to generate data representative of the location of origin and the quantity of the segment of ballast water;

(b) a user interface configured to receive proposed emission data, wherein the proposed emission data identifies a proposed emission and a proposed discharge location; and

(c) a data storage system in communication with the flow monitoring assembly configured to store the data generated by the flow monitoring assembly and the proposed emission data.

14. The emission management system of claim 13, wherein the flow monitoring assembly is configured to automatically track the segment of ballast water when pumped between tanks of the vessel, to detect a location of discharge of the segment of ballast water when the segment of ballast water is discharged from the vessel, and to report 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 configured 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 configured 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 configured to automatically generate 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 configured to determine a location of origin for a selected segment of ballast flowing aboard the vessel;

(ii) a quantity determining system configured to determine a quantity of the selected segment of ballast flowing aboard the vessel;

(iii) a tracking system configured to track movement of the selected segment of ballast within the vessel;

(iv) a discharge location sensor configured to determine a location of discharge overboard of the selected segment of ballast;

(b) a user interface system configured to receive proposed emission data, wherein the proposed emission data identifies a proposed location of origin and a proposed location of discharge of a segment of ballast; and

(c) a data storage system in communication with the monitoring assembly configured to store 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 configured 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 configured 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 to 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 configured to track movements of a plurality of selected segments of ballast from entrance aboard the vessel to discharge overboard from the vessel and configured 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 configured 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.