Patents Assigned to Sea Knight Corporation
  • Patent number: 9272766
    Abstract: A method and system for ballast water treatment is provided for a vessel with a ballast water tank system that pumps water from a local environment through a conduit into at least one tank on the vessel. The water contains aerobic micro-organisms from the local environment. Oxygen-containing gas is introduced into the water as it is pumped through the conduit. Living organisms are added into the water with the oxygen-containing gas introduced therein. As a result, the tank receives a mixture of the water with the oxygen-containing gas introduced therein and the living organisms added thereto. The living organisms are selected to consume (i) the aerobic micro-organisms, (ii) oxygen dissolved in the water, and (iii) food sources for the aerobic micro-organisms contained in the water. A vacuum is applied to the tank's ullage space at a point in time after the mixture is received in the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: SEA KNIGHT CORPORATION
    Inventors: William M Lechler, Claude R Thompson
  • Publication number: 20140076803
    Abstract: A method and system for ballast water treatment is provided for a vessel with a ballast water tank system that pumps water from a local environment through a conduit into at least one tank on the vessel. The water contains aerobic micro-organisms from the local environment. Oxygen-containing gas is introduced into the water as it is pumped through the conduit. Living organisms are added into the water with the oxygen-containing gas introduced therein. As a result, the tank receives a mixture of the water with the oxygen-containing gas introduced therein and the living organisms added thereto. The living organisms are selected to consume (i) the aerobic micro-organisms, (ii) oxygen dissolved in the water, and (iii) food sources for the aerobic micro-organisms contained in the water. A vacuum is applied to the tank's ullage space at a point in time after the mixture is received in the tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Sea Knight Corporation
    Inventors: William M. Lechler, Claude R. Thompson
  • Patent number: 7967892
    Abstract: A water deaerating system and method are provided. The first end of an open-ended conduit is placed beneath the surface of a body of oxygen-rich water. The conduit extends into a housing and where the second end of the conduit resides at a location in the housing that is above the surface of the body of oxygen-rich water. A vacuum is applied to a spatial region defined within the housing above the location of the second end of the conduit. The oxygen-rich water is pumped through the conduit and exits the second end of the conduit to enter the spatial region of the housing. The oxygen-rich water descends through the housing due to gravity. The oxygen-rich water's descension is interrupted and the vacuum operates to remove oxygen from the oxygen-rich water so-descending to generate oxygen-depleted water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Sea Knight Corporation
    Inventors: Claude R. Thompson, William M. Lechler, Neil F. Marshall
  • Patent number: 7513998
    Abstract: A method and system for ballast water treatment are provided. A vacuum is applied directly to an existing vent of a vessel's ballast water tank during the vessel's voyage. The applied vacuum is in a range of approximately ?2 to ?4 pounds per square inch. To further assure success, living organisms can be added into the ballast water tank to consume (i) oxygen dissolved in the ballast water, and (ii) food sources for selected organisms contained in the ballast water. No modifications to the vessel's ballast water tank are required as all system components are coupled to the existing vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Sea Knight Corporation
    Inventors: Claude R. Thompson, William M. Lechler, Neil F. Marshall