Apparatus for automatically managing ballast water of ship, and operation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically managing the ballast water of a dual-hulled ship and, more specifically, to an apparatus for automatically managing the ballast water of a ship, the apparatus dividing the structure of an integrated ballast water tank into ballast water tanks of a multi-layered structure, and filling each ballast water tank with seawater, so as to perform the original function thereof of maintaining the water-line by means of the ballast water, and having a structure and a device so as to utilize the seawater, used as cooling water, residential water, water for miscellaneous use, and the like, as the seawater of the ballast water tanks, thereby integrally managing the usage of the seawater of the ship, and continuously and successively changing the seawater of the ballast water tanks while the ship is sailing.

1 . An apparatus for automatically managing the ballast water of a dual-hulled ship to integrally manage seawater used in the ship, comprising:
 ballast water tanks of a multi-layered structure;   water level sensors for the ballast water tanks;   bypass valves supplying seawater to adjacent ballast tanks;   piping connecting a bottom ballast tank a desalination unit for cooling water and residential water etc., and to a pipe for supplying technical water such as cooling water for mechanical units; and   a control unit, which is an electronic controller, controlling to open the bypass valves so that the seawater may be supplied to adjacent ballast tanks, when the bottom ballast tank becomes empty.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ballast water tanks of a multi-layered structure are constructed by modification of void tanks to ballast water tanks so that the ballast water tanks can contain more water than the conventional ballast water and installing additional water level sensors and bypass valves on each of the modified ballast water tanks. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit, which is an electronic controller, controls valves to inflow seawater, controls valves to supply seawater to the ballast water tanks, and controls the bypass valves to supply seawater to the desalination device, the technical water supply pipe, and the residential water supply pipe from the bottom ballast tank during sailing for cargo shipments; and when seawater must be discharged out of ship due to the cargo shipping, controls seawater discharge valves.