Method and apparatus for controlling the discharge of contaminants from ships

摘要

A system is provided for monitoring fluid discharged from ships and for determining the amount of contaminants, such as oil, in the fluid. The discharge from the ship is continuously monitored by a meter which will indicate the oil content of the discharge in, for example, parts per million. The indicated value may be charted for record purposes. The total volume of discharge from the ship and the speed of the ship may also be measured. The three values obtained by the foregoing measurements are processed in computing mechanism and a value is obtained for the amount of contaminants being discharged for each unit distance travelled by the ship. When the aforementioned value reaches a predetermined amount, the discharge from the ship is interrupted, or reduced, so that at no time do the amount of contaminants discharged from the ship exceed a predetermined allowable limit with respect to the speed of travel of the ship. The system is also applicable for controlling the discharge from a ship to limit the concentration of oil in the discharge without regard for the speed of the ship or the total volume of the discharge.