Feasibility Demonstration of a Pulsed Acoustic Device for Inhibition of Biofouling in Seawater Piping

摘要

This report describes a preliminary field test of a new biofouling control device designed for seawater piping and cooling systems. This technology uses a pulsed, underwater electrical discharge to generate an acoustic wave in pipes. The test was conducted during February 1994 in a seawater test loop, constructed of clear PVC piping, located at the Naval Surface Warfare Centers' Corrosion Test Facility in Dania, Florida. It included an untreated, control pipe and another identical pipe which was treated with an acoustic pulse every two seconds, ten hours per day, for 10 days. Results of visual observations, microbial counts, environmental electron microscopy (ESEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS) demonstrated a significant reduction in the rate of biofouling in the pipe treated with the pulsed acoustic device compared to the control.