Wavecleaner VAC launches upgraded system for oil and diesel spills
Wave International has launched its upgraded Wavecleaner VAC, a system designed to deal with small scale pollution on water, originating from accidental spilling of oil, diesel or other pollutants into the watercourse.
Following feedback from users including marina operators, river authorities and emergency services, the new Wavecleaner VAC comprises a new, higher capacity pump to improve the flow rate and therefore the speed at which an oil, fuel or other surface pollutants can be hoovered up. According to the manufacturer, it has a flow rate of 22l/min with a vertically lift capacity of 3 metres and a discharge head of up to 40 metres. The skimmer head has been upgraded and redesigned and now includes a strainer to prevent any large floating debris entering the unit.
The Wavecleaner VAC system is designed to be a fast response solution to any accidental spills, which can occur at locations such as marinas, ports, fuel jetties, barges and boat yards.
As well as dealing with spills from marine activities including bilge and boat-related discharges, Wave International says the system is also designed to clear up pollution created where rainwater has mixed with fuels and oils on carparking and hardstanding areas and is washed into the waterways.
By pumping the contaminated water through a sediment strainer and two Wavestream System 2 filters, which are Lloyds Register Type Approved, the Wavestream VAC removes pollutants including micro-plastics ensuring only clean water is discharged back into the waterway or surface drains. The filtered water meets the 5ppm requirements, thus also avoiding any costs for disposing of polluted water or clean up materials.
The Wavecleaner VAC is portable and mounted within a sturdy cage, and operates using a 12V DC rechargeable, hi-capacity battery pack. Similar in appearance to a small genset, it can be permanently or temporarily sited on a standard marina trolley, or similar for quick use during an incident.
The Wavecleaner VAC is manufactured in the UK.
When a fuel, oil or any other form of pollutant spill occurs, the user can move the Wavecleaner VAC to the location and start cleaning up immediately. This avoids the need for other forms of intervention and the use of spill response materials which can be awkward to use. The filters in the Wavecleaner VAC can be easily removed and disposed of appropriately and replaced.
Paul Gullett of Wave International says: “The Wavecleaner was originally developed as a result of demand from marina operators and dockyards who have seen and used our proven Wavestream bilge filters systems in vessels, being the foundation of Wavecleaner. They asked why we couldn’t create a portable product to deal with accidental spills in the waterways or even on land. After some development work, and trials to prove its success, we launched Wavecleaner, which is now superseded by the improved Wavecleaner VAC system.”
