Filtersafe’s latest filter series, the Manta, takes the patented and cutting-edge technology that built Filtersafe from a small ballast water filtration company to an international corporation offering filtration solutions across five industries to the next level.

Below we will discuss what makes the Manta unique and successful.

While the features and benefits listed below focus on the needs of the ballast water industry, the Manta’s small size, vertical orientation, and unique OneMotion cleaning mechanism also make it an attractive solution for other industrial uses. Reach out to our Industrial sales team for more information.

Equivalency and compatibility with existing BWMS

Before launching the Manta series, Filtersafe sent the Manta 110 and the classic BallastSafe BSE 101 to the DHI Maritime Technology Evaluation Facility for an impartial 3^rd party testing of the filter on its own and compared to Filtersafe’s BallastSafe e-Series (BSE). The BSE is certified by 7 maritime bodies, therefore the equivalency would allow BWMS manufacturers that are certified to use the BSE to offer the Manta as well, without any additional testing required.

According to DHI’s report validating the Manta’s equivalency to the BSE line, DHI says that the Manta, “demonstrat[es] steady and reliable performance throughout this endurance test.”

In fact, in some tests, the Manta’s performance superseded the BSE’s. When both filters were challenged with increasing TSS loads during a “high sediment load test”, the innovative OneMotion scanner managed to keep the filter throughput high and steady even when facing suspended solid concentrations up to 50% higher than the BSE.  While the BSE 101 is considered a reliable and powerful filter, performing without clogging in the Control Union’s Shanghai Test, the Manta has shown even better performance.

The Manta’s flow rates stayed stable and less pressure differential developed because it cleans so quickly, as will be discussed below.

In addition, the US Coast Guard has publicly stated that the Manta offers similar removal rates to the BSE line and may be used interchangeably in BWMS authorized to use the BSE. At this point, Filtersafe is also waiting on an additional equivalency test result from another 3^rd party testing facility and looks forward to sharing those results once they are finalized.

Filtration Efficiency

BWMS filter screens are constantly loaded with dirt as they separate solids and organisms during ballasting. In Filtersafe’s traditional BSE series, it can take about 40 seconds for the nozzle to scan and clean the entire screen, while the Manta can clean its entire screen in less than half the time of the BSE.

This rapid cleaning maintains filtration efficiency and throughput better than other filters.

The Manta is so efficient at cleaning, it passed the Organic Load Test test at 22 times the IMO standards without a reduction in flow rate (IMO test water standard is 10⁵ organisms/m³, and the Manta was challenged with 2.25×10⁷ organisms/m³)* . In addition, the Manta removes 99.96% of organisms over 50 micron (equivalent to a Log 3.5 reduction in organisms)* thanks to the fine level of filtration (25 microns) of the smartweave screen and the fast movement of the cleaning mechanism.

*According to DHI Organic Load Test

OneMotion Technology

The breakthrough star of the Manta’s new design is the OneMotion cleaning technology.  The Filtersafe BSE line uses two directional movements to clean the screen in a helical fashion, dictated by a driving screw, such that the cleaning nozzle is both rotating and advancing. This technology allows for thorough cleaning of the screen but requires more moving parts and a greater installation and service area in order to accommodate the moving scanner.

The Manta’s OneMotion nozzle movement has many benefits:

• By moving in only one direction the screen is cleaned faster with just one rotation of the scanner. The fast cleaning allows the filter to maintain filtration efficiency and throughput over time.
• Small footprint and service space. The Manta’s vertical orientation requires minimal footprint for installation, and since the filter opens from above, only a small area is needed for servicing the screen

Nozzles

The Manta utilizes Filtersafe’s patented nozzleX technology but takes it to the next level. The traditional nozzle array has turned into 4 nozzle blades that are aligned around the scanner pole so that with each rotation 100% of the screen’s surface area is covered by the nozzles. Staggering the nozzle openings offers a few benefits of hydraulic stability during flush.

The nozzleX proximity nozzle blades maintain constant contact with the screen for maximum cleaning power, but don’t wear out – or cause damage to the screens, thanks to the pressure-equilibrium patent of nozzleX.

Screens

To meet the needs of UV secondary treatment, the Manta comes with 25 or 40 micron smartweave screens.

Removing sediment is an important feature of a BWMS filter. Particles not only can require more secondary treatment to neutralize organisms in the water, but organisms can hide within the particles, not only causing non-compliant discharge water but allowing the organisms that make it into the ballast tanks to multiply and contaminate the tanks themselves.

In addition, the particles settle at the bottom of the ballast tanks where over time the quantity increases and reduces the capacity of the ship to carry cargo, since it is already carrying extra weight in the ballast tanks, reducing the profitability of the ship.

The Manta uses Filtersafe’s unique smartweave 4 layer sintered screen. The non-pleated screen means there is nowhere for sediment to get trapped or hide from the nozzle and requires the screen to be manually cleaned. Our nozzleX technology cleans 100% of all 4 layers of the screen. The 4 layer sintered screen is also incredibly durable, allowing the proximity nozzle to constantly pass over the screen and not cause wear or tear. Our nozzles are always the same distance from the screen, whereas with pleated screens the nozzle distance varies and causes the filter to have to exert more pressure to reach particles lodged in the crevices of the pleats – using more energy and causing more wear and tear on the pleated screen.

Cost
The Manta is not only a less expensive filter upfront, but it will also save you money along the way. The price tag associated with a filter may not be the true number that it will cost you during the lifetime of your BWMS. Let’s look at the additional costs associated with your BWMS’ filter:

• Cost to run the filter. Ballast water filters require energy to run them, which is an operating cost of not just the BWMS but of the ship itself. The Manta’s low 1.6 bar minimum operating pressure means that it takes less energy to run the filter than other filters its size. The less money spent operating the filter, the lower the ongoing costs associated with the filter.
• Cost to maintain the filter. Like any other mechanical appliance, the Manta needs to be maintained. The OneMotion technology means there are fewer moving parts that need to be serviced or can break. It also makes it much easier to open, clean, and maintain the filter. In addition, because the fitler body isn’t tall, there is no need to construct a service platform. The fact that just one person can open the filter at ground level is a huge time and money saver for ships, as it frees up the crew to focus on other important tasks on board. And the fact that the scanner and screen can be pulled out after removing just 20 bolts means that the operations person will be done with their maintenance job very quickly and back to working with the rest of the crew.
• Cost of fines associated with non-compliance. Filters exist in a BWMS to aide in the task of ensuring compliant discharge water. In tests, a Manta with a 25 micron screen removed up to 99.96% of organisms over 50 microns (the category that ships are most likely to fail in compliance testing).
• Other hidden costs. The fine level of filtration (25 microns) also keeps more sediment out of the ballast water tank. Sediment in the ballast tank can weigh ships down, reduce the amount of cargo they can carry, or increase the amount of fuel they use.

Interested in learning more about the Manta for your ship or other installation? Reach out to us and we’ll be in touch to see how the Manta can help your system operate better.