contentWorks™

Removing toxic residues from power plant flue gases is as tough on equipment as it sounds. Known for having the toughest pumps in the business, DESMI is looking to take on more of the power plant challenge.

In simplest terms, an emulsifier is a substance that enables oil and water to mix.

Pump manufacturer DESMI’s Steve Godwin is looking very pleased. He’s standing on the deck of a naval ship, monitoring events closely as a helicopter hangs in the air just metres off the vessel’s port side, swaying gently in the relatively light easterly wind. As we watch, a line is winched down from the chopper to several crew members crouched on deck.

It’s hardly news that the shipping industry is mobilising to meet the demands of wave after wave of new environmental regulations. From the IMO’s ballast water management legislation to EEDI (the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships) and SEEMP (Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan), shipowners need to be ready to drastically cut energy consumption and emissions.

The list of potentially dangerous or simply-too-expensive-to-lose substances being pumped from one part of an industrial process to another somewhere in the world is long. Take isocyanates, for example. They’re the raw materials that make up all polyurethane products.