Innovations need not always be expensive solutions for known problems – sometimes innovative solutions can be cost effective or even cheap.
A PCG patrol boat. The air lock issue affects some of the older vessels in the PCG fleet. (Photo: SPF)
Innovations need not always be expensive solutions for known problems – sometimes innovative solutions can be cost effective or even cheap. One good example is HTX team Deus Ex Machina’s cheap but effective solution to a long-standing problem with some of the older vessels in the #PoliceCoastGuard (PCG).
This problem is the air lock issue. In the affected PCG vessels, bubbles of air get sucked along with sea water into the pipes which cools the coolant systems of their aft generators. Trapped in the pipes, these bubbles coalesce into large pockets of air that disrupt the flow of sea water, hence causing the affected generators to overheat. In 2022, over $30,000 in damage was caused by overheating due to air locks.
These dangerous bubbles of air come into existence through different ways. When a vessel casts off or comes alongside, bubbles naturally form at the sea water at the stern. Likewise, when the vessel travels through the water, the wake that forms at the stern and sides contains bubbles of air. And when the sea is choppy due to high winds or thunderstorms, the frothy water also contains bubbles of air.
Prior to Deus Ex Machina’s solution, the old way of clearing the air locks was to release the trapped air pockets by manually unscrewing the bleeding nut, allowing the air to escape, and then filling up the affected pipes with water. This can be dangerous for the crew to perform if the sea is choppy or when there is a blackout due to the overheated aft generator.
Deus Ex Machina – a project team consisting of Robin Ng, Lead Engineer (Platform Systems, Marine Systems Tier 2), and Eric Chia, Engineer (Platform Systems, Marine Systems Tier 1) – who were assisted by DSP Lim Cheow Hee, SI Chin Chien Sin, SI Tan Boon Tiong, and SGT 2 Winsen from SPF’s PCG Coastal Patrol Squadron, realised that a simpler and more effective solution would be to attach an automatic self-purge relief air valve in the seawater system via the seawater strainer which would automatically allow any ingested air bubbles to escape. The biological inspiration for this mechanism is the burp that we naturally perform when our bodies need to release any air that we accidentally swallow into our digestive tracts. The automatic self-purge relief valve hence allows the vessel to burp out any ingested air.
Deus Ex Machina found a suitable valve that could be purchased off the shelf that could be easily installed in the affected vessels. Through experimentation, they then identified the optimal way to attach the valve in the seawater system via the seawater strainer which allowed the air to escape gently without spewing water all around.
Automatic self-purge relief valve. (Photo: HTX/Deus Ex Machina)
Thanks to their low-cost and low-maintenance solution, Deus Ex Machina won an Undaunted (Team) Award at the 2023 HTX Awards. In addition, during the HTX Convention Pitch Day event, they won the Most Popular Pitch Award – this was especially significant as the winner for this award was voted by the audience!
The members of Deus Ex Machina, Eric Chia (left) and Robin Ng (right), receiving their Most Popular Pitch Award from CE (middle). (Photo: HTX)
Deus Ex Machina’s low-cost innovation is a helpful model for Xponents searching for solutions to pressing problems. Instead of looking for an expensive and complex solution, perhaps a cheap and simple solution would be more suitable instead.
This project also won the 2024 Home Team InnovA Dare-To-Try award.