GB2537846A

GB2537846A - Sea chest for seawater cooling system of ship

Info

Publication number: GB2537846A
Application number: GB1507155.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aarnio Markus; Nittymaki Janne; Suutari Kimmo
Original assignee: FORESHIP Oy
Current assignee: FORESHIP Oy
Priority date: 2015-04-28
Filing date: 2015-04-28
Publication date: 2016-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2035-04-28
Also published as: GB2537846B; GB201507155D0

Abstract

A sea chest 104 for a seawater cooling system 102 of a ship 100 comprises a seawater inlet covered by a grating 120 and a seawater outlet 122 arranged at a distance D1 from a bottom of the sea chest. The sea chest further comprises a guide structure 130 arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point 134. The turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea chest, and the distance D2 is larger than the distance D1. The sea chest also comprises an air outlet 150 arranged in the vicinity of the turning point.

Description

SEA CHEST FOR SEAWATER COOLING SYSTEM OF SHIP

TECHNICAL FIELD

[1] The present disclosure relates generally to a ship; and more specifically, to a sea chest 5 for a seawater cooling system of a ship.

BACKGROUND

[2] A ship sailing in a sea or a river is typically equipped with a seawater cooling system for cooling the engines thereof. Generally, a seawater cooling system includes a set of seawater pumps and a seawater feeding arrangement, such as a seawater cross-over or a pipe/manifold, 10 for providing the seawater to the seawater pumps. The seawater cooling system also includes at least one sea chest, which acts as an intake reservoir, from where the seawater feeding arrangement collects the seawater.

[3] During operation, when the ship is sailing through the sea or river, air can enter into the seawater cooling system in the form of air bubbles through the sea chest. This can cause operational wear and tear or even breakdown on the seawater cooling system. Specifically, the air introduced into the seawater cooling system may enter into the pumps causing the pumps to dry run, which can damage seals or other parts of the pumps and can further lead to operational breakdown.

[4] Further, in accordance with recent developments (to reduce viscous shear force experienced by a hull of a ship when propelling through the seawater) air is delivered to a bottom of the hull. Specifically, an air lubrication system (or air bubble system) is arranged on the ship to provide a continuous supply of air bubbles to bottom of the hull for reducing the viscous drag at an external surface of the hull when being propelled through the seawater. In such instance, the seawater cooling system is subjected to even larger amount of air bubbles, which may increase the possibility of operational wear and tear or even breakdown of the seawater cooling system.

[5] Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of air bubbles entering into the seawater cooling system.

SUMMARY

[6] The present disclosure seeks to provide a sea chest for a seawater cooling system of a ship.

[7] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a sea chest for a seawater cooling system of a ship, comprising -a seawater inlet covered by a grating, - a seawater outlet arranged at a distance Di from a bottom of the sea chest, wherein the sea chest further comprises - a guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point, which turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea 15 chest, which distance D2 is larger than the distance D1, and - an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point.

[8] hi another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a seawater cooling system, for a ship, comprising the at least one sea chest disclosed herein above.

[9] in yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a ship 20 comprising the seawater cooling system disclosed herein above.

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or at least partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and enables in removing air bubbles from a stream of seawater to be fed to the seawater cooling system.

[0011] Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow.

[0012] It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being 5 combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, 15 with reference to the following diagrams wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a ship having a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a ship having a seawater cooling system, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic illustrations of a grating for a sea chest of a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure FIG. 4 is schematic illustration of a seawater pump for a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic illustrations of a ship having a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practicing the present disclosure are also possible.

[0017] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a sea chest for a seawater cooling system of a ship. The sea chest comprises a seawater inlet covered by a grating and a seawater outlet arranged at a distance D I from a bottom of the sea chest. The sea chest further comprises a guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point. The turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea chest, which distance D2 is larger than the distance Dl. The sea chest also comprises an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point.

[0018] In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a seawater cooling system, for a ship, comprising at least one sea chest disclosed herein above.

[0019] In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a ship 20 comprising the seawater cooling system disclosed herein above.

[0020] In an embodiment, the ship is a marine vehicle such as a cargo ship, a passenger ship, a liner and the like. The ship comprises an engine adapted to generate power to propel the ship through a sea or a river. The ship also comprises the seawater cooling system for cooling the engine of the ship.

[0021] In an embodiment, the seawater cooling system comprises a plurality of seawater pumps and a seawater feeding arrangement for providing the seawater to the seawater pumps. In an example, the seawater feeding arrangement is one of a seawater cross-over or a pipe/manifold that provides the seawater to the seawater pumps. The seawater cooling system also comprises at least one sea chest.

[0022] The sea chest acts as an intake reservoir from where the seawater feeding arrangement (the seawater cross-over or the pipe/manifold) collects the seawater. The sea chest may be arranged on a bottom or a side of a hull of the ship. Further, the sea chest may be configured to have various sizes based on a size of the ship. In an example, a sea chest may include a size of several square metres, i.e. a width and a length of about 2-3 meters x 2-3 meters.

[0023] In an embodiment, when the sea chest is arranged on the side of the hull, the seawater inlet of the sea chest is also arranged on the side of the hull. Alternatively, when the sea chest is arranged on the bottom of the hull, the seawater inlet is also arranged on the bottom of the hull. The seawater inlet of the sea chest is an opening through which the seawater enters into the sea chest. Further, as mentioned above, the seawater inlet is covered by the grating, which primarily acts as a strainer for removing any debris present in the seawater entering into the sea chest.

[0024] The seawater outlet of the sea chest thus acts as an opening through which the seawater enters into the seawater feeding arrangement (i.e. the seawater cross-over or the pipe/manifold), which further provides the seawater to the seawater pumps. As mentioned above, the seawater outlet is arranged at a distance Di from a bottom of the sea chest.

[0025] The sea chest of the present disclosure comprises the guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet. Specifically, the guide structure configures a turning point for a seawater stream entering through the seawater inlet and moving towards the seawater outlet. The turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea chest. Further, the distance D2 is larger than the distance Dl (i.e. the distance of the seawater outlet from the bottom of the sea chest).

[0026] In an embodiment, the guide structure divides the sea chest into two parts (or compartments) with an opening (that acts as the turning point for the seawater) there between. Therefore, the stream of seawater entering into the sea chest strikes the guide structure and tends to move upward and thereafter follows the turning point before reaching the seawater outlet of the sea chest.

[0027] In an embodiment, the guide structure is arranged to extend from the bottom of the sea chest towards the turning point, particularly, when the sea chest is arranged on the bottom of the 5 hull. Alternatively, the guide structure may be arranged to extend from a side of the sea chest towards the turning point, particularly, when the sea chest is arranged on the side of the hull.

[0028] In an embodiment, the guide structure comprises of an end plate arranged at an end of the guide structure. The end plate is configured to increase distance between the seawater inlet and the seawater outlet. Specifically, the stream of seawater entering into the sea chest strikes the guide structure and tends to move upward, thereafter the stream of seawater further strikes the end plate to follow the turning point before reaching the seawater outlet of the sea chest. This results in increasing the distance for the stream of seawater for reaching the seawater outlet from the seawater inlet.

[0029] In one embodiment, the guide structure (along with the end plate) is configured to have a "T-shaped" structure, for example, when the guide structure is arranged to extend from the bottom of the sea chest. Alternatively, the guide structure (along with the end plate) may be configured to have a "J-shaped" structure, when the guide structure is arranged to extend from the side of the sea chest.

[0030] In an embodiment, the guide structure may he made of a material (having sufficient structural integrity), and coupled to the sea chest in a manner such that the guide structure is capable of withstanding a force exerted by the stream of seawater exerted on the guide structure. For example, the guide structure may be integrally coupled, such as welded or moulded, to the bottom or the side of the sea chest. Further, the guide structure may be made of a metal such as iron, aluminium and the like. Alternatively, the guide structure may be made of a non-metal such as plastic, rubber or any combination thereof.

[0031] In an embodiment, the guide structure is arranged to extend below a waterline of the ship. Specifically, the guide structure is configured to have a height such that the guide structure lies below the waterline. For example, during operation when the ship is sailing through the seawater, the hull as well as the sea chest is positioned below the waterline, and accordingly the guide structure extends below the waterline. Alternatively, when the ship is sailing through ice, the sea chest may extend above the waterline. In such instance, the guide structure may extend near to the waterline but still lies below the waterline.

[0032] As mentioned above, the sea chest also comprises the air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point. Specifically, at least one opening (particularly in the vicinity of the turning point) is configured at a top portion of the sea chest, and from such opening a pipe or a tube extends to constitute the air outlet. Typically, such air outlet also forms a part of a conventional sea chest.

[0033] k an embodiment, during operation the stream of seawater enters into the sea chest through the seawater inlet and strikes the guide structure. The stream of seawater then tends to move upward and strikes end plate to follow the turning point before reaching the seawater outlet of the sea chest. In the process, the stream of seawater is forced to move upwards and then again downward. Therefore, air bubbles present in the stream of seawater tend to accumulate above the turning point (as the air trapped inside the air bubbles is less dense than the air outside the air bubbles). Accordingly, the air (trapped inside air bubbles) is released through the air outlet present in the vicinity of the turning point.

[0034] In an embodiment, the air bubbles may not tend to move downward along with the stream of seawater. Specifically, a speed of the stream of seawater reduces after striking the guide structure, which enables in avoiding the air bubbles to travel downward (i.e. towards the seawater pumps). For example, the speed of the stream of seawater may be reduced to around 0.1 meter/second for avoiding the air bubbles to travel downward. Additionally, the end plate of the guide structure also enables in avoiding the air bubbles to flow downward. Therefore, the air is accumulated above the turning point for being released through the air outlet.

[0035] In another embodiment, the seawater cooling system of the present disclosure also comprises at least one guide plate for removing the air (or air bubbles) from the stream of seawater to be fed to the seawater pumps. Specifically, a seawater cooling system having a seawater cross-over (as the seawater feeding arrangement) includes such at least one guide plate arranged in the seawater cross-over for guiding the air bubbles upwards. Such sea water cooling system also comprises an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the at least one guide plate. The seawater cross-over is arranged between at least one sea chest and a piping arrangement (connected to seawater pumps) of the seawater cooling system. The seawater cross-over may be configured various sizes depending on the size of the ship. For example, the seawater crossover may include a maximum height of about 2 meters.

[0036] In one embodiment, the at least one guide plate includes a plurality of guide plates spaced apart from each other and arranged in a stepwise configuration within the seawater cross-over. The guide plates arranged within the seawater cross-over allow the air bubbles to move upward inside the seawater cross-over due to the stepwise configuration. Further, the air bubbles are accumulated at an upper portion of the seawater cross-over and released through an air outlet. Specifically, the seawater cooling system also comprises an air outlet arranged at the upper portion of the seawater cross-over and in the vicinity of the at least one guide plate for releasing the air (or air bubbles) therethrough. Those skilled in the art would recognize that the seawater cooling system of the present disclosure may or may not comprise the at least one guide plate arranged in the seawater cross-over in addition to the guide structure (arranged at the side or bottom of the sea chest) for removing the air from the stream of seawater to be fed to the seawater pumps.

[0037] hi yet another embodiment, the grating, covering the seawater inlet of the sea chest, comprises a number of bubble deflectors arranged on its sea chest side. The sea chest side is a side of the grating that lies inside the sea chest. The bubble deflectors are downward angled bars (or plate like structures) extending beyond openings (through which seawater enters into the sea chest) of the grating. For example, the bubble deflectors may be arranged at an angle about 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the sea chest side. The bubble deflectors allow the stream of the seawater to have a downward movement before entering the sea chest, thus enable in removing/reducing number of air bubble entering into the sea chest. Further, those skilled in the art would recognize that the seawater cooling system of the present disclosure may or may not comprise such grating (having the bubble deflectors) in addition to the guide structure and the least one guide plate for removing the air from the stream of seawater to be fed to the seawater pumps.

[0038] In yet another embodiment, the seawater cooling system of the present disclosure further comprises at least one aeration valve upstream of a seawater pump. For example, an aeration 5 valve is arranged upstream of each seawater pump present in the seawater cooling system. Specifically, the aeration valve is arranged high at a piping arrangement (between the seawater feeding arrangement and the seawater pump) and in the vicinity of the seawater pump. The aeration valve accordingly acts as a filter that finally removes the air bubbles from the stream of seawater just before entering the seawater pump. Further, those skilled in the art would 10 recognize that the seawater cooling system of the present disclosure may or may not comprise at least one aeration valve (upstream of the seawater pump) in addition to the guide structure, the least one guide plate and the bubble deflectors for removing the air bubbles from the stream of seawater to be fed to the seawater pumps.

[0039] The present disclosure provides a sea chest of a seawater cooling system of a ship, which precludes or substantially eliminates air bubbles from entering into the seawater cooling system. For example, the sea chest allows a seawater stream to go through a path that is designed to remove the air bubbles therefrom. Specifically, a guide structure of the sea chest is arranged to guide the seawater stream from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point, and an air outlet is arranged in the vicinity of the turning point to allow the air (trapped inside the air bubbles) to escape through the air outlet. Additionally, a grating (covering the seawater inlet) having the bubble deflectors; at least one guide plate arranged in a seawater cross-over; and at least one aeration valve upstream of the seawater pump further enables in removing the air bubbles from the seawater stream. Therefore, the sea chest (along with other aspects or features of the present disclosure, such as the bubble deflectors, the guide plate and the aeration valves) can be efficiently used in conjunction with a ship having an air lubrication system that generates large number of air bubbles for reducing friction between the ship and the seawater.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a schematic illustration of a ship 100 having a seawater cooling system 102, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The seawater cooling system 102 includes at least one sea chest, such as sea chests 104 and 106. As shown, 5 the sea chest 104 is arranged at a side of a hull 108 of the ship 100, whereas the sea chest 106 is arranged at a bottom of the hull 108. The seawater cooling system 102 also includes a seawater feeding arrangement 110 and a plurality of seawater pumps, such as seawater pumps 112a, 112b, 112c (hereinafter collectively referred to as seawater pumps 112). The seawater feeding arrangement 110 of the FIG. 1 include a pipe/manifold that provides the seawater to the seawater 10 pumps 112 from the sea chests 104 and 106. Further, the seawater pumps 120 are connected to the seawater feeding arrangement 110 by a plurality of pipes 114a, 114b and 114c for receiving the seawater therefrom.

[0041] The each of the sea chests 104, 106 includes a seawater inlet for receiving the seawater in the sea chests 104, 106, and a seawater outlet for providing the seawater to the seawater feeding arrangement 110. For example, the sea chest 104 includes a seawater inlet covered by a grating 120, and a seawater outlet 122. Similarly, the sea chest 106 includes a seawater inlet covered by a grating 124, and a seawater outlet 126. The each of the sea chests 104, 106 also includes a guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point. For example, the sea chest 104 includes a guide structure 130 arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet 122 via a turning point 132. The guide structure 132 includes an end plate 134 arranged at an end of the guide structure 132 (such the guide structure 132 along with the end plate 134 configure a T-shaped structure). Further, as shown, the seawater inlet (covered by the grating 120) is arranged on the side of the hull 108, and the guide structure 130 is arranged to extend from a bottom 136 of the sea chest 104 towards the turning point 132. Moreover, the seawater outlet 122 is arranged at a distance D1 from the bottom 136 of the sea chest 104, and the turning point 132 is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom 136 of the sea chest 104. As shown, the distance D2 is larger than the distance Dl.

[0042] Similarly, the sea chest 106 also includes a guide structure 140 arranged to guide the seawater from the seawater inlet (covered by the grating 124) to the seawater outlet 126 via a turning point 142. As shown, the seawater inlet is arranged on the bottom of the hull 108, and the guide structure 140 is arranged to extend from a side 144 of the sea chest 106 towards the turning point 142. Further, similar to the sea chest 104, the seawater outlet 126 of sea chest 106 is arranged at a distance from a bottom 146 of the sea chest 106, which is smaller than a distance between the bottom 146 of the sea chest 106 and the turning point 142.

[0043] The each of the sea chests 104, 106 also includes an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point. For example, the sea chests 104 includes an air outlet 150 arranged in the vicinity of the turning point 132, and the sea chests 106 includes an air outlet 152 arranged in the vicinity of the turning point 142. In operation, the guide structures 130, 140 are arranged to extend below a waterline 160 of the ship 100. Further, the guide structures 130, 140 are arranged to guide the seawater via the turning point 132, 142; arranged in vicinity with the air outlet 150, 152 for allowing air bubbles 170 to escape through the air outlet 150, 152. Accordingly, a stream of seawater that is fed to the seawater pumps 110 is free from the air bubbles 170.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a schematic illustration of a ship 200 having a seawater cooling system 202, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The seawater cooling system 202 includes at least one sea chest, such as sea chests 204 and 206. The seawater cooling system 102 also includes a seawater feeding arrangement 210 and a plurality of seawater pumps, such as seawater pumps 212a, 212b (hereinafter collectively referred to seawater pumps 212). The seawater feeding arrangement 210 of the FIG. 2 is a seawater cross-over over between the sea chests 204, 206 and a piping arrangement 214a, 214b (connected to the seawater pumps 212) of the seawater cooling system 202. The seawater feeding arrangement 210 also at least one guide plate, such as guide plates 220a and 220b, arranged in the vicinity of the piping arrangement 214a, 214b, respectively. The seawater feeding arrangement 210 also includes an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the at least one guide plate. For example, the seawater feeding arrangement 210 includes air outlets 230, 232 (in addition to air outlets 234, 236 arranged on the sea chests 204, 206 respectively) arranged in the vicinity of the guide plates 220a, 220b, respectively. In operation, the guide plates 220a, 220b enable in guiding air bubbles 240 upwards, such that the air outlet 230, 232 allow the air bubbles 240 to escape therefrom.

[0045] Referring now FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustrated are schematic illustrations of a grating 300 for a sea chest of a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A is a front view of the grating 300, whereas FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the grating 300. The grating 300 is adapted to cover an inlet of sea chest, such as the sea chests 104, 106, 204, 206 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The grating 300 includes a plurality of opening 302 for allowing seawater to pass therethrough, and acts as a strainer for removing any debris present in the seawater entering into the sea chest. The grating 300 also includes a plurality of clamps 304 that enable in mounting the grating 300 on a hull (such as the hull 108 of the ship 100, shown in FIG. 1) for covering the seawater inlet of the sea chest. As shown in FIG. 3B, the grating 300 also includes a number of bubble deflectors 310 arranged on its sea chest side 312 (a side that lies inside the sea chest). The bubble deflectors 310 are downward angled bars extending beyond openings 302 of the grating 300. The bubble deflectors 310 allows the seawater to have a downward movement before entering the sea chest, thus removing/reducing number of air bubble entering into the sea chest.

[0046] Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is a schematic illustration of a seawater pump 409, of a seawater cooling system (such as the seawater cooling systems 102, 202 of FIGS. 1 and 2), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The seawater pump 400 is operatively coupled with an aeration valve 402, i.e. the aeration valve 402 is arranged upstream of the seawater pump 400. Specifically, the aeration valve 402 is arranged on a piping arrangement 404 (configured to feed the seawater to the seawater pump 400) and in the vicinity of the seawater pump 400. The aeration valve 402 enables in removing air bubbles from the seawater just before entering the seawater pump 400.

[0047] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic illustrations of a ship 500 having a seawater cooling system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, shown as a side view (Fig. 5A) and as bottom view (Fig. 5B). The surface of the sea is designated with 502. The sea chest 104 at a side of the hull of the ship 509 is shown. Also shown is an air pump 530 used to pump air to air bubble openings 520 used to feed air bubbles 510 underneath the ship 500 for air lubrication purposes.

[0048] Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to he construed to relate to the plural.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A sea chest for a seawater cooling system of a ship, comprising: - a seawater inlet covered by a grating, - a seawater outlet arranged at a distance DI from a bottom of the sea chest, 5 wherein the sea chest further comprises - a guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point, which turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea chest, which distance D2 is larger than the distance Dl, and - an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point.
2. A sea chest according to claim I, wherein the seawater inlet is arranged on a side of a hull of the ship and die guide structure is arranged to extend from the bottom of the sea chest towards the turning point.
3. A sea chest according to claim 1, wherein the seawater inlet is arranged on a bottom of a hull of the ship and the guide structure is arranged to extend from a side of the sea chest towards the 15 turning point.
4. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide structure comprises an end plate arranged at an end of the guide structure for increasing distance between the seawater inlet and the seawater outlet.
5. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the grating comprises a number 20 of bubble deflectors arranged on its sea chest side.
6. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide structure is arranged to extend below a waterline of the ship.
7. A seawater cooling system of a ship, comprising at least one sea chest according to any of the claims I to 6.
8. A seawater cooling system according to claim 7, comprising - a seawater cross-over between the at least one sea chest and a piping arrangement of the seawater cooling system, - at least one guide plate arranged in said seawater cross-over for guiding air bubbles upwards, 5 and - an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the at least one guide plate.
9. A seawater cooling system according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising at least one aeration valve upstream of a seawater pump.
10. A ship comprising a seawater cooling system according to any of the claims 7 to 9.Amendments to the claims have been made as follows:CLAIMS1 A sea chest for a seawater cooling system of a ship, comprising: -a seawater inset covered by a grating, -a seawater outlet arranged at a distance DI from a bottom of the sea chest, wherein the sea chest further comprises -a guide structure arranged to guide seawater from the seawater inlet to the seawater outlet via a turning point, which turning point is arranged at a distance D2 from the bottom of the sea chest, which distance D2 is larger than the distance DI, and (r) -an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the turning point.2. A sea chest according to claim I, wherein the seawater inlet is arrangeable on a side of a hull of the ship and the guide structure is arrangeable to extend from the bottom of the sea chest towards the turning point.3. A sea chest according to claim 1, wherein the seawater inlet is arrangeable on a bottom of a hull of the ship and the guide structure is arrangeable to extend from a side of the sea chest 15 towards the turning point.4. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide structure comprises an end plate arranged at an end of the guide structure for increasing distance between the seawater inlet and the seawater outlet.5. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the grating comprises a 20 number of bubble deflectors arranged on its sea chest side.6. A sea chest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide structure is arrangeable to extend below a waterline of the ship.7. A seawater cooling system of a ship, comprising at least one sea chest according to any of the claims 1 to 6.8. A seawater cooling system according to claim 7, comprising -a seawater cross-over between the at least one sea chest and a piping arrangement of the 5 seawater cooling system, -at least one guide plate arranged in said seawater cross-over for guiding air bubbles upwards, and -an air outlet arranged in the vicinity of the at least one guide plate.9. A seawater cooling system according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising at least one cr) aeration valve upstream of a seawater pump.10. A ship comprising a seawater cooling system according to any of the claims 7 to 9.LO