We are delighted to be hosting a talk - "Evaluating marine growth prevention systems in a field test rig" by Dr Michaela Wawryk, Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Engineering in Swineburne University of Technology, Australia.

Dr. Michaela Wawryk is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She received her PhD in Biogeochemistry in 2024 from Monash University, during which she started her research on the interactions between chemical, biological, and physical interactions in marine environments. Her current research focuses on marine corrosion and biofouling, and the use of marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) in both lab and field contexts.

Talk sypnosis:

This seminar will discuss the design and application of a field test rig to study MGPS under real-world conditions. Many marine vessels use seawater in internal cooling systems, which results in biofouling and can lead to blockages in extreme cases. To avoid this, MGPS such as chlorination and copper dosing are used to suppress marine growth inside pipes. The test rig aims to study the efficacy of these treatments by drawing water directly from the port. Water is then pumped through a series of pipes, with a control line and two MGPS treatment lines (chlorination and copper dosing). After a three-month test run, these MGPS dosages were found to be effective to different degrees at preventing biofouling. Biofilm composition analysis was also performed to determine the corrosion potential of the species found under each treatment.

We hope to see you there!