About us
From Small Beginnings
Background
In 2013 Halogen Systems was started in a personal garage in the small town of Incline Village, Nevada. The sensor was developed, in part, with a Small Business Innovative Research Contract (SBIR) from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is enacting new D2 standards there was much work to be done. (The D2 standard is a performance standard that specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged, including specific indicator microbes harmful to human health.)
Once our Halogensys.com website went live, orders from around the world began to come in. We quickly outgrew the garage and had to rent part of a small industrial building in 2015. Since then, we have moved to a much larger space in South Reno, Nevada. To date, we have delivered over 2,500 sensors for ballast water treatment and have also developed our sensors for both the drinking water and wastewater sensor markets.
We are excited that the Halogen System Inc. sensor has been called “disruptive” by many. It overcomes most of the limitations of existing technologies and delivers more stable results.
Environmental Benefits & More
Ballast Water & Invasive Species
Invasive species (like zebra mussels) create environmental havoc on ecosystems. Many of these organisms are brought in by ballast water from cargo ships crossing oceans or different harbors. These ships discharge, at times, millions of gallons of water during operation. Untreated water can result in overwhelming local ecosystems. Fortunately, vessels are now required to sterilize their ballast water and kill invasive species before discharging it using a treatment system (BWTS). Many BWTS use the Halogen Systems Inc. Ballast Water TRO Sensor to measure the oxidant level for controlling the treatment process. Our sensor also ensures that the discharged waters oxidant level is safe to be released. Ballast water chlorine measurement is the most difficult of all applications due to biofouling, high water hardness, high salt levels, and temperature extremes,” says Michael Silveri, president of Halogen Systems Inc. “It took us several years to generate a reliable sensor for such a harsh environment such as seawater. Since we have successfully provided a sensor for the most strenuous application out there, developing similar sensor technology for wastewater and drinking water treatment plants is relatively easy.”
Drinking Water
Halogen Systems Inc. technology, granted 11 patents worldwide to date, is the only chlorine analyzer sensor that may be inserted directly into a drinking water pipe. It can do this because it is the only sensor unaffected by fluctuating flow speed. Our sensors work just as effectively even while being placed in a water tank. Additionally, in July of 2021, we were awarded NSF61 level certification allowing our sensors safe use in drinking water applications.
Additionally, Halogen Systems analyzers do not need a waste stream to function whereas, other chlorine analyzer systems do. Most analyzers require a waste stream of roughly 69,000 gallons of water per year to obtain their readings. Besides excessive water consumption, the cost of the treated water simply going to waste is, on average, $150 per year per sensor. Some utilities have over 100 analyzers operating with waste streams, resulting in a significant wasteful expense.
Halogen Systems sensors also eliminate the need for chemical reagents. Sadly, these get discharged into the environment by traditional analyzers and require the repurchase of new chemical reagents, typically costing an average of $700 per year per analyzer, not including the labor involved.
With NSF61 Certification and no need for waste streams or reagents, Municipal drinking water utilities in Florida, California, and Nevada are evaluating the sensor for future deployment.
Wastewater
Much of treated wastewater is “reclaimed” or recycled for other uses like irrigation. These are tricky applications for conventional sensors that require frequent recalibration. For example, in one Orlando, Florida USA wastewater treatment plant, their current sensors (one of our competitions units) must be calibrated three times per day (each work-shift) to obtain accurate readings. However, Halogen Systems sensors do not require calibration for over one month of operation and read accurately straight out of the box with factory set calibrations. Calibration remains infrequent with our sensors due to our patented, continuous, self-cleaning system. Our approach to chlorine sensors keeps the sensing surface free of organics and salt build-up.
Halogen Systems Inc. modified its sensor for wastewater purposes and shipped its first sensor in May of 2021. Multiple wastewater treatment plants in Florida have applied for approval with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for using our sensor for compliance reporting. Orlando, Florida, is the first city to gain DEP approval. Other municipalities will soon receive these same approvals from the Florida DEP, at which point Halogen Systems Inc. equipment will replace their old technology. “This enables much tighter control of the plant process, with less labor, more reliability, tighter accuracy, and less chemical usage,” says Jason Erskine of HASK, Inc.