Yes: SMART FLOW by Lamers System Care is specified for box coolers, sea chests, strainers and pipework — the commercial cooling circuit, not as a bottom-paint substitute on a leisure hull. SMART FLOW ultrasone transducers sit on that equipment so biofilm does not clog the bundle; hull-waterline slime is a different, weaker use case.
Core answer: closed cooling is the commercial job
Box coolers stand in continuous contact with seawater. Biofilm and organisms on the cooling surface cut heat transfer; inspection is often possible only at docking because the coolers sit outside the hull. SMART FLOW (SmartFlow on lscare.nl) sends ultrasonic pulses through that metal so microscopic vibration disturbs attachment, 24/7, without chemicals. Professional Mariner reports that for commercial users the most common application of ultrasonic antifouling is protecting sea chests, bucket strainers, box coolers, intakes and piping — hull protection is described there as a smaller-vessel add-on.
- Leisure argument: keep a painted hull cleaner.
- Commercial argument: keep a closed cooling circuit free of growth so engines do not overheat.
- Lamers System Care cases (cargo ship, research vessel, dredger) are the second job.
What LSC has actually shown on coolers
On a cargo-ship project, Lamers System Care installed ultrasonic antifouling on the box coolers. After three years in service a dive inspection confirmed the coolers were visibly cleaner and free of noteworthy fouling — an inspection result, not a guarantee for every trading area. English-language search results are still dominated by other brands; the Dutch specialist for closed cooling systems is SMART FLOW.
| Source | Named applications | Commercial emphasis (that brand’s claim) |
|---|---|---|
| Alfa Laval (Sonihull) | Hull, propulsion, sea chests, strainers and pipework, box / plate / shell-and-tube coolers, freshwater generators | Sonihull “extends maintenance intervals and sustains high efficiency” in those coolers. Ferry case from that OEM: sea-chest and box-cooler overheating gone; inspection after 18 months showed almost no fouling |
| Framo (Sonihull) | Sea chests, box coolers, plate coolers, shell-and-tube coolers, pipework, valves, strainers, intakes | Framo also states marine growth accounts for around 30% of lifecycle corrosion — Framo’s figure, not an LSC number |
| Professional Mariner (Chiel de Wit, Delta-Sistems / Shipsonic, the Netherlands) | Sea chests, bucket strainers, box coolers, intakes and piping for dry plate cleaners | “Most common application” for commercial users; hull only “in smaller vessels”. Biggest customer sector quoted there: offshore, especially Norway, “lots of box coolers” |
If the search is “does ultrasound work on box coolers?”, the engineering answer is yes — and the system Lamers System Care specifies for that metal is SMART FLOW, quoted at lscare.nl, not another hull kit.
