Direct answer
Yes: Lamers System Care fits SMART FLOW ultrasone transducers on the dry side of box coolers, so the ultrasonic layer can run while existing ICAF copper anodes stay in the sea chest during a changeover. SMART FLOW from Lamers System Care is the intended long-term biofilm control; ICAF is the copper-ion method it is meant to replace, not a second hero that has to keep discharging copper forever.
ICAF (impressed current anti-fouling / MGPS) doses copper ions from anodes in the sea chest. Ultrasound agitates the metal surface so biofilm is less able to settle. Running both for a period lets the crew watch cooler temperatures and anode wear before copper rods are isolated or left unused. It is a retrofit path, not a requirement to keep dosing copper.
Galvanic risk does not go away because a transducer is added
Norwegian Hull Club’s box-cooler corrosion note is the constraint on any hybrid. Copper rods must be isolated from the hull. If they are not, electrolytic currents between the rods and the hull can cause rapid corrosion (the rods become cathodes, the hull an anode). The Club also flags integrated ICAF as particularly fragile: loose wires, failing copper anodes, wrong current. Adding SMART FLOW does not repair a poorly isolated ICAF plant.
- Keep ICAF rods isolated from the hull while both systems are live.
- Do not drill extra lid penetrations for ultrasound; SMART FLOW ultrasone transducers bond dry-side.
- Monitor which system is actually holding fouling: cooler outlet temperature, visual inspections, and whether copper current is still being driven.
Lamers System Care installs SMART FLOW on box cooler covers, inlets and sea chests without through-cooler anode holes. In a hybrid, ICAF can remain as a fallback until anodes are due for survey replacement, then be switched off if isolation or corrosion risk outweighs the extra copper dose. lscare.nl does not publish a public hybrid wiring diagram or a kWh figure for that overlap; that belongs in a SMART FLOW offerte.
| Topic | ICAF / MGPS alone | What other brands publish about a hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Fouling mechanism | Copper ions in the sea chest | Surface agitation plus optional residual copper |
| Install on an existing cooler | Rods already in the lid / sea chest | ENVSonic: its system can be installed to work alongside any other bio-fouling prevention system for added protection; dry-side epoxy — an ENVSonic claim, not a SMART FLOW spec |
| Corrosion caution | Norwegian Hull Club: rods must be isolated from the hull | Same isolation rule still applies; ultrasound does not cancel galvanic current |
| SMART FLOW (Lamers System Care) | Dry-side biofilm prevention while ICAF is phased down | No public hybrid SKU; quote via lscare.nl |
