Cooling system for a marine vessel

A method for cleaning a cooling loop of a marine vessel, the cooling loop including an upstream inlet for receiving raw cooling water from a body of water in which the marine vessel is situated, a pump for circulating the raw cooling water through the cooling loop, a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat to the raw cooling water, and a downstream outlet for discharging the raw cooling water back to the body of water, the method comprising:

• running a cleaning cycle, the cleaning cycle comprising:
• switching the upstream inlet from an open position in which the raw cooling water can flow into the cooling loop to a closed position to seal the upstream inlet;
• connecting a maintenance loop including a reservoir containing cleaning solution to the cooling loop by:
• switching a first switching valve that is downstream from the upstream inlet and upstream from the pump from a first position in which a reservoir outlet that is upstream from the first switching valve is disconnected from the cooling loop to a second position in which the reservoir outlet is in fluid communication with the cooling loop via the first switching valve;
• and
• switching a second switching valve that is downstream from the heat exchanger and upstream from the downstream outlet from a first position in which a reservoir inlet that is downstream from the second switching valve is disconnected from the cooling loop and the raw cooling water is permitted to flow from the heat exchanger to the downstream outlet to a second position in which the reservoir inlet is in fluid communication with the cooling loop via the second switching valve and the downstream outlet is disconnected from the cooling loop;
• circulating, with the pump, the cleaning solution from the reservoir through the cooling loop while the first switching valve and the second switching valve are in the second position, thereby cleaning the cooling loop;
• and
• disconnecting the maintenance loop from the cooling loop by switching the first switching valve and the second switching valve back to the first position.

A marine vessel comprising:

• an enclosed cabin;
• an air conditioning system configured to cool the enclosed cabin;
• a cooling loop for providing raw cooling water from a body of water to the air conditioning system to cool the air conditioning system, the cooling loop comprising:
• an upstream inlet extending through a hull of the marine vessel below a waterline of the body of water, wherein the raw cooling water from the body of water is received into the cooling loop via the upstream inlet;
• a pump configured to pump the raw cooling water through the cooling loop;
• a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the air conditioning system to the raw cooling water;
• and
• a downstream outlet extending through the hull below the waterline of the body of water, wherein the raw cooling water from the heat exchanger is discharged back to the body of water via the downstream outlet;
• a first switching valve downstream from the upstream inlet and upstream from the pump and a second switching valve downstream from the heat exchanger and upstream from the downstream outlet;
• and
• a reservoir configured to hold a cleaning solution and including a reservoir outlet in fluid communication with the first switching valve and a reservoir inlet in fluid communication with the second switching valve, the reservoir outlet being upstream from the first switching valve and the reservoir inlet being downstream from the second switching valve;
• wherein the first switching valve is switchable between a first position in which the reservoir outlet is disconnected from the cooling loop and a second position in which the reservoir outlet is in fluid communication with the cooling loop via the first switching valve;
• wherein the second switching valve is switchable between a first position in which the reservoir inlet is disconnected from the cooling loop and a second position in which the reservoir inlet is in fluid communication with the cooling loop via the second switching valve;
• and
• wherein the pump is configured to circulate the cleaning solution through the cooling loop when the first switching valve and the second switching valve are in the second position.