Innovative Oil Spill Recovery Technology Developments

Abstract

ABSTRACT (2017-404) Long-term challenges for the oil spill response industry include spills occurring in the open ocean or ice-infested waters, as well as spills of heavy oil. Historically, only a small percentage of the oil from major spills is ever recovered. For example, during the Deepwater Horizon incident, skimming operations only accounted for approximately 3% of the spilled oil. This low number was due to the delayed response of assets as well as the use of inefficient skimming systems and methods. Both government and private organizations seek effective response solutions that are capable of rapid deployment to existing platforms and infrastructure. Alion Science and Technology, under contract to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has developed two proof-of-concept technologies; both of which were successfully tested in 2016. Both of these research projects have been pushing the edge of the envelope for oil spill recovery operations with the use of existing technologies. The first of these concepts is the “ICEHORSE”, an oil-in-ice skimmer designed to recover surface oil pooled in broken ice fields. The system is designed to submerge and transit below the ice field where it may then be surfaced in a pocket of oil to begin skimming. This allows for remote skimming operations while the boat remains in safer waters and gives the skimmer the ability to position itself in the thickest areas of oil. The initial proof-of-concept system has seen further development with the goal being a commercially available product. The “Autonomous Oil Skimmer” is designed to be used with any vessel-based skimming system to improve the efficiency of recovery operations. Our proprietary control algorithm collects oil thickness data from a sensor and then directs and tracks the oil recovery operation autonomously. Collection data may be remotely accessed, allowing for centralized project oversight of multiple resources. Part of this effort included the evaluation of different oil sensors and the development of algorithms to incorporate the sensor data into the control system. This paper discusses some of the design challenges of each system as well as the results of testing, and plans for further development.