Model Test and Analysis on Oil Skimmer at Rough Sea

Abstract

In stormy weather on January 2, 1997, the Russian tanker NAKHODKA broke up at midship into two parts in the Sea of Japan just off the Japanese coast. The recovery operation was hampered by high waves, and the most serious problem was the lack of equipment capable of recovering the spilled oil in stormy weather. In 1998, in response to this accident, the Association for Structural Improvement of the Shipbuilding Industry (ASIS) initiated a three-year research and development project on large-scale recovery systems for collecting highly viscous oil with a minimum kinematic viscosity of 100,000 centi-stokes under severe sea conditions. This paper focuses on the design and evaluation of a newly developed oil skimmer system suitable for the recovery of highly viscous spilled oil emulsified under rough sea states. The oil skimmer system is composed of a float, pump, hose, oil/water separator, etc. The basic design of the oil skimming and treatment system has been completed incorporating the wave-response technology, highly viscous oil suction technology and highly viscous oil collection technology. Furthermore, synthesized model experiment was carried out in a water tank and oil basin using a large-scale model of a developed oil skimming system to acquire the performance data on the constituent technologies and to confirm synthetic function as an oil skimming and treatment system.