Dynamic Pickup Wing Oil Skimmer for Marine Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack an efficient and rapid means to collect and contain oil spills on water surfaces, particularly in sensitive coastal areas, leading to environmental damage and economic losses due to the inability to respond effectively to small and large spills without extensive support systems.
Innovation Solution
The Environmental Protector Class Vessel features a dynamically repositionable oil skimmer system with a pickup wing and adjustable booms that create a pressure wave to maximize oil collection while minimizing water intake, combined with self-deployable pollution booms and remotely controlled boom tugs for extensive spill containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a pickup wing is used to skim oil from water surface, then oil collection efficiency is improved, but water contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pickup wing is designed with differentiated zones: a forward section that submerges to skim oil from the water surface and a rear section that remains above water to discharge recovered oil. This local quality differentiation allows the system to collect oil efficiently while minimizing water intake and contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The pickup wing is segmented into distinct functional sections - a forward skimming section that contacts water to collect oil and a rear discharge section that operates above water. This segmentation enables separate optimization of oil collection and water rejection functions, improving overall efficiency while reducing water contamination.
2Area of stationary object
If boom extensions are deployed to extend collection capabilities, then spill containment area is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boom extensions are designed to be self-deploying using the vessel's own winch system. The winch retrieves the boom extensions from storage and deploys them into position, eliminating the need for external support vessels or complex manual deployment mechanisms. This self-service approach extends containment area while keeping system complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The boom extensions serve multiple functions: they extend the containment area for large spills, can be stored compactly when not needed, and are deployed using the vessel's existing winch system. This multi-functionality allows a single system to handle both small and large spills without requiring entirely separate equipment for different spill sizes.
3Manufacturing precision
If a dynamically repositionable pickup wing is used, then oil collection precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pickup wing is mounted on a pivoting mechanism that allows it to be dynamically repositioned between a forward skimming position for oil collection and a rearward discharge position for oil release. This dynamic repositioning capability enables precise control over oil collection and discharge operations, improving collection precision while maintaining manageable device complexity through a relatively simple pivoting mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables rapid and effective oil spill cleanup with minimal water contamination, allowing for immediate response to both small and large spills without external support, thereby reducing environmental impact and facilitating the expansion of oil reserves while generating economic benefits.
Implementation Method 1
fluid motion over the its forward section, either from vessel motion or fluid current, provides a skimming action, so as to urge the surface contaminants over the wing and into a recovery area
Data Source
AI summary
An oil skimmer system on a marine vessel. The preferred embodiment contemplates a pickup wing pivotally mounted between two hulls in the forward section of the marine vessel, which is formed to collect and direct the oil to the pickup wing. The pickup wing is dynamically repositionable, the pickup wing mount having provided a mechanism for vertically positioning the unit in real time such that the front of the pickup wing is situated just below the water surface, to provide maximum collection of contaminants (in this case, hydrocarbons) floating thereupon. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the pickup wing has a “teardrop” cross sectional profile, and is configured such that fluid motion over the its forward section, either from vessel motion or fluid current, provides a skimming action, so as to urge the surface contaminants over the wing and into a recovery area, where it is separated from the water and pumped into a collection tank.