Floating Oil Spill Igniter with Time-Delay Circuitry

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing oil spill ignition methods pose safety hazards for personnel due to the need for immediate ignition sources, as they require proximity to burning fuel during deployment, lacking a safe and controlled mechanism for igniting oil spills from a distance.

Innovation Solution

A floatable oil spill igniter with a buoyant housing and actuator assembly that includes a time-delay circuitry and electrical igniter, allowing for deployment and ignition of a pyrotechnic device and fuel source after personnel have retreated, ensuring safe ignition of oil spills.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional ignition sources (matches, helitorch) are used to ignite oil spills, then ignition capability is achieved, but safety hazards increase due to personnel proximity to burning fuel

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveignition capabilityVSAvoidsafety hazards for personnel

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The device is deployed and positioned on the oil spill in advance, allowing personnel to retreat to a safe distance before ignition occurs. The time-delay circuitry enables the device to wait in a ready state and then automatically ignite the fuel source after a predetermined interval, eliminating the need for personnel proximity during the actual ignition moment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A time-delay circuitry acts as an intermediary between the deployment action and the ignition event. This intermediary component decouples the deployment phase from the ignition phase in time, allowing personnel to be present during deployment but absent during ignition, thus resolving the safety hazard while maintaining ignition capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If immediate ignition is performed upon deployment, then ignition speed is improved, but personnel safety deteriorates due to required proximity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveignition speedVSAvoidpersonnel safety

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The ignition device is deployed and positioned on the target oil spill in advance, during which time personnel can safely retreat. The time-delay circuitry maintains the device in a ready state until the predetermined interval elapses, at which point ignition occurs automatically without requiring personnel proximity, thus achieving both speed and safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If a time-delay mechanism is added to enable remote ignition, then personnel safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepersonnel safetyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A time-delay circuitry serves as an intermediary component that enables remote ignition by decoupling deployment from ignition in time. This relatively simple electronic component adds minimal complexity while effectively resolving the safety hazard by allowing personnel to retreat before ignition occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex mechanical ignition delivery systems (such as helitorch mechanisms requiring close proximity) with a simpler electronic time-delay and electrical ignition system. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while improving safety through remote operation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

The device enables safe and controlled ignition of oil spills from a distance, reducing safety risks for personnel by using a time-delay mechanism to ignite a pyrotechnic device and fuel source, effectively burning the oil slick without immediate proximity to the flame.

Implementation Method 1

a buoyant housing defining, at least in part, an inner chamber

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Implementation Method 2

an actuator assembly operable to ignite a pyrotechnic device installed within the inner chamber by an end user prior to deployment of the ignition device. The actuator assembly comprises an electrical igniter

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 3

The time delay circuitry is operable to actuate the electrical igniter at the end of the countdown and ignite the pyrotechnic device

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Data Source

PatentUS10100479B2Floating oil spill ignition device

Publication Date: 2018.10.16 CARTRIDGE ACTUATED DEVICES

AI summary

An igniter device (10) operable to remediate a floating oil spill in a body of water is provided. The device (10) comprises a pyrotechnic device (28) that is actuated through an actuator assembly (20) comprising time delay circuitry (24). Upon actuation, the time delay circuitry (24) begins a countdown permitting the device (10) to be safely deployed from an aerial vehicle. The pyrotechnic device (28) ignites a fuel source (38), which in turn ignites the floating oil spill.