Oil Boom With Coalescence Elements And Vortex Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oil booms are ineffective in collecting oil at high speeds and in rough weather conditions, as they cannot handle mechanically dispersed oil and often collect too much water and air, making oil concentration too low and collection inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A self-inflatable oil boom with a tubular floating body and a skirt, equipped with coalescence elements and a dividing member that creates a vortex motion to separate oil from water, allowing for efficient oil concentration and collection even in adverse weather and water conditions, and can be easily towed and deployed for rapid response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a conventional oil boom with separate skimmer is used, then oil collection is possible, but the boom cannot be towed at high speed as oil is drawn into water underneath
Solution Approach 1:
The boom is designed as a dynamic system where the bottom can be actively controlled to create vortex motion. The bottom is not a fixed barrier but an active element that can be positioned and oriented to generate rotational flow patterns that concentrate oil while allowing the boom to move at higher speeds without drawing oil underneath.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydraulic principles by creating controlled water circulation and vortex motion within the boom. The water flow is manipulated to create rotational currents that separate oil from water, utilizing fluid dynamics rather than static mechanical barriers.
2Quantity of substance
If a conventional skimmer is used to collect oil, then oil removal is possible, but too much water and air are collected making oil concentration too low
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes water and air from the collection mixture before oil recovery. The vortex motion and bottom design separate water and air from oil, allowing the skimmer to collect concentrated oil with minimal water and air contamination, thereby improving both concentration and collection efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom acts as an intermediary element that facilitates separation between the oil-water-air mixture and the clean oil. It creates a controlled environment where phase separation occurs before the skimmer collects the oil, improving the quality and concentration of collected oil.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional booms are used in rough weather with waves over 3 meters, then no oil collection is possible as oil is completely dispersed
Solution Approach 1:
The boom is designed to be dynamically adaptive to rough sea conditions. The bottom can be actively positioned and the vortex motion adjusted to maintain effectiveness in varying wave conditions. The system responds to environmental changes rather than being static, allowing operation in weather conditions where conventional booms fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes operational parameters such as vortex intensity, bottom position, and boom orientation to adapt to different weather conditions. By adjusting these parameters, the system maintains oil collection capability across a wide range of sea states including rough weather with significant wave heights.
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 boom effectively concentrates and separates oil from water, increasing oil fraction and facilitating its removal, even in moderate breeze and wave conditions, by using coalescence elements and a dividing member to create a vortex motion, ensuring efficient oil collection and transportation.
Implementation Method 1
at least parts of the boom have means for facilitating oil drop coalescence in order to increase the oil fraction
Implementation Method 2
both the inner area of the boom and a possible bottom can be equipped with coalescence elements... The member divides the boom in an outer and an inner part
Data Source
AI summary
Oil boom (1) having an elongated buoyancy body (8) carrying a skirt (9) that is hanging down in the sea as a barrier against water surface pollution. The boom (1) is arranged for being towed by its ends, in a U shape, for collecting pollution, in particular mechanically dispersed oil. The boom is designed in such a way that conditions for concentrating the pollution arise in the inner area of the boom, and in that at least parts of said inner area are provided with a means (6, 10) for coalescence of pollution drops.