Oil Dispersing Rig With High-Pressure Water Jets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dispersing oil spills on water, such as chemical dispersion, are environmentally harmful, inefficient, and costly, with limitations including the need for large chemical quantities, transportation challenges, and reduced effectiveness over time, as well as public opposition to chemical use.
Innovation Solution
A device and method utilizing a rig structure with adjustable, rotatable nozzles that deliver high-pressure water jets to break oil into micron-sized droplets, mixing them into the water column using the vessel's forward motion, eliminating the need for chemical dispersants and allowing for flexible deployment on various vessels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chemical dispersants are used to disperse oil on water, then the oil is dispersed into microscopic droplets, but environmentally harmful substances are discharged into the surrounding water body
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical dispersants with a mechanical system consisting of high-pressure nozzles that射出 water jets to physically break up oil slicks into droplets. The mechanical energy from the water jets substitutes for chemical agents, achieving dispersion without introducing harmful substances into the environment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes hydraulic principles by employing high-pressure water jets to disperse oil. The pressurized water system creates sufficient force to break the oil slick into droplets that can be mixed into the water column, leveraging fluid dynamics rather than chemical reactions
2Productivity
If chemical dispersants are transported to the application site, then oil dispersion can be performed, but transportation challenges and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vessel's own water resources (from its freshwater or seawater systems) to perform the dispersion function, eliminating the need to transport external chemical dispersants to the spill site. The vessel serves its own oil spill response needs using resources already available on board
Solution Approach 2:
The high-pressure nozzle system can utilize water from either the vessel's freshwater system or seawater system, making the dispersion capability universal and adaptable to different operational contexts without requiring specialized chemical storage or transport infrastructure
3Productivity
If chemical dispersants are applied to oil slicks, then dispersion occurs, but additional pollutants are added to the sea
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the potentially harmful effect of oil spills into a beneficial outcome by using high-pressure water jets to break up the oil slick into fine droplets that disperse naturally. This mechanical approach transforms the oil spill problem into a controlled dispersion process that avoids introducing additional chemical pollutants
4Duration of action of stationary object
If oil changes properties over time on water, then it becomes viscous and absorbs water, but chemical dispersion effectiveness is reduced or eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The high-pressure water jet system applies preliminary mechanical force to break up the oil slick into droplets before the oil can undergo property changes such as increased viscosity or water absorption. This preliminary mechanical disruption occurs rapidly, addressing the oil spill before chemical dispersion would become ineffective
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 approach efficiently disperses oil into micron-sized droplets, reducing environmental impact and operational costs, while being simple to operate and adaptable for different oil spill scenarios, achieving effective oil dispersion without chemicals.
Implementation Method 1
nozzles for flushing with pressurized water jets supplied from a pressure facility located on the vessel
Implementation Method 2
dispersed into microscopic (micron-sized) droplets... distributed in the water column either by way of natural turbulence (waves and current) or by using the propulsion system of a ship
Implementation Method 3
dispersed oil droplets within a micron-size range are obtained such that the dispersed oil droplets can be mixed into the water by the energy created by the water jets and forward motion of the vessel
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for dispersing oil on water comprises a rig structure for being mounted in a vessel, the rig structure including a front transverse structure with at least one nozzle for flushing with pressurized water supplied from a pressure facility located on the vessel.