Spinning Filter Separation System for Oil Spill Clean-Up Operation

Abstract

According to current technology, effective clean up of oil spills from the surface of ocean water is performed by an oil sweeper vessel within which oil contaminated water is collected for transport to remotely located on-shore equipment within which oil separation and disposal is performed. The processing of large quantities of oil polluted ocean water is accordingly time consuming as well as costly. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a less costly oil spill clean up system involving more rapid processing of large quantities of oil polluted ocean water. In accordance with the present invention, oil polluted ocean water is processed at an oil spill location by continuous separation during pressurized flow of the water through at least two separator devices within which successive reduction in oil concentration is effected with respect to a separated portion of the water by filtered flow through porous membrane walls to correspondingly increase the oil concentration within the other remaining portion of water being processed. The first portion of the processed water when sufficiently reduced in oil concentration is discharged for return to the oil spill location, while the remaining portion is collected until a sufficient level of oil concentration therein is achieved to permit disposal thereof by burning at the oil spill site.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 26, 1996
Accession Number
ADD018623

Entities

People

  • Eugene C. Fischer
  • John Wehrle
  • Joseph F. Korczynski
  • Thomas D. Gracik
  • William P. Kenney

Organizations

  • United States Department of the Navy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attorneys
  • Axial Flow
  • Combustion
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Filters
  • Filtration
  • Flow
  • Inventions
  • Maryland
  • Materials
  • Membranes
  • Oil Spills
  • Patents
  • Reservoirs
  • Separators
  • Surface Warfare
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering.