Reliable and Effective Tools to Fight Oil Spills in Arctic Conditions
Figure 1: Oil Recovery Operations in the Gulf of Finland
developed by the Lamor Corporation Ab, based in Porvoo in Finland. Lamor has conducted extensive testing and has a variety of real-life experiences in the neighbouring Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea. Lamor is the world leader in the development of reliable and effective equipment for use in the Arctic by providing efficient and practical solutions based on their experience. In this proven design and technology, the oil-attracting brush material is rotated through the oil/water interface with the recovered oil then scraped off for recovery. This brush conveyer can operate at advancing speeds of up to 4 knots and recover all viscosities of oil with an extremely low (< 5%) water content. This system can be enhanced with the use of an outrigger jib arm(s) and sweeping booms along with additional deflection booms. These systems can either be side-mounted or mounted within the recovery vessel’s hull with many degrees of automation.
Lamor Oil and Ice Separator
The Finnish oil recovery vessel Halli deploying the Lamor Oil Recovery Bucket in an oil spill in icy conditions off the coast of Estonia in 2006.
Figure 2: Lamor Oil Recovery Bucket Skimmer Tested in the Gulf of Finland Outside Helsinki
In ice conditions, oil will be mixed in with or coating the ice pieces. The Lamor Oil and Ice Seperator (LOIS) operates on the principle of the vessel moving through the water (at 1–3 knots). The ice pieces are pushed beneath the grids of the LOIS unit. The ice pieces are forced up and down and the surrounding water washes the oil from the ice pieces. The natural buoyancy of the oil floats into the LOIS and to the oleophilic skimmer unit mounted on the LOIS or in the recovery vessel’s hull.
Lamor Arctic Skimmer
This skimmer was specifically designed to operate in extreme cold and under broken ice conditions. It incorporates a static deflection grid for larger pieces of ice and any smaller pieces of ice that are recovered in the recovery hopper are crushed by feed screws that feed the recovered oil to the discharge pump. A steam or hot water connection is standard to assist in the pumping of viscous products. This Arctic skimmer can be utilised in free-floating or vertically suspended operations.
Lamor Brush Bucket Skimmer
oleophilic (oil-attracting), vacuum, hydrodynamic and mechanical. While there are many different individual and varieties of oil skimmers, the two most prevalent skimmers used offshore are the weir and oleophilic skimmers. The weir type of skimmer presents a ‘lip’ or weir at the oil/water interface. The oil then flows via the influence of gravity into the collection hopper for pumping into temporary storage. While weir skimmers can have a very high theoretical recovery rate and are relatively inexpensive, they tend to recover a large quantity of water along with the oil, very viscous oils may have trouble flowing over the weir lip and they are vulnerable to clogging from debris or ice, making their use efficient only during periods of very low ice concentrations.
The oleophilic skimmer presents an oil-attracting material to the oil/water interface. The oil adheres to the surfaces and is subsequently scraped from the collecting surface into the collection hopper for pumping into temporary storage. The skimmer’s attracting surfaces can include synthetic, metal and fibre materials in rope, belt, brush or disc configurations. The recovery capacity is a direct function of the surface area of the recovery material and the ability to effectively scrape it off.
Adaptations of the oleophilic brush skimmer principle that have been specifically adapted for Arctic use in broken ice conditions have been
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The Lamor Recovery Bucket is designed to be mounted on and deployed from an excavator or crane. This is an active skimming system with complete control of the skimming unit. The bucket itself can be utilised for the heaviest of oil products and solid materials, including the processing of ice pieces. The is best utilised for recovery of pockets of oil found in the ice.
Rope Mop Skimmer
Rope mop skimmers, common in many spill response inventories, are easily adapted and favoured for use in Arctic conditions in the presence of ice. Vertical rope mops suspended from a response vessel’s crane allow these skimmers to be positioned for the recovery of oil in pockets found in the ice. The operation of these skimmers requires no ice management or ice processing to work effectively.
Oleophilic skimmers of promising note for Arctic use include:
• The ‘grooved drum’ skimmer by Elastec/American Marine, an adaptation of the conventional smooth drum surface with a ‘V-shaped’ surface area, increasing the recovery surface area by up to four times and the recovery rate by up to three times that of a conventional smooth-drum surface.
EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION – VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1
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