Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil spill removing device and a method
thereof and more particularly for removing oil fiom liquids such as water and
purifying the same.
Background of the Invention
With the larger oil tankers of today great quantities of thick black crude oil can
be released into the water should the oil tanker experience an accident.
Accordingly, several million gallons of crude oil can spread over the water.
Currents can carry the contaminating oil out to sea and to hundreds of miles of
coastline. Oil spills can produce devastating damage to coastlines, fisheries and
kill tens of thousands of animals. Oil is not easy to clean up as can be evidenced
by recent disasters. Moreover, it is important to start cleaning up a spill
immediately before the oil has a chance to spread.
There have been numerous proposals to recover oil fiom a spill on the water.
One approach is to use chemical dispersants which break down the oil into tiny
pieces. However, there is a body of evidence to suggest that such dispersants
may harm ocean life. Other approaches include using booms which are floating
sausage-like members with skirts that hang a few feet below the surface. They
can be towed by ships to corral the pancake-like floating oil. Subsequently,
skimmer devices then collect the oil by sucking or scooping it up.
Traditional U-shaped booms have proven modestly successfbl, but only if the
weather and other conditions are near ideal. Surface "chop" or other wave action
tends to become greatly magnified at the closed end of the boom, with the result
that spillage or damage may occur under even relatively mild conditions.
Furthermore, the apparent velocity of the collected material becomes greatly
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accelerated near the closed end, making the liquid difficult to control and
contain. These complications are particularly detrimental to the operation of a
weir skimmer: simply put, the increased chop and velocity tend to push oil and
water over the weir indiscriminately, rendering it incapable of collecting and
concentrating the oil slick as intended. Also the weir skimmer can easily be
damaged by foreign objects (e.g., garbage and floating wood), especially as
these may be propelled by the additional turbulence which occurs at the closed
end of the boom. However, it should be noted that a simple U-shaped boom
lacking a weir skimmer provides only limited concentration and containment of
an oil slick, making it very difficult to remove this material from the surface of
the water.
Various device and methods are deployed for removing spilled oil from water as
illustrated below.
WO 2000000702 relates to a method of oil removal and transport comprising
the steps of: absorbing the oil into a bulk material, the bulk material having an
inlet region and an outlet region, by passing the oil into the inlet region of the
bulk material through a membrane; and removing the oil from the outlet region
of the bulk material; wherein the membrane has an average pore size not greater
than 100 micrometres so that the oil is continuously transported through the
membrane into the inlet region of the bulk material and continuously removed
from the outlet region of the bulk material into a reservoir. The invention also
relates to an oil removal and transport device suitable for use in the method.
WO 1997020110 relates to environmental protection and can be used for
removing crude oil and oil products from the surface of water. The device for
removing oil products from the water surface comprises at least one porous
elastic jacket of fireproof material containing an oxidised graphite filler. The
jacket can take the form of a mat, sleeve or pouch and is preferably made with
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double walls with the filler enclosed between them. The device can have a hard
casing and the jacket when in operation envelops the casing. Before the device
is used, the filler takes up a small part of the internal space of the jacket. The
ratio of the jacket volume to the filler volume is between 10:l and 25:l. The
device is easily folded and transported in compact form to the operation site.
Just before the device is to be used, the filler is heated to a temperature of
between 600 and 1000 "C. This converts the oxidised graphite to cellular
graphite which expands ten to twenty fold to occupy the entire space inside the
jacket. The cellular carbon is hydrophobic, has a density of 4,5-10 g/l and a
sorption capacity for crude oil and oil products of 30-35 g per g of sorbent. The
fire-resistant nature of the sorbent and jacket means that the device can be used
for tackling burning oil spills and for dealing with localised spills by
deliberately igniting them.
US 5409607 provides an apparatus for collecting and removing contaminant
material floating on the surface of a body of water, e.g., an oil slick. There are
first and second boom portions which capture and direct the slick into a
skimmer assembly which is mounted at an apex between the booms. The
skimmer assembly incorporates three transversely extending cushions which
serve as barriers or weirs: The first cushion reduces surface chop and prevents
floating material from entering the assembly, the second cushion is partially
submerged so as to act as submersion skimmer, increasing the thickness of the
oil layer and slowing the current flow, and the third cushion is mostly
submerged so as to act as a weir skimmer, over which the oil passes into a
collection sump. The combined effect of the transverse barriers enables the
system to be operated under adverse weather conditions and at relatively high
speeds.
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EP 2585229 A1 relates to a device for removing spilled oil, oily substances or
other liquids from a surface has a main body (2) with a pair of handles (3)
towards its upper end and a cleaning head (4) at the lower end. The cleaning
head is fitted with rotary brushes (5) and also contains a motor and drive gear.
At the upper end of the main body (2) a flexible pipe (6) is connected to a
hollow passage formed by and extending through the main body (2) via a short
flexible pipe (6') to the cleaning head (4). In the opposite direction the flexible
pipe (6) extends to remote air pressure, vacuum and sorbent material sources.
The device (1) has three main modes of operation which are used in sequence to
clean up spilled oil etc. It is used to supply absorbent material (e.g. chipped
bark) to the contaminated ground; then the absorbent material is massaged into
the surface of the ground; and finally the absorbent material together with the
liquid is removed.
Despite of the above-mentioned devices and methods there is a need for an
effective system for capturing and collecting oil spills, even under relatively
adverse sea conditions. The need also exists for such a device which will permit
relatively higher speeds of operation by the towing craR and which can be
operated in the presence of floating debris without fear of damage. Still further,
there is a need for such a device which provides for increased concentration and
containment of the collected oil, so as to facilitate its removal from the body of
water.
Objects of the Invention
Therefore the main object of the present invention is to provide an oil spill
removing device and a method thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cost effective method for
removing the spilled oil from water.
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Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method
that can be used at oil harbors, industries and factories.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method
that can be easily handled by unskilled person.
Summary of the invention
The present invention relates to an oil spill removing device for removing the
spilled oil from water in oceans, seas, rivers etc with the help of an electrical
circuit in the ship. It is basically based on the principal of viscosity of
aluminium disc and adhesive nature of oil.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for
removing the spilled oil from the water. The main components of the oil
removing device include container, aluminium discs, collectors and a motor. A
circuit in the ship is built for operating the motors. The separated oilfiom the
water can be used for multi-purposes and the water can also be purijed by this
method.
To achieve the afore-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a
device for removing spilled oil from water, said device comprising of:
an open container, said container comprising:
one or more discs having radius based on size of the open
container;
an electrical circuit connected to the discs; and
one or more collectors connected to the discs for collecting
the oil separated from the water.
The present invention also provides a method for removing spilled oil from
water, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing an open container, said container comprising:
o one or more discs having radius based on size of the open
container;
o connecting an electrical circuit to the discs; and
o connecting one or more collectors to the discs for collecting
the oil separated from the water.
Brief description of the drawings
Fig. 1 illustrates two passages for collecting oil separated from water according
to the present invention
Fig. 2 illustrates a model ship with a circuit for the motors according to the
present invention
Fig. 3 illustrates an open container acting as an area of oil spill according to the
present invention
Fig. 4 illustrates two collectors for collecting oil separated from water according
to the present invention
Fig. 5 illustrates model ship placed on the open container according to the
present invention
Fig. 6 illustrates model ship placed inside the open container for separating the
oil from water according to the present invention
Fig. 7 illustrates two aluminium discs for providing viscosity according to the
present invention
Detailed description of the invention
The present invention relates to an oil spill removing device and a method
thereof. The method also facilitates in purifying the water from which the oil is
removed.
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As shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the device requires two aluminium discs (radius can
be taken as per the size of the ship), container(acts as the area of spill), two
motors, batteries, switch, model ship, two collectors, two containers (for
collecting oil). The device works on the principal of viscosity of aluminium disc
and adhesive nature of oil. The components of the device can be varied in
number and size depending upon the surface area of the water to be cleaned.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the device requires a container(50*20)
which acts as the area of oil spill, a model ship(30*10) and a circuit in the ship
for the motors. The aluminium discs on the rotors of motors are connected.
For example:
Motor used is of 12rpm(rotation per minute), amount of oil collected in 1 min=
50m1, area of the container used= 50*20=1000 cmA2=1000ml, rate of cleaning
the oil= 50mllmin. Using this method 11 of oil can be collected in 13.5hrs.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, device is basically based
on two principles, adhesive nature of oil & viscosity of aluminum discs used.
When ship is kept in water in which oil is spilled the aluminum discs comes in
contact with water. When aluminum comes in contact with water it forms
aluminum oxide which is amphoteric in nature i.e. it will not react further. Due
to the formation of aluminum oxide, the viscosity of oil on the discs increases
and more & more oil sticks on the discs. After switching on the motors the discs
rotates and oil sticks on the discs due to principle of viscosity. Thereafter, two
passages are used as shown in Fig. 1, which have a cut at the starting point, and
the width of cut is adjusted so that the discs rotate freely in those cuts. When the
oil comes with the surfaces of discs, the cuts of passage scratches the oil from
the disc & the oil can be collected in collectors. After completion of task just
switch off the motors. The oil which is collected can be reused again in future
and the water is also purified by this method.
The efficiency of the device can be increased by increasing the number &
diameter of discs, also be increased by increasing the rpm of the motors.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a circuit is used in
the ship in which the motors of 12rpm are connected in series with two batteries
of 9v. They are connected with a ordoff switch. When the switch is in on mode,
motors starts rotating & stops when the switch is in off mode. The motors are
connected in such a way that the polarity of rotation of motor must be in the
same direction. The circuit performs automatically till the interruption of the
worker. The discs rotate in the clockwise direction with the help of motors.
The present invention can also be applied to sea water even if it is salty. Since,
this application is on a large scale, we can attach many discs to collect the oil
from water in large area or we can increase the radius of aluminium discs.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the
general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current
knowledge, readily mod@ andlor adapt for various applications such specific
embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such
adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended
within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is
to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the
purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments
herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in
the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with
modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Although the embodiments herein are described with various specific
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embodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art to practice the
disclosure with modifications. However, all such modifications are deemed to
be within the scope of the claims.

We Claim:
1. A device for removing spilled oil from water, said device comprising of:
an open container, said container comprising:
one or more discs having radius based on size of the open
container;
an electrical circuit connected to the discs; and
one or more collectors connected to the discs for collecting
the oil separated fiom the water.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discs comprises of
aluminium metal.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discs rotates on operating
the electrical circuit.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotating aluminium discs
form aluminium oxide on reacting with water.
5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the aluminium oxide increases
viscosity of oil on the aluminium discs.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the open container is a ship.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collectors are connected to
the discs through a passage having a cut at the starting point.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device efficiency is
increased by increasing the number and size of the discs.
9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is used at oil
harbors, industries, factories.
10. A method for removing spilled oil fiom water, said method comprising
the steps of:
providing an open container, said container comprising:
o one or more discs having radius based on size of the open
container;
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o connecting an electrical circuit to the discs; and
o connecting one or more collectors to the discs for collecting
the oil separated fiom the water.
11.The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the discs comprises of
aluminium metal.
12.The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the discs rotates on
operating the electrical circuit.
13 .The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the rotating aluminium discs
form aluminium oxide on reacting with water.
14.The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the aluminium oxide
increases viscosity of oil on the aluminium discs.
15. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the open container is a ship.
16.The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the collectors are connected
to the discs through a passage having a cut at the starting point.
17.The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the device efficiency is
increased by increasing the number and size of the discs.
18.The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said device is used at oil
harbors, industries, factories.
19.The device for removing spilled oil fiom water substantially as shown
and described with reference to the accompanying drawings.