Environment

Underwater Voraxial Separator to be trialed in Gulf Oil Spill

EVTN's Voraxial 4000 Separator uses centrifugal force to separate oil from water
EVTN's Voraxial 4000 Separator uses centrifugal force to separate oil from water

Last week, Florida-based Enviro Voraxial Technology (EVTN) announced that it has received a purchase order from BP for an underwater version of its Voraxial 4000 Separator. Mounted on a skimmer vessel, the machine takes oil-laden water from the sea and spins it at high speed in a central cylindrical chamber. The resulting centrifugal force pulls the water to the outer edges of the chamber, leaving the oil in the middle. Once separated, that oil is then captured and stored in onboard holding tanks, while the water flows back into the ocean. BP wishes to try out their single 4000 on a trial basis, with an eye towards using multiple machines for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

According to EVTN, oil-skimming vessels using its invention can operate for ten times longer than other vessels. This, the company claims, is because the oil a Voraxial Separator collects is much more concentrated than the oil/water mixture obtained by other systems, taking up one-tenth the amount of space in the holding tanks – while other oil-skimming vessels need to go back to shore to empty their tanks, a Voraxial-equipped vessel can keep going.

EVTN also maintains that due to the small physical footprint and low energy requirements of the various Voraxial models, almost any type of boat can be converted into an oil skimmer. A fishing boat, for example, could reportedly be equipped with two 4000’s, processing over 1.4 million gallons (5.3 million liters) of oil and water a day.

The company is currently developing its own, ready-to-go oil skimming vessel. At under 40 feet (12 meters) in length, it would utilize two 4000’s. A similar planned vessel would sport dual 8000’s, capable of processing 14 million gallons (53 million liters) of oily water per day. EVTN proposes that drilling rigs, tankers and marinas could keep such a vessel on standby, ready to spring into action as soon as oil is spilled.

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5 comments
Lawrence Weisdorn
Isn\'t this similar to the technology that Kevin Costner already has available on his skimmer boats?
Harmsy
Centrifugal force? You\'re kidding, aren\'t you?
Ruth Butler
The Voraxial Separator can clean the oil plumes before the oil reaches the surface or the shore and does damage. Here is a video of the voraxial® showing the recently patented submersible voraxial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GycrYd2i4A and in the gulf BP trials news segment at 52 seconds in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bDpLRoqgUY. and more on their site and newsletter: http://www.evtn.com/newsletter/news-2010-09-08-patents.html
Ruth Butler
There is a new video of EVTN\'s submersible voraxial on their Facebook page-- it\'s from their exhibit at Clean Gulf 2010 in Tampa Florida last month: http://www.facebook.com/v/139850922729981\" /
Here are the slides from that extremely well attended show... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24013&id=100001152222204&l=9299fb2145
but check out their entire site at http://www.evtn.com/ sign up for their newsletter http://www.evtn.com/contact.html
Ruth Butler
EVTN\'s newest newsletter: http://www.evtn.com/newsletter/news-2010-11-11-north-american-oil-company.html