As marine fuel regulations have evolved, so too must the tools used to respond to spills. The EU Sulphur Directive of 2015 prompted a shift in shipping fuels from heavy fuel oil (HFO) to lighter marine distillate fuels such as Marine Diesel Oil (MDO DMB) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO DMA). This transition has prompted testing by a prominent facility in Finland of the native Scandinavian brush skimmers in these light oils. (This is a logical concern as brush skimmers were originally designed for heavy oils in cold water climates.)
To evaluate these brush devices the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences conducted a series of controlled tests at their Oil Spill Response Testing Facility in Kotka. The results painted a stark picture of the brush skimmer’s efficiency in recovering marine distillates. Recovery efficiencies ranged from just 8% to 14%, indicating that the vast majority of collected fluid was not oil but entrained water. In fact, the brush skimmer increased the total recovered fluid volume by an astonishing 480% to 540% over the initial oil volume. This large water uptake might overwhelm storage resources and complicate disposal logistics.
Equally concerning was the level of emulsification caused by the brush skimmer during recovery. When handling MDO, the skimmer induced emulsions that made up 37% to 55% of the recovered fluid. These water-in-oil emulsions are particularly difficult to manage and process.
Elastec will be providing Grooved Drum and Disc skimmers for side-by-side evaluation, to illustrate how our technology is better suited to these evolving shipping fuels. Test data will be made available upon completion of the research
