BSEE Testing Stationary Skimmer Systems' Effectiveness
The skimmers will be tested using various oil types in order to determine their oil recovery rate and recovery efficiency.
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the agency established in October 2011 when the Department of the Interior's offshore regulatory structure was overhauled, recently began testing the effectiveness of stationary skimmer systems that remove oil from the surface of the water. The tests are being done at Ohmsett, the bureau's National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility.
The skimmers will be tested using various oil types in order to determine their oil recovery rate and recovery efficiency. BSEE will use the results of these tests as a comparison to the skimmers' published Nameplate Capacity values, the number that is used in oil spill response plans to determine whether sufficient mechanical recovery equipment is available to respond to a worst-case scenario.
The first skimmer to be tested is the Elastec American Marine TDS 118G. Skimmers owned by both BSEE and the U.S. Coast Guard for training purposes at Ohmsett will be used in the tests, according to the agency.
For more information about Ohmsett and BSEE's Oil Spill Response Research Program, visit this website.