DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A REMOTE CONTROLLED DRUM-TYPE

FLOATING OIL SKIMMER MACHINE POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY

_____________________________

A Project Study Presented to

The Faculty of the College of Engineering
Eastern Visayas State University
Tacloban, City

__________________________

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for the Degree
Mechanical Engineering

__________________________

By:

Cabale, Mark Andrew M.

Duzar, Lyster
Rapiza, Jahnzon Bryan

Semptember 2021
 ABSTRACT

Oil spills in the sea water threatens the marine life and ecosystem of the world. The

Petron Corporation-hired oil tanker M/T Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras, a

Philippine island province, on August 11, 2006, leaking over 2.1 million liters

(approximately 555,000 gallons) of bunker fuel. The worst oil leak in Philippine history

is still remembered today. This study aims to address the problem on oil spills throughout

the world by designing and fabricating a skimming machine that is capable of removing

oil from the surface of the sea water effectively and efficiently, in particular a drum-type

oil skimmer. In this context, skimming is defined as an act of removing floating material

from the surface of a liquid. To test the hypothesis that drum-type oil skimmer is

effective in addressing the oil spill problem of the world, our group makes a design of a

machine that is uses a 100% clean source of energy and have a high efficiency on

collecting oil from the surface of the sea water. A thorough research and accurate

calculations of the said design, finally, we fabricate the it and test its capability and

effectiveness in skimming the oil spills. The experiment of removing oil from the water

surface was carried out using a skimming drum under various operating conditions (oil

film thickness, oil temperature, belt rotational speed, PH of water, oil type, and belt

material type), and the empirical correlations of the oil recovery rate under various

operating conditions were discovered. The oil recovery rate (ORR) and oil recovery

efficiency (ORE) are the two most important parameters that show how well a skimming

drum works, which can be predicted using the empirical coefficient of correlation as a.
 Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Oil is considered as one of the most important raw material products in today’s

modern society. It is widely used in many ways such as starting any transportation

devices that uses engines, used in Diesel Power Plants that generates bulk amount of

electricity and producing product like plastics, solvents, and hundreds of other

intermediate and end-user goods.

The demand of oil consumption throughout the globe is rapidly increasing as our

technologies keeps improving. People are forced to

The environmental impact of the oil spill on water is destructive in a variety of ways.

When there is oil leak in the ocean or freshwater, it does not mix in. On the surface of salt

and fresh water, oil floats. The oil spreads out into a very thin layer across the water's

surface in a very short amount of time. Marine and coastal life could be poisoned in a

variety of ways, including by ingestion, habitat degradation, and direct contact with oil.

It’s also dangerous to us humans as it can harm us in so many ways like; eating a food

that’s contaminated by oil, breathing a polluted air since oil and products (petroleum

products) have many volatile compounds which are emitted as gases from spilled oil, the

air becomes contaminated with those volatile oil products or vapors producing specific

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odors that makes our health at risk.

The most prevalent technique of shoreline oil spill cleanup is manual recovery,

which involves teams of workers removing oil and debris using rakes, shovels, and other

tools. The oil material is collected and transported to a processing center in buckets and

drums. Collecting oil spill manually is not only dangerous to human’s health but also

ineffective and inefficient in collecting the spilled oil in the Ocean. Dispersants are also

one of several tools available to combat oil spills and a necessary component of an

effective response to large volume offshore spills when used appropriately. It’s

application, both surface and sub-surface. However, releasing a damaging oil break-down

product into the water like dispersants creates a poisonous habitat for fish. According to

multiple laboratory studies that evaluated a range of species, dispersed oil is hazardous to

fish at all life stages, from eggs to larval fish to adults.

Skimming is a process in which it recovers spilled oil from the surface of the

water by the use of Oleophilic material where it is a device that capable of attracting the

oils is one of the safest ways to collect oil spill in the water surface.

Objective of the Study

The objective of this design, innovation and fabrication of a drum-type oil skimmer

machine are:

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 1. To design and fabricate a drum-type oil skimmer machine powered by solar energy;

2. To determine the performance of the machine in terms of efficiency and machine

capacity;

3. To commit a fully functional drum-type oil skimmer machine by using exact

calculations on the dimensions of the design; and

4. To address concerns about oil spill related pollutants in the environment.

Significance of the Study

The result of the study is significant to the following:

Fisherman. This will help the fisherman to generate more income as the supply

of fish will increase due to absence of oil spill in the ocean that is harmful to the marine

life because when fishes are exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth,

enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction

impairment.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). This will serve as an

asset to the Government agencies specifically (BFAR), this project will help them to

lessen the problem caused of oil spilling around the ocean that disrupt marine lives, in

that way it controls the possible damage to the aquatic resources which may lead them to

a big responsibility if happens.

Communities. The community will benefit a lot from this project. This will

prevent the closures of beaches, parks, waterways, and recreational and commercial

fisheries which may affect our economy severely. Also, this will help to avoid the risk of

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contamination of sea foods from the toxic substance coming from oil spills that people

around the community may consume.

Mechanical Engineering Students. This study would serve as baseline information

for future researchers who will undergo the same field of inquiry.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was conducted to design and fabricate Drum-type Oil Skimmer

Machine powered by solar energy. The Oleophilic drum installed together with the motor

connecting to the battery and believed to collect certain amount of floating oil. The

material used in constructing the machine are based on the affordability and availability

in the local market. The machine can be used by our government agencies specially our

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to address the problem of oil spilling.

Definition of Terms

Bunker fuel. Is a type of liquid fuel which is fractionally distilled from crude oil.

Slick area. This is an area where facets on the rough sea surface are encountered that

have orientations that reflect the sunlight to the observer.

Dispersant. It is chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil

into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water.

Oil skimmer. An oil skimmer is a device that is designed to remove oil floating on a

liquid surface.

Oleophilic. Is an entity which exhibits a higher affinity for oil than other solvent

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Conceptual Framework

Gathering Data

Design

Fabrication of prototype
Drum
G Oil Skimmer Machine Powered
by Solar Energy

Testing

Evaluate the Performance of Review the

Drum Oil Skimmer Machine Powered
G Design and
by Solar Energy Fabrication

Failed

Final Product

Figure 1.1 Schema for the Conceptualization of the Study

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 Figure 1.1 was created by the researchers to depict the flow of the project study

in Figure 1. The gathering of data is the initial stage of the conceptual framework. The

group acquires data that will aid them in hypothesizing knowledge at this level. After

acquiring information, the group organized it in order to formulate a hypothesis. As a

result, the group is able to go on to the following stage, which is design formulation. The

information acquired in stage one will be used to create the design. It will also assist the

committee in determining the machine's practicality and limitations. Fabrication is the

next step. The machine will be built and created at this stage before the design is

completed. Following that, is the testing, which is an important aspect of the conceptual

framework. To test the hypothesis, the group will conduct a trial. The collecting of oil by

skimming is part of this stage's process. The group will then assess the results of the

initial testing to determine whether the prototype meets the goals. The machine is judged

to have passed if it meets the objectives. It would be considered final output if it passed.

If it fails, the group must determine the source of the problem and assess the machine's

design and manufacture.

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 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents literature and studies, both foreign and local, which are

related to the present study. This chapter includes the raw material classification and

characteristics, etc.

Related Literature

Oil can be defined as: “A viscous liquid derived from petroleum, especially for

use as a fuel or lubricant” or “Any of various viscous liquids which are insoluble in water

but soluble in organic solvents and are obtained from animals or plants” (Oxford

Dictionaries, 2012). Oils are, based on these definitions, divided into two categories with

different chemical composition; mineral oils (also called crude oils) and organic oils (also

called fats) in which essential oils are included (Nationalencyklopedin, 2013).

Mineral oil is one of the two main types of petroleum, the other being natural

gas. When found naturally, the liquid must contain more than 95 % liquid hydrocarbons

to be classified as oil. However, depending on the types of hydrocarbons, the physical

properties of the oil can differ. The colour of the oil can range from amber, to green, to

black and the viscosity varies from a water-like liquid to a sticky, tar-like substance.

(Nationalencyklopedin, 2013)

Physical qualities of oil, such as surface tension, density, pour point, water

solubility, and viscosity, have a significant impact on the spreading speed of oil or oil

slicks. Most oils' density, which was a key component in predicting and determining their

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behavior in water, was lower and smaller than that of water, thus they floated and lied flat

on the water's surface, tented to spread and expand horizontally. Lower oil density

increased evaporation of lighter materials and substances, leaving heavier materials,

which sunk in the water column and reacted with water or other compounds in saltwater

to build harmful sedimentation on the seawater body. (www.irjet.net)

Oil spills happen more frequently than you might imagine, and they can occur in

a variety of ways. Each year, thousands of oil spills occur in US seas. The majority of

these spills are minor, such as when oil leaks while fueling a ship. However, these spills

can still cause harm, particularly if they occur in sensitive areas such as beaches,

mangroves, and wetlands. Large-scale oil spills are huge, life-threatening events.

Pipelines break, large oil tanker ships sink, and drilling operations go wrong, and these

things happen. After a significant oil spill, the effects on ecosystems and economies can

last for decades. (www.noaa.gov)

Because the chemical ingredients of spilled oil are harmful, it can kill living

creatures. Internal exposure to oil by ingesting or inhalation, as well as exterior exposure

through skin and eye irritation, can harm organisms. Oil may also suffocate small fish

and crustaceans, as well as coat feathers and hair, decreasing the capacity of birds and

mammals to regulate their body temperatures. (response.restoration.noaa.gov)

The oil spill from the sunken tanker MT Solar I is still wreaking havoc on the

ecosystem, destroying not just the Philippines rich marine resources, but also the

livelihoods of those who rely on the sea. According to the Bureau of Fisheries and

Aquatic Resources, marine resources worth $1.14 million were destroyed in fish cages

and pens. Guimaras and Iloilo's tourism industries have also slowed. The Department of

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Tourism estimates a loss of US $71,400 in tourism earnings. (Gacosta, 2006)

The toxicity of three dispersants and heavy fuel oil to a marine fish, red sea

bream. The mean lethal oil concentration of the water-accommodated oil fraction was

325 mg/L. Mixtures of oil and dispersant were more toxic than dispersant or oil alone.

Use of a dispersant-to-oil percentage of 20%, which is recommended by the manufacturer

because of its efficiency in oil emulsification and dispersion, yielded higher 24-h oil

concentrations and resulted in a higher mortality rate than did the use of higher

percentages of dispersant (Koyama and Kakuno, 2004)

Oil skimming is a low-tech but reliable and efficient technique. An oil skimmer

is defined as: “Any mechanical device specifically designed for the removal of oil (or oil-

water mixture) from the surface of water without altering the water’s physical and/or

chemical characteristics”. (NOAA, 2010)

The skimming principle, upon which the technique relies, is dependent on three

physical properties of oils, namely specific gravity, surface tension and affinity. Most oils

have a lower specific gravity than water, which allows it to separate from water and float

to the surface unless agitated. These oils are possible to collect using an oil skimmer.

Other oils do the opposite and, if not agitated, sink to the bottom of the water and must be

collected by other means than skimming. (Abanaki, 2011)

The light oils, which can be skimmed off the water surface, are possible to

collect due to the surface tension and affinity of the oil. Most oils have little or no affinity

for water, which prevents mixing of oil and water. As the skimming medium enters the

water, the oil wets the surface preventing water from doing the same. (Persson K., 2013)

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Related Studies

Donald E. Craggs and Richard S. Gillen in their study entitled “Floating oil

Skimmer” The method for recovering oil from the surface of a body of water is disclosed.

The skimmer is comprised of an elongated, box-like skimming unit having an open front

equipped with an adjustable inlet lip, an oil and water separation zone, adjustable oil

overflow weir, an oil collection sump, and a water outlet gate. A buoyant pontoon section

is removably attached at each side of the skimming unit to render the apparatus buoyant.

The pontoon sections are easily detachable to facilitate land transport of the device.

T Vignesh, M Bhuvaneswari, S Manojkumar, S Kishore, N Bommuraj in their

study entitled “Development of Automatic Tube Oil Skimmer” it has floating tube with

fixed length, flexible and discrete segmented model. The design of the wheel according

to the tube size and tube length is fixed according to the tank size. Wheel is connected

with the belt which is immersed in the oil and water mixer tank. While running the pulley

wheel belt is coming upper, the wiper is attached in the frame. Wiper removes the oil

coming from the belt. This method is most efficient method to solve the human fatigue

and cost-effective method.

Tushar Pathare, Mauli Zagade, Rohan Pawar, Priteshkumar Patil, and AS Patil

free floating endless belt oil skimmer was developed as means of recovering spilled oil

from surface water. The skimmer utilizes a unique high efficiency belt which is driven by

motor. By removing oil, we can preprocess water for other use. This can avoid water

wastage and control pollution due to oil spillage. In current world scenario most of the oil

from the industries goes wasted into ponds, rivers and sea. So, national and international

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environmental norms are getting strict day by day. It is economical to manufacture a low-

cost machine to meet these norms.

A H Hammoud and M F Khalil in their study entitled “Performance of a rotating

drum skimmer in oil spill recovery” Oil spill recovery by means of a rotating drum

skimmer was investigated experimentally for a wide range of design and operating

conditions. The effect of drum diameter, drum length, rotating speed, oil film thickness,

oil properties, and drum center height above the oil/water interface surface were analyzed

with respect to oil recovery rate of the drum skimmer. Crude, diesel, SAE 10W and SAE

140W oils were used during this investigation. It was found that oil recovery rate

increases with increasing drum diameter, drum length, drum center height above the

oil/water interface, and oil slick thickness oil viscosity, and increases as oil density and

surface tension decreases. The results revealed that the drum skimmer is an effective

device for recovering spills of low viscosity oil, such as light crude oil, which is the type

of oil involved in most serious spills and pollutions of the sea. Furthermore, an empirical

equation is proposed for predicting the oil recovery rate of the device. The equation can

be applied to different oils, and gives good agreement with observed data.

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 Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides a full discussion of the methods employed to achieve the

project's objectives and completion. It entails data collection, research design, and

prototype design.

Research Design

This study will employ the developmental, innovation and experimental research

methods to design and fabricate the target prototype machine and test its performance.

The innovation to be taken on the existing drum type oil skimming machine is the

installment of a solar panel that is connected to the battery as its primary source of power.

It will be a huge leap of advancement for the government agencies or even local people in

addressing certain problems regarding on the collection of oil spills, Experimental

methods involves various test including dry runs to ensure the effectiveness of the

machine and to increase the efficiency to its maximum.

Procedure

The researchers will begin by having a brainstorming session to come up with a

prototype design proposal. The researchers will gather information from recent studies

and other similar studies in order to determine the machine's features and specs. The

machine is expected to be innovative and perform functions that are distinct from those

offered around the market. After the researchers have determined the prototype's features,

specifications, and dimensions, they will begin sketching the design using the CAD

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software Fusion 360. The researchers will estimate the cost of constructing the prototype

based on the design, considering the time required to complete it. The components and

materials will then be gathered and combined into the prototype, with any components

that are not currently accessible on the market being produced in the workshop.

Following the fabrication of the prototype, it will be subjected to a series of tests to

determine whether it meets the objectives. The study's findings will be documented, the

results will be summarized, and recommendations for improving the study will be made.

Figure 3.1 is a schematic of the procedure that the researchers will follow.

DATA
BRAINSTORMING
COLLECTION

EVALUATION FABRICATION MODELING

DOCUMENTATION

Figure 3.1 Schema for the Procedure of the Study

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Outside Perspective

1670.00

Figure 3.2. Top View of Drum-Type Oil Skimmer Machine

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 382.00

330.00 800.00

Figure 3.3. Side View of Drum-Type Oil Skimmer Machine

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 670.00

460.00
270.00

Figure 3.4. Front View of Drum-Type Oil Skimmer Machine

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 Figure 3.5. Isometric View of Drum-Type Oil Skimmer Machine
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5
8
10 9
11 7
3 4
6
13
12

2
1

Figure
3.5.2.
Isometric View
of Drum- Type
Oil
Skimmer
Machine

Drum-type Oil Skimmer Machine Powered by Solar Energy

Items Part Name
1 Pipe
2 Frame
3 Oleophilic Drum
4 Scraper
5 Oil Storage
6 Solar Panel
7 Solar Charge Controller

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8 Battery
9 Inverter
10 AC Motor
11 Worm Gearbox
12 Shaft
13 Mounted Bearing
14 Oil Level Sensor

Table 1. Drum-type Oil Skimmer Machine Powered by Solar Energy

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Inside Perspective

Figure 3.6. Pipe

The pipe serves as the floater of the machine having a dimension of 200mm outside

diameter and a thickness of 18 mm. The pipe that were going to use is called HDPE or

High-Density Polyethylene, it is made out of polyethylene. The features of polyethylene

pipes are: Impact Resistance, Erosion Resistance, Chemical Resistance, Easy Connecting

that makes it suitable to the machine.

Figure 3.7 Frame

The frame will be the foundation and the body of the machine, this consist of Angle Bars,

Flat Bars and Steel Plate that is attached to each other by the use of wielding machine.

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Each component will be wielded depending on its purpose base on the said design. The

dimension of flat bar is 30mm width and 1mm thickness, angle bar 25mmx25mmx5mm

and the width of steel plate.

Figure 3.8 Oleophilic Drum

The primary component of the drum skimmer is the rotating drum. The drum coated with

a oleophilic materials which attracts oil. Its surface creates a large surface area for oil to

stick to the drum as it rotates on the surface of the water. Scrapers remove the oil and

direct it into the storage. The drum has a total diameter of 30 cm and length of 46 cm in

total.

Figure 3.9 Scraper

The scraper is made out of 1.5 mm steel plate that is specially design to scrape the oil that

sticks to the rotating oleophilic drum. The scraper is connected to the storage by two

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small PVC pipes where the oil flow directly to the storage, it is is attached to the both

ends of the scraper’s oil receiver.

Figure 3.10 Oil Storage

The sstorage of the oil is very necessary to the machine, it serve as a room for recovered

oil. It is made of 0.5mm steel plate and has a dimension of 500 mm in length, 300 mm

wide and a height of 150 mm which believe to hold enough oil for faster recovery. The

storage is connected to the scraper by two small PVC pipes which serves as a bridge

where the scraped oil flows directly to the storage.

Figure 3.11 Solar Panel

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of

technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy including

solar water heating, and solar architecture. The solar panel weighs around 8.6 kilogram in

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total and it has 1020 mm in length, 670 mm wide and 35 mm thickness which is made up

of aluminum frame and tempered glass and it has a maximum power output of 120 W.

Figure 3.12 Solar Charge Controller

A solar charge controller manages the power going into the battery bank from the solar

array. It ensures that the deep cycle batteries are not overcharged during the day, and that

the power doesn’t run backwards to the solar panels overnight and drain the batteries.

Some charge controllers are available with additional capabilities, like lighting and load

control, but managing the power is its primary job.

Figure 3.13 Battery

A Sealed Lead Acid battery is a secondary cell battery, meaning it can be re-charged.

Charging an SLA battery is accomplished by sending electrons through the battery to

reverse the chemical reaction that creates the energy output of the battery. The SLA

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Battery is connected to solar panel where it gets its electron by the Solar Charge

Controller.

Figure 3.14 Inverter

The Power inverter, inverter or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that

changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC)] The resulting AC frequency

obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opposite of

"converters" which were originally large electromechanical devices converting AC to

DC. The electricity coming from the SLA battery will be converted into alternating

current (AC) that will run the AC Worm Gear Motor.

Figure 3.15 AC Motor

The motor’s properties were taken into consideration in supplying power to the oil

skimming machine’s drum for it rotates. The motor is powered by the electricity that

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comes from the batter, through conversion in the inverter. By switching the direction of a

DC input back and forth very rapidly it will come up with a result of DC input turns into

AC output.

Figure 3.16 Worm Gearbox

The worm gearbox is connected to AC motor in the purpose of reducing its torque. By

producing a low speed and high-speed torque level, worm gears are utilized as speed

reducer. The Oleophilic drum in the design must have a low-speed toque level, which

implies that they are ideal for this machine.

Figure 3.17 Shaft

The Rotating shaft receives the power directly from the AC worm geared motor and

transmit its rotational power to oleophilic drum attached to it. The one end of the shaft is

connected mounted bearing which supports the rotation simultaneously. It has a total

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diameter of 3/4 in. or 19.05 mm and has a length of 600 mm.

Figure 3.18 Mounted Bearing

The mounted bearings and housings with rolling bearings support a rotating shaft, which

can be bolted on a machine frame or any other substructure. The mounted bearing can

house 3/4 in. of shaft connecting to the main motor while providing full rolling bearing

performance.

Figure 3.19 Oil Level Sensor

The oil level sensor is designed to monitor, maintain, and measure oil recovered levels.

Once the oil level is detected, the sensor converts the perceived data into an electric

signal (the LED lights turns on), which means that the amount of oil that been stored to

the storage is on its limitation.

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