Oil Spill Equipment Glossary

Oil containment boom

is used for the containment, exclusion or deflection of oil floating on water.

Foam filled booms for inland and sheltered waters.

Permanent booms for long term installations in locations where round the clock protection is required.

Inflatable boom offers compact storage and is therefore often deployed from boats in open and offshore waters.

Beach (shoreseal) booms booms are specially constructed to work in shallow or tidal areas.

Oil skimmers

are available for a wide variety of applications from industrial processing to large marine accidents. Click here for brief introduction.

Weir type skimmers simple suction head or large offshore unit fitted with high capacity screw pumps.

Rope mops are oleophilic devices, which circulated an oil attracting mop through a wringer.

Disc skimmers are good for medium and light oils and have a high recovery efficiency.

Brush skimmers are popular as they have a wider viscosity range, they can lift very heavy oils and deposit them into the sump.

Drum skimmers are typically very lightweight and driven by compressed air.

Vacuum systems are widely used due to their versatility. Ranging from vacuum trucks to small portable systems.

Recovered oil storage

may present a big problem in an oil spill operation. Storage can be created with temporary pits or by utilizing barges or other tanks of opportunity. Floating storage tanks can be used for temporary storage of recovered oil.

Fastanks and vacuum trailers can provide logistical support.

Dispersant spray systems

mounted on vessels or aircraft.

Oil transfer pumps

are also an important piece of the equipment setup. It is often the case that the oil thickens and becomes contaminated with trash and debris in the open. Pumps that can handle a mixture of oil and water, or that can manage a thick emulsified oil are very important.