SKIMMING BARRIER PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: OFFSHORE VERSION AND HARBOR VERSION1

ABSTRACT Performance evaluation test programs were carried out for two oil skimming devices, one for the full-scale high seas U.S. Coast Guard Skimming Barrier, and the second for the Scoop, a scaled-down skimming barrier for use in near-shore applications, incorporating a dedicated vessel. The new system was designed to utilize the successful design features of the proven Coast Guard system in a small, easily deployable skimmer for protecting harbors. The test results of the large system with a 19 cubic meter oil load in the barrier indicated 83 percent recovery efficiency at a 109.9 cubic meter per hour recovery rate. The smaller system produced an 84 percent recovery efficiency at an 11.4 cubic meter per hour recovery rate when encountering a 1.1 cubic meter oil-loaded barrier. Both programs provided unique underwater photography of the boom and tension cable lines reacting to water current, waves, and oil.