DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF AN OIL-SKIMMING BOAT
BATCH -
11
Under the Guidance of Batch Members
Mr. K. Prudhvi Raj 21261A1406 - Barma Rajya Laxmi
Assistant Professor 21261A1412 - Chetha Ajay
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering 20265A1436 – Rachamalla. Jayanth
MGIT 22265A1409 - Yella Shyam Babu
ABSTRACT
Accidental oil leakage from tankers and other ships has catastrophic impacts on the
marine ecosystem, that pollutes oceans and threatens living creatures and industries. An
estimated 15% of the oil entering the ocean every year leads to the destruction of
marine life as well as fisheries and leads to the risk of catching fire during the clean-up
process. The conventional clean-up process relies extensively on bulk, specially designed
machinery equipment, which is costly as well as cumbersome to establish and are
accident-prone. We will propose the use of a fast and efficient, remotely controlled oil
skimmer boat designed for immediate oil removal to tackle all these challenges.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Oil spills are a major environmental hazard with far-reaching consequences. When oil
spills into a body of water, it not only contaminates the water itself but also harms
wildlife, disrupts ecosystems, and poses long-term risks to human health.
Traditionally, methods like booms, skimmers, and dispersants are used to contain and
remove oil, but these come with limitations. Firstly, they are expensive and require
large crews and heavy equipment, making it difficult to deploy quickly in emergencies.
Secondly, many oil spills occur in remote or confined areas where large equipment
cannot be reached easily. Rivers, lakes, and coastal regions present a particular
challenge. And thirdly, some methods like chemical dispersants can worsen the
environmental impact, as they introduce foreign chemicals into the ecosystem, adding
further toxicity to the water.
LITERATURE OVERVIEW
Fixed oil skimmers are limited by their stationary nature, only able to
collect oil in a small, fixed area, which makes them ineffective for spills
that spread or shift due to wind or currents. They also require
permanent installation, limiting use to specific locations like harbors or
industrial sites. Fixed skimmers incur higher maintenance costs due to
continuous operation.
ENHANCEMENTS :
• Compact, lightweight, and easily deployable by a single user
• Mechanical skimming without additional chemicals, reducing potential environmental
harm.
• Real-Time Monitoring
• Enhanced Skimming Mechanism
• Cost-Effectiveness
• Control and Maneuverability
WORKING FLOWCHART
COMPONENTS
• DC MOTOR
•Control: You can control the motor's and direction using a motor driver circuit (like an H-
bridge) connected to your RC controller. This allows for precise control over the drone’s
movements, essential for maneuvering while skimming oil.
•Propulsion: The DC drive motor will be responsible for propelling the drone. By connecting it
to the drone's wheels or propellers, it will provide the necessary thrust for movement.
•Power Supply: Ensure that the motor speed is powered appropriately according to its voltage
rating, and integrate it with the drone's power management system to ensure consistent
performance.
• PROPELLERS :
o Propellers create lift by spinning rapidly, which generates a difference in air pressure above
and below the blades. This lift allows your drone to ascend and hover over the water's
surface.
o When angled slightly forward, propellers can also provide thrust, propelling the drone in the
desired direction. This is crucial for maneuvering and positioning the drone effectively for
skimming operations.
o Properly balanced propeller arrangements contribute to the drone's stability during flight.
Ensuring all propellers are identical and installed correctly helps maintain stable flight.
• DC PUMP MOTOR :
o Function: The DC pump motor will be used to power a
submersible pump that actively collects oil from the water
surface. This pump will draw oil into a storage container .
o Control Mechanism: The pump motor can be controlled via the
RC system or a separate switch that activates the pump when the
boat is over an oil spill. This allows for selective operation,
conserving power when not in use.
• SKIMMER
•Function: The belt skimmer will act as the main component for
collecting oil from the water surface. The conveyor belt is designed to
skim the oil off the surface and move it to a collection area.
•Design: The belt can be fitted below the drone or attached as an
additional module . As the boat hovers over the oil spill, the belt
skimmer will continuously drag across the water, picking up oil and
transferring it into a storage container.
•The conveyor belt moves continuously, pulling in the collected oil as
the drone moves over the spill. The motion of the belt must be
synchronized with the boat’s speed to ensure optimal oil collection.
• UV FLUORESCENE SENSOR :
• Function: The UV fluorescence sensor detects the presence of oil on the
water's surface by measuring the fluorescence emitted when UV light
interacts with the oil molecules. This allows the drone to identify areas
with oil contamination.
• Operation: When the sensor emits UV light, it excites the oil molecules,
causing them to fluoresce. The sensor detects this fluorescence, providing
real-time data about the presence and concentration of oil in the water.
• Data Collection: The sensor can continuously monitor the water surface
for oil spills, providing immediate feedback to the drone’s control system.
This data can be used to decide when and where to deploy the skimming
mechanism.
Arduino Mega 2560 :
• Motor Control : The Arduino Mega will control the DC
drive motors and the DC pump motor using motor
drivers . It is easy to adjust the speed and direction of the
motors based on input from RC controller.
• Sensor Integration : The microcontroller will process
input from the UV fluorescence sensor, allowing for real-
time detection of oil on the water surface. We can
program it to respond accordingly by activating the
skimmer when oil is detected.
• Data Processing :The Arduino Mega can collect data
from various sensors, including the UV fluorescence
sensor.
• Communication : We can implement remote control,
the Arduino Mega can communicate with other devices,
by enabling to send real-time data and receive
commands.
RC CONTROLLER
• RC Receiver: The RC receiver receives the signals from the RC
transmitter and sends them to the Arduino. We will connect
the receiver to the Arduino via PWM pins or a serial
communication interface.
• The receiver converts the signals into readable data for the
Arduino, which then processes them to control various
systems on the drone, such as motors, skimmer mechanism,
and sensors.
• Motor Control (Drive and Steering):
•The motor drivers receive PWM signals from the Arduino
based on input from the RC controller.
•Throttle control (forward/reverse) will be connected to one
channel of the RC controller.
•Steering (yaw or direction control) will be assigned to another
channel to adjust the rotation of the drone.
REFRENCES
[Link]. Patel [Link]. (2021) “Design and fabrication of oil skimmer”
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, Vol. 04,
issue 05, pp. 2282-2284.
2. Design and fabrication of Oil Collector S H Pawar1 , Shukla Amit Kumar2 , Ahire
VishuPatil Yashodhan.
3. OIL SKIMMING AQUA ROBOT Aishwarya Shirbhate, Ashwini Dalvi ,Pushpa Bamhane
Prof. Mrs. D. P. Adhyapak
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS
