New Machine Offers Best Hope yet for Oil Spill Clean Up

While thousands of people have sent ideas to BP, only a handful are being considered. However, one innovation captured their attention as technology so promising that it was hand-walked through all of their various corporate channels in order to be tested and put to use in the Gulf.

This invention, which is the greatest hope we have seen yet for collection and cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, is a new kind of machine that has a collection capability far greater than any skimmer that has been used before. To be exact, these machines each have a collection capacity of up to 4,000 gallons per minute. All the skimmers being used in the Gulf up until now are able, all together, to collect less than half a million gallons a day, while just one BRS-2 is able to collect 2 million gallons a day. Other skimmers work by corralling the oil, usually inefficiently, by dragging boom, over and under which much oil escapes before it can be collected. This machine works differently than all the others by using the force of motion for direct collection of oil and water, and can be more effective in conditions where other skimmers cannot even be used.

BP already has one of these new machines, which they have put to the test in the Gulf, and it has performed even better than expected. Production of more BRS-2 units is underway now. The technology is being leased by BP from the Petroleum and Environmental Clean Up Company, a Mobile, Alabama-based company whose owners are the inventors of this technology.

The HITT (High Interest and Technology Testing) team at BP is excited about the difference that these machines will make. The machines can move through the thickest layer of the spill and collect the oil and water which will then be transferred to storage vessels, such as tanker ships. However, this is not the only possible use for the BRS-2 machine. Robert G. Cox, one of the company principles, seems most excited about what these machines -- which he refers to as "surface slicers" -- can do if positioned in places such as Alabama Point, Perdido pass, Destin, and even Mobile Bay. He feels certain that this technology, coupled with barges for collection, can prevent ANY surface oil from entering at these points and coming into the passes.

This oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been a tremendous disaster, and, until now, the huge scope of the spill has made the outlook for our coastline and inland systems bleak. The BRS-2 is bringing hope for the Gulf coast and, if utilized properly, will make a massively beneficial impact all along the coast.

COPYRIGHT MILLIE GREEN 2010
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