iOSMS – Oil Spill Monitoring System
System configuration
Component description
Oil Spill Detection System & Wave Monitoring System
Oil Spill Detection System (OSD)
The OSD system can be used as a standalone system or as part of a remote sensor network. The OSD system provides continuous local surveillance. It can be installed onboard the moving vessel, on the oil rig and on shore. The oil spill detection system utilizes advanced image processing algorithms for earliest possible detection of oil spills. It has the ability to detect and track oil spills in complete darkness enabling 24 hours recovery operations.
Wavex Wave Monitoring System
The WAVEX provides means for measurement of directional ocean wave spectra and ocean surface currents based on analyzing portions of radar images of the sea surface. Data processing of a time sequence of these images allows qualitative directional wave spectra as well as spectra scaled in absolute wave height and surface current to be obtained.
OSD & Wavex uses standard marine X band radar as a main source for collecting information.
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| IR camera | Floating buoy | AIS | Weather sensors |
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IR camera shows the extent of the medium and the thickest parts of the oil spill and tracks the movements and changes in formation of the oil spill. Day/night operation.
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An AIS oil drift buoy is designed for tracking oil spills and transmitting their exact position, speed and direction to the ships’ AIS screen. Buoy to ship range: 7 to 10 Nm Battery lifetime: 7 days |
Automation Identification system (AIS) is used to obtain geographical position of the ships involved in skimming operation and to locate them on the electronic map. | Weather sensors provide speed and direction of the winds that may have an effect on an oil spill drift. |
Measurement Principles
For X-band radar, low grazing angle backscattering from the sea surface is caused by the electromagnetic waves´ interaction with the wind generated sea surface capillary waves, a mechanism known as Bragg scattering.
Creation of such capillary waves is dependent on the surface tension of the sea water. If oil is present, the surface tension is reduced and the capillary waves are not created. Hence, the backscattered electromagnetic energy from sea surface areas covered with oil is strongly reduced. In fact a very thin film of oil is enough to prevent the capillary waves from being created.
The thickness of an oil slick cannot be measured using microwave radar. However, knowledge of how the oil drifts under given wind and surface current conditions, ensures that the mechanical oil recovery equipment or chemical dispersant spraying equipment can be kept within areas of combatable oil thickness at any given time.
