This project continued development of a Recovery Efficiency (RE) sensor that could be used during oil response operations to measure the percentage of oil and water in recovered fluid across the entire range of concentrations. Currently, responders do not have a method for knowing in real time the percentage of water in recovered fluid. Collecting a large amount of water is inefficient in that it requires responders to halt recovery to offload recovered fluids more often. Having real time concentration data allows the responder to adjust operations to maximize oil recovery.
The sensor is an open pipe design that is installed along the fluid recovery hose. Oil/water concentration is continuously measured and transmitted wirelessly to a ruggedized tablet PC. Sensor features include:
• Compatibility with multiple oil types and salinity levels.
• Wireless and wired communication with the tablet.
• Connectivity with 2”, 3” or 4” hoses.
• Battery or external power operations.
• Packaged for quick setup and deployment.
The sensor was tested at the Ohmsett facility in 2022 and 2023. The sensor had an overall accuracy of 93.6%. However, the measurement maximum error across all oils and concentrations tested was 24%, which did not meet BSEE’s required accuracy. The final report details recommendations for further research to improve sensor accuracy.
The project is complete. The final report is attached below.