Development of a Floating Oil Slick Detector

The report describes a series of laboratory tests aimed at the initial development of a floating oil slick detector. In principle the detector operates like a viscometer, with a cylinder spinning inside a slightly larger cylindrical shroud partially submerged in the water surface. An oil slick causes the spinner to become coated with oil (rather than water) so that the shaft torque and the electrical current through the drive motor both increase. The increased current can be used to close a relay and thereby signal the presence of floating oil. The test results indicate that all the oil slicks are readily detected by most of the spinner-shroud configurations, and that there is also a limited capability to discriminate the types and thicknesses of oil slicks. (Modified author abstract)