New Komara Stars in viscous oil recovery

The Komara Star uses patented toothed discs to draw viscous oil towards the skimmer unit, effectively pulling the oil into the skimmer’s recovery zone. The Komara Star 20, with its powerful on board pump, will collect 20m

³

per hour of oil up to 1,000,000 centiStokes with less than 2% water content.

The key to increasing recovery rates is the ability to bring more oil to the point of recovery. In many skimmers oil has to flow through a narrow channel before it reaches the recovery zone. Vikoma engineers have redesigned the Komara Star 20 to give a 180 degree access to the disc bank, which ensures the viscous oil has an unobstructed flow path to the recovery zone. This is especially important for viscous oils, which act almost like a sheet of solid material. The sheet of oil has a tendency to tear or break if drawn into narrow channels, inhibiting the pull of oil towards the disc bank. A wider capture width thus makes recovery more effective.

The Komara Star 20 also has a demountable pump to allow safe lifting of the unit by two people. This gives the added benefit of enabling the powerful (32cu/m per hour) VikoPump to be used as a stand alone unit for other pumping applications.

It is generally expected that the working environment at an oil spill is not the most peaceful of situations, however there are ways to reduce the noise levels for the safety and comfort of operators. Vikoma has re-engineered its GP7 and GP10 powerpacks with a lower noise engine, a new combustion chamber, new injector position and sound baffles. The new GP10 gives a noise reduction of around 2 decibels, while the reduced vibration also results in a less harsh sound to improve comfort for the operators.

The GP7 powerpack also has a new lower noise engine. The GP7 has been designed in two separate parts for safe lifting by two people, enabling it to be carried into difficult terrain. The two elements fit together quickly and easily on site to provide hydraulic power. It has been optimised to drive the Komara 7 disc skimmer, a compact and easily portable disc skimmer.