MAGNETIC SYSTEM PICKS UP OIL FROM SPILLS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88R00729R000200030014-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 25, 2002
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: February 1, 1971
• Content Type: MAGAZINE

Approved For Rase 2002/06/19: CIA-RDP88R00729200030014-9
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San Francisco Bay sea lions rest on buoy,
surrounded by oil slick from tanker
Oil-soluble ferrofluid
added to test slick
mixes with oil film,
makes cleanup possible
using electromagnet
Magnetic cleanup of oil spills using
ferrofluids-in effect picking up oil
in the same way a magnet collects
iron filings-is being developed at the
systems division of Avco Corp.,
Lowell, Mass. Details of the new
technique were revealed to C&EN in
an interview and small-scale demon-
stration by Dr. Robert Kaiser, leader
of Avco's ferrofluids research group,
and Dr. Myron A. Coler of New York
University, an Avco consultant.
The Avco method imparts magnetic
properties to an oil slick by adding to
it a suitable oil-soluble, water-insolu-
ble ferrofluid solution-a stable col-
loidal dispersion of ferromagnetic
particles which do not settle or ag-
gregate under gravity or an applied
magnetic field. An electromagnet col-
lects the oil-ferrofluid mixture.
Under study since 1963, ferrofluids
have begun to find use in min-
eral separation, gyroscopes, seals,
medical diagnosis, and other areas.
Use of ferrofluids in oil spill cleanup
has great potential value.
Additional stimulus to the efforts of
Avco and other laboratories working
particle and be solvated by the car-
rier liquid, forming a liquid sheath of
30 to 1000 A. around each particle.
Ferrofluids are stable and have a
shelf life of at least one year.
In the presence of an applied mag-
netic field, the force experienced by
each particle in the direction of the
magnetic gradient is also transmitted
to the bulk liquid phase, even at high.
dilution ratios. Thus, the Avco invest-
igator notes, if a compatible ferro-
fluid is mixed with oil, the associated
bulk liquid. becomes magnetically
liquid motion. The magnetic response responsive. Since the oil-soluble fer-
of a ferrofluid is due to the coupling rofluid is not water-soluble, magnetic
of individual magnetic particles with properties are selectively conferred on
a substantial volume of the surround- the oil phase: The collecting magnet
on oil spill control has been given by
two recent large oil tanker spills-in
San Francisco and New Haven har-
bors-each of which poured out hun-
dreds of thousands of gallons of oil.
Increasing public outcry after every
new spill and stringent oil discharge
regulations issued under the Water
Quality Improvement Act of 1970
add further impetus. And oil pollu-
tion incidents are starting to cost oil
companies large sums, both in
cleanup costs and in penalties. Yet,
technology to clean up oil spills
remains in its infancy.
Against this background, Dr.. Kaiser
and his group began in 1969 to study
the possibility of applying ferrofluids
to oil spill control. The Lowell sci-
entist points out that ferrofluids have
unique physical characteristics, com-
bining ferromagnetic properties
(strong magnetic response) with reg-
ular liquid-state properties, which. are
retained even in a magnetic field.
Ferrofluids indeed exhibit superpara-
magnetic behavior in the presence of
an applied magnetic field.
The ferrofluid used by Dr. Kaiser
for oil spill work consists of a col-
loidal suspension of magnetic iron ox-
ide (either Fea0, or y-Fe_03) in a light
hydrocarbon carrier oil, such as kero-
sine, with carefully controlled spread-
ing characteristics. The particles do
not flocculate in a magnetic field be-
cause their size is small enough (about
100 A.) for thermal. agitation (Brown-
ian motion) to exert significant dis-
persive influence, and because they
are coated with a layer of stabilizing
agent to provide short-range repul-
sion between particles. Oleic acid has
been used in the past as a surfactant
stabilizing agent to maintain particle
dispersion, but the oil-control ferro-
fluid uses a different, proprietary
agent, according to Dr. Kaiser.
Coupling. The resulting material is
a liquid in which substantial magnetic
forces can be produced,. resulting in
' $ I ~} g i? (MT
cl It, i},,9
ferA ur V d o IectRee e a y e s abi izmg agen , w ic`h`
in Avco laboratory tank can both adsorb on the surface of the.
}4
OW v&ry little water en-
}
u i skimming methods.
Tests.
Dr. Kaiser and his group
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have tested their system in a large
laboratory tank, but not yet under
ocean conditions. In a typical lab ex-
periment, ferrofluid is sprayed on the
oil (about one part ferrofluid to five
parts oil), and the magnetized oil-fer-
rofluid mixture is picked up by a
traveling magnet.
A vacuum hose collects the accumu-
lated oil from between the magnet
poles. The oil in the gap of the mag-
net is not only separated from water,
but is also much thicker than the oil
in the slick. This increase in thick-
ness of the oil permits use of conven-
tional pumps to withdraw the oil
to suitable containers.
System. Dr. Kaiser envisages an op-
erational system for ocean use work-
ing on the same principles, with the
collecting magnet and its supporting
equipment and oil storage containers
located on a specially built ship. In
one example, he projects an integrated
system harvesting 16 acres of oil slick
per hour, or 12,500 gallons of oil of 1
mm. thickness. Removal of oil might
cost much less than $1.00 per gallon,
he adds. Dr. Kaiser. also believes
ferrofluid can be recycled to pick up
further oil.
With the Avco system, Dr. Kaiser
says, essentially all the oil is removed
with addition of only small amounts
of magnetic material. Since ferroflu-
ids are liquids, they can be handled
easily and applied to slicks by spray-
ing. There is minimal ecological dam-
age, since the ferrofluid additive is
removed with the oil.
Another possible application, Dr.
Kaiser adds, is mixing ferrofluids with
oil refinery effluent streams and then
passing the effluent between the poles
of a magnet to clean the water of hy-
drocarbons. In fact, he suggests, the
ferrofluid magnetic method of oil-wa-
ter separation may find practical ap-
plication in this area before it does
in oil spill treatment.
Government and private parties step up spill control R&D
lKi recent months there has been accel- phased about a year apart, according
eration of research and development ef= to Cmdr. Lehr. The air-deliverable anti-
forts by government, industry, and uni- pollution transfer system (ADAPTS)., in-
versities to improve oil spill control volving transfer of oil from a stricken
methods. At least one laboratory is tanker to large rubber bladders (C&EN,
studying another magnetic method for May 25, 1970, page 15), has been
oil spill cleanup, although it is quite tested in prototype in both calm and
different from Avco's use of ferrofluids. rough waters, and is now undergoing
Dr. J. E. Turbeville of the University final modification. Cmdr. Lehr says
of South Florida, Tampa, coats ex- procurement is planned of the first full-
panded beads of polystyrene foam with scale system by July, with deployment
iron powder and then spreads the . probably on the East Coast soon there-
buoyant ferromagnetic material on an after.
oil slick. The foam adsorbs oil and In its oil containment program, the
can then be collected with a magnet. Coast Guard awarded a $1 million con-
However, the method-tested only on tract to Johns-Manville Corp., New York
a laboratory scale-requires 10 cu. ft. City, to build a full-scale prototype oil
of pellets for 1 cu. ft. of oil. containment boom system. The sys-
Surveillance. The Coast Guard car- tem will be based on conclusions of
ries on one of the largest oil spill re- previous design studies and of hydro-
search programs (C&EN, Sept. 7, 1970, dynamic investigations on oil movement
page 48). Cmdr. William E. Lehr, Jr., and boom functioning. Required to be
chief of the Coast Guard's Pollution air-deployable and to contain oil even
Control Branch, office of research and in 5-foot waves, the system is to be
development, tells C&EN that the Coast ready for sea testing in late spring.
Guard is now analyzing results of two As for high seas oil-collecting de-
years of aerial surveillance research. vices, the Coast Guard will decide
Test flights have been made by air- within the next two months on contracts
craft bearing "off-the-shelf" microwave, to design oil-recovery equipment.
infrared, and ultraviolet sensors, side- Biodegradation. Another federal
looking radar (C&EN, Dec. 14, 1970, agency, the Office of Naval Research
page 45), and various photographic (ONR), is encouraging research on ac-
techniques to detect and follow oil dis- celerated biodegradation of oil. Allen
charges. Jewett, naval biology project officer,
Cmdr. Lehr hopes that by June a says that ONR is assisting at least seven
decision will be made to start building scientists in this work.
an experimental prototype surveillance The American Petroleum Institute
system or systems. Regular flights (API) oil spill program is also accelerat-
over selected areas, such as New York ing, according to research program co-
harbor, to check visually against oil pol- ordinator Jack R. Gould. A study will
lution have been going on for some be released shortly, prepared for API
time, and will probably be stepped up by Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge,
even before sensors become available. Mass. The study discusses selection of
The Coast Guard's oil transfer, con- oil spill treatment agents appropriate to
tainment, and collection programs are different environments.
Approved Foelease 2002/06/19: CIA-RDP88R0 R000200030014-9