Pacific Petroleum Recovery Alaska was founded by owner Kevin Kennedy, in an effort to improve the drastic need for updated oil spill recovery technology. Oil Recovery Efficiency (ORE) is a standard measurement that describes the percentage of oil that a skimmer can recover when operating on--‐water. Most of the skimmers currently in use in the U.S. opt to use a “e--‐rated”ORE of 20% of total pumping capacity. That means that 80% of the fluid recovered by these skimmers is water. PPR Alaska’s achievement of 99% oil recovery efficiency in ASTM 2709 tank tests sets a new standard. Otter Skimmer inventor Kevin Kennedy sees room for improvement.

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In October 2015, PPR Alaska visited the CISPRI oil test tank facility in Nikiski, Alaska to test the Otter skimmer against the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard 2709 for Stationary Skimmers. Six (6) tests were conducted using Alaska North Slope crude oil in cold water (46°F /8ºC). Oil recovery efficiencies ranged from 91% to 98%, with an average of 95%. Oil recovery rates (total volume of liquids processed through the system) ranged from 47 to 64 gallons per minute for the small system that was tested in the 25--‐foot long/4--‐foot deep tank at CISPRI. In a larger scale test environment, the Otter vacuum skimmer is expected to achieve an oil recovery rate of at least 200 gallons per minute.  In April of 2016 PPR went to Louisiana to test the Skimmer on an active spill site producing hydrocarbon sheens. He was determined to test in real conditions on a real release.  He tested in 6 foot plus seas using a local shrimping boat to prove the skimmer could be deployed easily by local fisherman.  The test was a success and Kevin actually recovered Oily Sheen from the water.   

 

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Kevin and his team have been perfecting this technology since their Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE days. This fun group of engineers, scientists and evironmentalists (or just friends and family if you ever meet one of them personally), are doing everything possible to help clean up our planet's water systems. Take a look at where they started in the video below, and then head over to the products page to learn more about the ever evolving Otter Skimmer Series!