Autonomous oil containment system for oil spill recovery

Abstract

The release of petroleum hydrocarbons in marine environments is harmful to aquatic and human life, necessitating efficient oil spill recovery processes. This paper presents an autonomous oil spill containment system designed to enhance response times. The system features a floating oil boom and two autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) controlled by a ground control station (GCS) for coordinated manoeuvring. Due to their scalable and adaptable nature, the system can be configured for various oil spill scenarios. Simulations using a GCS and Software-in-the-loop demonstrated the autonomous potential, while real-world tests focused on ASV manual tuning and water condition analysis. Simulation results indicate the system's effectiveness in containing oil spills using GPS-guided ASV navigation. This prototype offers a foundation for future work in oil spill recovery technology.