The most important aspect of any emergency treatment modality is easy and rapid deployment to the affected site. Just as rapid evacuation of battlefield casualties with helicopters helps save lives, so can rapid deployment of well-designed containment technology to underwater oil/gas/chemical leaks save millions of dollars in damages and resource losses. In order for any containment device to be effective, it must meet stringent requirements. It must be of a manageable size, designed in such a way as to ensure accurate placement, able to withstand great pressures at depth as well as temperatures as low as 4 degrees C., and it should be minimally affected by ocean currents during placement. No special skills should be required for deployment of the system and it should be compatible with existing surface collection technology including hoses, pipes, and surface vessels. With this in mind, a simple two stage device, using existing NASA and medical technology, was developed. The SOS system has applications for any underwater oil/gas well blowout or leak, and can be used for the exploration and evaluation of natural oil/gas/chemical seepage from the ocean or lake floors. When combined with existing oil/water separators on the surface, previously untapped resources become available.
The two stage system developed by SOS has a first stage anchoring component with an attached cable which serves as a guide wire to the surface. This is the key to accurate placement of the second stage collecting device which is lowered on the guide wire. The Stage II component is a simple, perforated steel pipe, 16" or less in diameter, with a deployable 'umbrella' which increases the surface area for collection to 400 sq. ft. or more. Expelled oil/gas/chemicals, being lighter than water, are directed up and into the pipe. Column pressures, if too great, can be neutralized with a surface pump. A unique, yet simple inertial latching system with an internal one way valve attaches Stage I to Stage II, and Stage II to the collecting hose/pipe. It is the design of the second stage and the attachment system that actually allows the easy placement of the second stage over any flowing oil/gas, regardless of the flow rates or pressures. Previous attempts to resolve the placement problem have met with little or no success as evidenced by problems incurred with the April 2010 gulf oil well blowout. Now, Sea Oil Salvage has the answer.
Dr. Dennis R. Spence, Pres., founder SOS
"SOS has long been the international signal for distress on the high seas.
In the future, SOS will become the beacon for solving distress under the seas."
