There may still be a lot of oil left in the Gulf after a drilling rig explosion several months ago, but an Enid company is hoping to help change that.
GPM Pumping Systems, 108 E. Garriott, has developed a machine designed to suck oil out of water as well as off plants in the water.
The contraption, called The Chameleon-G1 Skimmer, is a self-propelled device that sucks oil out of the water using a high density polyethylene pipe.
Gary Palecek, chief executive officer of GPM Pumping Systems, has been down in the New Orleans area sharing the device with members of the federal government as well as British Petroleum officials.
He said there has been great reception to the device so far.
“They’re very interested in it and haven’t seen anything like it before,” Palecek said.
Palecek said he brought the Skimmer down to the Gulf as soon as he got it built. This Skimmer is more of a prototype that could be the first in line of several more to come — depending on whether government officials buy into it.
But Palecek is optimistic.
“I’ve got a feeling we’re going to sell at least six and maybe more,” he said.
The Skimmer operates by taking water from the ocean and funneling it into a small compartment. From the compartment, the water funnels into two separate sections that suck the oil off the top of the water.
When the two compartments are full, another 300-gallon tote can be used to store water on board.
Anywhere from 300 to 600 gallons of water can be stored on the Skimmer at one time.
After the oil is cleaned from the water, it is transferred to boats sailing alongside the Skimmer.
Newer versions of the Skimmer, should they be built, possibly could store 710 gallons of water onboard.
The prototype Skimmer took two months to build, Palecek said, but if they are requested by BP, GPM should be able to build them in only one week.
However, that would require a much larger investment.
“I would have to hire a ton of people,” he said.