Specialists of Rosatom State Corporation have completed testing a mobile laser unit designed to remove oil spills from water. The experiment was held in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of Sakhalin Island, the company’s press office reports.
The laser unit developed by the Troitsk Institute for Innovative and Thermonuclear Research (TRINITI JSC, part of Rosatom) was used for the first time to burn an oil slick.
The experts used special equipment to block the entry of flammable substances into the water and observed all necessary safety measures.
During the tests the mobile laser unit was placed on the deck of a cargo ship. To simulate an oil spill, a raft was used, consisting of a wooden frame and foam sheets fixed on it and covered with sheets of roofing felt, on which a layer of high viscosity crude oil and bitumen was applied. The combustible mixture on the raft was ignited with the laser unit from a distance of about 300 meters.
The experiment proved that Rosatom’s mobile laser unit allows for non-contact and remote cleaning at a distance of up to 300 meters without any preparatory work.
Photo: Rosatom