Design and Implementation of a Filtration and Capture System for an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle Removing Ship Pollutants

In this project, an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from the industry partner EcoMarine Technologies Inc is used to navigate underwater to execute the tasks of capturing and filtering the biofouling when performing hull cleaning for ships in the ocean. In order to avoid harmful debris being released into the sea when cleaning, environmentally friendly and economically viable solutions would be needed. Sensors and actuators will be integrated to a filtration system and capture system for the ROV. The system is used to deal with a wide range of pollutants such as plastics, metals, and organic waste in the ocean. Two main modules will be designed. The first one is the design of a modular and efficient filtration system which is capable of filtering varying pore sizes of different pollutants. The design is scalable and adaptable to different sizes of ROVs. The second one is the capture and storage system to minimize the human exposure to hazardous materials, easy for operation, and with smart sensors for monitoring the amount of captured pollutants. The principle is that the overall process should not disturb marine life in the underwater environment. Extensive testing will be carried out to refine the design.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ya-Jun Pan

Student:

Partner:

EcoMarine Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: