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How Kevin Costner's oil filtration tech works
Yesterday, we got the announcement. Today, we get the details.
Fri, May 14 2010 at 1:46 PM
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Photo: ZUMA Press
At a press conference yesterday in Louisiana, Kevin Costner became the first, and most unlikely, celebrity to step up and announce his support for helping residents affected by the Gulf oil spill. But Costner was bringing more than just star power to the rescue. Along with his brother Dan, the two showed off the oil-filtration technology that they've been working on for more than 15 years.
Turns out Costner has a passion for more than just Hollywood. And lucky for us, that investment could help deal with the oil spill crisis.
Unfortunately, little was known about how the new invention would work — but a demonstration was promised later. Here's what I found after a little digging, courtesy of local Gulf station WDSU:
The machine works on the principle of centrifugal force. In this case, diesel fuel and water enter the machine together and are jettisoned separately, with water on one side and diesel on the other. The machine will clean the water up to 97 percent, officials with Ocean Therapy Solutions said.
OK, so that's a very basic explanation. There's obviously a bit more at work here, but for patent reasons (assumingly), the Costner brothers ain't talking. The cool thing is that the jump to 100 percent filtration is within reach — something one of the engineers said will allow you to drink the water being filtered from the machine.
Sure, but you first.
"I just am really happy that this has come to the light of day," Costner told the station. "I'm very sad about why it is, but this is why it was developed, and like anything that we all face as a group, we face it together."
The company offers five different machines that work from 5 gallons a minute to 200 gallons a minute — making the high-end version capable of doing some serious filtration near the source of the spill. It's no wonder that BP is working with locals to get one of the demo units out in the water.
For his part, Costner said he's invested some $26 million to make the technology a reality. Should it help to filter even a small percentage of oil in the water, you can bet his gamble will pay off substantially.
And then we won't be making anymore "Waterworld" jokes. Turns out the guy may actually be able to save the oceans after all.
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My bet is that the so called 'inventors' are taking Costner for a ride. If this thing really worked, the world would know about it. It only separates diesel from water; Not oil from water.
With the Trillions Big Oil has made in Profits they could've easily built a fleet of Vessels equiped with these Devices hundreds of times the size of this unit. It' not like this is new technology.. although Costners company may have come up with their latest design... It's all about Greed people..
Why hasn't Drill Baby Drill Palin and Joe the Fake Plumber come out with a solution for this Clean up? Last I heard Joe finally got his Plumbers license and should be able to use Palins incredible Einstein like Brain to come up with a clean up Solution.
Hi Mr. Costner,
Like you, I too have met with resistance from BP about a skimmer design that, paired with your centrifuge, could be adapted to any depth of water and collect all the oil floating both on the surface and up to four feet with your company to offeryou my design for this skiimmer. I am very frustrated. My email is broncoinc@cox.net
So grateful to Mr. Costner, for this effort you, as well as your brother and his team, have made. I look forward to seeing results now that testing is being done at the site.
Hi from Germany, Mr. Costner!
Like in "Down in Nogales" we sit here and hope that Your invention will succeed. I already posted an idea to centrifugatethe oily water in a German blog some days before and thought of eggwhite and eggsnow and the Krupps 3Mix. Might it work properly! Lotsa Greetings!
Kevin's Technology sounds identical to Enviro Voraxial's Technology that has been working in the field for 5 years who I believe is also trying to get a demonstration in the Gulf
enviro voraxial's tool is also getting tested by bp I read in another story
On behalf of the entire crew at Whale Tails Chips an ocean of thanks Kevin for your efforts in providing solutions.
Ric
i cant believe it, someone totally not expected to come forward to help, and with a invention that has been sitting around, and it looks like it may work, i am so stoked, i love the gulf and it has mad me so mad at how long it has taken to find a solution to this problem, Awesome
This concept has been in use for a long time in medicine. It's called "plasmapheresis." I kept trying to contact the govt to suggest this idea; Kevin Costner has gotten through where I have failed.
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