Since start of the mission, PIMI and its CEO have been tracking “Boyan Slat” and its glorious dream. Today, Nov. 15th., 2019, we have received another new review of the mission. This review is full of details about every part of the System 001 and its subsidiaries including “Interceptor”. To share it with our readers we have copied some paragraphs and news briefs with hyperlinks.
THE ROAD TO THE CLEANUP
Mission 001 (i.e. System 001 and its variations) designs have been the world’s first cleanup systems to be trialed and utilized in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – the world’s largest accumulation zone of ocean plastics – situated halfway between Hawaii and California.
We have now proven our foundational concept with System 001/B, and will start the design process for System 002, which will become the first full-scale operational system that incorporates previous learnings. System 001/B will remain deployed for further and final testing until the end of November 2019.
Mission One
After 273 scale model tests, six at-sea prototypes, a comprehensive mapping of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) with 30 vessels and an airplane, and several technology iterations, we launched the world’s first cleanup system from San Francisco on September 8, 2018. During its approximate four months offshore, many aspects of the technology were proven, but it was observed that the system was not effectively retaining plastic. While the team was testing solutions, a fatigue fracture caused an 18-meter section of the system to detach. The crew and the system safely returned to shore on January 17, 2019, thus concluding the first campaign of System 001.
Redesign
Using the learnings and data collected from System 001’s time offshore, we conducted a root cause analysis for the ineffective plastic retention and structural failure. It was concluded that the system needed to move through the plastic at a consistent speed to effectively catch and retain the plastic. Either going slower or faster, the system must not lose what has accumulated inside of it. We also determined that the fracture resulted from material fatigue, caused by stress concentrations at the weld points in the dovetail connections. The engineering team developed options to address both issues, which were incorporated into a modified design with System 001/B.
System 001/B
System 001/B is designed as a modular platform to allow us to test multiple options for solving the issue of plastic retention. Just five months after System 001 returned to shore, System 001/B set sail on June 18th on our mission to deliver a working concept. The aim of this iteration was to iteratively test multiple design changes, such as: speeding up the system with buoys, slowing down the system with a parachute sea anchor, different varieties of the underwater skirt, and an adjusted placement of the screen to reduce the loads on the HDPE floater. This modular system could be almost entirely modified while offshore, thus allowing us to learn as much as possible during this campaign and hastening the iteration cycles – with the eventual goal of reaching proof of concept.
Outcome and next steps
During the System 001/B test campaign, we found that the parachute slow-down version proved to deliver the most stable results at capturing and retaining plastic. By enlarging (tripling) the cork line size of the screen, we also managed to minimize overtopping of plastic – allowing us to feel confident that we are now ready to start working on System 002.
System 002 will be built as a full-scale operational system. A lot of engineering will go into designing this system based on the proven elements of System 001/B, namely with a focus on: increasing the size, autonomous navigation through the garbage patch, long term plastic collection and retention, and durability to withstand several years of deployment at sea.
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Seven questions from “Boyan Slat” and its River AMA cruise
1. What countries are next for the interceptor? How quickly will it be scaled up? #askboyan
AIMING FOR ABOUT 10 SUCCESSFUL INTERCEPTOR PROJECTS BY END OF NEXT YEAR. PRIORITIZING QUALITY OF QUANTITY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN FIRST LEG OF RAMP-UP CURVE. NO DECISION YET ON NEXT DEPLOYMENT COUNTRIES.
2. The interceptor scoops up dead leaves, dead plants, branches and mud. Does the removal of this material negatively impact the river environment? If yes, can this material be sorted from the plastic and other man-made waste and returned to the river?
SYSTEM ALSO COLLECTS DEAD LEAVES/TWIGS FROM RIVER BUT
1) THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY BAD AS BRANCHES FORM HAZARD FOR BOATS & INVASIVE WATER HYACINTHS OFTEN CAUSE PROBLEMS
2) WHEN DEBRIS IS SORTED, ORGANICS COULD BE RETURNED TO THE RIVER IF DESIRABLE LOCALLY
3. Is it possible to add sensors for measuring i.e. weight or how many dumpsters each day are swopped, add GPS location, put this information on a online map with all the other Interceptors! Tell the story by making it visible!
LIVE CAMERA FEEDS AND DATA STREAMS OF THE INTERCEPTORS WILL GO LIVE ONCE 003 AND 004 HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED. SHOULD BE IN A FEW MONTHS!
4. How much time does Interceptor need to fill all its containers in a typical Asian river?
BETWEEN A FEW HOURS AND A FEW DAYS, DEPENDING ON WEATHER, DEBRIS LOAD, LOCATION
5. Will you be placing these systems close to where the river meets the ocean or further upstream?
DOWNSTREAM FROM LAST MAJOR SOURCEPOINT
6. You probably need lots of people to get all the Interceptors in the rivers. Will there come more vacancies?
DEFINITELY EXPANDING THE TEAM IN COMING MONTHS WITH BIGGEST GROWTH IN RIVER TEAM. SEE ALL CURRENT OPENINGS ON
7. #askboyan As a teacher who has been covering your journey with The Ocean Cleanup since last year with my students, what are the biggest lessons you have learned throughout this process? What advice would you pass on to 5th graders who are wanting to make a difference too?
PERSISTENCE, CURIOSITY AND INTELLECTUAL HONESTY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS TO GET SOMETHING BIG TO WORK. IT’S WHAT I VALUE MOST IN MY TEAM.
The last article about “Ocean Cleanup” published at PIMI News Channel was: System 001/B Is Successfully Capturing And Collecting Ocean’s Plastic Debris
