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The use of mechanical systems to collect, contain and recover oil is considered to be a primary technique in responding to offshore oil spills. This method has the advantage of immediate removal of oil from the environment. A typical recovery operation involves a boom system towed in a U configuration by one or two vessels which collects surface oil in the boom apex. Once sufficient thickness is collected, a skimmer system recovers the collected oil. Recovered fluids may be decanted to remove excess water and then are stored for later disposal.

These systems, while used in most recovery operations, do have operational limitations. Traditional booms systems have maximum tow speeds of 0.7-1 knot, above which oil cannot be contained within the moving boom. Inflation and deployment of the booms can be fairly labor and time intensive. Recent research has led to boom systems that can be towed at speeds up to 3-5 knots and have automated inflation and deployment capabilities. Specialty booms such as sorbent booms can be used for polishing of water to remove sheen or very thin layers of oil. Sheet sorbents can also be used to provide this polishing step. However, recovery and disposal of these sorbents requires additional time and manpower.

Skimmer systems operate most effectively with a reasonably thick layer of oil, and skimmer design determines the rate and efficiency of recovery. Weir skimmers can recover fluids at a fast rate, limited by the operation of the pump; oleophilic (oil attracting) skimmers have the advantage of increasing efficiency in that they tend to collect less water along with the oil. Efficient recovery, and onboard fluid separation can reduce temporary storage needs for a given response operation. Specially designed skimmers can collect highly viscous oils or oil within an ice laden environment. Several recently developed systems couple skimmer and boom functions into a single system, and employ inflation/deployment technology to provide quickly deployable systems.

BSEE research focuses both on development of innovative new technologies as well as improvements to existing technologies. Systematic testing is also emphasized to inform stakeholders and encourage use of the best performing systems.