Patent ID: 8663467

Claim:
An oil recovery apparatus for recovering oil adjacent to a surface of water, comprising: a skimmer to collect oil and water into a skimmer receptacle; and a tank operably connected to the skimmer receptacle, further comprising: a tank body that is streamlined to move below the surface of the water; a pipe intersecting with a hermetic seal a top of the tank body, operable for allowing air or fluids to flow between an interior of the tank body and an area above the tank body; a nose cup connected to a forward end of the tank body forming a hermetic seal with the tank body; a tail cup connected to a back end of the tank body forming a hermetic seal with the tank body; a lower rear tube aligned longitudinally with the tank body and passing through with a hermetic seal the tail cup and operable for allowing water to flow between the interior of the tank body and an area behind the tail cup; a hatch on the back end of the tube which can be opened and closed and when closed provides a hermetic seal; a screen located within the tube and adjacent to the hatch, configured to collect debris when water is flowing through the tube into the tank body; a propeller within the tube and between the screen and the tank body, configured to eject water from the bottom of the tank body, create suction to draw oil and water into the tank body and to propel the tank body forward while recovering oil, the propeller being driven by a motor.