Patent ID: 8097152

Claim:
An apparatus for separating oil from oil-contaminated ice comprising: an ice crusher having an input section adapted to gather ice floating in a body of water and an output section comprising means for mixing crushed ice with water from a recycled water line to produce an ice/water slurry; a pump adapted for pumping an ice/water slurry and having an intake connected to the ice crusher and a discharge connected to a melting unit; a melting unit for melting an ice/water slurry, said melting unit having an inlet connected to the pump discharge and an outlet connected to a separator; and, a separator for separating liquid phase water from liquid phase oil and having an inlet connected to the melting unit and a first, oil outlet connected to an oil holding tank and a second, water outlet connected to the recycled water line such that water output from the separator is returned to the ice crusher.