Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With puncturing connecting means
Patent
1996-06-28
1998-07-07
Recla, Henry J.
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With puncturing connecting means
141 65, 141 98, 137318, 137320, 137526, 114 50, B65B 104
Patent
active
057753903
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for extraction of a fluent material from a container. The invention can be embodied in particular in an apparatus for extracting oil or other fluid from a submerged container, for example, a sunken oil tanker.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,387 a salvage capsule for removal of oil from a sunken vessel with remotely controllable means for securely but detachably fixing the capsule in the decking or hull of the vessel in proximity to the compartment from which the oil is to be salvaged; drill means for providing access to the compartment through one or more openings, extensible oil suction pipe means for insertion into the compartment through the opening, first pump means for removing oil from the ship compartment into a holding chamber within the capsule and second pump means for removing oil from the holding chamber to the surface where it may be held in suitable storage such as balloons or salvage tankers.
This prior art salvage capsule is complicated in structure, and considerable time is required for the necessary sealing of the holes in the compartment prior to lifting the capsule.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,110 describes an apparatus designed to serve a somewhat similar function but is diver assisted and less comprehensively equipped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is concerned with the provision of apparatus for extraction of fluid or other fluent material from a container, for example an underwater container, which is able to meet all requirements for such apparatus in a simple and effective way.
The invention thus relates to an apparatus for removing fluent material from a container, the apparatus being of the kind comprising locating means for locating the apparatus against a wall of the container, securement means for securing the apparatus to the wall, means for forming an aperture through the wall and for extracting the material from the container through the aperture, and closure means for closing the aperture.
The invention accordingly provides an apparatus of this kind in which the necessary functions of the apparatus are divided between two separable modules. Thus, a first or active module comprises the means for extracting the material and for locating and securing a second, passive, module which includes the closure means, permanently to the container. The closure means can then be arranged to become effective in response to separation of the active module from the passive module, so in the event of adverse weather conditions or other emergency, the active module can be removed from the passive module with immediate consequential sealing of the container. As the active module can comprise virtually all the components of the apparatus which need servicing or replacement, maintenance of the apparatus is moreover facilitated by its modular structure. The closure means of the second module can be biassed to the closed position and held open as long as the modules are connected together by mechanical or fluid pressure operated means.
The invention also provides an apparatus of the kind described in which undue low pressure within the container consequential on withdrawal of the fluent material, which could lead to collapse of the container, is avoided by pressure compensation means. Such pressure compensation means can effect replacement of the extracted material through a non-return valve, which allows sea-water or other ambient fluid to enter the container as the fluent material is withdrawn from it. Conveniently, the fluent material is extracted through a suction device extending with clearance through the container wall aperture, so that the extracted material can be replaced by fluid flow between the suction device and the aperture edge.
Where the apparatus of the invention is divided into separable active and passive modules, the passive module can take one of two forms. Where pressure compensation is required a non-return valve may be
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patent: 5277232 (1994-01-01), Borsheim
patent: 5490546 (1996-02-01), Lhoest
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Douglas Steven O.
Recla Henry J.
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