Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Floatable matter containment
Patent
1994-03-21
1996-04-30
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Floatable matter containment
405 63, 405 66, E02B 1504
Patent
active
055119069
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates in particular to booms of the kind used to contain oil or similar floating materials or substances which have escaped into waterways. Such booms consist as a rule of a floating part and a shield part arranged beneath it.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In a previously disclosed boom arrangement, the supporting part consists of a collapsible and extensible and to all intents and purposes hose-like unit made of a soft but durable woven and/or film material, and there is present inside said unit a row of expansion arrangements fitted with spring devices so arranged and tensioned as to attempt to unfold the unit. The hose-like unit is impervious, but is equipped at its uppermost part with valves, through which air is able to flow in and flow out respectively at the time of unfolding and collapsing the unit. Adjacent to the supporting part is the shield part, which is fitted at its lower edge with ballast weights or similar, which contribute to the lateral stabilization of the arrangement as a whole.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It has been found that booms of the previously disclosed kind, irrespective of whether they are subdivided into separate chambers by means of transverse walls, are capable, if they are involved in a collision in conjunction with which the material of the outer casing of the floating part is damaged, of losing so much buoyancy as a result of the inflow of water that they will sink either partially or completely. Apart from the fact that a completely or partially submerged boom is unable to perform its task of containing oil or similar substances, the work of recovery is both difficult and costly. The object of the invention is to make available an arrangement which, as far as possible, will prevent submersion even if the material of the hose-like outer casing is damaged in such a way that its imperviousness is lost.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The invention is based largely on existing types of booms and exhibits a similar function in all essential respects. One requirement imposed on the design of the arrangement in accordance with the invention was that booms executed in accordance with the novel arrangement should not differ from the previously disclosed arrangement with regard to their handling and the volume occupied in the rolled-up form.
It follows from this that ideas such as the arrangement of internal buoyancy bodies and similar could be dismissed immediately, since they would have caused the thickness of the rolled-up casing to increase significantly, and with it the external dimensions of the boom rolls, if the same boom length were to be retained.
On the other hand, the desired emergency buoyancy is obtained by the arrangement as proposed here of collapsible pairs of downwardly open air pockets adjacent to the side walls of the casing with appropriate spacing between them along the length of the boom, for example one pair in each section separated by dividing walls, and by the execution of these in such a way that they fill with air automatically at the same time as the boom. Even if the material of the casing becomes torn along part of the section, so that the air leaks out and the buoyancy of the boom section is reduced, the air remaining in the pockets will still provide sufficient buoyancy. The pockets are so dimensioned that one or other of the pockets will provide sufficient buoyancy to prevent total submersion, even if the material of the casing on the opposite side, part of which is also adjacent to the pocket on the same side, were to be torn to pieces.
Distinctive design features which characterize the novel arrangement are that the pair of pockets is formed by weldable pieces of woven or film material, which have parallel end edges but side edges cut essentially into the form of a `V`, in which the part of the material with the smallest width is so arranged as to be welded to that part of the boom casing which forms its back or top, and the angle-cut sides are so arranged as to be welded essentially at right angles
REFERENCES:
patent: 4068478 (1978-01-01), Meyers et al.
patent: 4295755 (1981-10-01), Meyers
patent: 4741089 (1988-05-01), Oberg
patent: 5020940 (1991-06-01), Smith
patent: 5197821 (1993-03-01), Cain et al.
Expandi Systems AB
Fasth Rolf
Taylor Dennis L.
LandOfFree
Arrangement for a boom does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Arrangement for a boom, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Arrangement for a boom will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-624137