Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Floatable matter containment
Patent
1995-07-24
1998-02-03
Graysay, Tamara L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Floatable matter containment
405 63, 2102423, 210922, E02B 1504
Patent
active
057136971
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for collecting floatable liquids such as oil, gasoline or the like, in particular in the case of oil-contaminated or gasoline-contaminated water surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the event of accidents involving ships and, in particular, tanker disasters, large quantities of oil can escape and form an oil slick or oil-contaminated sea water on the water surface. All previous measures to extract such oil slicks or oil-contaminated sea water from the water surface have tended to have little effect. For example, it has been the case that the oil slick or the oil-contaminated sea water has been contained by floating barriers, in order then to extract said oil slick or sea water from the water surface. This is only possible when the sea is calm, the extraction volume generally not corresponding to the required quantity. High seas force the oil slick or the oil-contaminated sea water over such floating barriers.
It has also turned out to be the case that the use of chemicals is not very efficient due to the aggravating odor and other resulting phenomena, such as the oil mixture sinking onto the sea bed.
FR 2 673 214 A1 discloses an installation for collecting oil slicks, the oil slicks being extracted in large volumes below the water level by means of an oil-extraction station comprising a plurality of assemblies and units. In a particular embodiment of the generic type from this document (FR 2 673 214, FIG. 7), provision is made for an oil-collecting container which floats in the water and exhibits, on its upper wall sections, a float resting on the water surface. The oil layer floating on the water is guided laterally beneath the float and enters, through openings in the wall sections, into a collecting container. The collecting container itself is connected to a suction line which extracts the liquid which has been received in the collecting container downwards out of said container and leads, via lines, to a ship's boat or the like. This installation has the advantage that the more or less thick oil layer is always collected beneath the float and fed to the oil-collecting container. The buoyancy of the oil-collecting container itself and the inflow surface, for the liquid which is to be taken in, in the collecting container determine the measure or the quantity of the liquid received. In the case of this installation, accordingly, separation of the oil layer from the rest of the water surface can only be carried out with difficulty, which may possibly result in the intake of large quantities of water which is only contaminated to a small extent, and thus impair the efficiency of the installation.
A further installation for absorbing oil slicks is known, for example, from DE 27 21 108 A1. In this extremely large-volume installation, there is located, in the center of a scaffolding structure which has been rendered floatable, a frustoconical housing with lateral inlet openings for receiving the oil-contaminated surface water. Here too, the penetration depth of the inflow openings follows the measure of the immersion depth of the floats located on the outer scaffolding ends. A receiving clearance of defined thickness for an oil slick cannot be adjusted.
See also French Patent Specification FR 24 10 093, which discloses an oil-extraction station which is constructed, in pot form, as a float. In the case of this apparatus, the oil slick is received on the upper side of the floating apparatus via inflow slots. The correct floating position and immersion depth of such an apparatus are accordingly determined by the measure of the oil passing under the upper side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide an oil-extraction apparatus which makes it possible for an oil slick or oil-contaminated sea water to be collected in a very specific and thus efficient manner. In this arrangement, the installation is to be designed such that it can collect an oil slick or oil-contaminated water over a large area, with the result tha
Graysay Tamara L.
Lagman Frederick L.
Water Pollution Control System B.V.
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