Hydraulic and earth engineering – Subterranean waste disposal – containment – or treatment – Waste barrier – containment – or monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-22
2001-11-13
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Subterranean waste disposal, containment, or treatment
Waste barrier, containment, or monitoring
C405S129750, C405S129600, C405S129550, C405S284000, C220S004330, C220S495110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315495
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to temporary structures serving as retaining berms or bins for holding hazardous material against escaping. In particular, to prevent oil well drilling mud and other fluids released during drilling operations from escaping the site, and to protect the environment near the tank batteries used for holding drilling fluids, fuel, and supplies. The system may be stored and transported as part of a drilling rig.
2. Description of Prior Art
In environments where the soil may be disturbed, earth is piled up in berms to form a closed area then covered with an impervious sheet of geocloth or similar. Earth berms require heavy equipment to scoop and pile dirt and to push it back into place when the need for the holding pen is over. In environments where the soil cannot be disturbed, is too hard, or is delicate tundra, timbers such as old railroad ties are stacked as a pen and the impervious geocloth secured to the timbers by nailing. The timber berms require heavy equipment to place and remove. Timbers generally are too heavy to handle without machinery and if treated with creosote or other preservatives, they may leach toxic chemicals into the ground where they are placed. This small but significant contamination has to be scooped up and removed for proper disposal. The heavy timbers require larger hauling equipment and more storage space than the invention described herein.
The patent literature shows several portable or temporary holding, berm-like, structures. Most are for special purposes, not suitable for general or arctic use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,220, by Carol Norman, shows a shallow pit lined with an impervious sheeting surrounding an oil well head. The marginal attachment is not shown and the text indicates that there are several methods in use. The railroad ties described above are likely to be one suitable means. Miss Norman's invention is intended for finished wells, and is insufficient for use as protection during the drilling operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,281, by Dennis Middleton, describes a polyurethane dike device (berm) for use on concrete floors. Sections of the berm or dyke are joined by gluing a form-fitting molded splice piece across the interstitial space between adjacent linear sections. The assembly cannot be disassembled without destroying at least part of the components, rendering them not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,297, also by Dennis Middleton, is a similar device. It is foam filled and designed to be glued to a flat floor. Joining is by gluing a splice piece cut from sheet stock over the joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,091, by Edward Van Romer, is another dyke similar to the Middleton invention, except that the supporting structure is pneumatic and the dyke is sufficiently pliable to permit a wheeled vehicle to roll over the wall portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,477, by Kevin Fink, uses honeycomb core panels connected by H shaped joiners in cooperation with clips having securing barbs. At first glance the clips resemble the membrane-holding clips of the present invention. However, examination discloses that the barbs are not for holding any third component (membrane) in place. They are intermediaries between the panel edges and the H joining bar. The barbs fit into cooperating grooves or holes in the panel and H bar. The Fink figures clearly show this. In particular,
FIGS. 4-12
.
The Fink panel joining and corner assemblies have no resemblance to the structures of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,304, by Stuart Karten, et al, has a key-way cut into the ends of the panels and a key system sliding into the key-ways, thereby joining two panels together. The present invention has no key-ways.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,142, by Donald Siglin, et al, is a permanent containment dike comprising panels bolted to posts set into concrete and lined with an impervious sheet of geotexfile, which is secured to the upper rim of the wall by bolted clamps. This system requires considerable labor, precision placement of the posts, and does environmental damage. In contrast to the present invention, Siglin bolts the panels at overlapping joints
The Siglin invention uses nuts and bolts as joining fasteners. Nuts and bolts rust tight, making the Siglin dike un-repairable in the best of working conditions. Stainless steel or brass nuts and bolts may reduce the seizing problems at great expense. However, under arctic conditions, the normally simple chore of starting a nut on a bolt, then tightening with a pair of wrenches is a very difficult task. Loosening and removing nuts and bolts which may be frozen in place with ice is also more difficult than expected. Nuts and bolts and wrenches are awkward to handle with arctic gloves and are likely to be dropped, leaving a litter.
The present invention has no nuts and bolts.
The Siglin dike uses posts set in concrete to support the wall sections. Concrete does not set well in freezing conditions. Thus, the Siglin dike cannot be installed in winter in many parts of the world, especially in permafrost zones.
The present invention does not rely on concrete. Furthermore, the present invention can utilize arctic cold to make an “ice mortar” or “ice-crete” of ice, frozen mud, or the like, for holding the structure in place.
3. Objects of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to construct a temporary containment berm using reusable panel modules and other component parts requiring no machinery or power tools to assemble or disassemble.
It is another object of the present invention to be reusable and leave no environmental impact behind when removed.
It is another object of the present invention to be able to construct a temporary containment berm using panel modules and other component parts fabricated from metal or composite sheet stock.
It is another object of the present invention to be able to repair the berm on-site with hand tools or common hand-held power tools.
It is another object of the present invention that the invention be usable under arctic conditions including while wearing cumbersome arctic gloves and other gear.
It is another object of the present invention to be transportable by truck and manually installed.
It is another object of the invention to be transportable on an erection truck, trailer, or skid module using the transporter to place the liner and other components.
It is another object of the invention to be removably attached to a drilling rig, thereby being transported as part of a drilling rig or platform.
It is another object of the invention that the berm confines the spread of liquids or slurries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Panels or planks are cut from sheet stock generally ¼ to ½ inch aluminum flat stock. Z or jogged plates are attached near the panel ends forming hooks to cooperage with clips for joining panels. In the central portion of the panels the hooks are arranged in pairs forming a track or key-way slots to accept triangular load supporting gusset brackets having pads for supporting weight and having wings which slide into the key-ways.
The end hooks accept clips which are either flat for joining plates in-line or corners bent to form dihedral angles to form bin corners. Clips designed for in-line joining are essentially flat and cooperage with the jogged plates to clip into the end hooks to hold the panels end to end forming long berm or bin walls. The clips for joining panels end to end also carry key-way slots similar to the key-way slots on the panels. Support brackets attach to the joining clips in the same manner as used to attach directly to the panels.
The corner clips are bent an appropriate amount to tun the bin wall. This is usually 90 degrees, but may be any amount. Preferred turning is 125 and 157.5 degrees internal angle. Others may be bent as required, or a hinged corner piece may be used. No support gussets are required at the corners.
Panels may be in several lengths, widths (height), and thicknesses, the preferred panel lengths being 4, 6, and 8 feet in length. The preferred pane
Bagnell David
Lagman Frederick L.
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