CA1157782A - Oil pick-up device - Google Patents
Oil pick-up deviceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1157782A CA1157782A CA000281490A CA281490A CA1157782A CA 1157782 A CA1157782 A CA 1157782A CA 000281490 A CA000281490 A CA 000281490A CA 281490 A CA281490 A CA 281490A CA 1157782 A CA1157782 A CA 1157782A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- discs
- oil
- shafts
- pick
- oil pick
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 2
- 241000272470 Circus Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003209 petroleum derivative Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
- E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
- E02B15/00—Cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water; Apparatus therefor
- E02B15/04—Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials
- E02B15/10—Devices for removing the material from the surface
- E02B15/102—Discs
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A20/00—Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
- Y02A20/20—Controlling water pollution; Waste water treatment
- Y02A20/204—Keeping clear the surface of open water from oil spills
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An oil pick up device comprising at least three sets of discs mounted on separate axles to define a closed area into which the oil is transported on rotation of the axles.
An oil pick up device comprising at least three sets of discs mounted on separate axles to define a closed area into which the oil is transported on rotation of the axles.
Description
~ ~7 r;t ~
This invention relates to a ~evice for picking up oil on the surfsce of ~ster.
When crude petroleum or refined petroleum products are transported, there is alwsy~ a risk of spillage taking place.
If this hsppen~ at 3ea or on inl~nd wsterwsys, the water can be polluted b~ oil floating on it~ surface.
In Canadian pstent specification 993,801 there is disclosed a device for removing oil floating on the surface of water which comprises a plurality of discs rotatably mounted on bearings, which bearings are po~itioned on different radii of a circle (the median circle), there being means to rotate a disc about each bearing, said device being supported on floats whereby when the device is placed on water the device floats with the discs partly immersed in the water,~h~xJ being a scraper associated with each disc 9C that, on rotation of the disc, the ~craper removes any liquid adhering to the disc.
In the device ~pecifically described the planes of rotation of the di~cs pass through radii of the median circle and meet in a line passing through the centre of the median circle.
Moreover, all the bearing~ lie on the circumference of a circle coasial with the median circle. The discs have teeth cut in their circu~ference~ ~hich teeth engage with a worm ring which is mounted with its centre coasial with the centre of the median circle.
Such dev~ces give esc~llent results under a ~ariety of conditions. They are particularly effective in relatively rough ~ater condition~ whon ~imilsrly ~ized ~kimmer~ having a ~ingle ro~ of disc~ disposed along a straight lin~ asle give very poor reculte. It i~ found that such straight line devices not only ~l~ve a relatively lo~ oil pick-up rate but also tend to collect a ~1$778Z
substantial amount of wster with the oil ~hich leads to a msrked diminution of the efficiency of the oversll oil recovery procedure~
~ n object of the present invention is to provide a relatively ~imple oil pick-up device having a good pick-up rate and efficiency. A further object is to provide such a device which can operate effectively under rough water conditions.
~ ccordingly, the present invention provides an oil pick-up device for removing oil floating on the sur~ace of water which comprises at least three sets of discs, each of ssid sets being mount on a separate, straight, rotatable shaft, said shafts lying substantially in a single plane and defining a substantially closed area, said device being supported on floats ~o that when the device is placed on water it floates with the discs partly immersed in the water and rotation of the shafts causes oil adhering to the discs to be transported into the closed area.
There must be at least three discs to a ~et and preferably they are distributed e~mmetrically about the centre of the associated shaft. The more discs there are on each shaft the greater the rate at which oil can be collected. Ho~ever, the discs mu~t be sufficiently ~eparated to allow room for means to be associated with each disc 80 that oil adhering to a rotating disc is removed fr~ it and conducted to the clos~d area.
The shafts must define a closed area and thus each shaft must adjoin or cross two other shafts at either end. ~ shaft may, of course, be estended beyond the point at which it adjoin~
or crosses another shaft but for the purposes of the description ~0 of the invention ~uch e~tension can be ignored. Discs mu~t 11~7'7i~2 not be mounted 90 near the effective ends of the shaft~ thst a disc on one shaft contacts a neighbouring shaft or sny disc on it.
The shafts lie substantially in a single ~lane 90 that when the device is floated on water all the discs lie in substantially vertical planes in which they rotate as the shafts are rotated.
lf it iR technically desirable that two shafts shall cross each other then they must be arranged to be close to each other to ensure that they lie substantially in a singls plane.
The shafts are rotatably mounted in the device and means must be provided to rotste each shaft. The shafts may be inter-connected by gear wheels 90 that only one source of rotation iB needed in the device. ~lternatively each shaft or pair of shafts msy be driven bys ~ep~rat motor. The motor or motors !``: may be hydr~ulic, pneumatic or electric. Suitably, they are hydraulic and receive fluid power from a support vessel.
The oil introduced into the closed area by rotation of the discs is conveniently removed from the discs by means of a scraper or scrapers associated with each disc. The removed oil i9 fed to a central sump or pump from which it can be taken or pumped to the support ves~el or other storage means.
The hose or hoses to remove recovered oil preferably enter the skimmer at its operating water level and are preferably designed to float on water. They msy conveniently be associated with other leads to the skimmer, for e~ample, a hose to conduct the fluid driving medium to a hydraulic motor or an electric cable to an electric motor.
Prefarably the discs have a smooth surface and are flat.
The discs csn be ~sde of any ~ufficiently rigid material inert to water snd oil. Preferred msterials are pla~tics ~1~7'7i~Z
materials such as rigid polyvinyl chloride. Any sssociated scrapers preferably compri~e oil resistant rubber or plastic strip~ fi~ed in contact with the discs.
~ 8 with the deviceo de8cribed in Canadian paten~
apecification 993~801, the recovered oil incresses the weight of the de~ice and causes it to sink lower in the water. Preferably the pick-up device of the present invention comprises (e.g. by having incorporsted in it, or attached to it,) a mesns for maintaining substantially the same proportion of the disc~
belo~ the oi ~water interface dur~ng pick-up of any oil. Such means is hereinafter referred to as a float level oontrol and may be identical to the float level control system de~cribed in Canadian patent speciflcst~on 993~801.
Preferred pick-up devices according to the present invention comprise four or ~is sets of discs. The shafts and discs on a given de~ice are preferably identical in order to reduce the number of ~pare parts required.
In the accompanying drawinge figure 1 show~ a basic 12 disc modulej figure 2 is a vertical cross section through a module and part of the associated pick-up device body and fi6ures 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic repre~entations of different pick-up devices.
In figures 1 and 2 the disc~(6)of the module are mounted on a shsft (7) one end of which i8 held in a bearing block (8) while the other (9) is driven by a hydraulic motor (10). The bearing block and the motor are them~elves mounted on buoyancy tanks 11 and 12. The tank~ are attached at opposite end~ of a ~ide of a multi-sided central coatainer 13 ~hich forms the central body of the pick-up device. Each side of this container bears a ~imllar module and the buoyancy tanks are designed 80 ~0 that they abut oach other or are com~on to two modules at each 11~7'~t~Z
corner of the device. In this way the fully assembled device will have a ~et of discs on each side of the centrsl container, which discs will define a substantially closed area which is occupied by the central container.
The upper edges of the sides of the container slope outwards towards the discs as at 14 and end in open, narrow channels (15) which run between the discs. Also between the discs are scrapers 16-which remove any oil adhering to the rotating discs and feed it to an a~sociated channel. Oil removed from each disc runs down a channel and is collected in the bottom of the container from which it is pumped by pump 17 to a recovery vessel (not shown) ~ia a flexible pipe 18. The discs are rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in figure 2.
The buoyancy tanks shown in figure 1 readily allow the formation of a square device as shown diagrammatically in figure 3 having four sets of discs. Alternative devices having three and siY
sets of discs are shown respectively in figures 4 and 5.
This invention relates to a ~evice for picking up oil on the surfsce of ~ster.
When crude petroleum or refined petroleum products are transported, there is alwsy~ a risk of spillage taking place.
If this hsppen~ at 3ea or on inl~nd wsterwsys, the water can be polluted b~ oil floating on it~ surface.
In Canadian pstent specification 993,801 there is disclosed a device for removing oil floating on the surface of water which comprises a plurality of discs rotatably mounted on bearings, which bearings are po~itioned on different radii of a circle (the median circle), there being means to rotate a disc about each bearing, said device being supported on floats whereby when the device is placed on water the device floats with the discs partly immersed in the water,~h~xJ being a scraper associated with each disc 9C that, on rotation of the disc, the ~craper removes any liquid adhering to the disc.
In the device ~pecifically described the planes of rotation of the di~cs pass through radii of the median circle and meet in a line passing through the centre of the median circle.
Moreover, all the bearing~ lie on the circumference of a circle coasial with the median circle. The discs have teeth cut in their circu~ference~ ~hich teeth engage with a worm ring which is mounted with its centre coasial with the centre of the median circle.
Such dev~ces give esc~llent results under a ~ariety of conditions. They are particularly effective in relatively rough ~ater condition~ whon ~imilsrly ~ized ~kimmer~ having a ~ingle ro~ of disc~ disposed along a straight lin~ asle give very poor reculte. It i~ found that such straight line devices not only ~l~ve a relatively lo~ oil pick-up rate but also tend to collect a ~1$778Z
substantial amount of wster with the oil ~hich leads to a msrked diminution of the efficiency of the oversll oil recovery procedure~
~ n object of the present invention is to provide a relatively ~imple oil pick-up device having a good pick-up rate and efficiency. A further object is to provide such a device which can operate effectively under rough water conditions.
~ ccordingly, the present invention provides an oil pick-up device for removing oil floating on the sur~ace of water which comprises at least three sets of discs, each of ssid sets being mount on a separate, straight, rotatable shaft, said shafts lying substantially in a single plane and defining a substantially closed area, said device being supported on floats ~o that when the device is placed on water it floates with the discs partly immersed in the water and rotation of the shafts causes oil adhering to the discs to be transported into the closed area.
There must be at least three discs to a ~et and preferably they are distributed e~mmetrically about the centre of the associated shaft. The more discs there are on each shaft the greater the rate at which oil can be collected. Ho~ever, the discs mu~t be sufficiently ~eparated to allow room for means to be associated with each disc 80 that oil adhering to a rotating disc is removed fr~ it and conducted to the clos~d area.
The shafts must define a closed area and thus each shaft must adjoin or cross two other shafts at either end. ~ shaft may, of course, be estended beyond the point at which it adjoin~
or crosses another shaft but for the purposes of the description ~0 of the invention ~uch e~tension can be ignored. Discs mu~t 11~7'7i~2 not be mounted 90 near the effective ends of the shaft~ thst a disc on one shaft contacts a neighbouring shaft or sny disc on it.
The shafts lie substantially in a single ~lane 90 that when the device is floated on water all the discs lie in substantially vertical planes in which they rotate as the shafts are rotated.
lf it iR technically desirable that two shafts shall cross each other then they must be arranged to be close to each other to ensure that they lie substantially in a singls plane.
The shafts are rotatably mounted in the device and means must be provided to rotste each shaft. The shafts may be inter-connected by gear wheels 90 that only one source of rotation iB needed in the device. ~lternatively each shaft or pair of shafts msy be driven bys ~ep~rat motor. The motor or motors !``: may be hydr~ulic, pneumatic or electric. Suitably, they are hydraulic and receive fluid power from a support vessel.
The oil introduced into the closed area by rotation of the discs is conveniently removed from the discs by means of a scraper or scrapers associated with each disc. The removed oil i9 fed to a central sump or pump from which it can be taken or pumped to the support ves~el or other storage means.
The hose or hoses to remove recovered oil preferably enter the skimmer at its operating water level and are preferably designed to float on water. They msy conveniently be associated with other leads to the skimmer, for e~ample, a hose to conduct the fluid driving medium to a hydraulic motor or an electric cable to an electric motor.
Prefarably the discs have a smooth surface and are flat.
The discs csn be ~sde of any ~ufficiently rigid material inert to water snd oil. Preferred msterials are pla~tics ~1~7'7i~Z
materials such as rigid polyvinyl chloride. Any sssociated scrapers preferably compri~e oil resistant rubber or plastic strip~ fi~ed in contact with the discs.
~ 8 with the deviceo de8cribed in Canadian paten~
apecification 993~801, the recovered oil incresses the weight of the de~ice and causes it to sink lower in the water. Preferably the pick-up device of the present invention comprises (e.g. by having incorporsted in it, or attached to it,) a mesns for maintaining substantially the same proportion of the disc~
belo~ the oi ~water interface dur~ng pick-up of any oil. Such means is hereinafter referred to as a float level oontrol and may be identical to the float level control system de~cribed in Canadian patent speciflcst~on 993~801.
Preferred pick-up devices according to the present invention comprise four or ~is sets of discs. The shafts and discs on a given de~ice are preferably identical in order to reduce the number of ~pare parts required.
In the accompanying drawinge figure 1 show~ a basic 12 disc modulej figure 2 is a vertical cross section through a module and part of the associated pick-up device body and fi6ures 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic repre~entations of different pick-up devices.
In figures 1 and 2 the disc~(6)of the module are mounted on a shsft (7) one end of which i8 held in a bearing block (8) while the other (9) is driven by a hydraulic motor (10). The bearing block and the motor are them~elves mounted on buoyancy tanks 11 and 12. The tank~ are attached at opposite end~ of a ~ide of a multi-sided central coatainer 13 ~hich forms the central body of the pick-up device. Each side of this container bears a ~imllar module and the buoyancy tanks are designed 80 ~0 that they abut oach other or are com~on to two modules at each 11~7'~t~Z
corner of the device. In this way the fully assembled device will have a ~et of discs on each side of the centrsl container, which discs will define a substantially closed area which is occupied by the central container.
The upper edges of the sides of the container slope outwards towards the discs as at 14 and end in open, narrow channels (15) which run between the discs. Also between the discs are scrapers 16-which remove any oil adhering to the rotating discs and feed it to an a~sociated channel. Oil removed from each disc runs down a channel and is collected in the bottom of the container from which it is pumped by pump 17 to a recovery vessel (not shown) ~ia a flexible pipe 18. The discs are rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in figure 2.
The buoyancy tanks shown in figure 1 readily allow the formation of a square device as shown diagrammatically in figure 3 having four sets of discs. Alternative devices having three and siY
sets of discs are shown respectively in figures 4 and 5.
Claims (5)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An oil pick up device comprising at least three sets of discs, each set comprising at least three discs, each disc being associated with a scraper or scrapers for the removal of adhering oil, each of said sets being mounted on a separate, straight, rotatable shaft, said shafts lying substantially in a single plane and defining a substantially closed area, and means for rotating the shafts, said device being supported on floats so that when the device is placed on water it floats with the discs partly immersed in the water and rotation of the shafts causes oil adhering to the discs to be transported into the closed area.
2. An oil pick up device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shafts are interconnected by gear wheels and provided with one source of rotation.
3. An oil pick up device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each shaft or pair of shafts is driven by a separate motor.
4. An oil pick up device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shafts are driven hydraulically and the pick up device is adapted to receive fluid power from a support vessel.
5. An oil pick up device as claimed in claim 1 comprising four or six sets of discs.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB52536/76A GB1554458A (en) | 1976-12-16 | 1976-12-16 | Oil pick-up device |
| GB52536/76 | 1976-12-16 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1157782A true CA1157782A (en) | 1983-11-29 |
Family
ID=10464285
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000281490A Expired CA1157782A (en) | 1976-12-16 | 1977-07-27 | Oil pick-up device |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1157782A (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1554458A (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE8220205U1 (en) * | 1982-07-15 | 1982-11-18 | Ralf F. Piepho, Abwassertechnik GmbH, 3015 Wennigsen | FLOATING OIL SKIMMER |
| GB8408164D0 (en) * | 1984-03-29 | 1984-05-10 | Univ Manchester | Recovering oil floating on water |
| GB9107957D0 (en) * | 1991-04-15 | 1991-05-29 | Little Steven W | Apparatus for use in removing a viscous substance from a surface |
-
1976
- 1976-12-16 GB GB52536/76A patent/GB1554458A/en not_active Expired
-
1977
- 1977-07-27 CA CA000281490A patent/CA1157782A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB1554458A (en) | 1979-10-24 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |