DE2448397A1 - OIL RECOVERY DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

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08-23.298P (23.299H)

Hydronautics, Incorporated, LAUREL (Maryland), V.Sfc.A,

oil recovery device

The invention relates to an oil recovery device and in particular a watercraft, or ship for short, for the successful removal of oil drains in ports or on moderately agitated lake.

Many of the previously developed devices for collecting and recovering drained oil use absorbents, brought into contact with the oil surfaces and then removed so that the oil can be excreted and recovered. Have such devices generally the disadvantage of extremely slow collection speed, and when the absorbent is reused these must also be regenerated.

Other conventional oil recovery devices include chemical treatment, but these all-

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generally proven to be undesirable, since the chemicals themselves, even if they eliminate the oil surface, are harmful, ecological Exerting influences.

As a result, most widely use devices Spatial confinement or confinement of the oil surface in a relatively small area for collection and I. Win back. Generally these devices comprise a tree or boom, curtain or fence who swims on the surface of the water and a broad path, or range, to a suitable one; upjnel ™ ship sweeps over or clears, which skims or wipes off the oil from the top of the surface. There are dl ·; various booms and trapping arms of any La'i. '. : 'ten, each of which serves the purpose of holding a larger volume of oil in to be collected in the shortest possible time.

An inevitable disadvantage of such low back devices with containment or containment means ?; However boom is the inevitable formation of a bow oiler head shaft at the front end of the Ölflächa, when they ff by moving in> through the water collecting ski encountered fiber the water, above certain 'Gasohwindigkei - th breaks the head shaft and generating TurbuL - - rü at dei ⁵ intermediate layer between the oil surface and the Wa.iüt; i'lag-j or layer immediately below the oil surface in the region of the head shaft, whereby a part of the oil ^ erissen into the water and by passing or waiver under the ship escapes collection. To break the

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To prevent head waves and counteract the losses, it was previously necessary to increase the ship's speed to be limited to a maximum of approx. 30 cm / s (approx. 1 ft / s). It was z. B. found that, if so, the relative speed between the collecting vessel and the surrounding water exceeds this value, significant oil losses or leaks inevitably arise under the ship.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a better apparatus for reclaiming thin floating oil surfaces and especially to collect the oil drains at much higher recovery rates than before create.

The invention has found that the speed of a recovery apparatus with boom containment well above the 30 cm / s speed limit (1 ft / s) can be increased by providing a stowage device, which is enclosed by a containment boom downwards or delimited oil surface and protrudes into the layer of water immediately below the oil surface to exert a flow resistance on the water and its speed in relation to the moving watercraft, or ship for short, to decrease. Ideally, the speed is reduced to the point where it is close to one reached a calm state with respect to the overlying oil layer before it reached the area of the head shaft prevent shaft breakage and subsequent oil leakage. The thawing device for decelerating the speed of the cashier must be sufficiently far above the head shaft

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protrude, which is generated by the ship moving through the Ulflache, to a gradual decrease in the Speed, and must provide a free flow of water under the ship when it is the oil surface strokes. With such a device it could be determined that speeds of up to at least 152 cm / s (5 ft / s) and even above that can be used to successfully recover the oil without pronounced Loss of oil under the boom and recovery vessel.

A preferred damming device for retarding the surface speed of the oil surface according to the invention comprises a plurality of closely spaced, flat, parallel plates, protruding from a scraper collection chamber and are aligned parallel to the sweeping or clearing direction of the ship. The panels protrude down into the Water layer below the oil surface and are forward, Open at the back and at the bottom to allow the water to flow freely through the panels. The close spacing of the Plates gives just enough drag on the water layer to gradually reduce their speed towards the ship bu, so they do so on reaching them of the head shaft in the oil area delimited in the boom moves at a speed close to that of the head shaft and of the ship, which prevents the head shaft from breaking and the oil from being lost from collecting.

The invention thus provides a recovery device for recovering a thin layer or layer of an oil

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Area from the surface of large bodies of water, which contains a watercraft, or ship for short, an oil collection chamber in the ship, a boom protruding forwards from the chamber with side walls and an open bottom, the oil containment passage or oil channel to direct the oil surface forms on the chamber when the ship moves through the water, and a dam device attached between the side walls of the boom and protruding downward through the oil surface and into the water layer in the channel immediately below the oil surface for introducing a flow resistance into the water and gradually reducing their speed with respect to the moving ship. With such a device, considerable increases in the speed of the ship can be achieved without increasing the entrainment and subsequent leakage of oil into the water flow passing under the ship when the ship moves through the surface.

The invention is based on the in d © 2? Drawing shown Embodiments in more detail © rlltafeert. Ξι show:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an oil recovery ship with an embodiment of the invention for decelerating the speed of the water layer under an oil surface

Fig. 2 schematically in section, the recovery of the oil by the ship representing the device of Fig. Ii

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Pig. 2a shows a part of the speed retarder in a front view;

* 3 is a partial side view of a second embodiment the invention;

Fig. 1) A view similar to Fig. 3 with another Speed decelerator;

5 shows a schematic front view of a further device sum decelerating the speed of the water layer below the recovery ship.

In Figs. 1 and 2 is a ulsammelwasserfahrzeug, or short-ship, 10 with a pair of side pontoons or Swimmers 12 of the appropriate size and buoyancy to carry the ship in the water are shown. Between the swimmers 12 is an oil collection chamber 16 with a front wall 18 and a rear wall 20 for damming or retaining the oil in the chamber 16. Preferably the floor is the Ulsammelkamiier 16 closed with a perforated bottom wall 22 » which has one streamlined outer surface sum support »the water current under the ship 10, when it moves through the oil surface.

As can best be seen from Pig. 2 ₈ , the front wall 18 has a skimming or wiping oil inlet 14 and an upper perforated area 23 which allows oil to enter the collection chamber 16, but the entry of solids on the surface of the water

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being able to swim is prevented. Of course, other squeegee plenum chambers can be used to reclaim accumulated UIs from the surface of the water.

To move the ship 10, propulsion devices are also provided, such as. B. a pair of outboard motors 24 shown in the figure. Likewise, such ships rowing or being pushed through the water by a second vessel. The ship 10 has a deck 25, which extends between the floats 12 to form a unitary ship and around a wing for provide additional equipment. Appropriately contains such equipment includes means for withdrawing the collected oil from chamber 16 and separating the with the oil carried away by the water. Such a device can, for example, be a connecting line 26 which runs into Kanuner J 16, 'as well as a pump 28 driven by a suitable motor 30 for pumping out the collected oil layer 29 from the chamber 16 and into an oil-water separation unit 32 exhibit. The oil-water separation unit 32 can be of any conventional type.

From the ship 10 and in particular from the swimmers 12 protruding forward, an oil including or limiting boom 33 is arranged for straightening or channeling the directly in front of the ship 10 on the oil surface Collection chamber 16. usual for conventional casing layers for painting over, clearing or heavy lifting of a surface on a collector is a pair of divergent arms which protrude forward from the ship, such as the e.g. B. '

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in U.S. Patent 3,716,142. A similar boom is also provided in the invention and includes a pair of spaced sidewalls 34 from the Ship can protrude straight away, as shown in the figure or are tilted outwards to a to achieve a larger sweep when the ship is IO moves through the water. As the oil is pushed over the surface of the water in front of the recovery ship 10, however, a head wave is formed in the enclosed or circumscribed oil area, and if the speed of the ship 10 and consequently the head wave up to that Point is increased at which the relative speed between the head wave and the underlying water layer causes the head wave to break, some of the oil will be drawn into this water and thus escaped Recovery. As mentioned above, the inherent formation of a head wave and the resulting loss of oil when the Head wave breaks, the maximum speed of a boom sweeping equipment so far to approx. 30 cm / s (approx. 1 ft / s) limited.

According to the invention and in contrast to conventional confinement boom devices, damming devices are provided, which in the water layer below the between the Enclosed side walls 34 of the sweep boom or limited oil surface in order to exert a flow resistance on the water and gradually reduce its speed in relation to the ship 10 and the head wave

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can then be easily wiped off into the collecting chamber 16 one of the various possible surface or overflow devices. The storage devices preferably extend over the space between the sides of the boom 33 and forward sufficiently past the head shaft to provide the gradual decrease in speed required reach.

As stated and best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, Preferably, the dam includes a plurality of closely spaced flat parallel plates 36 with one beveled front end 38 to avoid a run over or swim over To enable large floating objects that are at the rear end MO near the front wall 18 of the oil collection chamber 16 ends. As shown, the plates 36 protrude down in the water below the oil surface and are open at their front and rear ends to allow the oil to flow freely back into the chamber 16, as well as on the bottom side to allow the water to flow freely downward to pass under the ship 10. Preferably The plates 36, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2a, are recessed and are spaced about five apart Plates 36 heavier plates 37, which are otherwise similar to the Plates 36 are provided to provide a ramming or impact force to be provided.

By providing these many closely spaced vertical plates in front of the ship and aligned with the forward direction of the sweep, in accordance with the invention, it has been found that the relative speed of the wipe of the oil

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area and the underlying water layer is reduced and can always be kept below the critical value of approx. 30 cm / s (approx. 1 ft / s), thereby increasing the Ship speed can be reached over this speed without the risk of the head wave breaks.

In the embodiment shown in FIG it was found that ζ. B. the necessary speed deceleration of the underlying water layer the ship with plates 36 with a thickness of approx. 0.8 mm (approx. 1/32 in), a gap of approx. 6.35 mm (approx. 1/4 in) between each plate 36 and a length of approx. 183 cm (approximately 6 ft) can be achieved. With this arrangement, speeds of up to approx. 152.5 cm / s (approx. 5 ft / s) achieved without breaking the head shaft and dragging oil into it the water passing under the ship 10. To ensure adequate calming of waves with a wave height of To reach approx. 6l cm (approx. 2 ft) from the trough of the wave to the crest of the wave, the vertical height of the plates 36 should be approx. 76.2 - 91.5 cm (approx. 2 1/2 - 3 ft).

Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment for introducing necessary flow resistance into the water layer to gradually reduce its speed with respect to the oil layer and the moving ship. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a plurality of flexible fingers 43 or fibers are used which protrude from an upper or ceiling plate 44 into the water below the Ulf pool delimited by the boom 33. The hanging fingers 43 look like the parallel plate arrangement of FIG

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Fig. 1 and 2, necessary openings downwards in front of the Streamline the flow of water under the ship while introducing the required drag into the to enable underlying water layer.

Similarly, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, a highly porous foam 46 is provided, which also has the necessary introduces gradual flow resistance into the water layer while streamlining the flow of water to pass through or exit under the recovery ship. '

Finally, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, several groups of horizontal fingers or fibers 48 are between spaced perpendicular (vertical) plates 37 are provided through which the oil layer passes for exercising the necessary Flow resistance on the underlying water layer, while a free water flow downwards is allowed to pass under the ship. In the same way, the fingers * 48 can move through several horizontally aligned perforated plates are replaced.

In each of these embodiments, the decelerating dams see the necessary speed reduction of the underlying water layer under the critical relative value of approx. 30 cm / e (approx. 1 ffc / s) before, -before it reaches the head wave. As a result, a relatively calm layer of water approaches the head wave, thereby preventing their breakage and loss of oil.

The parallel plate assembly of Figures 1, 2, 2a is

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particularly suitable for achieving the reduction in speed, but other damming devices can of course also be used for decelerating the relative speed.

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Claims (7)

- 13 - Claims Oil recovery device for recovering oil surfaces, water surfaces, with a watercraft having a collection chamber with a forward-facing oil inlet and a discharge device for removing collected oil from the collection chamber, '
characterized by a containment arm (33) projecting forward from the collection chamber (16) with side walls (J4) and open front, rear and bottom sides which form an oil containment channel for directing the enclosed oil surface onto the collection chamber (16 ) forms, and one between the side walls (3Ό of the boom (33) attached Reservoir that protrudes into the water layer under the oil area delimited by the boom (33) to exert a flow resistance on this mass layer and its speed in relation to the watercraft (10) to be reduced in such a way that si® is relatively calm at the time in which they are hit by the watercraft (10) when pushing the oil Head wave © generated by the water is achieved, with the dam extends beyond the head shaft to the front and a free flow of water downward gum the outlet under the Allows watercraft (10). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage device several closely spaced * flat, parallel, contains plates (36, 37) open to the front, rear and bottom, which are drawn from the collecting chamber (ΐβ) to the front in scraping direction of the watercraft (10) and protrude between the side walls of the confinement boom (33) are arranged. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the boom (33) has a pair of floating legs that are spaced apart which form the side wall of the collection chamber (16), and that a ceiling wall above the collecting duct (16) between is attached to the legs, with the plates (36, 37) protruding from the ceiling wall down into the water layer. 4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3> characterized in that the damming device contains a plurality of fingers (48), extending horizontally between the vertical plates (36, 37), §. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that that the stowage device has a block of highly porous foam (46) which is placed between the side walls of the boom (33) is attached and protrudes down into the layer of water. 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that that the starting device has several individual vertically hanging pingers C ^ 3) contains, that is, in the Wassoraetiicht raasfe "n ~ ten protrude. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the collecting Karamer (16) has a üfesfcreichöleinlaß (14) has to scrape the through the containment boom (33) accumulated oil layer. S098IS / 0335 Blank page