FI124771B

FI124771B - Öljyvuodontorjuntajärjestely ja öljypuomisäiliö

Info

Publication number: FI124771B
Application number: FI20135445A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Jari Sakari Partanen; Lauri Ragnar Nordström
Original assignee: Meritaito Oy
Priority date: 2013-04-30
Filing date: 2013-04-30
Publication date: 2015-01-30
Also published as: FI20135445A; EP2991893A4; EP2991893A1; WO2014177759A1

Description

OIL SPILL PREVENTION ARRANGEMENT AND OIL BOOM CONTAINER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an oil spill prevention arrangement and particularly to an oil spill prevention arrangement on a marine vessel or drilling rig.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In case of oil spillage, spilled oil spreads very rapidly on the surface of the water. Therefore a quick response to the oil spillages is needed. Some countries require that vessels sailing in their region must have readiness for emergency oil spill response.

Document EP 0716188 A1 discloses an oil boom of the kind which includes an elongated hose-like buoyant body and internal boom-distending elements in the form of inflatable annular hoses attached to the buoyant body. The oil boom is characterized in that at least when transported to its intended deployment site, the boom is in a rolled-up state or in some other packaged state which forms a boom pack that is held together by suitable means; and in that the annular hoses and their connecting hose elements are filled with air or some other appropriate gas at a pressure which when the boom is deployed and the boom-pack securing means have been loosened or released will cause the boom pack to expand explosively to achieve its effective state of use and therewith essentially its full length. The oil boom has a length of 300-400 m.

The problem with the solution is that the oil boom must be transported for example by helicopter to the emergency site. Transporting of the booms takes time, during which the spilled oil has already spread far away from the source.

Another problem with the solution is that the oil boom pack is very heavy and thus does not stand dropping into water from height. Further, because the annular hoses and their connecting hose elements are filled with air or some other appropriate gas at a pressure, the boom pack is very large.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is thus to provide an arrangement so as to overcome the above problems.

The objects of the invention are achieved by an arrangement which is characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea of providing a lightweight oil boom that is packed in a container that can be attached for example to a shipside. In addition to the oil boom the container comprises means for automatically inflating the oil boom. In case of an oil spillage the container can be quickly released from the ship and the oil boom is automatically inflated.

An advantage of the arrangement of the invention is that the deployment of the oil booms can be done very quickly upon an oil spillage. Because of light weight and the protecting container, the oil boom can be dropped from the ship to the water without damaging the oil boom. Further, because the oil boom is deflated during storage, less space is needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of an oil boom;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a cross section of an oil boom;

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of a container;

Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of an opened container;

Figure 5 is a schematic drawing of a drilling rig with containers distributed evenly around the board of the drilling rig;

Figure 6 is a schematic drawing of a marine vessel with containers distributed evenly around the board of the marine vessel;

Figure 7 is a schematic drawing of a marine vessel that is leaking oil and that has been surrounded by a chain of oil booms;

Figure 8 is a schematic drawing of a marine vessel that is leaking oil and that has been partly surrounded by a chain of oil booms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an oil spill prevention arrangement on a marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 comprising - inflatable oil booms 7, - means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7, and - openable containers 5, each containing at least one of the oil booms 7 and at least one of the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7, wherein - the containers 5 are releasably attached to the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 - each of the containers 5 is adapted to open when after the container 5 is released from the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 or when getting into contact with water, and - the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7 are adapted to inflate the corresponding oil boom 7 after the corresponding container 5 is released from the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 or when the container 5 gets into contact with water.

The marine vessel 6 is for example a ship or a tanker. The drilling rig 10 is for example an oil rig or a gas drilling rig.

Each of the oil booms 7 comprises a first end and a second end. According to an embodiment each of the oil booms 7 comprises an inflatable buoyant 1 extending from the first end of the oil boom 7 to the second end of the oil boom 7, and a skirt 2 having a first edge and a second edge, extending from the first end of the oil boom 7 to the second end of the oil boom 7. The skirt 2 is attached from the first edge to the inflatable buoyant 1. A weight 3 is attached to the second edge of the skirt 2 for keeping the skirt 2 under the surface of water when deployed.

With openable container 5 it is meant, that in the container 5 an opening is provided, through which the oil boom 7 can expand when inflated. For example the opening is a hole in the container 5. According to an embodiment the container 5 is separated into two or more parts for providing the opening.

According to an embodiment the containers 5 are made of plastic. The containers 5 may be of any shape that is suitable for containing the oil boom 7 and the means for inflating an oil boom 7. Preferably each of the oil booms 7 is deflated when contained inside the corresponding container 5. According an embodiment the containers 5 are cylindrical. According to an embodiment each of the oil booms 7 is in folded state inside the corresponding container 5. Accord ing to another embodiment each of the oil booms 7 is in rolled state inside the corresponding container 5.

According to an embodiment of the invention each of the containers 5 is adapted to open after contact with water. According to an embodiment the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7 is adapted to inflate the corresponding oil boom 7 after the corresponding container 5 is contacted with water. According to an embodiment each of the containers 5 is adapted to open by the inflating oil boom 7 inside the container 5.

According to an embodiment the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7 comprises a gas canister or a gas generator. According to an embodiment, the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7 comprises a valve means sensitive to water adapted to cause the gas canister to inflate the corresponding oil boom 7 when contacted with water. For example the valve means comprises a small pellet or bobbin holding back a spring. When the pellet or bobbin contacts with water, it dissolves rapidly releasing the spring. The spring pushes a firing pin into the gas canister causing the oil boom 7 to inflate.

According to an embodiment the gas generator is adapted to form gas through a chemical reaction for inflating the oil boom 7.

The oil booms 7 used in the invention must be sufficiently lightweight in order to withstand dropping from the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10. Because the oil booms 7 are intended only for emergency use, they need not to be reusable. According to an embodiment the oil booms 7 are disposable. According to an embodiment the length of each of the oil booms 7 is between 25 to 100 m, preferably between 25 to 50 m.

In case of an oil spillage, the containers 5 are released from the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 for establishing a barrier for the oil around the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 using the oil booms 7 inflated from the containers. Preferably several oil booms 7 are released.

According to an embodiment each of the oil booms 7 is provided with an attaching means 4 for attaching the oil boom 7 to another oil boom 7 for forming a chain 8 of oil booms 7, or to the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10. Preferably the attaching means 4 are provided at the ends of the oil boom 7. With the attaching means 4 several oil booms 7 can be connected to each other for forming a chain 8 of oil booms 7 around the source of the spillage, for example the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10. According to an embodiment the containers 5 are distributed evenly around the board of the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10. Even distribution of the containers 5 eases the forming of the chain 8 of oil booms 7 around the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10, because the containers 5 can be released roughly to a desired position.

Because the leaked oil spreads mainly in the wind direction, it may be sufficient to establish the chain 8 of oil booms 7 only on the side of spreading of the oil. Even distribution of the containers reduces the need for moving the containers from one side of the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10 to another side.

According to an embodiment each of the oil booms 7 comprises positioning means for positioning the oil boom 7. With the positioning means the location of the oil booms 7 can be monitored. Preferably the positioning means comprise a satellite positioning system.

The invention relates also to an automatically opening oil boom container 5, comprising - an inflatable oil boom 7 and - a means 9 for inflating the oil boom 7, wherein - the container 5 is adapted to open after the container 5 is released from a marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10, and - the means 9 for inflating an oil boom 7 is adapted to inflate the oil boom 7 after the container 5 is released from the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10.

According to an embodiment the container 5 is adapted to open after it is contacted with water. According to an embodiment the means 9 for inflating the oil boom 7 is adapted to inflate the oil boom 7 after the container 5 is contacted with water.

According to an embodiment the means 9 for inflating the oil boom 7 comprises a gas canister or a gas generator.

According to an embodiment the means 9 for inflating the oil boom 7 comprises a valve means sensitive to water adapted to cause the gas canister to inflate the oil boom 7 when the container 5 is contacted with water.

According to an embodiment the oil boom 7 is disposable. According to an embodiment the length of the oil boom 7 is between 25 to 100 m, preferably between 25 to 50 m.

According to an embodiment the oil boom 7 is provided with attaching means 4 for attaching the oil boom 7 to another oil boom 7 for forming a chain of oil booms 8, or to the marine vessel 6 or drilling rig 10.