FI75894C - OLJEBOM. - Google Patents

Description

75894

OLYBOOM - OLJEBOM

The present invention relates to an oil boom assembled from plate-like elements, which element consists of a raised plate at the top and a printing plate below it, which elements are articulated in succession and further connected by intermediate members such as ropes holding these parts at a certain angle so that the oil boom is viewed from above in a zig-zag shape.

On the high seas, the height of the oil boom must be high to prevent waves from hitting the boom. For example, CH Patent No. 597,437 and U.S. Patent No. 3,499,291 disclose certain types of oil booms. The disadvantage of this type of oil boom, especially large offshore oil booms, is that packing and lowering into the sea causes inconvenience due to size. The object of the invention is to provide a new type of oil boom which, despite its high height, is easy to handle. The oil boom according to the invention is characterized in that between the embossing plate and the printing plate there is a fabric part connecting the plates known per se, which is so flexible as to allow the plates to settle in an L-shape for boom packaging. The oil boom can thus be easily packed in a frame, for example, from which it can also be easily unloaded when lowered into the sea.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the printing plate has a stiffener which is trapezoidal in shape so that the upper edge is narrower than the lower edge. Triangular flexible parts are thus obtained at the articulation points of the oil boom in the case of printing plates, which further facilitates the packing and unpacking of the oil boom.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

Figure 1 shows the drawn oil boom seen obliquely from above.

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Figure 2 shows one element of the oil boom.

Figure 3 shows a part of an oil boom packed in a frame.

The oil boom element 1 consists of an embossing plate 2 at the top and a printing plate 3 below it. The elements are articulated one after the other and are further connected to each other by ropes 4 holding the elements at a certain angle so that the oil boom is zigzag-shaped when viewed from above. Between the skirt plate 2 and the printing plate 3 there is a flexible fabric part 5 connecting the plates, which allows the plates to settle in an L-shape for packing the boom. The printing plate 3 has a stiffener 6 which is trapezoidal in shape so that the upper edge is narrower than the lower edge. The oil boom is packed in the frame so that the embossing plates 2 remain in a vertical position and the pressure plates 3 turn horizontally or almost horizontally to the bottom of the frame 7. When unloading, the side part 8 of the frame is removed, whereby the boom can simply be pulled out directly from, for example, the stern deck of an oil spill response vessel. If the need is for a very long oil boom, the booms packed in the frames can be pre-set in succession and by removing the edge parts 7, 8 of the frames, several booms can be connected in succession.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the example set forth above but may vary within the scope of the claims set forth below.