US20120027517A1 - Fluid leak containment system - Google Patents
Fluid leak containment system Download PDFInfo
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- US20120027517A1 US20120027517A1 US13/167,183 US201113167183A US2012027517A1 US 20120027517 A1 US20120027517 A1 US 20120027517A1 US 201113167183 A US201113167183 A US 201113167183A US 2012027517 A1 US2012027517 A1 US 2012027517A1
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- Prior art keywords
- extendible
- containment
- containment housing
- housing
- fluid
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/01—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations
- E21B43/0122—Collecting oil or the like from a submerged leakage
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- 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
- E02B2015/005—Tent-like structures for dealing with pollutant emissions below the water surface
Abstract
A fluid leak containment system for containing leaks of fluids, such as, but not limited to fossil fuels, during an underwater extraction process is disclosed. The fluid leak containment system may be formed from a generally extendible, conically shaped containment structure including a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to a smaller sized outlet. The housing sections may be formed from flexible materials that enable easy storage and rapid deployment. The outlet directs fossil fuels into a fluid containment device, such as, but not limited to, a vessel. The extendible containment housing may include an anchoring base configured to retain an inlet of the housing section at a bottom of a water body at a leak site such that the inlet envelopes the leak site yet also enables water from outside the first extendible containment housing section to enter the housing, thereby providing for pressure stabilization.
Description
- This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/344,477, filed Aug. 2, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein.
- This invention is directed generally to fluid leak containment systems, and more particularly to containment systems for containing fluids leaking underwater during extraction efforts.
- The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 has brought awareness to the lack of adequate systems for containing an underwater oil spill. Underwater oil spills pose horrific risks to sea life and marine food sources for human populations in close proximity to the oil spill. In addition, underwater oil spills that occur close to the coast impact commercial fisheries and other maritime activities. The six months that were needed to seal the oil well rupture that caused the Gulf of Mexico underwater oil spill in 2010 has made the need for a fluid leak containment system very apparent.
- A fluid leak containment system for containing leaks of fluids, such as, but not limited to, fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, during an underwater extraction process is disclosed. The fluid leak containment system may contain fluids leaking from a leaking well having a broken casing or pipe extending from a bottom of a water body, such as an ocean floor. The fluid leak containment system may be formed from an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet that is smaller than the inlet, thereby forming a generally conically shaped containment structure. The housing sections may be formed from flexible materials that enable easy storage and rapid deployment. The outlet may be configured to exhaust captured fossil fuels into a fluid containment device, such as, but not limited to, a vessel. In one embodiment, the series of cylindrical sections of flexible tubing housing sections may be disposed coaxially about the leaking pipe and joined together by conically tapered connectors to form a funnel-like container that extends between the ocean floor and a platform at the surface. Accordingly, there is, for example, sea water both inside and outside the extendible containment housing, and the pressure inside the extendible containment housing is the same as the pressure outside of the extendible containment housing.
- In one embodiment, the fluid leak containment system may include an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet and formed from at least one first extendible containment housing section and a second extendible containment housing section. The first extendible containment housing section may have a larger cross-sectional area at an end that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section than an end of the second extendible containment housing section closest to the first extendible containment housing section. As such, the size of the housing sections is reduced moving towards the outlet. The inlet of the extendible containment housing may be configured to receive leaking fluids. A connector coupling may be positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections such that the connector coupling is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections, thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections in fluid communication with each other. The flexible material forming the housing sections of the extendible containment housing may include, but is not limited to polyester fabric, polyethylene, and canvas.
- The fluid leak containment system may also include an anchoring base coupled to an end of the at least one first extendible containment housing section opposite to the second extendible containment housing. The anchoring base may be configured to retain the first extendible containment housing section at a bottom of a water body at a leak site such that the first extendible containment housing section envelopes a leak yet also enables water from outside the first extendible containment housing section to enter the first extendible containment housing section while capturing leaked fluids, thereby providing for pressure stabilization. The fluid leak containment system may include one or more support structures to which a terminal end of the extendible containment housing may be attached. The support structure may be a floating structure. The support structure may include support arms configured to anchor the support structure to the bottom of a water body. The support structure may also be a fossil fuel extractor, such as, but not limited to, an oil rig. The housing sections of the extendible containment housing may be formed from a flexible material.
- The fluid leak containment system may include one or more deployment subsystems in communication with the support structure to facilitate movement of the extendible containment housing between a deployed position and a storage position. The deployment subsystem may include a plurality of cables extending between the support structure and the extendible containment housing. The deployment subsystem may also include a plurality of cables extending between each section of the extendible containment housing and the support structure.
- The extendible containment housing of the fluid leak containment system may include a plurality of sections coupled together with connector couplings in addition to the first and second extendible containment housing sections. The fluid leak containment system may include a conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device. In one embodiment, the fluid containment device may be a vessel.
- The fluid leak containment system may also include one or more pumps in fluid communication with the conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device.
- An advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be used to effectively capture, contain and recover, oil leaking from an underwater site, such as, but not limited to, a ruptured, underwater extraction site.
- Another advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be stored in a manner enabling quick deployment beneath an oil rig or on the deck of vessel.
- Yet another advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be deployed one on top of the other in a repetitive arrangement for additional safety.
- These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention.
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FIG. 1 is a side view of a fluid leak containment system with an extendible containment housing in a deployed position and attached to a fluid containment device, which is shown as a vessel. -
FIG. 2 is a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a stored position on board a vessel. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a stored position on board a vessel. -
FIG. 4 is a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing being deployed from a vessel. -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing being deployed from a vessel. -
FIG. 6 a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a deployed position and is anchored to the bottom with a cable anchoring system. -
FIG. 7 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a deployed position. -
FIG. 8 is a side view of yet another alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a deployed position. -
FIG. 9 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a partially deployed position from a fossil fuel extractor. -
FIG. 10 is a side view of yet another alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a stored position from a fossil fuel extractor. -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system is use to capture fluids leaking from a vessel. - As shown in
FIGS. 1-11 , a fluidleak containment system 10 for containing leaks of fluids, such as, but not limited to, fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, during an underwater extraction process is disclosed. The fluidleak containment system 10 may contain fluids leaking from a leakingwell 80 having a broken casing or pipe extending from abottom 34 of awater body 36, such as an ocean floor. The fluidleak containment system 10 may be formed from anextendible containment housing 12 formed from a plurality of decreasingly sizedhousing sections 14 extending from aninlet 16 to anoutlet 18 that is smaller than theinlet 16, thereby forming a generally conically shaped containment structure, as shown inFIGS. 1 , 7 and 8. Thehousing sections 14 may be formed from flexible materials that enable easy storage and rapid deployment. Theoutlet 18 may be configured to exhaust captured fossil fuels into afluid containment device 20, such as, but not limited to, a vessel. In one embodiment, the series of cylindrical sections of flexibletubing housing sections 14 may be disposed coaxially about the leakingpipe 80 and joined together by conicallytapered connectors 18 to form a funnel-like container that extends between theocean floor 34 and aplatform 82 at the surface. Accordingly, there is, for example, sea water both inside and outside theextendible containment housing 12, and the pressure inside theextendible containment housing 12 is the same as the pressure outside of theextendible containment housing 12. - The
extendible containment housing 12 of the fluidleak containment system 10 may be formed from a plurality of decreasingly sizedhousing sections 14 extending from theinlet 16 to theoutlet 18 and configured to receive leaking fluids. In at least one embodiment, thehousing sections 14 may be formed form at least one first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 and a second extendiblecontainment housing section 24. Theextendible containment housing 12 may have a generally conical shape extending from theinlet 16 to theoutlet 18. Thus, theextendible containment housing 12 may have the smallest cross-sectional end at theoutlet 18 and the largest cross-sectional area at theinlet 16. In addition, the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 may have a larger cross-sectional area at anend 26 that is closest to the second extendiblecontainment housing section 24 than anend 28 of the second extendiblecontainment housing section 24 closest to the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22. - The
housing sections 14 may have any appropriate shape, such as, but not limited to, cylindrical. Thehousing sections 14 may be fabricated from a strong flexible material such as, but not limited to, a polyester fabric, polyethylene material, or canvas, which can be either waterproof or water-resistant and oil resistant, and tear-resistant under pressure, such as for example and not by way of limitation, tarpaulins. The first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 may have a diameter of at least 30 feet in one embodiment and smaller sizes in other embodiments. Thehousing sections 14 may each have the same thickness or each different thicknesses and may be formed from the same or different materials. Eachhousing section 14 may have a length between about 500 feet and about 1000 feet, or longer, to reach a depth of 5000 feet or more. As shown inFIG. 1 , theextendible containment housing 12 may be formed from fourhousing sections 14. In other embodiments, thehousing sections 14 may be formed from other numbers of sections. - The first extendible
containment housing section 22 may include an anchoringbase 30 coupled to anend 32 of the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 opposite to the secondextendible containment housing 24. The anchoringbase 30 may be configured to retain the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 at a bottom 34 of awater body 36, such as, but not limited to an ocean, lake, gulf and bay, at a leak site such that the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 envelopes a leak yet also enables water from outside the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 to enter the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 while capturing leaked fluids, thereby providing pressure stabilization. During use, the anchoringbase 30 may be suspended above the bottom 34 a distance of between about six inches and about 10 feet to form agap 84, and more particularly, about four feet, to allow water to enter the funnel-like structure from the bottom 34. The anchoringbase 30 may be sized to include a width or thickness of about two to three inches and a height of about twelve inches. The anchoringbase 30 may have any appropriate thickness and may be formed from any appropriate material necessary to secure the anchoringbase 30 to the bottom 34 to prevent movement of theinlet 16 despite water currents imposing forces on thehousing sections 14. In at least one embodiment, the anchoringbase 30 may be formed from steel. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the anchoringbase 30 or components positioned in close proximity to the anchoringbase 30 are magnetic. The anchoringbase 30 may be formed from two sections such that awall 40 forming the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 may be folded over alower half 42 of the anchoringbase 30, and anupper half 44 of the anchoringbase 30 may clamp thelower half 42 in place, thereby ensuring that a seal is made. The anchoringbase 30 may have other appropriate configurations as well. - The
housing sections 14 may be coupled together withconnector couplings 38 positioned betweenadjacent housing sections 14. Theconnector coupling 38 may be positioned between the first and second extendiblecontainment housing sections connector coupling 38 is attached to the first and second extendiblecontainment housing sections containment housing sections connector couplings 38 and the anchoringbase 30 may be implemented in a variety of ways to ensure keeping the anchoringbase 30 in position at the bottom 34 and theinlet 16 at the anchoringbase 30. Theconnector couplings 38 may be formed from a durable material, such as, but not limited to, a plastic, which may be substantially lighter in weight than the anchoringbase 30. Theconnector coupling 38 between thehousing section 14 at theoutlet 18 may be about eight feet in diameter. However, in other embodiments, theconnector coupling 38 may have other sizes. - The
extendible containment housing 12 may be supported by a one ormore support structures 46 to which aterminal end 48 of theextendible containment housing 12 may be attached. Thesupport structure 46 may have a variety of different configurations. In particular, thesupport structure 46 may be a floating structure enabling deployment of theextendible containment housing 12 in deep water. At shallower depths, say at depths less than 300 feet, thesupport structure 46 may includesupport arms 50 configured to anchor thesupport structure 46 to a bottom of awater body 36. Thesupport arms 50 may be formed from an engineered structure and formed from materials, such as, but not limited to, steel and galvanized steel. In another embodiment, thesupport structure 46 may be afossil fuel extractor 52, which may be, but is not limited to being, an oil drilling rig or a natural gas drilling rig, as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10 . Theextendible containment housing 12 may be supported under thefossil fuel extractor 52 such that thefossil fuel extractor 52 is positioned for fast deployment should a leak develop during extraction procedures being carried out by thefossil fuel extractor 52. - The fluid
leak containment system 10 may also include one or more deployment subsystem 54 in communication with thesupport structure 46 to facilitate movement of theextendible containment housing 12 between a deployed position, as shown inFIG. 1 , and a storage position, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 . The deployment subsystem 54 may include a plurality ofcables 56 extending between thesupport structure 46 and theextendible containment housing 12. Thecables 56 may extend generally vertically in thewater body 36. The deployment subsystem 54 may include a plurality ofcables 56 extending between eachhouse section 14 of theextendible containment housing 12 and thesupport structure 46. - In at least one embodiment, the hydrostatic pressure would not cause a problem because the
extendible containment housing 12 is not sealed at the top or the bottom, rather, the inside pressure should be the same or equal to the outside pressure. The fluidleak containment system 10 also accounts for ocean currents especially between the sunlight zone around 600 feet down from the surface of the ocean and the twilight zone roughly 3000 feet down from the surface of the ocean. In particular, the fluidleak containment system 10 may also include ananchoring system 58 configured to anchor theextendible containment housing 12 to the bottom 34. In one embodiment shown inFIG. 6 , the anchoringsystem 58 may be formed from a plurality ofcables 60 attached to thesupport structure 46 or thehousing sections 14, or both, and attached to the bottom 34 of thewater body 36. Thecables 60 may be positioned equidistant from each other at four locations around theextendible containment housing 12. The anchoringsystem 58 may be attached to the bottom 34 in any appropriate manner. - The
cable anchoring system 40 may be anchored from thetop platform 82 and one or more of theconnectors 18 and may extend in a range of approximately 30 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to theextendible containment housing 12 diagonally down to the bottom 34 of the ocean. For example, as shown inFIG. 6 , a series ofcables 60 may be anchored to the bottom 34. These anchoringcables 60 can also be repeated at everyconnector 18 or everyother connector 18, if needed, to further secure theextendible containment housing 12. Thecables 60 may be concentrated at the top portion of theextendible containment housing 12, since the upper part of the ocean is where most waves and under ocean current takes place. Nevertheless, anchoringcables 60 can also be included at the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 of theextendible containment housing 12 as shown inFIG. 6 . The anchoringcables 60 may be formed of metal cable, chain, rope, or the like. The anchoringcables 60 may be attached to a correspondingconnector 18 at four sides equally spaced, e.g., 90 degrees apart. Thecable anchoring system 60 will ensure that theextendible containment housing 12 will stay in place during heavy storms. The anchoringcables 60 also addresses the problem of theextendible containment housing 12 being bent out of shape from any deep ocean currents. - The
extendible containment housing 12 may be coupled with afluid containment device 20. In particular, theoutlet 18 of theextendible containment housing 12 may be in fluid communication with afluid containment device 20, which in at least one embodiment, may be a vessel, such as a tanker ship. In at least one embodiment, theoutlet 18 may be in fluid communication with thefluid containment device 20 via aconduit 62. Theoutlet 18 of theextendible housing 12 may be coupled to acollection chamber 64, which may be, but is not limited to being, formed from plastic or steel, and coupled to anairtight chamber 66 on aplatform 82 of thesupport structure 46. Apump 86 may be positioned in fluid communication with theconduit 62 to assist in moving fossil fluids collected in theextendible containment housings 12 to thefluid containment device 20. Thepump 86 may be formed from any appropriate pump capable of operating reliably in the harsh operating environment. Agas bleed valve 68 may be included in the conduit for bleeding off gases that pass through thesystem 10. - The fluid
leak containment system 10 can be utilized for containing existing leaks or as a safeguard for preventing the escape of oil from future leaks, such as disasters like the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The fluidleak containment system 10 may be required to be used with all oil rigs that operate in the ocean or have a ship nearby ready to deploy thesystem 10. When the fluidleak containment system 10 is employed as a safety measure, pulleys can be anchored to theocean floor 34 around the well 80, withcables 60 in place about them for pulling the heavy metal ring down and anchoring it in place. - In another embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 11 , the fluidleak containment system 10 can be utilized for capturing fluids, such as, but not limited to, oil, leaking from a vessel. In particular, the fluidleak containment system 10 can be utilized for containing oil leaking from an oil tanker. In such an embodiment, at least a portion of the anchoringbase 30 may be magnetized to easily attached the anchoringbase 30 to the hull of a vessel surrounding a breach in a side of the vessel. In one embodiment, the components of the fluidleak containment system 10 other than thehousing sections 14, theconnector couplings 38 and the anchoringbase 30 may reside on a vessel. The fluidleak containment system 10 may be contained on a vessel, such as an oil spill recovery vessel, and extended when needed to attach the anchoringbase 30 and housing sections to a hull of a leaking vessel. The anchoringbase 30 may be moved into position through any appropriate means, including, but not limited to, a crane attached to the deploying vessel. - Once the fluid
leak containment system 10 has been deployed, the fluidleak containment system 10 can be backed up by deploying a second system of larger diameter over the first and connecting the twosystems 10 together with thecables 60 that connect theextendible containment housing 12 to theplatform 82 preventing the funnel from drifting. In other embodiments, additional fluidleak containment system 12 can be deployed periodically over the existingextendible containment housing 12 for extra safety and/or permanent usage. - During use, the
extended containment housing 12 may be stored on a vessel, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , or under afossil fuel extractor 52, as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10 . Theextended containment housing 12 may be stored on a vessel in a horizontal position, and may be transported to a site where theextended containment housing 12 is to be deployed in a folded state, with each of the folded sections resting on its side on awheeled platform 70. Even though thehousing sections 14 are folded in an accordion like fashion, thehousing sections 14 may still be between about 500 and about 1000 feet in length. Thewheeled platforms 70 may have progressively greater heights so that the centerlines of the different sections are aligned generally along ahorizontal axis 72. In an alternate embodiment, thehousing sections 14 may be folded and placed in vertical sections on the vessel. - The vessel may include a
crane arm 74 pivotally connected to the bow of the vessel for movement between an upright position for transport and a horizontal position for use. Thecrane arm 74 may be supported in its horizontal position by abrace 36, which is pivotally connected to thecrane arm 74 and to abracket 78 on the front of the bow. As shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 , thecrane arm 74 may be positioned in its horizontal position for deployment of thehousing sections 14. The anchoringbase 30 and the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 may be lowered about aruptured well pipe 80. Theplatform 82 of thesupport structure 46 may be in place or positioned into place prior to implementation of theextendible containment housing 12 in order to provide support. While the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 is being lowered, thenext housing section 12 is prepared for deployment, and theconnector coupling 38 is attached to the two sections. After the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 has been fully deployed, itswheeled platform 70 is rolled aside, and thewheeled platform 70 for thenext housing section 14 is rolled into position for deployment. The process continues until all of thehousing sections 14 have been deployed, and the outlet is connected to thecollection chamber 64 and theconduit 62. - Once the first extendible
containment housing section 22 is secured, highly pressurized fossil fuels, such as, but not limited to, oil, flows from the leaking well into thelowermost housing section 14, which is the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22, together with water that is drawn in from the sides through thegap 84. The pressure from the well 80 and the buoyancy of the oil and gas cause them to rise within thehousing sections 14. The large diameter of the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 and thegap 84 between the first extendiblecontainment housing section 22 of theextendible containment housing 12 and theocean floor 34 prevent the pressure from damaging or destroying theextendible containment housing 12. In addition, the relatively large volume of water in theextendible containment housing 12 serves to dissipate some of the pressure from thewell 80. The conical shape of theextendible containment housing 12 reduces the volume of oil, gas, and water to a manageable level and also adds pressure where it is needed, specifically, near the top of theextendible containment housing 12 and on the surface. If there is not enough pressure to deliver the oil and water to thefluid containment device 20, which may be a tanker, thepump 86 onboard the tanker may be used to assist in drawing the oil and water up into the tanker. The natural gas may be separated from the oil and water and directed to a storage tank in thetanker 20, and the oil and water may also likewise separated from each other in thetanker 20. The oil may be separated from the water through use of electricity in a self-contained process. Implementation of the fluidleak containment system 10 may be made efficiently in a matter of hours. - The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.
Claims (23)
1. A fluid leak containment system, comprising:
an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet and formed from at least one first extendible containment housing section and a second extendible containment housing section, wherein the first extendible containment housing section has a larger cross-sectional area at an end that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section than an end of the second extendible containment housing section closest to the first extendible containment housing section and wherein in the inlet of the extendible containment housing is configured to receive leaking fluids; and
a connector coupling positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections such that the connector coupling is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections, thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections in fluid communication with each other.
2. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising an anchoring base coupled to an end of the at least one first extendible containment housing section opposite to the at least one second extendible containment housing.
3. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , wherein the anchoring base is magnetic.
4. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one support structure to which a terminal end of the extendible containment housing is attached.
5. The fluid leak containment system of claim 4 , further comprising at least one deployment subsystem in communication with the at least one support structure to facilitate movement of the extendible containment housing between a deployed position and a storage position.
6. The fluid leak containment system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one deployment subsystem comprises a plurality of cables extending between the at least one support structure and the extendible containment housing.
7. The fluid leak containment system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one deployment subsystem comprises a plurality of cables extending between each section of the extendible containment housing and the at least one support structure.
8. The fluid leak containment system of claim 6 , wherein the support structure is a floating structure.
9. The fluid leak containment system of claim 6 , wherein the support structure includes support arms configured to anchor the support structure to a bottom of a water body.
10. The fluid leak containment system of claim 6 , wherein the support structure is a fossil fuel extractor.
11. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , wherein the housing sections of the extendible containment housing are formed from a flexible material.
12. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , wherein the flexible material forming the housing sections of the extendible containment housing are selected from the group consisting of polyester fabric, polyethylene, and canvas.
13. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , wherein the extendible containment housing comprises a plurality of sections coupled together with connector couplings in addition to the at least one first and second extendible containment housing sections.
14. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising a conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device.
15. The fluid leak containment system of claim 14 , wherein the fluid containment device is a vessel.
16. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one pump in fluid communication with the at conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device.
17. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising
a second extendible containment housing positioned over top of the extendible containment housing, wherein the second extendible containment housing is formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet and formed from at least one first extendible containment housing section and a second extendible containment housing section, wherein the first extendible containment housing section has a larger cross-sectional area at an end that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section than an end of the second extendible containment housing section closest to the first extendible containment housing section and wherein in the inlet of the extendible containment housing is configured to receive leaking fluids; and
a connector coupling positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections such that the connector coupling is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections, thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections in fluid communication with each other.
18. The fluid leak containment system of claim 1 , further comprising an anchoring system for anchoring at least one of the housing sections to a bottom of a water body.
19. A fluid leak containment system, comprising:
an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet and formed from at least one first extendible containment housing section and a second extendible containment housing section, wherein the first extendible containment housing section has a larger cross-sectional area at an end that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section than an end of the second extendible containment housing section closest to the first extendible containment housing section and wherein in the inlet of the extendible containment housing is configured to receive leaking fluids;
an anchoring base coupled to an end of the at least one first extendible containment housing section opposite to the at least one second extendible containment housing, wherein the anchoring base is configured to position the at least one first extendible containment housing section at a bottom of a water body;
a connector coupling positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections such that the connector coupling is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections, thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections in fluid communication with each other;
at least one support structure to which a terminal end of the extendible containment housing is attached;
at least one deployment subsystem in communication with the at least one support structure to facilitate movement of the extendible containment housing between a deployed position and a storage position;
a conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device;
at least one pump in fluid communication with the at conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device.
20. The fluid leak containment system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one deployment subsystem comprises a plurality of cables extending between each section of the extendible containment housing and the at least one support structure.
21. The fluid leak containment system of claim 19 , wherein the housing sections of the extendible containment housing are formed from a flexible material selected from the group consisting of polyester fabric, polyethylene, and canvas.
22. The fluid leak containment system of claim 19 , wherein the extendible containment housing comprises a plurality of sections coupled together with connector couplings in addition to the at least one first and second extendible containment housing sections.
23. The fluid leak containment system of claim 18 , wherein the fluid containment device is a vessel.
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US13/167,183 US20120027517A1 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2011-06-23 | Fluid leak containment system |
US13/404,800 US20120213588A1 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2012-02-24 | Fluid leak containment system |
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US34447710P | 2010-08-02 | 2010-08-02 | |
US13/167,183 US20120027517A1 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2011-06-23 | Fluid leak containment system |
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US13/404,800 Continuation-In-Part US20120213588A1 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2012-02-24 | Fluid leak containment system |
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US20120027517A1 true US20120027517A1 (en) | 2012-02-02 |
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US13/167,183 Abandoned US20120027517A1 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2011-06-23 | Fluid leak containment system |
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US20130183098A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2013-07-18 | Afif Samih HALAL | Fluid level control system and method of using same |
WO2013119681A1 (en) * | 2012-02-06 | 2013-08-15 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Geothermal power generation system with turbine engines and marine gas capture system |
CN103680060A (en) * | 2013-12-25 | 2014-03-26 | 中国水电顾问集团成都勘测设计研究院有限公司 | Field safety monitoring pre-warning system during running process of vibrating trolley |
US8955319B2 (en) | 2012-02-06 | 2015-02-17 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Closed-loop geothermal power generation system with turbine engines |
US20150159455A1 (en) * | 2013-12-06 | 2015-06-11 | Julius C. Trawick | System and method to stop underwater oil well leaks |
WO2013126756A3 (en) * | 2012-02-24 | 2015-06-18 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Fluid leak containment system |
US20160265317A1 (en) * | 2013-10-21 | 2016-09-15 | Total Sa | A containment system and a method for using said containment system |
US20160333674A1 (en) * | 2014-01-13 | 2016-11-17 | Shell Oil Company | Method of preventing hydrate formation in open water capture devices |
US20170114513A1 (en) * | 2015-10-23 | 2017-04-27 | Philip S. Dunlap | Methods and systems to contain pollution & hazardous environments (cphe) |
US20180119916A1 (en) * | 2014-07-31 | 2018-05-03 | Valeo Vision | A light module for lighting and/or signaling for motor vehicles |
US10400410B2 (en) * | 2011-02-03 | 2019-09-03 | Marquix, Inc. | Containment unit and method of using same |
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Cited By (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130183098A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2013-07-18 | Afif Samih HALAL | Fluid level control system and method of using same |
US9074333B2 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2015-07-07 | Shell Oil Company | Fluid level control system and method of using same |
US10753058B2 (en) * | 2011-02-03 | 2020-08-25 | Marquix, Inc. | Containment unit and method of using same |
US10400410B2 (en) * | 2011-02-03 | 2019-09-03 | Marquix, Inc. | Containment unit and method of using same |
US20120251244A1 (en) * | 2011-03-31 | 2012-10-04 | Thomas Toedtman | Methods and device to improve the quality of contained hydrocarbon liquids and particularly oil recovered from an undersea oil leak containment chamber. |
WO2013119681A1 (en) * | 2012-02-06 | 2013-08-15 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Geothermal power generation system with turbine engines and marine gas capture system |
US8955319B2 (en) | 2012-02-06 | 2015-02-17 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Closed-loop geothermal power generation system with turbine engines |
WO2013126756A3 (en) * | 2012-02-24 | 2015-06-18 | Tessema Dosho Shifferaw | Fluid leak containment system |
US20160265317A1 (en) * | 2013-10-21 | 2016-09-15 | Total Sa | A containment system and a method for using said containment system |
US20150159455A1 (en) * | 2013-12-06 | 2015-06-11 | Julius C. Trawick | System and method to stop underwater oil well leaks |
CN103680060A (en) * | 2013-12-25 | 2014-03-26 | 中国水电顾问集团成都勘测设计研究院有限公司 | Field safety monitoring pre-warning system during running process of vibrating trolley |
US20160333674A1 (en) * | 2014-01-13 | 2016-11-17 | Shell Oil Company | Method of preventing hydrate formation in open water capture devices |
US9752416B2 (en) * | 2014-01-13 | 2017-09-05 | Shell Oil Company | Method of preventing hydrate formation in open water capture devices |
US20180119916A1 (en) * | 2014-07-31 | 2018-05-03 | Valeo Vision | A light module for lighting and/or signaling for motor vehicles |
US20170114513A1 (en) * | 2015-10-23 | 2017-04-27 | Philip S. Dunlap | Methods and systems to contain pollution & hazardous environments (cphe) |
US10036135B2 (en) * | 2015-10-23 | 2018-07-31 | Philip S. Dunlap | Methods and systems to contain pollution and hazardous environments (CPHE) |
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