Oil Boom

Abstract

Apparatus and method for controlling the spill of a polluting liquid on a water surface, the apparatus being composed of a vertical skirt of corrugated material supported at intervals along the length of the skirt by outriggers which function to support the skirt by floats held spaced from the skirt; the method involving uncoiling a skirt of corrugated material, attaching outrigger connected floats at intervals along the length of the skirt, and deploying the skirt, outriggers and floats into the water around the pollutant spill.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 95,649, filed Dec. 7, 1970 now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over most of the navigable waters of the world during recent years oil spills have become problems of great seriousness. Oil tankers wrecked at sea have spilled large volumes of oil into the water near beaches and harbors. In addition, leaky fittings and ruptured hoses at shipping terminals and refineries have caused major oil spills in various harbors. As a result, many governing agencies around the world have adopted laws requiring various means to control oil spills. Among such means presently available are oil booms.

Typical of oil booms utilized to contain spilled oil are the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,146,598 and 3,499,290. These two inventions are similar in that each involves an upright skirt supported at its upper edge by an integral float. Booms such as these of the prior art have been found to be seriously inadequate in at least two aspects. Thus, when floatation members are constructed integrally with the skirt, waves tend to roll over the floatation member and then splash over or spill over the skirt as well, wven though the skirt may extend somewhat above the floatation member. Also, such booms tend to lean with the force of current, thereby permitting oil to pass under the skirt. The present invention provides a successful solution to these problems, as will be apparent from the following description thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of this invention resides in providing a boom which is highly resistant to either splashover or underflow of floating pollutant.

The above purpose has been achieved through provision of a boom composed of an upright corrugated skirt supported in the water by floats attached to outriggers which separate the floats from the skirt.

The apparatus of this invention broadly extends to a boom for deployment on a water surface which includes an upright skirt, support means for the skirt which are spaced from the skirt, and means connecting the support means to the skirt.

The method of this invention broadly extends to deploying a boom on a water surface which includes the steps of uncoiling a skirt, attaching outriggers at intervals along the length of the skirt which function to support the skirt by floats held spaced from the skirt, and deploying the skirt and outrigger connected floats into the water.

Within the framework of the above described apparatus and method, the present invention not only solves the above mentioned problems of the prior art, but also achieves further significant advantages as will be apparent from the description of preferred embodiments following.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing provides an isometric view of a preferred apparatus of this invention and illustrates the position which this apparatus assumes while floating in the water.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the present invention is primarily useful as a portable, flexible, floating boom for confining oil or other floating pollutants whether in free form or contained in a floating sorbent, it is also useful as a wave controlling or inhibiting breakwater, jetty, or the like.

The major components of the boom of this invention include a flexible corrugated skirt 1 which is in a substantially upright position, preferably vertical; outriggers 2, which are attached to and support skirt 1; floats 3, which are attached to the outriggers and spaced from the skirt; and cables 4, which provide reinforcement for the skirt.

Skirt 1 is preferably made of corrugated material with the axes of the corrugations running vertically (Z direction). Such construction makes the skirt particularly adaptable to use in moderate waves and currents. Thus, the corrugations give the skirt a vertical rigidity (rigidity in the Y Z plane) which resists deformation and consequent underflow caused by currents which would bend skirts not having such rigidity. On the other hand, the corrugations give the skirt longitudinal flexibility both in a direction normal to the plane of the skirt (flexible in the X Y plane), which helps to dissipate the effects of wave forces and prevent splashover, and in a direction within the plane of the skirt (flexible in the X direction), which enables the skirt to conform to the surface of the water to resist submerging and consequent splashover. The skirt may be made of steel, aluminum, fiberglass or reinforced fabric, or whatever material is most suitable for either inshore or offshore service.

Outriggers 2 may take any of numerous suitable shapes provided the outriggers function to maintain the floats rigidly or somewhat flexibly connected to and substantially separated from the skirt. This construction is very important inasmuch as it makes the boom very stable and highly resistant to being overturned or tilted to any substantial degree by the action of wind, waves and currents without the use of weights. Most prior art booms utilize weights at the bottom of the skirt to overcome tendencies toward tilting and overturning. However, such weighting requirements are substantial, which makes the boom both cumbersome and expensive. Also, when floatation members are constructed integrally with the skirt as in conventional booms, waves tend to roll over the floatation element and then splash over the skirt. In the present invention with the floatation element removed from the skirt area by outriggers, the waves meet a sheer vertical wall so that the wave action is reflected without appreciable splashover.

Preferred outriggers form a broad V which is inverted over the top edge of the skirt. The outrigger may be secured to the skirt by any suitable means, such as a bolt (not shown) which extends both through the outrigger and the skirt. At the extremity of either leg of the V there is secured a float. The float may be secured to the leg of the outrigger by any suitable means, either by temporary or permanent connection. While the form of outrigger shown is preferred, other forms of outriggers are suitable for use with the invention. For example, the broad V may be attached to the bottom edge of the skirt; instead of a V shape, the outrigger may have a semi-circular shape; the outrigger may be a simple rod or bar which attaches to the face of the skirt and has a float at one end or which pierces the skirt and has floats at either end; or, the outrigger may extend from only one side of the skirt at a given location and extend from the other side at another location. Manifestly, many outrigger designs are suitable so long as the outrigger performs the above stated functions.

Floats 3 may be of any buoyant material, for example, hollow spheres, foamed or expanded rubber or polymeric material such as foamed polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene and may be in any form which is compatible with the form of the outriggers. Such floats may be rigidly, semi-rigidly or loosely held to the outriggers. The floats, as are the outriggers, are subject to considerable variation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Cables 4 function to carry boom tension. The cables are optional and may not be needed where the boom is of substantial strength of where only a short length of boom is being employed. Generally, it is preferred that the cables be spaced on both sides of the skirt at or near the water line of the skirt. However, as the situation may be, only one cable may be necessary if forces against the boom are substantially in only one direction.

As may be seen from the drawing, once the boom is deployed in the water, floats 3 maintain a substantial portion of the skirt above the water surface 5. Generally, the cables 4 are arranged so that they are substantially at the center of forces applied to the skirt.

The boom of this invention is easily stored and deployed. The skirts can be coiled and outriggers stored separately. In deployment, as the skirt is reeled out from a roll, the outriggers are slipped on prior to the boom reaching the water surface. The floats may be connected to the outriggers either before or after the outriggers are attached to the skirt. In addition, the cables may be attached to the skirt before or after the outriggers are attached.

Various attachments may be added to the boom of this invention which enhance its performance. For example, a baffle may be spaced in front of the skirt to aid in the dissipation of wave forces. Such a baffle might be in the form of floats strung between the floats of the outriggers, or it might be a skirt, similar to skirt 1, which is attached to the extremities of the outriggers or to the floats. Manifestly, the form of such baffle is subject to wide variation without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim as my invention:

1. A boom for deployment on a water surface comprising:

an upright skirt corrugated with the axes of corrugations running from top to bottom of the skirt;

support means for the skirt comprising at least one pair of V-shaped outriggers having floats attached to its extremities and inverted over the upper edge of the skirt and attached thereto;

tandem cables for carrying boom tension attached near the water line on opposite sides of the skirt; and

baffles spaced in front of the skirt.

2. The boom of claim 1 wherein the baffles are attached to the extremities of the support means.