Containment dike
AssigneeP.V. Flood Control Corp.
InventorPaul Vickers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Flexible containment tubes form sections of a dike for fluid containment. For example, multiple vinyl-coated polyester tubes with a 19-inch diameter may be filled with water and stacked on top of each other to create a temporary diversion dike. Multiple sections of dike may be abutted together to form longer sections of dike. A vapor barrier or plastic membrane may wrap over dike sections and/or weaved through the flexible containment tubes as they are placed prior to filling. Configurations of the vapor barrier and associated anchoring mechanisms improve the utility of dike sections by reducing hydrostatic pressure of contained fluid on the dike, harnessing the weight of fluid columns, and mitigating seepage through the dike sections.
Claims17
An apparatus for containing a fluid within a containment area, the apparatus comprising:
- a first plurality of containment tubes stacked on a ground surface in a first pyramid formation and a second plurality of containment tubes stacked on the ground surface in a second pyramid formation corresponding to the first pyramid formation, each containment tube comprising a flexible body and configured to receive a filling fluid;
- an abutment of an end of each containment tube in the first pyramid formation abutting with an end of a corresponding containment tube in the second pyramid formation;
- a water-tight vapor barrier spanning the abutment and comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion,
- the first portion of the vapor barrier extending from a front base of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation at the abutment into the containment area along the ground surface,
- the second portion of the vapor barrier extending down a front face of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation at the abutment to the ground surface at the front base of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation at the abutment, the front face of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation forming a portion of the containment area, and
- the third portion of the vapor barrier extending from the front base of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation at the abutment to the rear base of the first pyramid formation and the second pyramid formation at the abutment along the ground surface, and wherein the first and second plurality of containment tubes are stacked such that the abutment is positioned on the third portion of the vapor barrier, wherein an end of the third portion of the vapor barrier at the front base of the pyramid formation is positioned to provide a seepage gap enabling a portion of the fluid contained within the containment area to enter the interior of the pyramid formation from the ground surface.
A method for containing a fluid within a containment area, the method comprising:
- laying a water-tight vapor barrier on a ground surface;
- positioning a first plurality of containment tubes on the vapor barrier to form a first pyramid formation and a second plurality of containment tubes on the vapor barrier to form a second pyramid formation corresponding to the first pyramid formation, each containment tube comprising a flexible body and configured to receive a filling fluid, and wherein a front base of the first and second pyramid formations forming a portion of a containment area are positioned on a first end of the vapor barrier providing a seepage gap, the second end of the vapor barrier extended away from the containment area;
- abutting of an end of each containment tube in the first pyramid formation with an end of a corresponding containment tube in the second pyramid formation, the vapor barrier spanning the abutment;
- filling one or more of containment tubes with the filling fluid;
- extending the vapor barrier by:
- extending the second end of the vapor barrier from a rear base of the first and second pyramid formations over the first and second pyramid formations, and
- extending the second end of the vapor barrier down a front face of the first and second pyramid formations that form the portion of the containment area and into the containment area,
- receiving the fluid within the containment area;
- and
- receiving a portion of the fluid within the containment area into the interior of the pyramid formation through the seepage gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.