Rapid-deployment oil spill containment boom and method of deployment
AssigneeHARBO Technologies Ltd.
InventorsArnon Shany, Boaz Ur, Haim Greenberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rapid-deployment system for containing oil spills and similar water contaminations comprises a pre-manufactured sleeve having air-inflatable or gas-inflatable compartments and water inflatable compartments. In some embodiments uninflated sleeve is stored as a reel of sleeve material, and the deployment system, optionally mounted in a small boat, comprises a machine for inflating the air and water compartments at the site of a spill. In some embodiments, air and/or water compartments may be self-inflating.
Claims29
A method for blocking the spread of a spill of floating substances spilled into water, comprising:
- arranging a plurality of segments to define a spill-blocking boom having a longitudinal axis, each of said segments defining a plurality of preformed compartments including a floatation element and a ballast compartment, wherein each said floatation element has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis and each said ballast compartment has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis;
- storing the boom having said plurality of preformed compartments in a compressed format in a stored configuration;
- utilizing a deployment craft to navigate around the spill while simultaneously deploying the spill-blocking boom such that said boom surrounds the spill, said boom deployed around the spill while the craft is navigated around the spill, wherein upon deployment mutual forces are exerted between a said floatation element and at least one portion of said boom outside said floatation element, wherein said mutual forces set and maintain a said floatation element longitudinal axis at an angle of less than 180 degrees to at least one of:
- another said floatation element longitudinal axis;
- and
- a said ballast compartment longitudinal axis;
- releasing said boom from said deployment craft to allow it to float freely with the spill, unattached to anything.
A boom sleeve for blocking spread of a spill of floating substances spilled into water, said boom sleeve comprising:
- a plurality of segments arranged to define an elongate structure having a boom longitudinal axis, each of said segments comprising a plurality of preformed compartments including a floatation element and a ballast compartment, wherein each said floatation element has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis and each said ballast compartment has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis;
- said boom sleeve configured to form a continuous barrier that surrounds said spill and which barrier floats freely when deployed, unattached to anything;
- wherein said boom-sleeve is stored in a compressed format in a stored configuration, said boom-sleeve stored one of:
- at a long term storage facility;
- at or near a potential spill site;
- and
- on a deployment craft;
- wherein upon deployment mutual forces are exerted between said floatation element and at least one portion of said boom sleeve outside said floatation element, wherein said mutual forces set and maintain a said floatation element longitudinal axis at an angle of less than 180 degrees to at least one of:
- another said floatation element longitudinal axis;
- and
- a said ballast compartment longitudinal axis.
A boom sleeve for blocking spread of a spill of floating substances spilled into water, said boom sleeve comprising:
- a plurality of segments arranged to define an elongate structure having a boom longitudinal axis, each of said segments comprising a floatation element and a ballast compartment, wherein each said floatation element has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis and each said ballast compartment has a longitudinal axis in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said boom longitudinal axis, and wherein upon deployment mutual forces are exerted between said floatation element and at least one portion of said boom sleeve outside said floatation element, wherein said mutual forces set and maintain a said floatation element longitudinal axis at an angle of less than 180 degrees to said at least one of:
- another said floatation element longitudinal axis;
- and
- a said ballast compartment longitudinal axis;
- said boom sleeve configured to form a continuous barrier that surrounds said spill and floats freely when deployed, unattached to anything.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.