Methods of soft ballast tank decontamination and related systems and apparatus
AssigneeCorrect Craft IP Holdings, LLC
InventorsKris Forrest, Eric J. Miller, Augustus Joseph Chisano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A soft ballast tank includes at least one flexible sleeve attached to the tank body and extending at least partially around a tank sidewall. Filling the sleeve with water establishes a desired geometry of at least a portion of the tank body for spraying interior surfaces thereof for decontamination. Hot water is used to fill the sleeve and the hot water is sprayed onto interior surfaces of the tank body through at least one nozzle communicating with the sleeve.
Claims20
A ballast tank comprising:
- a flexible tank body including a tank sidewall extending around a first axis between first and second tank ends, the flexible tank body defining a ballast volume;
- at least one tank water connection mounted to the flexible tank body and communicating with the ballast volume to allow filling and draining from an external water source;
- at least one flexible sleeve defining at least one sleeve volume separate from the ballast volume, the at least one flexible sleeve connected to the tank sidewall and extending at least partially around the first axis such that filling the at least one sleeve volume establishes a desired geometry of at least a portion of the flexible tank body;
- at least one sleeve water connection communicating with the at least one sleeve volume and allowing filling thereof;
- and
- at least one nozzle communicating between the at least one sleeve volume and the ballast volume and operable to spray water from the at least one sleeve volume into the ballast volume.
A watersports boat comprising:
- a hull;
- a ballast tank carried by the hull and having:
- a flexible tank body defining a ballast volume,
- at least one tank water connection mounted to the flexible tank body and communicating with the ballast volume,
- at least one flexible sleeve defining at least one sleeve volume separate from the ballast volume, the at least one flexible sleeve connected to the body such that filling the at least one sleeve volume establishes a desired geometry of at least a portion of the flexible tank body,
- at least one sleeve water connection communicating with the at least one sleeve volume, and
- at least one nozzle communicating between the at least one sleeve volume and the ballast volume and operable to spray water from the at least one sleeve volume into the ballast volume;
- a ballast system carried by the hull and operable to fill and drain the ballast volume via the at least one tank water connection;
- and
- a decontamination system carried by the hull and operable to supply heated water to the at least one sleeve volume via the at least one sleeve water connection to establish the desired geometry of the at least a portion of the flexible tank body and to spray the heated water into the ballast volume via the at least one nozzle.
A method of decontaminating a ballast tank, the method comprising:
- draining a ballast volume of the ballast tank;
- filling at least one sleeve attached to a flexible tank body of the ballast tank with
- water to establish a desired geometry of the flexible tank body;
- and
- spraying interior surfaces of the flexible tank body with heated water through at least
- one nozzle communicating with the ballast volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.