US 4,053,406 AGranted

Apparatus and method for recovering oil from icy waters

AssigneeArtec Co., Ltd.

InventorsPaul C. Deslauriers, Richard P. Voelker, Everett J. Lecourt, Lawrence A. Schultz

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Abstract

An acquatic vessel, preferably a barge which is either self- or non-self-propelled is equipped with ice cutting, oil recovery and processing apparatus. The ice covered area that is polluted with oil is approached by the vessel and the oil-contaminated ice is cut into slabs which are conveyed to a cleaning station where high pressure air and/or water jets and/or chippers remove the oil and some of the exterior of the slab. The oil and ice mixture that is removed from the slab is collected and heated. The oil is separated and purified and used as fuel and/or stored. The cleaned ice slabs are dropped back in the channel behind the vessel. Oil that is located beneath the ice, not adhering to the ice slabs, travels down an inclined plane under the vessel, rises in a well, and is separated out and used as fuel or stored. The vessel can also be used to clear an area, such as a harbor, of ice and to transport the collected ice to a designated area, since it has the capabilities for loading, storing, and off-loading ice. The propulsion means for the barge may include Archimedes' screws for propelling the barge at slow speeds.

Claims46

Dependent claims

A method for cleaning-up an oil spill from a body of water containing oil-contaminated ice and floating oil, comprising:

a. providing a floating platform with a fore section and an aft section at opposite ends of a midship section, including a conveyor for loading oil-contaminated ice slabs onto the fore section, conveying these slabs along the midships section and then off of the floating platform at the aft section, wherein the floating platform includes:
i. a plurality of cutting devices in the fore section, which are mounted to cuttingly engage the oil-contaminated ice which is about to be loaded onto the conveyor, for reducing into slabs the oil-contaminated ice in the path of said floating platform,
ii. a first collector, in the fore section, for collecting floating oil from the body of water in the path of said floating platform as the ice slabs are loaded onto the floating platform therefrom;
iii. an oil removing station, in the midship section, with a cleaning device disposed adjacent the conveyor, for cleaning the ice slabs being conveyed therepast;
and
iv. a second collector, in the midship section, for collecting oil draining from and being cleaned from the ice slabs being conveyed along the midship section;
b. moving said floating platform along said path while operating the cutting devices, conveyor and oil removing station, to reduce oil-contaminated ice in the path of the vessel into slabs, convey those slabs onto the fore section of the floating platform, clean the slabs in the oil removing station, collect oil draining from and cleaned from the ice into the collector, and conveying the thus-cleaned ice off the aft section of the floating platform.

4 more elements

Apparatus for cleaning-up an oil spill from a body of water containing oil-contaminated ice and floating oil, comprising:

a floating platform adapted to be moved in a path through the spill, the floating platform having a fore section and an aft section at opposite ends of a midship section, including a conveyor for loading oil-contaminated ice slabs onto the fore section, conveying these slabs along the midships section and then off of the floating platform at the aft section, wherein the floating platform includes:
i. a plurality of cutting devices in the fore section, which are mounted to cuttingly engage the oil-contaminated ice which is about to be loaded onto the conveyor, for reducing into slabs the oil-contaminated ice in the path of said floating platform,
ii. a first collector, in the fore section, for collecting floating oil from the body of water in the path of said floating platform as the ice slabs are loaded onto the floating platform therefrom;
iii. an oil removing station, in the midship section, with a cleaning device disposed adjacent the conveyor, for cleaning the ice slabs being conveyed therepast;
and
iv. a second collector, in the midship section, for collecting oil draining from and being cleaned from the ice slabs being conveyed along the midship section;
whereby the oil spill may be cleaned-up by moving said floating platform along said path while operating the cutting devices, conveyor and oil removing station, to reduce oil-contaminated ice in the path of the vessel into slabs, convey those slabs onto the fore section of the floating platform, clean the slabs in the oil removing station, collect oil draining from and cleaned from the ice into the collector, and conveying the thuscleaned ice off the aft section of the floating platform.

4 more elements

A method for cleaning-up an oil spill from a body of water containing oil-contaminated ice and floating oil, comprising:

a. providing a floating platform with a fore section and an aft section at opposite ends of a midship section, including a conveyor for loading oil-contaminated ice slabs onto the fore section, conveying these slabs along the midships section and then off of the floating platform at the aft section, wherein the floating platform includes:
i. a plurality of cutting devices in the fore section, which are mounted to cuttingly engage the oil-contaminated ice which is about to be loaded onto the conveyor, for reducing into slabs the oil-contaminated ice in the path of said floating platform,
ii. a first collector, in the fore section, for collecting floating oil from the body of water in the path of said floating platform as the ice slabs are loaded onto the floating platform therefrom;
iii. an oil removing station, in the midship section, with a cleaning device disposed adjacent the conveyor, for cleaning the ice slabs being conveyed therepast by removing from each ice slab the most oil-contaminated portion thereof;
iv. a second collector, in the midship section for collecting oil draining from and being cleaned from the ice slabs being conveyed along the midship section;
b. moving said floating platform along said path while operating the cutting devices, conveyor and oil removing station, to reduce oil-contaminated ice in the path of the vessel into slabs, convey those slabs onto the fore section of the floating platform, clean the slabs in the oil removing station, collect oil draining from and cleaned from the ice into the collector, and conveying the thus-cleaned ice off the aft section of the floating platform.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.