Deep sea oil salvage means

A self-contained, underwater mounted, portable, positionable, deep sea oil salvage means and separator of oil, gas, and water, comprising, in combination:

• a flexible sleeve means,
• means holding operatively open the lower end of the sleeve means to provide that it is of downwardly-opening nature,
• anchor means operatively connected to the sleeve means to retain it in the situs of the oil leak and to assure that the sleeve means provides a collection chamber for oil and gas emerging from the leak,
• sealing means operatively sealing the upper end of the sleeve means,
• control means for discharging oil and/or gases from the sleeve means to associated receiving means,
• there being provided buoyant means to hold the upper end of the said sleeve means upwardly, thus providing that the said sleeve means is a downwardly-opening collection chamber,
• in a combination in which a tube means extends into the upper portion of the sleeve means, and releases gas collected in the sleeve means, in a controlled manner,
• and including a tube means which extends into the interior of the sleeve means for controlled discharge of oil collected in the sleeve means,
• and also including a sensor means for detection of the presence of layers or regions of oil/water, of oil, and of gas collected in the sleeve means,
• and in which control means are provided for automatically controlling the discharge of gas by the gas-releasing tube and the discharge of oil by the oil-discharge tube,
• the control means being responsive to the said sensor means, thus maintaining the desired layers or regions of oil/water, oil, and gas, respectively in the sleeve means.