Oil-sorbing boom
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsEdward M. Fischer, Stanley P. Cernohous, Alan A. Allen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combined skirted oil-sorbing boom and oil-sorbing sweep has a buoyant inner core and an oil-sorbent outer core of a spirally wound sheet of polymeric, oleophilic, hydrophobic microfibers. Adhesively bonded to a sheet of the microfibers at the outer face of the outer core is an open-mesh netting of polymeric monofilaments that are fused at their crossings. The netting and the sheet to which it is adhered extend from the outer core to form a depending skirt which acts as a barrier to oil that is being sorbed by the microfibers. The buoyant inner core can be an open-cell foam that sorbs oil slowly, thus supplementing the oil-sorbing capability without significant loss of freeboard.
Claims12
An oil-sorbing boom comprising:
- (a) a tubular member having an inner core of polyolefin material and outer tubular construction positioned around said inner core:
- (i) said outer tubular construction comprising a highly oil-sorbent construction of oleophilic, hydrophobic microfibers;
- (ii) said inner core of polyolefin material comprising a flexible construction which is sorbent of oil but less sorbent of oil than the outer tubular construction and which is sufficiently buoyant to maintain buoyancy of said oil-sorbing boom in water when the outer tubular construction is saturated with oil;
- (b) a sleeve surrounding said tubular member;
- said sleeve comprising an abrasion-resistant, open-mesh netting of strands that are attached to one another at their crossing points;
- and,
- (c) an oil-barrier skirt positioned to depend from said tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.