Floating barrier method and apparatus
AssigneeOil Stop, Inc.
InventorsKip B. Goans, Richard J. Lazes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A float boom for retaining a floatable material, such as hydrocarbons, floating upon a liquid surface. This float boom consists of separate and sequentially arranged buoyancy chambers having depending channels that are interconnected via a passageway such that an inflating medium is sequentially supplied to the buoyancy chambers. An automatic sealing system blocks access to each buoyancy chamber by closing the depending channel whenever the internal pressure within the channel is less than the external pressure upon the channel.
Claims22
A flexible inflatable float boom for confining a material floatable on a liquid surface comprising:
- (a) a plurality of sealed inflatable buoyancy chambers sequentially secured together;
- (b) impervious channel means communicating with and extending downwardly from each of said buoyancy chambers for providing access to each of said buoyancy chamber;
- (c) passageway means for coupling a lower end region of a said channel means of one of said buoyancy chambers with a lower end region of a said channel means of its adjacent said buoyancy chamber, said passageway means and said channel means providing for the passage of a pressurized inflating medium there through into said buoyancy chambers;
- (d) ballast means secured to said float boom underneath said buoyancy chambers for maintaining said boom in a proper orientation when deployed;
- and,
- (e) means for blocking access to a said buoyancy chamber whenever the internal pressure within its respective said channel means is less than the external hydrostatic pressure acting upon the said channel means.
A method for confining a material floatable on a liquid surface comprising the steps of:
- (a) sequentially securing a plurality of sealed inflatable buoyancy chambers together;
- (b) providing each said buoyancy chamber with flexible, impervious channel means that communicate with and extend downwardly from its respective said buoyancy chamber for providing access to the said buoyancy chamber;
- (c) providing a passageway between a lower end region of a said channel means of one said buoyancy chamber with a lower end region of a said channel means of an adjacent said buoyancy chamber, said passageway and said channel means providing for the passage of an inflating medium therethrough into said buoyancy chambers;
- (d) positioning said passageway at an elevation underneath the elevation of said buoyancy chamber;
- (e) securing ballast means to said boom underneath said buoyancy chambers for maintaining said boom in a proper orientation when deployed;
- (f) supplying a pressurized inflating medium to each of said buoyancy chambers via said channel means and said passageways;
- and,
- (g) blocking access to a said buoyancy chamber whenever the internal pressure within its respective said channel means is less than the external hydrostatic pressure acting upon the said channel means.
A float boom for confining material floatable on a liquid surface comprising, in combination:
- (a) a first elongated collapsible tube formed of fluid impervious material;
- (b) said first tube defining a flat, reelable configuration when collapsed;
- (c) means sealingly separating the interior of said first tube into a plurality of adjacent compartments sequentially disposed along the length of said first tube;
- (d) a second elongated collapsible tube formed of fluid impervious material and defining a flat reelable configuration when collapsed;
- (e) said second tube having a substantially smaller diameter when expanded than said first tube and having a longitudinal edge thereof secured to panel means connected to and depending downwardly from the lower portion of said first tube;
- and,
- (f) a plurality of conduits spaced along the length of said second tube and respectively communicating between the bore of said second tube and said compartments, whereby pressured gas supplied to an end the stored second tube produces successive inflation of said compartments;
- and,
- (g) means for preventing access to said compartments whenever the internal pressure within each compartment's respective said conduit is less than the external pressure acting upon said conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.