Vessel designed to collect waste on board
AssigneeEcoceane SAS
InventorJean-Pierre Joliet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vessel travels over a surface of a body of water or a waterway to collect waste on and/or close to the surface. A retainer that traps and retains the waste is activated by creating a water flow channel that is connected to a water inlet and a water outlet on the vessel. The retainer is on at least one trajectory of said channel. Waste is collected without using a specific pumping or gathering device.
Claims17
Vessel for collecting on board the vessel waste that is close to and/or on a surface of a body of water or a waterway, said vessel comprising a floating liquid waste holding tank, a water flow channel arranged in said vessel between a water inlet and a water outlet of the vessel, and a turbine for creating a water flow in the water flow channel,
- the water flow channel being downstream from said inlet and upstream from an inlet of the tank such that liquid including liquid waste can flow from the inlet into the tank,
- the holding tank including:
- (a) an inlet adapted to be connected to the inlet of the water flow channel, the holding tank inlet being formed by an upper edge of said tank and adapted to be located close to the surface of the water, and (b) an outlet adapted to be connected to the outlet of said channel, the holding tank outlet being formed by an orifice in a bottom of said tank and adapted to be obstructed by a closure in response to said tank being full of liquid waste;
- the closure comprising a float having at least one surface for covering the orifice which forms the outlet of the tank, the float having a density greater than that of the liquid waste and lower than that of the water.
A vessel for collecting on board the vessel waste that is close to and/or on a surface of a body of water or a water way, said vessel having at least one hull and comprising:
- a floating liquid waste holding tank including an inlet close to the surface of the water,
- a water flow channel arranged in said vessel between a water inlet of the vessel and a water outlet of the channel, the water flow channel being isolated from the outside of the vessel by a fairing and comprising two trajectories for liquid, and
- a turbine for (a) creating a water flow in the water flow channel and (b) causing liquid flowing through the channel outlet to flow through the turbine, thence outboard of the vessel, between the water inlet of the channel and the tank,
- the water flow channel and the turbine being arranged for causing (a) liquid with liquid waste and liquid without liquid waste to flow together in a first part of the channel, (b) the liquid with liquid waste and liquid without liquid waste to be separated downstream of the first part of the channel into first and second trajectories, respectively, (c) the liquid in the first trajectory to flow into the tank, (d) the liquid emerging from the tank, without liquid waste and in the first trajectory, to flow through the turbine, and (e) the liquid in the second trajectory to flow downstream of the first part of the channel to by-pass the tank and to flow through the turbine, and (e) the liquid without liquid waste to flow downstream of the first part of the channel into the second trajectory, between the fairing and the bottom of the tank, and to flow through the turbine,
- the tank being formed to cause liquid in the first trajectory in the tank to flow with a Venturi effect for causing the liquid without liquid waste emerging from the tank to flow through the turbine with a Venturi effect.
Apparatus adapted to be located on a vessel for collecting on board the vessel waste that is close to and/or on a surface of a body of water or a water way, said apparatus comprising:
- a floating liquid waste holding tank,
- a water flow channel arranged in said vessel between a water inlet of said vessel, the water flow channel being isolated from the outside of the vessel
- a turbine for creating a water flow along two trajectories in the water flow channel and causing liquid flowing through the channel outlet to flow through the turbine, thence outboard of the vessel,
- the water flow channel and the turbine being arranged for causing:
- (a) liquid with liquid waste and liquid without liquid waste to flow together in a first part of the channel, where the first and second trajectories are coincident, the first part of the channel being uprstream of the holding tank,
- (b) the liquid with liquid waste and liquid without liquid waste to be separated downstream of the first part of the channel into first and second trajectories, respectively,
- (c) the liquid in the first trajectory to flow into the tank,
- (d) the liquid in the second trajectory to flow downstream of the first part of the channel to by-pass the tank and to flow through the turbine,
- (e) the liquid in the first trajectory, without liquid waste, emerging from the tank to flow through the turbine with a Venturi effect.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.