Sea bed oil recovery system
OwnerWarren N. Rootinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An oil recovery system recovers oil released at the bed of a body of water. The system includes a fluid collector assembly positionable proximate to the bed of the body of water. The collector assembly has an open lower end to receive fluid and has an upper end coupled to a lowermost fluid transfer tube. Fluid transfer tubes are interconnected in a string between the lowermost fluid transfer tube and a vessel positioned to receive fluid transferred through the fluid transfer tube. A guide cable is anchored at the bed of the body of water to guide the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes to the bed. A lift cable selectively lowers the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes to the bed. Fluid entering the collector assembly rises to the water surface via the transfer tubes.
Claims15
An oil recovery system, comprising:
- a fluid collector assembly positionable proximate to the bed of a body of water, the collector assembly having an open lower end to receive fluid and having an upper end coupled to a lowermost fluid transfer tube;
- a plurality of rigid, substantially cylindrical fluid transfer tubes, each fluid transfer tube having a first coupling interface at a first end and having a second coupling interface at a second end;
- a tube coupling system that interconnects the fluid transfer tubes as a string between the lowermost fluid transfer tube and the surface of the body of water, the tube coupling system comprising a plurality of tube coupling clamps, each tube coupling clamp interconnecting a respective first coupling interface of a respective one of the fluid transfer tubes to a respective second coupling interface of another of the fluid transfer tubes;
- a guide system comprising a guide cable anchorable at the bed, the guide cable loosely coupled to the fluid collector assembly and to the fluid transfer tubes to maintain the guide cable generally in parallel to the fluid transfer tubes, the guide system guiding the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes as the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes are lowered to the bed;
- and
- a lifting system comprising a lift cable coupled to the fluid collector assembly to lower the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes to the bed and to raise the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes from the bed, the lift cable loosely coupled to the fluid transfer tubes to maintain the lift cable generally in parallel to the fluid transfer tubes.
A method of recovering leaking fluid from a bed of a body of water, comprising:
- positioning a fluid collector assembly proximate to the bed with an open lower end of the fluid collector assembly closer to the bed and with an upper end coupled to a lowermost fluid transfer tube;
- interconnecting a plurality of rigid, substantially cylindrical fluid transfer tubes as a string between the lowermost fluid transfer tube and the surface of the body of water, the transfer tubes added serially to the top of the string as the fluid collector assembly is lowered toward the bed, each pair of transfer tubes interconnected by applying a coupling clamp to an upper face of a lower transfer tube of the pair and to a lower face of an upper transfer tube of the pair;
- guiding the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes to the bed along an anchored guide cable, the guide cable being coupled to the transfer tubes to maintain the guide cable generally in parallel to the transfer tubes;
- lowering the fluid collector assembly and the fluid transfer tubes with a lift cable coupled to the fluid collector assembly until the fluid collector assembly is positioned a selected distance above the bed, the lift cable loosely coupled to the transfer tubes to maintain the lift cable generally in parallel with the transfer tubes;
- and
- transferring leaking fluid entering the lower end of the fluid collector assembly through the fluid transfer tubes to the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.