Controlled in-situ burning of oil using wicking material
AssigneeWalden Ventures, LLC
InventorMichael A. Champ
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a water environment in conjunction with one or more types of oil, a method of in-situ burning including placing a fire resistant sorbent material in contact with the oil and allowing the oil to wick into the sorbent material. The method further includes burning the oil using the sorbent material as a wick.
Claims29
In a water environment in conjunction with one or more types of oil, wherein at least part of the oil is mixed with water to form an emulsion, a method of in-situ burning comprising:
- placing a fire-resistant sorbent material in contact with the oil or emulsion;
- allowing the oil to wick into the sorbent material and demulsifying the emulsion by the sorbent material to separate the oil from the water;
- burning the oil using the sorbent material as a wick, wherein the sorbent material is not burnable and is not burned during the burning of the oil;
- and
- actively aerating the sorbent material with pressurized fluid to facilitate burning of the oil.
In a water environment in conjunction with one or more types of oil, wherein the oil is floating on a surface of the water, a method of in-situ burning comprising:
- placing a fire-resistant sorbent material in contact with the oil;
- allowing the oil to wick into the sorbent material;
- and
- burning the oil using the sorbent material as a wick, wherein the sorbent material is not burnable and is not burned during the burning of the oil, and wherein the placing step includes positioning at least part of the sorbent material above, and at least part of the sorbent material in contact with, the oil on the surface of the water, and wherein the oil is a layer floating on the surface of the water, and the placing step includes submerging a part of the sorbent material to a depth comparable to a thickness of the oil layer.
In a water environment in conjunction with one or more types of oil, wherein at least part of the oil is mixed with water to form an emulsion, a method of in-situ burning comprising:
- placing a fire-resistant sorbent material in contact with the oil or emulsion;
- allowing the oil to wick into the sorbent material and demulsifying the emulsion by the sorbent material to separate the oil from the water;
- and
- burning the oil using the sorbent material as a wick, wherein the sorbent material is not burnable and is not burned during the burning of the oil, further comprising extinguishing the burning by submerging a portion of the sorbent material or by raising the sorbent material out of the water to break contact between the sorbent material and the oil.
For an aquatic environment in which there is one or more types of oil, an in-situ burning device comprising:
- a fire-resistant sorbent material configured to wick the oil for a flame, wherein the sorbent material includes fibers of sufficient size to be respirable, and wherein the sorbent material resists burning and melting when exposed to a temperature of about 700° F. or higher for one minute;
- and
- an active aeration system configured to inject air into the sorbent material.
For an aquatic environment in which there is one or more types of oil, an in-situ burning aerated wick comprising:
- a fire-resistant sorbent material configured to wick the oil;
- and
- a pipe including a vented segment disposed in the material whereby air is suppliable through the at least one pipe and out of the vented segment to thereby aerate the material.
For an water environment in which there is one or more types of oil, an in-situ burning device comprising:
- a fire-resistant wicking bale including:
- a fire-resistant sorbent batt configured to wick the oil;
- and
- a fire-resistant ligature binding the batt into a bale;
- a frame to which the bale is mounted;
- and
- at least one pipe, the at least one pipe including a vented segment having a plurality of vents therein, each vented segment being disposed in the batt whereby air can travel through the at least one pipe and exit the vents to thereby aerate the batt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.