AU641487B2 - Crude oil recovery vessel - Google Patents

Description

This floating vessel is for the recovery of crude oil and smaller scale floating garbage debris found on our polluted waterways and seas, it consists of two vertically, rectangular long outer chambers each having a top sealed compartment #14 to maintain a safe bouyancy of the vessel when at its fullest capacity and a lower chamber with controlled intake and outlet pipes, the said chambers are parallel to each other and are seperated at one end by a vertically expandable sluice gate which is pulled up from 10. rest during the recovery process by either electrical or oo mechanical means, the inside horizontal hull of the O vessel tapers away to its lowest point which by means of a diesel driven pump and controlling valves, can discharge the liquid contents only, into the sea or into the bouyancy chambers or into another floating vessel depending on the sequence of the recovery process, the seperation of crude oil or floating debris from the polluted water is due to the density of the first part to float upon the second part, and to maintain this until both parts are within the catchment area, this will depend on Skeeping to a minimum the disturbance in the form of aeration over the sluice gate, by maintaining the minimum differential in height between the outside sea level to the artificial lower water level within the catchment area.

This includes: Fig,1,2,3, a sluice gate which is made of steel panels mechanically interlocked to pull one up after the other, to form a raised vertical wall by means of an electric hoist #12, on the top panel, the lip is angled to create the spillway #16 with the minimum of aeration, and with guides either side of the panels, with the bottom panel to the hull.

Fig,4,5. catchment area #11 which lies between the bouyancy chambers #6 #7 and where the hull is tapered in steel to its lowest point opposite the sluice gate to the partition wall #17 which is the same height as the bouyancy chambers, and where behind there is the go 10. diesel driven pump which extracts the second part out So through pipe #10 through to the sea, following later the remaining oil to be diverted and stored in bouyancy 0 compartments #6 #7.

main diesel pump #1 will have the capacity to fill or empty the catchment area and bouyancy tanks via #9 #10 and deliver oil out of the vessel via #15 pipe.

bouyancy compartments #6 #7 will have the storing capacity of that of the catchment area #11 and has an intake and outlet pipe with the purpose of lowering or raising the vessels' draft.

Sequence of operation: The floating vessel is propelled by hydraulically controlled propeller under each bouyancy chamber and powered by the one main diesel engine #13 which also drives the mair pump #4 for the recovery process which is controlled from the bridge the sluice gate can be lowered to its lowest position and through means of the pump #4 and controlled pipe #5 water is pumped to both chambers #6 #7 from outside the vessel and also into the 10. catchment area #11 through pipe #10, once the outside water level is level with the water within the catchment area the sluice gate #3 is raised slightly above the outside water level, and the water being pumped in through 0 pipe #10 ceases, water is still being pumped into bouyancy chambers #6 #7 making the vessel descend until the required lower inside artificial water level is created in #11, by now lowering the sluice gate #3 just below the outside water level any matter floating on the water and depending on the oils' coherence will tend to flow into and over the angled top #16 of the sluice gate to the lower level with minimal aeration, as the volume of liquid increases in the catchment area #11, water is pumped out of the bouyancy compartments via pipes #9 #5 to maintain the required draft of the vessel while at the same time the sluice gate is being raised to maintain the different water levels due to the catchment area filling up, and the pump, through pipe #10 extracts the second part being water out through pipe #5 to the sea, with the bouyancy compartments now empty and the catchment now full of oil only, it can be pumped into the bouyancy compartments and stored.

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