Oil retriever with interchangeable collection tanks and method of use therefor
US5030363A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jul 9, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S210/923
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An oil retriever for recovering heavy oil, including bunker c, from a body of water is a self-contained unit that is maneuverable independently of land. The retriever has two pontoons that are spaced apart and parallel from one another. Across the front of the pontoons, there is rotatably mounted a cylindrically-shaped drum with closed ends. The drum is light enough to float on the oil and/or water. The drum is rotated about its longitudinal central axis by a reversible variable speed motor. There are two scrapers extending along the entire rearward side of the drum. A first scraper forms a line of contact with the drum but a second scraper is out of contact with the drum. Between the pontoons to the rear of the drum is a storage tank that is initially filled with water. Most of the storage tank is located below the water surface. As the drum is rotated in such a direction that a forward edge moves downward into the oil and water, some of the oil coats the drum surface, the coating being thin enough to pass between the second scraper and the drum. The first scraper removes the oil and it falls back towards the second scraper. The oil then falls onto the lower scraper and from the l…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.