Other

Kepner Plastics Fabricators, Inc.

Frank Meyers

John A Brown

Lawrence L Rutstrom

Henry J Folson

Gwenn B Meyers

Robert Reidel

A collection basin for use adjacent a vessel or structure in open water for collecting material from the vessel or structure to prevent its dissemination in the water. The collection basin includes a floating boom spaced from the vessel, and a tension cable to deploy the basin. At respective ends, flaps are formed to prevent escape of the captured material out of the ends of the basin. The flaps are formed with connection means such as flexible magnets that attach to the ferrous material of the vessel or structure to provide a fluid seal and maintain the basin in place.

Floating standoff collection basin

A standoff system for keeping a containment boom or other floating barrier device spaced at a desired standoff distance away from a structure. The system includes an inner side member, an outer side member, and a plurality of compression members disposed between the side members. The system has a collapsed configuration in which the distance between the inner and outer side members is less than the desired standoff distance, and a deployed configuration in which the distance between the side members is greater than or substantially equal to the desired standoff distance. Alternatively, the system can be collapsed longitudinally by moving the adjacent compression members into abutting relationship with each other. The system is towed into place in the collapsed configuration, and once in place, is transformed into the deployed configuration by applying tension to the side members. The system also may include one or more tension members attached diagonally between adjacent compression members to keep the system in the deployed configuration. The standoff system can be a separate, free-standing structure placed between a ship and a boom or it can be integrated with a containment boom.

Floating standoff assembly

A rapidly deployable breakwater is disclosed having a primary barrier containing liquid under pressure, and one or more overtopping barriers. The primary barrier floats at, and extends substantially below, the surface of the water, while the overtopping barriers are positioned on the primary barrier and extend substantially above the surface of the water, the combination being adapted to attenuate wave action in open water. The liquid in the primary barrier is pressurized to a level substantially greater than the pressure of the surrounding water, and such pressure may be maintained or varied during the period of deployment of the breakwater.

System and apparatus for rapidly installed breakwater

An improved heat-resistant surface contaminant containment boom is described, which has a floatation section incorporating refractory materials and spacing materials providing an air-gap around an inner float assembly which can be formed of less heat-resistant and more flexible materials. Further, the boom provides a water wicking action which draws water into the boom to be converted to steam. Provision is made for the steam to escape from the boom removing heat therefrom allowing the float assembly within to remain at a cooler temperature.

Heat resistant contamination control boom

An improved resilient torsion arrangement. The torsion arrangement is comprised of a wire-like body member having an upper portion formed in a first predetermined open geometrical configuration, a transverse portion extending across the first predetermined open geometrical configuration, and a lower portion having a second predetermined open geometrical configuration. The upper portion and the lower portion are resiliently movable toward, or away from, each other to put the transverse portion into torsion. The torsion in the transverse portion provides the resilient force resisting movement of the upper portion toward the lower portion. Proper selection of the relationships between the upper portion and the lower portion and configuration of the transverse portion can provide predetermined relationships between the force required to move the upper portion toward, and away from, the lower portion and the separation between the upper portion and the lower portion.

Resilient torsion arrangement

An improved contamination control boom having walls defining an elongated hollow flotation chamber. Apertures may be provided in the walls of the flotation chamber to allow material from the body of liquid on which the boom is utilized, which may be the liquid, the contaminant, or a mixture thereof. Pump means may be incorporated to remove the material from the flotation chamber. A float means is positioned inside the flotation chamber to provide a desired freeboard for the condition of liquid in the flotation chamber. Special materials may be utilized to fabricate the boom for high temperature resistant applications where the contaminent is burning, but the boom must continue to operate as a boom during the burning.

Contamination control boom arrangement

An improved containment barrier or boom having a flotation means and a skirt section dependent therefrom. The boom may be wound around a reel for storage, and deployed from the reel as required. The flotation means comprises a flexible, longitudinally elongated tubular member, having a cavity extending throughout the elongated length thereof. A resilient, generally spring-like member having helical coil means is provided in the tubular member. The spring-like member extends substantially longitudinally throughout the length of the tubular member, and the helical coil means maintain the walls of the tubular member in a transversely expanded condition when the tubular member is deployed in the body of water. The spring-like member is resiliently deformable from the helical condition to a transversely flattened condition, when the tubular member is wound upon the reel for storage. The spring-like member, when in the transversely flattened storage condition thereof, has sufficient energy stored therein so that, upon deployment or unwinding from the reel, the spring-like member will move from its transversely flattened storage condition to its helical condition, thereby expanding the tubular member to its deployed condition.

Reel mountable boom arrangement

An improved containment barrier or boom section of the type having a flotation means for supporting the barrier or boom on the surface of a liquid body such as a lake, harbor, river, ocean, or the like, and also having a sinking means such as a flexible skirt section coupled to the bottom of the flotation means and extending below the surface, the skirt section containing ballast and, preferably, a tension member, to contain contamination or material floating on or near the surface, such as an oil spill, usually on one side thereof. End connectors are provided at each end of the barrier section for coupling to additional barrier or boom sections and/or to a towing means for deployment and/or recovery. The flotation means comprises an elongated tubular member having a cavity extending throughout the elongated length thereof and the tubular member is flexible. A transversely rigid and longitudinally compressible-expandable means is positioned in the cavity of the tubular member throughout the length thereof and holds the tubular member in a predetermined cross-sectional configuration, such as circular or any other desired shape. Vent means are provided to allow passage of air from regions external the flotation means into the cavity of the tubular member. The barrier or boom may be compressed in the longitudinal direction due to the flexibility of the tubular member and the transversely rigid and longitudinally compressible-expandable means to a storage or handling condition having a longitudinal length a fraction of the length in the elongated or deployed condition. The tubular member is substantially maintained in the predetermined cross-sectional configuration in both the stored and deployed condition. Additional flotation means may be provided in the tubular member to insure any desired degree of buoyancy for the boom. In the stored condition the tubular member folds in a manner similar to accordion-type folding.

Containment barrier section arrangement

An arrangement for detecting the presence of contaminants, such as an oil spill, in a body of water. At a predetermined location in the body of water there is provided at least one detector station means having thereon at least one contaminant detector element. The contaminant detector element has a characteristic that changes for the condition of the presence of a contaminant impinging thereon. For example, the characteristic may be a dimension thereof. Sensing means are provided to detect changes in the characteristic and to generate an information signal responsive to such changes in the characteristic. A transmitter means is provided for transmitting a transmission signal responsive to the information signal when there has been a change in the characteristic. The transmission signal is transmitted to regions remote the detector station means. At such regions remote from the detector station means there is provided a receiving station means which receives the transmission signal and provides an output signal such as a control signal or a visual or audible signal in response thereto.

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Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Frank Meyers