Patent ID: 6456197
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A system for detecting sea surface oil sheens from a leaking oil source comprising;a buoyant body arranged and designed to be self-righting in heavy seas including, a submerged section including ballasting material, a buoyant section coupled to said submerged section, said buoyant section being partially submerged and partially extending above the sea surface, said buoyant section including an oil/water sensor arranged to contact with the sea surface and which produces an oil/water signal representative of the presence of oil floating on said sea surface, an electronics module and a sending antenna carried by said buoyant section, with said electronics module being in communication with said oil/water sensor and responsive to said oil/water signal to produce an electromagnetic signal on said sending antenna, a receiving antenna coupled to a receiving electronics module placed at a remote body for receiving said electromagnetic signal and for producing a signal at said remote body indicative of oil on said sea surface at said buoyant body, a coupling between said remote body and said buoyant body, whereby said buoyant body and said oil/water sensor of said buoyant body floats down-current in the path of said leaking oil source, and wherein said receiving antenna and said receiving electronics module are disposed on a vessel which is tethered to a mooring buoy, said mooring buoy being anchored to a seabed and being coupled to a hydrocarbon conduit via a fluid swivel, said mooring buoy having a floating loading hose arranged and designed to transfer hydrocarbons between said fluid swivel and said vessel, with a portion of said floating loading hose forming a â€œUâ€  shape at an entrance point of the vessel, and said buoyant body being tethered at the â€œUâ€  portion of said floating loading hose whereby said oil/water sensor of said buoyant body is placed down current of said â€œUâ€  shape said floating loading hose.