Oil/gas collector/separator for underwater oil leaks

An oil/gas collector/separator for recovery of oil leaking, for example, from an offshore or underwater oil well. The separator is floated over the point of the leak and tethered in place so as to receive oil/gas floating, or forced under pressure, toward the water surface from either a broken or leaking oil well casing, line, or sunken ship. The separator is provided with a downwardly extending skirt to contain the oil/gas which floats or is forced upward into a dome wherein the gas is separated from the oil/water, with the gas being flared (burned) at the top of the dome, and the oil is separated from water and pumped to a point of use. Since the density of oil is less than that of water it can be easily separated from any water entering the dome.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for collecting and separating 
oil/gas leaking from an offshore or underwater oil well or underwater oil 
transporting system. In particular, the invention relates to an oil/gas 
collector/separator floated over the point of leakage which collects the 
leaking oil/gas and then separates the gas from the oil. 
Contamination of the environment by leakage of oil and/or oil/gas from 
underwater pipelines and/or oil wells has become a serious problem. Costs 
to remove oil coming to the surface via leakage from an underwater well or 
pipeline are tremendous. In addition, the loss of the oil can be in 
hundreds or thousands of barrels a day, which is a significant loss of a 
vital natural resource. 
The primary efforts expended for oil leakage of the above-mentioned type 
have been directed to removal of the oil from the surface of the water and 
decontamination of wildlife and surrounding land as the result of the oil 
leakage. However, to additionally prevent or reduce the loss of a vital 
natural resource, oil recovery apparatus can be effective in preventing 
the contamination caused by oil and oil/gas leakage from underwater 
pipelines or oil wells. For example, a large number of oil wells are 
located offshore in deep water and rupture of a well casing, etc., causes 
the oil/gas to be discharged upwardly under pressure from the oil well, 
resulting in a loss of oil. 
There therefore exists an urgent need for a more rapid and cost effective 
way to collect and/or recover oil and/or oil/gas discharged from 
underwater oil wells or oil pipelines. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for 
collecting and removing fluid discharged underwater. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for 
collecting and removing oil from water. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for 
collecting and separating oil/gas caused by an underwater leakage from an 
oil well or pipeline. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for 
removing at least oil leaked underwater from an oil well or oil pipeline. 
It is another object of the present invention for separating oil/gas leaked 
or discharged from an underwater water source. 
These and other objects of the invention are realized by providing a 
floating oil/gas collector/separator secured over the point of leakage of 
oil/gas from a source, such as an underwater oil well or pipeline system, 
which functions to collect and separate existing gas/oil/water moving 
upwardly toward the water surface. Basically, the apparatus includes a 
hollow dome section secured to a flotation section to which is attached a 
downwardly extending skirt section, and means for removing oil and gas 
from the dome section after separation thereof within the dome section. 
The apparatus includes a plurality of tethers to maintain it in a location 
over the source of oil/gas leakage, such that upwardly moving oil and/or 
oil/gas from a source is collected or retained by the skirt section, 
separated within the dome section, with the gas being flared (burned) and 
the oil removed by pumps to a point of storage or use. The apparatus 
requires no mechanism within the dome to provide separation of 
water/oil/gas therein due to the relative densities thereof. It is well 
known that oil will float above the water and any gas will rise above the 
oil in the dome. The gas is removed from an upper portion of the dome by 
flaring or burning mechanisms well known in the art, and the oil is 
removed by a pumping system located so that the inlet is positioned above 
the water level within the dome.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
One of the most important features of this invention is that it provides a 
means for recovering oil which discharged from an underwater source, such 
as an offshore oil well. Thus, the invention functions to recover oil 
which would otherwise adversely affect the environment, while preventing 
loss of a scarce natural resource. 
Oil well casings, etc. located offshore or underwater undergo tremendous 
pressures from earth movement as well as being subjected to corrosive 
effects, which result in leakage if not total breakage thereof, thus 
discharging oil/gas into the water. Oil and/or oil/gas leaked or 
discharged under pressure from an underwater source, such as an oil well 
or pipeline system moves upwardly toward the surface of the water due to 
relative densities, etc. of the water/oil/gas. As well known, a quantity 
of gas is generally released along with oil from an oil well, thus 
producing a danger from the safety and environment standpoint. 
Accordingly, there is a great need to enable the recovery of the 
discharging oil while eliminating danger produced by gasses discharging 
with the oil. The present invention provides a relatively simple but cost 
effective apparatus for fulfilling this need. The apparatus of this 
invention basically involves a dome or tank mounted on a float and 
tethered over a leak, and provided with a downwardly extending skirt to 
provide for collecting/retaining the oil/gas as it moves upwardly toward 
the surface of the water, such that within the dome the gas/oil/water is 
separated, and the gas and oil removed therefrom. 
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the separator apparatus 
of this invention floating and tethered above an oil well located beneath 
the water surface and discharging oil/gas therefrom. Basically the 
apparatus comprises a hollow dome or tank section or assembly 10 secured 
to a float section or assembly 11 having a skirt section or assembly 
generally indicated at 12 secured to and extending downwardly beneath the 
float section 11. 
The dome or tank section 10 includes a body or sidewall 13 which is open at 
its lower end 14, and closed at its upper end 15 by a cap or top 16 having 
an opening or vent 17 therein. While the top 16 is illustrated in FIG. 2 
as being integral with the sidewall or body 13 it may be removably secured 
thereto as illustrated in FIG. 1. The vent or opening 17 is provided with 
or connected to a burner mechanism or assembly generally indicated at 18, 
such that gas discharged from the upper end 15 of dome or tank section 10 
is flared (as indicated by the legend "Flame" in FIG. 1) in accordance 
with the general practice for disposing of gas from oil wells. 
The float section 11 basically comprises a donut shaped hollow member 
provided at an upper surface 19 with a plurality of tethering connectors 
20 spaced thereabout, each connector 20 being secured to a tethering line 
21 which in turn is secured to an anchor mechanism 21'. The apparatus of 
this invention is thus maintained at a desired location above an oil 
wellhead or well casing 22 from which is discharging a flow of oil, 
indicated at 23, which moves upwardly and into the lower end 14 of the 
dome or tank section 10. 
The skirt section 12 functions to reduce or prevent waves, for example, 
from changing the upward movement of the leaking oil/gas and comprises a 
fixed or ridged or substantially non-flexible skirt 24 secured at one edge 
to a lower surface 25 of float section 11, such as by welding or clamp 
mechanisms, and secured at the opposite end to a flexible skirt 26 such as 
by clamping or welding. By way of example the width or downward distance 
of skirt 24 may be 5-10 feet while the width or downward distance of skirt 
26 may be from 10-50 feet, thus an overall depth of the skirt section 12 
may extend 60 feet, for example, beneath the lower surface 25 of float 
section 11. The flexible skirt 26 may, for example, be constructed such 
that it can be rolled or released in connected segments to various depths 
or distances. The skirt 24 may be constructed of materials such as steel, 
aluminum, or plastic with a thickness of 0.1 to 1 inches, while the 
flexible skirt 26 may be constructed of materials such as rubber, plastic, 
or thin metals with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.5 inches. 
As seen in the drawings, an outer or side surface 27 of float section 11 
has a larger diameter than that of dome or tank section 10, the diameters 
of these two sections depending on the height and weight of the dome or 
tank section 10. The diameter and height of the float section 11 must be 
sufficient to maintain the tank section 10 in an upright position, and to 
provide adequate water displacement so as to maintain the 
collector/separator apparatus in a floating condition. For example, with 
the dome or tank section 10 having a diameter of 30 feet, a height of 10 
feet and a weight of about 10,000 pounds, the outer diameter of the 
floating section 11 would be 34 feet with the height of side surface 27 
being 4 feet. The hollow member of floating section 11 may be constructed 
of material selected from steel or aluminum, with a wall thickness of 1/4 
to 1 inch while the tank or dome section 10 may be constructed of steel, 
aluminum or plastic composite, with a wall thickness of 1/4 to 1 inch. Due 
to the heat generated by flaring the gas 28 (see FIG. 1) contained in the 
upper end 15 of the dome or tank section 10, the top or cap 16 and at 
least the adjacent portions of upper end 15 must be constructed of or 
covered or lined with a material capable of withstanding the heat thus 
generated. At least the lower end 14 of dome or tank section 10 must be 
constructed of, or covered or lined with, a material compatible with the 
oil/water therein to prevent corrosion. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end 14 of dome or tank section 10 extends 
into and is secured within an inner or side surface 29 of the hollow 
member comprising float section 11. However, dome or tank section 10 may 
be secured to upper surface 19 of float section 11. The material of float 
section 11 must be compatible with water/oil in which it is located. In 
such a case, the inner surface 28 of float section 11 must be constructed 
of or lined with a material compatible with the oil/water therein so as to 
prevent damage thereto. 
A pump assembly 30 is mounted on upper surface 19 of float section 11 and 
includes an intake or inlet 31 connected to a pipe or line 32 extending 
through the sidewall wall 13 of dome or tank section, and an outlet or 
discharge 33 adapted to be connected to a barge via an appropriate line or 
piping arrangement not shown. The pipe or line 32 is constructed with a 
horizontal and a vertical section so as to extend into oil 34 contained 
within the lower end 14 of dome or tank section 10, but must terminate 
above an interface between the oil 34 and water 35, as indicated at 36, 
such that only oil is drawn by pump assembly 30 through line 32. The 
length and diameter of the line or pipe 32 and the size of pump assembly 
29 will be determined by the volume of the oil/gas being forced upwardly 
into the lower end 14 of dome or tank section 10. 
While the dome or tank section 10 has been illustrated as being cylindrical 
and the float and skirt sections 11 and 12 illustrated as being circular, 
these sections may be of a hexagonal, square or other configuration. Where 
the collector/separator apparatus is used for offshore applications, it 
will be subject to salt water as well as to mild or severe wave motions of 
the water, and thus the size, shape, and materials constructed from will 
be selected to withstand these environmental conditions. The 
collector/separator apparatus can be towed to a point of use and retained 
thereat by appropriate tethering/anchor mechanisms capable of withstanding 
waves, etc., so as to maintain the apparatus over the oil leak. 
While the collector/separator apparatus has been illustrated and described 
above for use with a leaking oil well from which oil and some gas is 
leaking or flowing, the apparatus can be utilized to collect and separate 
oil discharging from an underwater pipe, line, sunken ship, etc. In such 
applications, there may not be a gas to dispose of by the apparatus. 
It has thus been shown that the present invention provides a relative 
simply constructed, cost effective apparatus for the collection and 
separation of oil and oil/gas leaking from an underwater oil well or 
piping system. Many variations of the collector/separator apparatus of the 
present invention are possible. The full scope of the invention is 
intended only to be limited by the appended claims.