APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND REMOVING OIL AND OTHER MATERIAL FROM A WATER SURFACE

Abstract: The apparatus shall preferably cooperate with a sea-going boat (9) and comprises two conveyor belts (1, 2), a homogeneous one (1) and a perforated (2) In this connection these two conveyor belts form a space that during the movement of the boat collects material from the water and transports the material preferably up to a container (8), which is located on the boat.

Description: Apparatus for collecting and removing oil and other material from a water surface. This invention relates to an apparatus for collecting and removing oil, oil lumps, reeds, sea grass, waste and so on floating on or just below the water surface. In this connec¬ tion the apparatus is preferably fastened to a 3βa-going boat. The material is collected towards the apparatus during the movement of the boat and is transported up from the water surface, whereafter the material can be unloaded di¬ rectly into a container or a similar thing positioned on the boat. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus shall be described more closely in connection to the accompanying drawing, in which Pig. 1 is an apparatus from the front and where also a boat and a container positioned in the boat are indicated, Pig. 2 is a view of the apparatus seen in the direction of arrow II in Fig. 1, Pig. is a view along the line A-A of Pig. 1 and Pig. 4 - it - B-B - it - The apparatus is built up by two endless conveyor belts 1, 2 preferably made of steel, which are arranged on a common stand not precisely disclosed in the drawing such that each belt can move round its own pair of end rolls 10, 11; 12, 13« In this connection the belt 1 comprises a homogeneous steel- belt and the belt 2 a perforated steelbelt. The stand with the conveyor belts is fastened to the boat 9 by a device which is designed such that it is vertically adjustable and also laterally pivotable. That means that the conveyors may be pivoted inwards and located along the boat when not use . Further, the conveyors shall have a length such that .their lower parts are lowered a bit below the water surface while their upper parts are overlapping the rail of the boat such that the material collected and transported up from the water by the conveyors may be unloaded directly into a container positioned on the boat. Th-e conveyors 1 and 2 are positioned among themselves such that they extend substantially parallel but form an angle of about 90° with each other. In this connection the con¬ veyor 2 is positioned such that one of its perforated belt portions substantially rests against the edges of the two belt portions of the homogeneous belt 1. In this way there is formed a space limited by an upper part and a lower part by the homogeneous belt 1 and a perforated, back wall by the perforated belt 2. The reason why the belt 2 is made perfo¬ rated is that it shall be able to allow the water to pass through but retain oil and other material that shall be col¬ lected from the water. As previously mentioned the homo- . geneous belt preferably comprises a steel belt with a smooth surface having the consequence that the oil layer on the water is attached to the smoot steel belt 1 and can be re¬ moved from the water and into the container 8. The homo¬ geneous belt may be provided with special fingers which can better remove material from the water that is not attached to the belt, for instance round objects as bottles, tins and other things. By lowering the lower part of the apparatus below the water surface a space similar to a scoop is obtained where the material 4 that is to be taken away can be collected. In this connection the material 4 will lie down on the inner, lower belt portion of ' the homogeneous belt, the moving di¬ ι rection of which is such that the lower belt portion mo- • v ves upwards. The perforated belt preferably moves with the same speed as does the homogeneous belt and its moving di¬ rection 3 is such that the belt portion that rests against the edges of the homogeneous belt has the same moving di¬ rection as has the lower portion of the homogeneous belt. Due to this fact the perforated belt can help carrying away . material from the water, especially that part of the material 4 resting against the perforated belt portion, i.e. against the back wall of the βpace formed by the belt portions. As disclosed in the Figs. 3 and 4 the apparatus can be la¬ terally inclined somewhat, the angle -* . Due to this in¬ clination the risk is eliminated that the material carried away shall get outside the belt edge, whereby a secure up- transport is achieved. The perforated belt 2 has been made shorter than has the homogeneous one, wherefore the unloading of the material re¬ moved will be made at the upper end of the perforated belt. Due to the lateral inclination of the belts the material transported up is unloaded by its own weight. For removed oil -having an ability to attach to the belt there is needed a stripper 6 which is positioned at the lower portion of the homogeneous belt 1 and brings the material past the belt edge. I The size of the apparatus can be adapted to the wished capa¬ city, since it is dependant upon the belt widths or the length of the belts. . A , c .. I The apparatus is also used as a conventional belt skimmer, wherefore all sides of the belts are provided with strip¬ pers for the attached oil. In the drawing only one stripper£ has been illustrated. The invention is not limited to the mentioned embodiment but may be varied within the scope of the following claims. Thus, the apparatus may be provided with booms 5 or guides that shall guide the material in towards the loading place. Further, the lower part of the apparatus may be connected to a hull, whereby the apparatus is following the wave- movements all the time. A preferred range of application of the apparatus is to re¬ move discharged oil that has been able to be limited by means of booms and similar things. In this connection the boat is placed exactly out3ide the boom, whereafter the oil removal apparatus is.adjusted such that its lower part gets inside the boom. Then the boat starts its movement forwards and moves on the outside of the boom along the same, where¬ by the oil removal apparatus removes oil and other material inside the booms. As the material is removed the circles of the boat can be made less and less until all foreign mate¬ rial has been removed.

Claims: Claims 1. An apparatus for collecting and removing oil and other material from a water surface, the apparatus preferably being intended to be fastened to a sea-going boat, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the apparatus has at least two endless conveyor belts (1, 2), one of which (1) is homoge¬ neous and the other one (2) is perforated and that the belts are located adjacent to each other, the perforated belt during the movement of the boat forming a barrier for the material that is to be removed from the water. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that in action the lower part of the belts is somewhat below the water surface while their upper part * overlaps the rail of the boat. 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the conveyor belts (1, 2) extend substantially parallel but form an angle of about 90° with each other. 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that one belt portion of the perforated belt substantially rests against the edges of the two belt por¬ tions of the homogeneous belt (1), whereby there Is formed a space limited by an upper part and a lower part by the homogeneous belt (1) and a perforated wall by the perforated belt. 5- An apparatus according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the homogeneous belt (1) has such a moving direction (3) that its lower belt portion moves upwards. 6. An apparatus according to claims 4 and 5, c a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the perforated belt (2) has such a moving direction (3) that its belt portion resting against the edges of the homogeneous belt has the same mo¬ ving direction as the lower portion of the homogeneous belt. 1 * An apparatus according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the two conveyor belts (1, 2) are supported by a stand and can move round their own pair of end rolls (10, 11, 12, 13). 8. An apparatus according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the stand with the conveyor belts is preferably fastened to the side part of the boat by means of a vertically adjustable and pivotable device (7) that may be laterally inclined. 9• An apparatus according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a stripper (6) is arranged at the lower part of the homogeneous belt. 10. An apparatus according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the stand with the conveyor belts (1, 2) has a lateral inclination of the angle * such that the fore belt edges of the homogeneous belt (1) are in a higher position than are the back edges. 11. An apparatus according to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the conveyor belts (1, 2) are made of steel.

Inventors: FAST GUNNAR
Applicants: SANDVIK AB
Application year: 1981
Main classification: E02B15
IPC codes: E02B15