Patent Publication Number: US-2012027517-A1

Title: Fluid leak containment system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/344,477, filed Aug. 2, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed generally to fluid leak containment systems, and more particularly to containment systems for containing fluids leaking underwater during extraction efforts. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 has brought awareness to the lack of adequate systems for containing an underwater oil spill. Underwater oil spills pose horrific risks to sea life and marine food sources for human populations in close proximity to the oil spill. In addition, underwater oil spills that occur close to the coast impact commercial fisheries and other maritime activities. The six months that were needed to seal the oil well rupture that caused the Gulf of Mexico underwater oil spill in 2010 has made the need for a fluid leak containment system very apparent. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A fluid leak containment system for containing leaks of fluids, such as, but not limited to, fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, during an underwater extraction process is disclosed. The fluid leak containment system may contain fluids leaking from a leaking well having a broken casing or pipe extending from a bottom of a water body, such as an ocean floor. The fluid leak containment system may be formed from an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet that is smaller than the inlet, thereby forming a generally conically shaped containment structure. The housing sections may be formed from flexible materials that enable easy storage and rapid deployment. The outlet may be configured to exhaust captured fossil fuels into a fluid containment device, such as, but not limited to, a vessel. In one embodiment, the series of cylindrical sections of flexible tubing housing sections may be disposed coaxially about the leaking pipe and joined together by conically tapered connectors to form a funnel-like container that extends between the ocean floor and a platform at the surface. Accordingly, there is, for example, sea water both inside and outside the extendible containment housing, and the pressure inside the extendible containment housing is the same as the pressure outside of the extendible containment housing. 
     In one embodiment, the fluid leak containment system may include an extendible containment housing formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections extending from an inlet to an outlet and formed from at least one first extendible containment housing section and a second extendible containment housing section. The first extendible containment housing section may have a larger cross-sectional area at an end that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section than an end of the second extendible containment housing section closest to the first extendible containment housing section. As such, the size of the housing sections is reduced moving towards the outlet. The inlet of the extendible containment housing may be configured to receive leaking fluids. A connector coupling may be positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections such that the connector coupling is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections, thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections in fluid communication with each other. The flexible material forming the housing sections of the extendible containment housing may include, but is not limited to polyester fabric, polyethylene, and canvas. 
     The fluid leak containment system may also include an anchoring base coupled to an end of the at least one first extendible containment housing section opposite to the second extendible containment housing. The anchoring base may be configured to retain the first extendible containment housing section at a bottom of a water body at a leak site such that the first extendible containment housing section envelopes a leak yet also enables water from outside the first extendible containment housing section to enter the first extendible containment housing section while capturing leaked fluids, thereby providing for pressure stabilization. The fluid leak containment system may include one or more support structures to which a terminal end of the extendible containment housing may be attached. The support structure may be a floating structure. The support structure may include support arms configured to anchor the support structure to the bottom of a water body. The support structure may also be a fossil fuel extractor, such as, but not limited to, an oil rig. The housing sections of the extendible containment housing may be formed from a flexible material. 
     The fluid leak containment system may include one or more deployment subsystems in communication with the support structure to facilitate movement of the extendible containment housing between a deployed position and a storage position. The deployment subsystem may include a plurality of cables extending between the support structure and the extendible containment housing. The deployment subsystem may also include a plurality of cables extending between each section of the extendible containment housing and the support structure. 
     The extendible containment housing of the fluid leak containment system may include a plurality of sections coupled together with connector couplings in addition to the first and second extendible containment housing sections. The fluid leak containment system may include a conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device. In one embodiment, the fluid containment device may be a vessel. 
     The fluid leak containment system may also include one or more pumps in fluid communication with the conduit placing the extendible containment housing in fluid communication with a fluid containment device. 
     An advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be used to effectively capture, contain and recover, oil leaking from an underwater site, such as, but not limited to, a ruptured, underwater extraction site. 
     Another advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be stored in a manner enabling quick deployment beneath an oil rig or on the deck of vessel. 
     Yet another advantage of this invention is that the fluid leak containment system may be deployed one on top of the other in a repetitive arrangement for additional safety. 
     These and other embodiments are described in more detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a fluid leak containment system with an extendible containment housing in a deployed position and attached to a fluid containment device, which is shown as a vessel. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a stored position on board a vessel. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a stored position on board a vessel. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing being deployed from a vessel. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing being deployed from a vessel. 
         FIG. 6  a side view of the fluid leak containment system with the extendible containment housing in a deployed position and is anchored to the bottom with a cable anchoring system. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a deployed position. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of yet another alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a deployed position. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a partially deployed position from a fossil fuel extractor. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of yet another alternative embodiment of the fluid leak containment system in a stored position from a fossil fuel extractor. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the fluid leak containment system is use to capture fluids leaking from a vessel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-11 , a fluid leak containment system  10  for containing leaks of fluids, such as, but not limited to, fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, during an underwater extraction process is disclosed. The fluid leak containment system  10  may contain fluids leaking from a leaking well  80  having a broken casing or pipe extending from a bottom  34  of a water body  36 , such as an ocean floor. The fluid leak containment system  10  may be formed from an extendible containment housing  12  formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections  14  extending from an inlet  16  to an outlet  18  that is smaller than the inlet  16 , thereby forming a generally conically shaped containment structure, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  7  and  8 . The housing sections  14  may be formed from flexible materials that enable easy storage and rapid deployment. The outlet  18  may be configured to exhaust captured fossil fuels into a fluid containment device  20 , such as, but not limited to, a vessel. In one embodiment, the series of cylindrical sections of flexible tubing housing sections  14  may be disposed coaxially about the leaking pipe  80  and joined together by conically tapered connectors  18  to form a funnel-like container that extends between the ocean floor  34  and a platform  82  at the surface. Accordingly, there is, for example, sea water both inside and outside the extendible containment housing  12 , and the pressure inside the extendible containment housing  12  is the same as the pressure outside of the extendible containment housing  12 . 
     The extendible containment housing  12  of the fluid leak containment system  10  may be formed from a plurality of decreasingly sized housing sections  14  extending from the inlet  16  to the outlet  18  and configured to receive leaking fluids. In at least one embodiment, the housing sections  14  may be formed form at least one first extendible containment housing section  22  and a second extendible containment housing section  24 . The extendible containment housing  12  may have a generally conical shape extending from the inlet  16  to the outlet  18 . Thus, the extendible containment housing  12  may have the smallest cross-sectional end at the outlet  18  and the largest cross-sectional area at the inlet  16 . In addition, the first extendible containment housing section  22  may have a larger cross-sectional area at an end  26  that is closest to the second extendible containment housing section  24  than an end  28  of the second extendible containment housing section  24  closest to the first extendible containment housing section  22 . 
     The housing sections  14  may have any appropriate shape, such as, but not limited to, cylindrical. The housing sections  14  may be fabricated from a strong flexible material such as, but not limited to, a polyester fabric, polyethylene material, or canvas, which can be either waterproof or water-resistant and oil resistant, and tear-resistant under pressure, such as for example and not by way of limitation, tarpaulins. The first extendible containment housing section  22  may have a diameter of at least 30 feet in one embodiment and smaller sizes in other embodiments. The housing sections  14  may each have the same thickness or each different thicknesses and may be formed from the same or different materials. Each housing section  14  may have a length between about 500 feet and about 1000 feet, or longer, to reach a depth of 5000 feet or more. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the extendible containment housing  12  may be formed from four housing sections  14 . In other embodiments, the housing sections  14  may be formed from other numbers of sections. 
     The first extendible containment housing section  22  may include an anchoring base  30  coupled to an end  32  of the first extendible containment housing section  22  opposite to the second extendible containment housing  24 . The anchoring base  30  may be configured to retain the first extendible containment housing section  22  at a bottom  34  of a water body  36 , such as, but not limited to an ocean, lake, gulf and bay, at a leak site such that the first extendible containment housing section  22  envelopes a leak yet also enables water from outside the first extendible containment housing section  22  to enter the first extendible containment housing section  22  while capturing leaked fluids, thereby providing pressure stabilization. During use, the anchoring base  30  may be suspended above the bottom  34  a distance of between about six inches and about  10  feet to form a gap  84 , and more particularly, about four feet, to allow water to enter the funnel-like structure from the bottom  34 . The anchoring base  30  may be sized to include a width or thickness of about two to three inches and a height of about twelve inches. The anchoring base  30  may have any appropriate thickness and may be formed from any appropriate material necessary to secure the anchoring base  30  to the bottom  34  to prevent movement of the inlet  16  despite water currents imposing forces on the housing sections  14 . In at least one embodiment, the anchoring base  30  may be formed from steel. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the anchoring base  30  or components positioned in close proximity to the anchoring base  30  are magnetic. The anchoring base  30  may be formed from two sections such that a wall  40  forming the first extendible containment housing section  22  may be folded over a lower half  42  of the anchoring base  30 , and an upper half  44  of the anchoring base  30  may clamp the lower half  42  in place, thereby ensuring that a seal is made. The anchoring base  30  may have other appropriate configurations as well. 
     The housing sections  14  may be coupled together with connector couplings  38  positioned between adjacent housing sections  14 . The connector coupling  38  may be positioned between the first and second extendible containment housing sections  22 ,  24  such that the connector coupling  38  is attached to the first and second extendible containment housing sections  22 ,  24 , thereby placing the first and second extendible containment housing sections  22 ,  24  in fluid communication with each other. The connector couplings  38  and the anchoring base  30  may be implemented in a variety of ways to ensure keeping the anchoring base  30  in position at the bottom  34  and the inlet  16  at the anchoring base  30 . The connector couplings  38  may be formed from a durable material, such as, but not limited to, a plastic, which may be substantially lighter in weight than the anchoring base  30 . The connector coupling  38  between the housing section  14  at the outlet  18  may be about eight feet in diameter. However, in other embodiments, the connector coupling  38  may have other sizes. 
     The extendible containment housing  12  may be supported by a one or more support structures  46  to which a terminal end  48  of the extendible containment housing  12  may be attached. The support structure  46  may have a variety of different configurations. In particular, the support structure  46  may be a floating structure enabling deployment of the extendible containment housing  12  in deep water. At shallower depths, say at depths less than  300  feet, the support structure  46  may include support arms  50  configured to anchor the support structure  46  to a bottom of a water body  36 . The support arms  50  may be formed from an engineered structure and formed from materials, such as, but not limited to, steel and galvanized steel. In another embodiment, the support structure  46  may be a fossil fuel extractor  52 , which may be, but is not limited to being, an oil drilling rig or a natural gas drilling rig, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The extendible containment housing  12  may be supported under the fossil fuel extractor  52  such that the fossil fuel extractor  52  is positioned for fast deployment should a leak develop during extraction procedures being carried out by the fossil fuel extractor  52 . 
     The fluid leak containment system  10  may also include one or more deployment subsystem  54  in communication with the support structure  46  to facilitate movement of the extendible containment housing  12  between a deployed position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , and a storage position, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The deployment subsystem  54  may include a plurality of cables  56  extending between the support structure  46  and the extendible containment housing  12 . The cables  56  may extend generally vertically in the water body  36 . The deployment subsystem  54  may include a plurality of cables  56  extending between each house section  14  of the extendible containment housing  12  and the support structure  46 . 
     In at least one embodiment, the hydrostatic pressure would not cause a problem because the extendible containment housing  12  is not sealed at the top or the bottom, rather, the inside pressure should be the same or equal to the outside pressure. The fluid leak containment system  10  also accounts for ocean currents especially between the sunlight zone around 600 feet down from the surface of the ocean and the twilight zone roughly 3000 feet down from the surface of the ocean. In particular, the fluid leak containment system  10  may also include an anchoring system  58  configured to anchor the extendible containment housing  12  to the bottom  34 . In one embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the anchoring system  58  may be formed from a plurality of cables  60  attached to the support structure  46  or the housing sections  14 , or both, and attached to the bottom  34  of the water body  36 . The cables  60  may be positioned equidistant from each other at four locations around the extendible containment housing  12 . The anchoring system  58  may be attached to the bottom  34  in any appropriate manner. 
     The cable anchoring system  40  may be anchored from the top platform  82  and one or more of the connectors  18  and may extend in a range of approximately 30 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to the extendible containment housing  12  diagonally down to the bottom  34  of the ocean. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a series of cables  60  may be anchored to the bottom  34 . These anchoring cables  60  can also be repeated at every connector  18  or every other connector  18 , if needed, to further secure the extendible containment housing  12 . The cables  60  may be concentrated at the top portion of the extendible containment housing  12 , since the upper part of the ocean is where most waves and under ocean current takes place. Nevertheless, anchoring cables  60  can also be included at the first extendible containment housing section  22  of the extendible containment housing  12  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The anchoring cables  60  may be formed of metal cable, chain, rope, or the like. The anchoring cables  60  may be attached to a corresponding connector  18  at four sides equally spaced, e.g., 90 degrees apart. The cable anchoring system  60  will ensure that the extendible containment housing  12  will stay in place during heavy storms. The anchoring cables  60  also addresses the problem of the extendible containment housing  12  being bent out of shape from any deep ocean currents. 
     The extendible containment housing  12  may be coupled with a fluid containment device  20 . In particular, the outlet  18  of the extendible containment housing  12  may be in fluid communication with a fluid containment device  20 , which in at least one embodiment, may be a vessel, such as a tanker ship. In at least one embodiment, the outlet  18  may be in fluid communication with the fluid containment device  20  via a conduit  62 . The outlet  18  of the extendible housing  12  may be coupled to a collection chamber  64 , which may be, but is not limited to being, formed from plastic or steel, and coupled to an airtight chamber  66  on a platform  82  of the support structure  46 . A pump  86  may be positioned in fluid communication with the conduit  62  to assist in moving fossil fluids collected in the extendible containment housings  12  to the fluid containment device  20 . The pump  86  may be formed from any appropriate pump capable of operating reliably in the harsh operating environment. A gas bleed valve  68  may be included in the conduit for bleeding off gases that pass through the system  10 . 
     The fluid leak containment system  10  can be utilized for containing existing leaks or as a safeguard for preventing the escape of oil from future leaks, such as disasters like the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The fluid leak containment system  10  may be required to be used with all oil rigs that operate in the ocean or have a ship nearby ready to deploy the system  10 . When the fluid leak containment system  10  is employed as a safety measure, pulleys can be anchored to the ocean floor  34  around the well  80 , with cables  60  in place about them for pulling the heavy metal ring down and anchoring it in place. 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the fluid leak containment system  10  can be utilized for capturing fluids, such as, but not limited to, oil, leaking from a vessel. In particular, the fluid leak containment system  10  can be utilized for containing oil leaking from an oil tanker. In such an embodiment, at least a portion of the anchoring base  30  may be magnetized to easily attached the anchoring base  30  to the hull of a vessel surrounding a breach in a side of the vessel. In one embodiment, the components of the fluid leak containment system  10  other than the housing sections  14 , the connector couplings  38  and the anchoring base  30  may reside on a vessel. The fluid leak containment system  10  may be contained on a vessel, such as an oil spill recovery vessel, and extended when needed to attach the anchoring base  30  and housing sections to a hull of a leaking vessel. The anchoring base  30  may be moved into position through any appropriate means, including, but not limited to, a crane attached to the deploying vessel. 
     Once the fluid leak containment system  10  has been deployed, the fluid leak containment system  10  can be backed up by deploying a second system of larger diameter over the first and connecting the two systems  10  together with the cables  60  that connect the extendible containment housing  12  to the platform  82  preventing the funnel from drifting. In other embodiments, additional fluid leak containment system  12  can be deployed periodically over the existing extendible containment housing  12  for extra safety and/or permanent usage. 
     During use, the extended containment housing  12  may be stored on a vessel, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , or under a fossil fuel extractor  52 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The extended containment housing  12  may be stored on a vessel in a horizontal position, and may be transported to a site where the extended containment housing  12  is to be deployed in a folded state, with each of the folded sections resting on its side on a wheeled platform  70 . Even though the housing sections  14  are folded in an accordion like fashion, the housing sections  14  may still be between about 500 and about 1000 feet in length. The wheeled platforms  70  may have progressively greater heights so that the centerlines of the different sections are aligned generally along a horizontal axis  72 . In an alternate embodiment, the housing sections  14  may be folded and placed in vertical sections on the vessel. 
     The vessel may include a crane arm  74  pivotally connected to the bow of the vessel for movement between an upright position for transport and a horizontal position for use. The crane arm  74  may be supported in its horizontal position by a brace  36 , which is pivotally connected to the crane arm  74  and to a bracket  78  on the front of the bow. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the crane arm  74  may be positioned in its horizontal position for deployment of the housing sections  14 . The anchoring base  30  and the first extendible containment housing section  22  may be lowered about a ruptured well pipe  80 . The platform  82  of the support structure  46  may be in place or positioned into place prior to implementation of the extendible containment housing  12  in order to provide support. While the first extendible containment housing section  22  is being lowered, the next housing section  12  is prepared for deployment, and the connector coupling  38  is attached to the two sections. After the first extendible containment housing section  22  has been fully deployed, its wheeled platform  70  is rolled aside, and the wheeled platform  70  for the next housing section  14  is rolled into position for deployment. The process continues until all of the housing sections  14  have been deployed, and the outlet is connected to the collection chamber  64  and the conduit  62 . 
     Once the first extendible containment housing section  22  is secured, highly pressurized fossil fuels, such as, but not limited to, oil, flows from the leaking well into the lowermost housing section  14 , which is the first extendible containment housing section  22 , together with water that is drawn in from the sides through the gap  84 . The pressure from the well  80  and the buoyancy of the oil and gas cause them to rise within the housing sections  14 . The large diameter of the first extendible containment housing section  22  and the gap  84  between the first extendible containment housing section  22  of the extendible containment housing  12  and the ocean floor  34  prevent the pressure from damaging or destroying the extendible containment housing  12 . In addition, the relatively large volume of water in the extendible containment housing  12  serves to dissipate some of the pressure from the well  80 . The conical shape of the extendible containment housing  12  reduces the volume of oil, gas, and water to a manageable level and also adds pressure where it is needed, specifically, near the top of the extendible containment housing  12  and on the surface. If there is not enough pressure to deliver the oil and water to the fluid containment device  20 , which may be a tanker, the pump  86  onboard the tanker may be used to assist in drawing the oil and water up into the tanker. The natural gas may be separated from the oil and water and directed to a storage tank in the tanker  20 , and the oil and water may also likewise separated from each other in the tanker  20 . The oil may be separated from the water through use of electricity in a self-contained process. Implementation of the fluid leak containment system  10  may be made efficiently in a matter of hours. 
     The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.