Trawl for collecting waste floating on the surface of water, such as hydrocarbons

Abstract

The present invention relates to a trawl (1) characterised in that it comprises: a net (2) for recovering waste floating on the surface of water, the recovery net (2) having the shape of a pouch with an opening which, in the trawl position, opens so as to receive water loaded with waste; two inflatable floaters (3), which are inflated in the trawl position, the floaters (3) being joined at an end by a hinge member, which hinge member enables the two floaters arranged side by side to spread in order to form a V as soon as they are inflated; a skirt (4) being associated with each of the inflatable floaters (3), the skirt being joined thereto along a longitudinal line to form a containment wing (5), the floaters (3) together with their associated skirts (4) forming, with the floaters (3) spread and the skirts (4) in the water, a containment space, the end regions of the containment wing (5) at the hinge member entering into the recovery net (2) such that the hinge member is arranged in the net (2) through the opening therein, the skirts (4) having a portion entering into the net (2) in the trawl position, which portion is retracted at the hinge member.

Description

TRAWL INTENDED FOR COLLECTING FLOATING WASTE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, SUCH AS HYDROCARBONS

[0001] The present invention relates to a trawl for recovering floating waste on the surface of the water, in particular for recovering hydrocarbons.

[0002] In the field of oil spill cleanup, it is known to use trawls to recover hydrocarbons floating on the surface of the water and coming from an oil spill or degassing.

[0003] Such trawls are used in the same way as traditional fishing trawls, the trawl is towed by two vessels, each arm of the trawl being towed by one of the said vessels. This method of towing the trawl is used for fishing fish, the towing of the trawl by two vessels, that is to say without a central obstacle, allows the fish to be directed towards the net without frightening them.

[0004] This type of traction is therefore not the most suitable for the recovery of hydrocarbons, in which traction by a single central line would allow a single vessel to be used to pull the trawl.

[0005] Single-vessel towing offers the advantages of easier launching and higher trawling speed. However, with higher trawling speeds, there may be a problem with extrusion of the oil received in the net. Indeed, with high trawling speeds, the oil received in the trawl net tends to be pressed against the bottom of the net. At high speeds, this oil then passes through the mesh of the net. The recovered oil is then lost and the recovery process must then be repeated.

[0006] There is therefore a need for a trawl that can combine single-vessel traction while preventing the loss of waste collected by the trawl due to higher trawling speed, which provides greater maneuverability and collection efficiency.

[0007] The present invention solves these problems by proposing a trawl with a central line pull, the trawl net receiving two inflatable beams whose lower skirts form an entry door into the net. With such an arrangement of the skirts in the net, a vortex is formed inside the net allowing the hydrocarbons to be kept moving inside the net in order to prevent their accumulation at the bottom of the net and thus avoid any extrusion through the meshes of the net.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a trawl characterized by the fact that it comprises: a net for recovering waste floating on the surface of the water, said recovery net having the shape of a pocket which has an opening, which, in the trawling position, opens to receive the water laden with waste; two inflatable beams, which are inflated in the trawling position, said beams being joined at one end by a hinge member, allowing the two beams arranged side by side to move apart to form a V as soon as they are inflated;a skirt being associated with each of the inflatable beams, connected thereto along a longitudinal line, to form a containment wing, the beams with their associated skirts forming, in the position separated from the beams and with the skirts in the water, a containment space, the end regions of the containment wings adjacent to said hinge member penetrating into the recovery net so that the hinge member is disposed in said net by being introduced therein through the opening thereof;

[0009] the skirts having a part penetrating into the net in the trawling position but disappearing in the vicinity of the hinge member.

[0010] In a particular embodiment, the skirts disappear when cut.

[0011] In a particular embodiment, the skirts disappear by being incised in the vicinity of their connection to the respective inflatable beam.

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the skirts taper upwards from the inflatable beam when the trawl is in the trawling position.

[0013] The trawl may include a haul kit including a center line hooked to the bottom edge of the net. The haul kit may also include spread limiters, one end of each spread limiter being connected to the center line and the other end being connected to a strap carried by a lower portion of the skirt, each skirt carrying a plurality of straps distributed along the length of the skirt.

[0014] The trawl may include an inflatable beam attached to the net opposite the opening of said net to serve as a float.

[0015] Inflatable beams can be made from a material chosen from chlorosulfonated polyethylene, PVC, polyurethane and neoprene.

[0016] The net can be made of polyamide.

[0017] Inflatable beams may have, on their upper part in the trawling position, a ridge to which the upper part of the net is attached.

[0018] The hinge member can be chosen from: a mechanical hinge with plates and knuckles, and a hinge canvas welded to each end of the inflatable beams.

[0019] The present invention also relates to a method of trawling waste floating on the surface of the water, characterized in that the trawl according to the invention is thrown into the water, the latter then taking up its trawling position without additional maneuver.

[0020] To better illustrate the object of the present invention, a particular embodiment will be described below, for informational and non-limiting purposes, with reference to the attached drawing.

[0021] In this drawing:is a side view of a trawl according to the present invention;is a front view of the trawl of the;is a top view of the trawl of the;is a view similar to the, on a larger scale, showing the area where the waste enters the trawl;is a perspective view, seen from inside the net, of the area where the waste enters the trawl;is a view similar to the, showing a view from inside the net from another angle;is a view similar to the, on a larger scale, showing the lower part of the area where the waste enters the trawl;is a side view of the trawl according to the invention, showing on a larger scale, the area for attaching the trawl net;is a view of the lower part of an inflatable beam of the trawl according to the invention, showing a trawl hauling strap;and are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 respectively, in which the meshes of the net have been shown;is a perspective view of the trawl shown in Figures 10 and 11;is a view similar to showing the trawl in the trawling position;is a view similar to, seen from an offset angle;is a view similar to showing a trawl according to another embodiment;is a view similar to showing a trawl according to another embodiment;is a view similar to according to another embodiment;is a view similar to according to another embodiment, andis a view of the trawl according to Figures 17 and 18 from the inside of the net, with the net omitted.;

[0022] Referring to Figures 1 to 7, a trawl 1 is shown according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The trawl 1 includes a net 2 for recovering floating waste on the surface of the water. In Figures 1 to 7, the meshes of the net have not been shown in order not to overload the figures.

[0024] The net 2 is substantially parallelepipedal in shape and has an upper face 201 and a belly 202 which are joined by short sides 203 and a net back 204 at the rear of the latter in the direction of movement of the trawl 1.

[0025] At the front of the net 2 in the direction of movement of the trawl 1, the latter is open and forms an opening 205. The edges of the opening 205 have an edge 206 whose role will be indicated below.

[0026] A float 207 is fixed to the net 2 at the level of the back of the net 204. A rope 208 is fixed to the wing 206 at two opposite points located at the level of the junction between the short sides 203 and the belly 202 and goes around the net 2 passing under the float 207.

[0027] Net 2 is typically a polyamide net.

[0028] The trawl 1 also comprises two inflatable beams 3. Each inflatable beam 3 has a circular cross-section when said beam 3 is in the inflated state. Each inflatable beam 3 comprises a skirt 4, said skirt 4 being connected to the inflatable beam 3 along a longitudinal line in order to form a containment wing 5. The skirt 4 is in the form of a sheet which is connected to the corresponding inflatable beam. In the vicinity of one of the ends of the inflatable beams 3 and in the vicinity of the connection zone to the inflatable beam 3, the skirt 4 has an incision 4a whose role will be indicated later.

[0029] Each inflatable beam 3 also has a ridge 6 which projects from the upper part of the inflatable beam 3 and whose role will be indicated later.

[0030] The inflatable beams 3 are joined at one of their ends by a hinge member 7. Said hinge member 7 is a conventional hinge comprising two plates 8 each having two hinges 9, the plates 8 being connected to each other by means of an axis 10 passing through the hinges 9. The plates 8 are fixed to each of the respective inflatable beams 3 in order to connect the two inflatable beams 3.

[0031] The inflatable beams 3 are connected to each other in such a way that the incisions 4a made in the skirts 4 are placed close to the meeting area of ​​the two inflatable beams 3. The skirts 4 are connected to each other by their free end by plates 11 and screws 12 ().

[0032] The two containment wings 5 ​​penetrate into the net 2 through its opening 205, the hinge member 7 being received inside the net 2. The opening 205 of the net is such that the inflatable beams 3 come into contact against the internal part of the upper face 201 of the net 2, and the skirts 4 come into contact against the internal part of the belly 202 of the net 2.

[0033] Reference is now made more particularly to Figures 4 to 6. The net 2 is connected to each of the containment wings 5 ​​by a plurality of loops 13 and a rod 14.

[0034] The loops 13 are connected to the flange 206 located on the upper face 2021 of the net 2. The loops 13 pass through the crest 6 of the containment wings 5 ​​through openings not shown in the Figures.

[0035] The rod 14 passes through the loops 13 while being disposed against the ridge 6. In doing so, the flange 206 is held against the upper portion of the containment wings 5.

[0036] Reference is now made more particularly to Figures 8 and 9. The net 2 is connected to each of the containment wings 5 ​​at the level of the skirts 4 by means of a cable 15.

[0037] The skirts 4 have along their lower edge four traction straps 16 distributed uniformly along the lower edge of the skirts 4.

[0038] These straps 16 have a fixing piece 16a to the skirt 4 as well as a buckle 16 whose role will be indicated below. The second strap 16 starting from the hinge member 7 carries a ring 17 inside the buckle 16b. The role of the ring 17 will be specified below.

[0039] At the connection between the sash 206 and the rope 208, the sash 206 carries a rod 18.

[0040] The cable 15 connects the rod 18 carried by the wing 206 to the ring 17 carried by the corresponding strap 16. In doing so, the lower part of the net 2 is connected to the containment wings 5.

[0041] The trawl 1 also includes a traction kit 19 which comprises a central end 20 as well as a plurality of gap limiters 21.

[0042] The central end is fixed to the flange 206 at the level of the belly 202 of the net 2.

[0043] Each gap limiter 21 is fixed at one end to the central end 20 and at the other end to one of the loops 16b of the traction straps 16 of the skirts 4. The role of the central end and of the gap limiters will be indicated below.

[0044] The central end 20 and the gap limiters are typically polyamide or dyneema cables.

[0045] Before placing the trawl 1 in the water, the inflatable beams 3 are inflated. When the trawl 1 is placed in the water, the inflatable beams 3 then form a V shape. This V shape is enabled by the contact between the beams at the hinge member 7. When inflated, the two beams 3 will repel each other while being held by the hinge member 7, which makes it possible to obtain the V shape formed by the two beams 3.

[0046] When the trawl 1 is placed in the water, the containment wings 5 ​​form a containment space which allows the floating waste on the surface of the water to be guided towards the net 2. This containment space is formed naturally in the water thanks to the V-shape taken by the containment wings 5 ​​without it being necessary to carry out a maneuver with the vessel towing the trawl 1. In addition, the trawl 1 is then towed by the central end 20 which allows only one vessel to be used to tow the trawl 1. The spacing limiters 21 make it possible to prevent the containment wings from having too large a spacing.

[0047] We now refer to Figures 11 and 13. When the trawl 1 is not in motion, the skirts 4 at the incision 4a are in the closed position (), in which the floating waste can neither enter nor exit the net. When the trawl 1 is in motion, the skirts 4 will move away along the incision 4a due to the pressure exerted by the water on the skirts 4. In addition, since the skirts are connected at the bottom by the plates 11, an opening will then form, which will allow the floating waste to enter the net.

[0048] The tip of the V formed by the containment wings 5 ​​is arranged inside the net 2. Thanks to this position of the containment wings 5 ​​in the net 2, when the trawl 1 is in motion, a depression will be created at the rear of the skirts 4 in the forward position of the trawl 1. This depression will cause the water entering the net to come and be placed at the rear of said skirts 4. Thanks to this movement, the floating waste such as the hydrocarbons which are collected in the net 2 are not caused to accumulate at the bottom of the net 204, but will be conducted towards the rear of the skirts 4, which then prevents an exit of these hydrocarbons from the rear of the net 2.

[0049] Referring to Figures 15 and 16, two further embodiments according to the present invention are shown. In these embodiments, only the skirts are modified, the other elements of the trawl being identical.

[0050] In these embodiments, the skirts 4' do not have an incision, but are cut over their entire height in the vicinity of the hinge region between the inflatable beams 3. In doing so, the opening provided between the skirts 4' allows the passage of floating waste and the skirts 4' while being blocked at the rear of the skirts 4' in the forward position of the trawl to prevent the accumulation of floating waste at the bottom of the net 2.

[0051] Referring to Figures 17 to 19, another embodiment according to the present invention is shown. In these embodiments, only the skirts and the hinge member are modified, the other elements of the trawl being identical.

[0052] In this embodiment, a skirt 40 is connected to the inflatable beam 3 along a longitudinal line of the latter. The skirt 40 is in the form of a sheet which is connected to the corresponding inflatable beam. In the vicinity of the end of the inflatable beam 3 intended to enter the net 2 and in the vicinity of the hinge zone between the two inflatable beams 3, the skirt 40 disappears to form the passage for the floating waste.

[0053] While disappearing in the vicinity of the hinge zone between the two beams 3, each skirt 40 extends upwards along the edge of the corresponding inflatable beam 3 to join a hinge fabric 70 which is welded to each of the ends of the inflatable beams 3.

[0054] The hinge web 70 allows the inflatable beams 3 to be connected to each other while allowing the beams 3 to form a V when inflated.

Claims

– Trawl (1) characterized in that it comprises:a net (2) for recovering waste floating on the surface of the water, said recovery net (2) having the shape of a pocket which has an opening (205), which, in the trawling position, opens to receive the water laden with waste;two inflatable beams (3), which are inflated in the trawling position, said beams (3) being joined at one end by a hinge member (7; 70), allowing the two beams arranged side by side to move apart to form a V as soon as they are inflated;a skirt (4; 4'; 40) being associated with each of the inflatable beams (3), connected thereto along a longitudinal line, to form a containment wing (5), the beams (3) with their associated skirts (4; 4'; 40) forming, in the spaced apart position of the beams (3) and with the skirts (4 ; 4' ;40) in the water, a confinement space, the end regions of the confinement wings (5) adjacent to said hinge member (7; 70) penetrating into the recovery net (2) so that the hinge member (7; 70) is arranged in said net (2) by being introduced therein through the opening thereof, the skirts (4; 4'; 40) having a part penetrating into the net (2) in the trawling position but disappearing in the vicinity of the hinge member (7; 70).; – Trawl (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirts (4') disappear when cut. – Trawl (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirts (4) disappear by being incised in the vicinity of their connection to the respective inflatable beam (3). – Trawl (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirts (40) disappear by tapering towards the top of the inflatable beam (3) when the trawl (1) is in the trawling position. – Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a traction kit (19) comprising a central end (20) attached to the lower edge of the net (2). – Trawl (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the traction kit (19) comprises spread limiters (21), one end of each spread limiter (21) being linked to the central end (20) and the other end being linked to a strap (16) carried by a lower part of the skirt (4; 4'; 40), each skirt (4; 4'; 40) carrying a plurality of straps (16) distributed over the length of the skirt (4; 4'; 40). – Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an inflatable beam (207) linked to the net (2) opposite the opening (205) of said net (2) in order to serve as a float. – Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the inflatable beams (3) are made of a material chosen from chlorosulfonated polyethylene, PVC, polyurethane and neoprene. - Trawl according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the net (2) is made of polyamide. - Trawl according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inflatable beams (3) have, on their upper part in the trawling position, a crest (6) to which the upper part of the net (2) is linked. - Trawl according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the hinge member is chosen from: a mechanical hinge (7) with plates (8) and knuckles (9), and a hinge canvas (70) welded to each of the ends of the inflatable beams (3). – Method for trawling waste floating on the surface of the water, characterized in that the trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11 is thrown into the water, the latter then taking up its trawling position without additional maneuver.

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