TRAWL INTENDED FOR COLLECTING FLOATING WASTE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, SUCH AS HYDROCARBONS
The trawl's inflatable beams and skirts form a V-shape confinement space to retain hydrocarbons, addressing the issue of loss at high speeds, ensuring efficient and maneuverable hydrocarbon collection.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2022004214
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-05-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-05-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing trawls for recovering hydrocarbons from the water surface face issues with hydrocarbon loss due to high trawling speed, as they tend to accumulate at the net's bottom and pass through cracks, necessitating repeated collection.
A trawl design with inflatable beams forming a V-shape to create a confinement space, using skirts to guide hydrocarbons inside and prevent accumulation at the net's bottom, facilitated by a central vessel traction and inflatable beams with skirts that open to allow entry.
The design effectively retains hydrocarbons within the net, preventing loss and enabling efficient collection with a single vessel, enhancing maneuverability and yield.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: TRAWL 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 hydrocarbon decontamination, it is known to use trawls which make it possible 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 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, makes it possible to direct the fish 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 end would allow a single vessel to be used to pull the trawl.
[0005] Single-vessel traction has the advantages of greater ease of launching and higher trawling speed. However, with higher trawling speed, there may be a problem of extrusion of the hydrocarbons received in the net. Indeed, with a high trawling speed, the hydrocarbons received in the trawl net tend to come to rest against the bottom of the net. With high speed, these hydrocarbons then pass through the mesh of the net. The recovered hydrocarbons are then lost and the recovery must then be started again.
[0006] There is therefore a need for a trawl that can combine traction by a single vessel while preventing the loss of waste collected by the trawl due to a higher trawling speed, which provides greater maneuverability and collection efficiency.
[0007] The present invention solves these problems by providing a trawl with traction by a central end, 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 making it possible to keep the hydrocarbons 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 includes:
[0009] • 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 arranged in said net by being introduced therein through the opening thereof,
[0010] the skirts having a part penetrating into the net in the trawling position but disappearing in the vicinity of the hinge member.
[0011] In a particular embodiment, the skirts disappear when cut.
[0012] In a particular embodiment, the skirts disappear by being incised at the vicinity of their connection to the respective inflatable beam.
[0013] The trawl may include a haul kit including a central end hooked to the lower edge of the net. The haul kit may also include spread limiters, one end of each spread limiter being connected to the central end 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 comprise an inflatable beam attached to the net opposite the opening of said net in order to serve as a float.
[0015] The inflatable beams may be made of a material selected from chlorosulfonated polyethylene, PVC, polyurethane and neoprene.
[0016] The net can be made of polyamide.
[0017] The inflatable beams may have, on their upper part in the trawling position, a ridge to which the upper part of the net is linked.
[0018] 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.
[0019] To better illustrate the object of the present invention, it will be described below, as follows: indicative and not limiting, a particular embodiment with reference to the attached drawing.
[0020] In this drawing:
[0021] • [Fig. 1] is a side view of a trawl according to the present invention; • [Fig.2] is a front view of the trawl of [Fig.l]; • [Fig.3] is a top view of the trawl of [Fig.l]; • [Fig.4] is a view similar to [Fig.2], on a larger scale, showing the waste entry area into the trawl; • [Fig.5] is a perspective view, seen from inside the net, of the area where waste enters the trawl; • [Fig.6] is a view similar to [Fig.5], showing a view from inside the net from another angle: • [Fig.7] is a view similar to [Fig.6], on a larger scale, showing the lower part of the waste entry area into the trawl; • [Fig.8] is a side view of the trawl according to the invention, showing on a larger scale the area for attaching the trawl net; • [Fig.9] is a view of the lower part of an inflatable beam of the trawl according to the invention, showing a trawl traction strap; • [Fig. 10] and [Fig. 11] are views similar to Figures respectively 1 and 2, on which the meshes of the net have been represented, • [Fig. 12] is a perspective view of the trawl shown in Figures 10 and 11, • [Fig. 13] is a view similar to [Fig. 11] showing the trawl in the trawling position, • [Fig. 14] is a view similar to [Fig. 13], seen from an offset angle, • [Fig. 15] is a view similar to [Fig. 11] showing a trawl according to a another embodiment, and • [Fig. 16] is a view similar to [Fig. 11] showing a trawl according to another embodiment.
[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 comprises 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 said 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 line 206 at two opposite points located at the level of the junction between the small sides 203 and the belly 202 and goes around the net 2 passing under the float 207.
[0027] The 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 line 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 ([Fig.7]).
[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 die 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 arranged against the ridge 6. In doing so, the die 206 is held against the upper part 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 confinement 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 for 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 level of the connection between the die 206 and the rope 208, the die 206 carries a rod 18.
[0040] The cable 15 connects the rod 18 carried by the die 206 to the ring 17 carried by the corresponding strap 16. By doing so, the lower part of the net 2 is connected to the containment wings 5.
[0041] The trawl 1 also comprises a traction kit 19 which comprises a central end 20 as well as a plurality of spacing limiters 21.
[0042] The central end is fixed to the die 206 at the level of the belly 202 of the net 2.
[0043] Each gap limiter 21 is fixed at a first end to the central tip 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 the gap limiters will be indicated below.
[0044] The central end 20 and the gap limiters are typically cables made of ...
[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 made possible by the contact between the beams at the hinge member 7. When they are 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 great a spacing.
[0047] Referring now 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 ([Fig.l 1]), in which floating waste can neither enter nor exit the net. When the trawl 1 is in motion, the skirts 4 will disappear along the incision 4a due to the pressure exerted by the water on the skirts 4. In addition, as 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 these hydrocarbons from exiting through 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. By doing so, the opening made 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.
Claims
Claims
1. - Trawl (1) characterized in that it comprises: • a recovery net (2) for 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 loaded 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), 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') being associated with each of the inflatable beams (3), connected to the latter along a longitudinal line, to form a containment wing (5), the beams (3) with their associated skirts (4; 4') forming, in the spaced position of the beams (3) and with the skirts (4;4') in the water, a confinement space, the end regions of the confinement wings (5) adjacent to said hinge member (7) penetrating into the recovery net (2) so that the hinge member (7) is arranged in said net (2) by being introduced therein through the opening thereof, the skirts (4; 4') having a part penetrating into the net (2) in the trawling position but disappearing in the vicinity of the hinge member (7).;
2. - Trawl (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirts (4') disappear when cut.
3. - 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).
4. - Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a traction kit (19) comprising a central end (20) attached to the lower edge of the net (2).
5. - Trawl (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the traction kit (19) comprises gap limiters (21), one end of each gap 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), each skirt (4) carrying a plurality of straps (16) distributed along the length of the skirt (4).
6. - Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, 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.
7. - Trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the inflatable beams (3) are made of a material chosen from chlorosulfonated polyethylene, PVC, polyurethane and neoprene.
8. - Trawl according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the net (2) is made of polyamide.
9. - Trawl according to one of claims 1 to 7, 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.
10. - Method for trawling waste floating on the surface of the water, characterized in that the trawl (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 is thrown into the water, the latter then taking up its trawling position without additional maneuver.