Catamaran Oil Spill Response Unit with Adjustable Booms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oil collection systems face challenges in rough seas, including broken booms and dispersed oil due to propeller wash, making effective and continuous oil collection difficult.
Innovation Solution
A catamaran-form transport barge equipped with oil collectors on its sides, attached to a towing vessel, allows for unobstructed oil collection by positioning the barge's pontoons outside the propeller wash, with adjustable and extendable booms and a NON-STOP bagging system for efficient oil collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the towing vessel uses a propeller for propulsion, then the towing vessel can be moved through water effectively, but the propeller wash disperses the oil being collected, obviating the results of the collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from collecting oil in front of the vessel (longitudinal dimension) to collecting oil from the sides of the barge (lateral dimension). The catamaran barge collects oil from both sides, moving the collection zone perpendicular to the propeller wash direction, thus avoiding the harmful effect while maintaining collection effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The catamaran barge acts as an intermediary between the towing vessel and the oil spill. It is positioned behind the propeller wash zone and collects oil from the sides, serving as a mediator that avoids direct exposure to the harmful propeller wash while still performing the collection function
2Ease of operation
If inclined booms are used to guide oil for collection, then oil can be directed into collection space, but in rough seas the booms break due to wave action
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable booms that can change their angle and position relative to the barge. The booms are equipped with telescopic extension capabilities and can be raised or lowered, allowing them to adapt to rough sea conditions rather than maintaining a fixed rigid structure that would break under wave stress
Solution Approach 2:
The boom configuration parameters (angle, length, height) are made variable rather than fixed. The booms can be extended telescopically and adjusted to different angles relative to the barge sides, allowing optimization for different sea conditions and oil flow patterns, thereby maintaining reliability across varying operational environments
3Productivity
If a separate collector is arranged in front of the bow of a vessel, then oil collection can begin immediately, but the operation and control becomes difficult particularly in rough seas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the collection operation from the front of the vessel (longitudinal collection) to the sides of the barge (lateral collection). This dimensional change allows the collection system to be more stable and easier to control in rough seas, as the side-mounted collectors on the catamaran structure are less affected by wave action and propeller wash compared to front-mounted collectors
Data Source
AI summary
Oil-collection system and oil-collecting barge. The system comprises a towing vessel and a transport barge, which has a catamaran structure, so that there are oil collectors in its pontoons. Guide booms are attached to the sides of the barge, with a structure that is tubular frame around a wall, in which the air space or volume of the lowest tube corresponds to the boom's own weight. When using a larger capacity in collection, the additional booms on the deck are filled with air and simultaneously pulled into operating condition with the aid of auxiliary boats, when towable booms are formed. With the aid of the invention, transport barge with a rapidly moveable structure, equipped with oil collectors is obtained, which can be attached to a towing vessel, and which in maritime conditions is stable and operable when towed. Thus a highly steerable unit is obtained for operative oil-spill-response tasks, in which the necessary hydraulics and other energy requirements of the equipment are connected from the towing vessel. In the case of an accident, the unit on operational stand-by departs for the accident site, where collection operation is started by rotating the barge's booms to the operating position.