DEVICE FOR THE REMOVAL OF OIL OR VOLCANIC ASH FROM THE SURFACE OF A BODY OF WATER

DISPOSITIF SERVANT A ELIMINER L'HUILE DE CENTRE VOLCANIQUE DE LA SURFACE D'UNE ETENDUE D'EAU

English Abstract

ABSTRACT
A device for the separation of two fluids, one of which
is floating above the other, is provided. The device consists of
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends, and arranged parallel to
the surface of the fluid. and in contact with the upper fluid
thereon. An augur having vanes is rotatable within the tube, and
includes a central discharge chamber, connected with an outlet
port, and with means to remove fluid received in the discharge
chamber. Power means are provided to rotate the augur. The
device is also capable of the removal of volcanic ash floating on
the surface of a body of water.

Claims

??e embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property
or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A device for separation of two fluids, one of which is
floating above the other; such device to consist of:
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends, oriented
parallel to the surface of the fluids;
an augur with vanes inside the tube;
a discharge chamber, being a section of tube where the
augur has no vanes, said discharge chamber placed so that all
vanes of said augur will drive fluid towards said chamber;
an outlet prot from the discharge chamber;
a means of introducing fluid to the auger;
a means of rotating the augur; and
a means of removing fluid from the discharge chamber.
2. A device for separation of two fluids, one of which is
floating above the other; such device to consist of:
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends, oriented
parallel to the surface of the fluids;
an augur inside the tube, such augur having vanes
arranged so that rotation of the augur in fluid will drive the
fluid towards the center of the tube;
a discharge chamber, being a section of the middle of
the tube where the augur has no vanes;
an outlet prot from the discharge chamber;
inlet ports to allow fluid into some portion of the
tube where the augur has vanes;
an engine to rotate the augur; and

a vacuum device to suction fluid from the discharge
chamber outlet port
3. A device for separation of two fluids, one of which is
floating above the other; such device to consist of:
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends oriented
parallel to the surface of the fluids;
an augur inside the tube, such augur having vanes
arranged so that rotation of the augur in fluid will drive the
fluid towards the center of the tube;
a discharge chamber, being a section of the middle of
the tube where the augur has no vanes;
an outlet port from the discharge chamber;
inlet port from the discharge chamber;
inlet ports along some portion of the tube where the
augur has vanes;
an engine to rotate the augur by attachment to said
augur's shaft through one end of the tube;
a vacuum device to suction fluid from the discharge
chamber outlet port; and
means to raise and lower said tube and augur relative
the surface of the fluid outside the tube.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the
augur vanes are spaced more closely together near the discharge
chamber.
5. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the inlet ports
exist only in that portion of the tube where the vanes are more
widely spaced.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is
provided means to raise and lower said tube and augur relative to
the surface of the fluid outside the tube.
7. A device as claimed in claims 5, or 6, in which the
means of lowering or raising the tube and augur is booms attached
to a floating vessel.
8. A device for separation of two fluids, one of which is
floating above the other; such device to consist of:
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends, oriented
parallel to the surface of the fluids;
an augur inside the tube, such augur having vanes
arranged so that rotation of the augur in fluid will drive the
fluid towards the center of the tube;
a discharge chamber, being a section of the middle of
the tube where the augur has no vanes;
an outlet port from the discharge member;
inlet ports along some portion of the tube where the
augur has vanes;
a rotational engine to rotate the augur attached to
said augur's shaft through one end of the tube;
a vacuum device to suction fluid from the discharge
chamber outlet port;
adjustable booms to raise or lower said tube and augur
relative to the surface of the fluid outside the tube; and
a support structure for the booms.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, such that the augur's
vanes ar roughly twice as frequent per linear foot for a short
section near the displacement chamber, and wherein no inlet port
exists in this said section of more frequent vanes.
10. A device as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the
support structure for the booms is a barge with its own power
engine, capable of pushing the device towards the fluid, and
wherein this barge holds also the suction device and the
apparatus for raising or lowering the booms.
11. A device for the separation of volcanic ash from a
surface of a body of water, such device comprising:
a cylindrical tube closed at both ends oriented
parallel to the surface of the body of water;
an augur inside the tube, having veins arranged so that
rotation of the augur will drive volcanic ash toward the center
of the tube;
a discharge chamber, being a section of the middle of
the tube where the augur has no veins;
an outlet port from the discharge chamber;
an inlet port from the discharge chamber;
inlet ports along some portion of the tube where the
augur has veins;
drive means to rotate the augur by attachment to the
shaft of said augur through one end of the tube;
a vacuum device to suction volcanic ash from the
discharge chamber port; and
means to raise and lower said tube and augur relative

to the surface of the fluid on which said volcanic ash is
floating.

Description

INTRODUCTION
Increasing concern wi-th pollution of the natural
environmen-t, combined with escalating world-~Jide trade in
-industrial -fluids~ especially oil products, has lead to a wide
interest -in devices for coping with spills. The Environment
Canada "Catalogue oF Oil Skimmers" lists over 300 separate
products by over 180 compan-ies and -individuals. Some use blades,
some suction: others holding tanks, augurs, blowers, belts and
may other means; often -in combinatic,n~ Most are suitable, even
in theory, for a limited conkext such as heavY seas; or calm
seas; or thick oil; or th-in oil; ancl so forth. The present
invention, by its adjustability and simplicity, greatlY extends
the range of contexts for the us~ o-F a single device. The
apparatus disclos~d will also find utility in the removal of
volcanic ash from the surface of bodies of water.
B~IEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
The present inYention consists of a single augur inside
a closely fitted tube, which is held parallel to the surface of
the fluid/fluid mixture by means of booms at either end. Slits
are cut into the tube lengthwise~ leaving some augur vanes
exposed. The booms are suspended from a barge, and the barge
pushes the whole slowly -forward, so the open side of the tube is
pushed into the fluids. The depth o~ submergence is controlled
by the booms and matched to the thickness of the spill. The
vanes of the augur are bilaterally-sYmmetrical, drawing fluid
from the exterior edges to the center, ;nto a central discharge
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hamber. The vanes are closer together near the center, to
concentrate the fluid into the discharge chamber. A suction
engine on the barge draws Fluid up -From the discharge cha~ber
into a holding tank.
Canadian patent No. 992,00~ (Seaclean, 1976), while
anticipating ~he use o-f the auger, is invented speciFically -for
removal of "thin 1ayer" of contaminant, and makes provisions for
this in ways that render it di~ferent and more complex than the
present invention.
Canadian patent No. 959,428 (Larsson, 1974) likewise
uses the augur principle, but specifies pairs o-F augur-vane
"shovels" that carry the contaminant vertically instead of
horizontally as in the present invention. Canadian patent No.
1,042,818 uses several augurs arranged vertically; Canadian
patent No~ 1,131,565 (1982) princiPally specifies a suction
device with a small augùr attached, in a different configuration
than the present invention. Similarly other devices patented in
Canada and the United States use the augur principle~ but using
different configurations and other critical specifications; see
also Canadian patent No. 1,000,623 (Monsanto Co., 1975~; U.S.
patent No. ~,391,707 (Gordon, 1983); U.S. patent No. 4,196,087
(Gordon, 1980); and U.S. patent No. 3,447,683 (Luce Jr., 1969).
There appears to be no prior art like the present invention,
which is simple and potentially very useful.
One object of the invent-ion is to provide an oil
skimmer for removal of oil or other pollutin~ liquids from the
surface of bodies of water, comprising an auger within a tube,
For attachment to a barge or the like, which is inexpensive to
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~anufacturer, and easy to transport.
A principal object oF the invent;on is to provide a
device for the separation of two ~luids, one of which is floating
above the other, the device consisting of a cylindrical tube
closed at both ends, and arranged paralle' to the surface of the
fluid, and in contact with the upper fluid thereon. An augur
having vanes is rotatable within the tube, and includes a central
discharge chambar, connected with an outlet port, and with means
to remove fluid received in the discharge chamber. Power means
are provided to rotate the augur.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is a plan view of an augur according to the
invention, attached to a barge; and
Figure 2 is a side view of an augur according to the
invention, attached to a barge.
Referring to Figure 1: the tube (A), closed at (B) and
(C), is pierced at one end lengthwise by the augur shaft (D) and
contains the shaft and the augur vanes (E,F). A rotating motor
(G) is attached to the shaft outside the tube. The tube is
attached to barge tH) by means of booms (I). As shown, the vanes
are bilaterally symmetric about the center of the discharge
chamber (J): those vanes labelled (F) are closer together, to
help concentrate the fluid into the central chamber. The portion
of the tube wall b~tween (M) and (N) and (m) and (n) is missing
to allow the fluid access to the widely-spaced augur vanes (see
Figure 2, (M) to (N) also). An engine on the barge (O) vacuum
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~_..lpS the discharge chamber flu-id in to holdin~ tank (P). Boorn
engine and barge-engine (Q, R) can be appropriately placed on the
barge for the function. Steering house and other barge deta-ils
are not shown.
In operation, the barge-engine drives the whole into
the target -Fluid, while boom supports ~Figure 2, (S~) are hoisted
to dip the augur blades no deeper than the contaminating swrFace
fluid. The speed of the barge and the speed of rotation o-F
engine ~G) are varied depending on the viscosity o-F the fluid,
its depth, and the wave formations. Any excess water gathered
into the holding tank will settle at the bottom, and can be
allowed out by a valve at the bottom of that tank and returned by
a simple pipe over the edge of the barge.
In an average size model of the device the main tube
can be fashioned from a simple black plastic pipe of, say, 30
inches inside diameter. The augur is appropria-tely sized to seal
against the inside surFace, and attached by four ball bearing
couplings, one in each of the end plates and one on e-ither side
of the discharge chamber. The vanes closest to the discharge
chamber can be 6 inches apart, while those farther from it 12
inches apart. These dimensions are for illustration only and in
no way limit the scope of the invention. ;
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Representative Drawing