Hydrocarbon recovery system

Patent · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5399895

Rymal, Jr, T R

A skimming device is described for collecting hydrocarbons from the surface of a body of water which consists of: a floating hull having a power source and a propellor connected together, the hull having boat means for operating the hull in a skimming mode; the boat means including skimming means for skimming the surface of the water for collecting a mixture of hydrocarbons and water from the surface of the body of water, the skimming means including, when the boat means in operating in the skimming mode, at least one tunnel passing through the bottom portion of the hull and positioned for the propellor to draw water therethrough, whereby the vessel propellor is used to improve the removal of hydrocarbons from the surface of a body of water; and separating means for separating hydrocarbons from skimmed water collected by the skimming means, the separating means including a housing forming forming a pair of tanks connected by a passageway arranged between the top and bottom of the tanks; an oil/water mixture inlet in one tank of the housing, check valve means between the one tank and the passageway between the tanks to prevent the oil/water mixture from flowing back to the one tank from the passageway; baffles mounted at an angle with a space above and below the baffle in the passageway between the tanks to permit fluid to flow about both the upper and lower ends of the baffles and therebetween and aid in separating oil from the water; a oil outlet from the other tank, and a water outlet from the other tank.

• Assignee: NOV; EDB-86-142579; NOV-85-016358
• Patent Number(s): US 4597863
• OSTI ID: 5399895
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BAFFLES
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
DESIGN
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INCIDENCE ANGLE
MIXTURES
OIL SPILLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
REMOVAL
SKIMMERS
SPACE DEPENDENCE
STORAGE FACILITIES
WATER