Apparatus for containing oil and/or gas leakage from a drilling operation (off-shore or on-shore) comprised of an expandable membrane surrounding a central spline, an apparatus adapted to the removal of the captured oil or gas, and a blowout-handling fuse capability. The bottom section of the off-shore version includes operator-controlled extension members to expand the membrane to fully surround the drill site. Any further leakage from the well site will further expand the membrane from the spline sections as it moves upward. When the leaked material reaches the top an extraction apparatus included allows it to be extracted safely.

An on-board spool-able re-useable containment boom for a waterborne vessel that lies substantially flat and capable of being spooled when deflated and floats in the proper orientation when inflated, that has spool-able re-inflatable float sections which are sequentially inflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery, that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for the purposes of training and testing, and that can be deployed immediately upon occurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel because of its on-board location and its rapid deployment, and a control system for proper inflation and deflation of spool-able re-useable containment boom during deployment and recovery.

An on-board re-inflatable containment boom for a waterborne vessel that lies substantially flat and capable of being spooled when deflated and floats in the proper orientation when inflated, that has re-inflatable float sections which are sequentially inflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery, that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for the purposes of training and testing, and that can be deployed immediately upon occurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel because of its on-board location and its rapid deployment, and a control system for proper inflation and deflation of re-inflatable containment boom during deployment and recovery.

An open water capture device comprising a structure, wherein the structure comprises an open bottom, a top, and one or more injection primary ports.

The present invention relates to floating lakes and to the treatment of the water in such lakes. The present invention further relates to large floating lakes that can be installed within a natural or artificial water body to improve water conditions that are unsuitable for recreational uses. The floating lake can be provided with a chemical application system; a filtration system including a mobile suctioning device and filters; a skimmer system, and optionally a coordination system.

A paravane for a barrier towed by a vessel includes a floating body and a main skirt suspended below the floating body. The main skirt is defined with a longitudinal direction between its front end and its rear end. An upper lamella has a first point secured to the front end of the main skirt, a second point secured to the rear end of the main skirt and a third point provided at a distance from the main skirt. A lower lamella has a first point secured to the front end of the main skirt below the upper lamella, a second point secured to the rear end of the main skirt below the upper lamella and a third point provided at a distance from the main skirt. A front towing interface is connected to the third point of the upper lamella and the third point of the lower lamella. The floating body, the main skirt, the upper lamella and the lower lamella are made of one or more flexible materials. The upper lamella has a skirt facing edge defined as the edge between the first point and the second point. The skirt facing edge is secured continuously or at intervals to the main skirt. The paravane includes at least one intermediate lamella having a first point secured to the front end of the main skirt between the upper lamella and the lower lamella, a second point secured to the rear end of the main skirt between the upper lamella and the lower lamella and a third point provided at a distance from the main skirt. The third point is connected to the front towing interface. The paravane includes a plurality of stiffening plates fastened to the main skirt. The stiffening plates have a height being lower than a height between the lamellae. The stiffening plates are fastened to the main skirt between the lamellae.

Apparatus for recovering spilled oil in water infested with floating ice or other debris comprises a fence having an upper rail and lower rail encircling an area to receive an oil skimmer. A plurality of buoyancy units maintain the fence at an appropriate water level. An ice-deflecting cone covers the bottom of the fence when the apparatus is deployed. A plurality of cables may be attached to the upper rail of the fence to raise and lower the apparatus into the water. The fence is preferably circular, with a diameter in the range of 10 to 50 feet. The fence preferably includes a plurality of spaced-apart vertical supports between the upper and lower rails to keep chunks of ice or other debris from entering into the encircled area, and the lower barrier structure is perforated, with openings in the range of less than an inch to several inches.

An on-board re-inflatable containment boom for a waterborne vessel that lies substantially flat and capable of being spooled when deflated and floats in the proper orientation when inflated, that has re-inflatable float sections which are sequentially inflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery, that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for the purposes of training and testing, and that can be deployed immediately upon occurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel because of its on-board location and its rapid deployment, and a control system for proper inflation and deflation of re-inflatable containment boom during deployment and recovery.

A membrane system isolates environment volume, contains hazards, enables detoxification, hazard removal, infrastructure restoration, and substance recovery. The flexible membrane system adjusts to advantageously shape its isolated volume and integrate existing infrastructure. Pollution and hazardous energy, including crude oil, toxic-gas, radioactive fallout, fire, and other hazards are isolated, while concurrently enabling access within the isolated volume. Pod encapsulated and readily deployed, the membrane system operates semi-autonomously, uses selective-filtering, specific gravity and substance differences to channel matter, mitigate hazards, protect the biosphere, preserve infrastructure and capture substances.

A containment system for recovering hydrocarbon fluid from a leaking device comprising a wall extending from a base level to a first level for surrounding the leaking device, and a dome situated above the wall and forming a cavity for accumulating hydrocarbon fluid. The dome comprises an upper output opening for extracting the hydrocarbon fluid. The containment system further comprises a lower output opening extending up to a dome level. The wall and the dome are independent members so as the wall can be landed on the seafloor before the dome is installed.