Cover device and blanket for covering liquid surfaces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self filling cover device for covering a surface of a liquid, having a shell (2) defining inner cavity, and the inner cavity is to be filled at least partly with liquid, so that the inner cavity is divided in at least two chambers (3,4) by a separating means (5,51,52), and one of the chambers (4) is provided by at least one opening (6) formed in the shell (2).

Claims

1. A cover device for covering a surface of a liquid in a pond, having a shell (2) defining an inner cavity, and the inner cavity is to be filled at least partly with liquid, wherein the inner cavity is divided into at least two chambers (3, 4) by a separating means (5, 51, 52), and a first chamber (4) of the at least two chambers is provided by a first opening (6) formed in the shell (2), and a weight member (8) is arranged in proximity of said first opening (6), said weight member (8) is provided with a through hole (8a), and arranged in the first opening (6) of said shell (2), wherein the device has a form substantially of a sphere, and the area of the separating means (51) as measured perpendicularly to an axis (A) of the device (1), passing through the first opening (6) and the separating means (5, 51, 52), is smaller than a greatest internal cross sectional area of any chamber (3, 4) as measured perpendicularly to the axis (A).

2. The cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first chamber (4) is provided by at least one further opening (7) formed in the shell (2) of the first chamber (4).

3. The cover device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first chamber (4) is provided by several further openings (7) formed in the shell (2).

4. The cover device according to claim 3, characterized in that a cross sectional area of a second opening and a third opening of the several further openings (7) formed in the shell (2) are different.

5. The cover device according to claim 4, characterized in that the first opening (6) is arranged in alignment with the axis (A) of the device (1) and a cross sectional area of the second opening (7), formed closer to the first opening (6) in the shell (2), is smaller than a cross sectional area of the third opening (7), formed farther from the first opening (6) in the shell (2).

6. The cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that the separating means (52) is hollow and being in fluid communication with the first chamber (4), and having an opening (71) formed adjacent to a second chamber (3) of the at least two chambers.

7. The cover device according to claim 6, characterized in that one way valves are arranged in at least one of any opening (6, 7) of the first chamber (4).

8. A composite blanket formed on the surface of a storage reservoir containing liquid, characterized by consisting of several cover devices (1, 11) according to any of preceding claims arranged in at least one layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The cover device according to the invention will be disclosed in details as follows by referring to the accompanied drawings, wherein

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a self filling cover device according to the present invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of another preferred embodiment of a self filling cover device according to the present invention,

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a further preferred embodiment of a self filling cover device according to the present invention,

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an advantageous embodiment of a self filling cover device according to the present invention,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a further preferred embodiment of the invention, and

(7) FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of layers formed by the devices according to the invention arranged on the surface of a pond filled with a liquid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) FIG. 1 is a cross section of an exemplary self filling cover device 1 according to the present invention. The device 1 having a shape e.g. of a sphere or ball in this embodiment consists of a shell 2, the inner cavity of which is divided into two chambers 3, 4 by a separating means 5, e.g a wall. Chamber 3 is sealed gas tightly in respect of the environment, and contains any gas, generally air. Chamber 4 contains air of environmental pressure, because of the presence of at least one opening 6 provided on the shell 2, communicating with the inner cavity of the chamber 4. The shell 2 may preferably be made e.g. of UV stabilized high density polyethylene (HDPE) or any other suitable material, like polypropylene (PP) or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), thus, it may also be produced of many kinds of polymers or copolymers. For some other special applications the shell 2 of the device 1 can be produced as a composite by two or more kinds of material.

(9) It is clear, that a device having such a structure floats on the surface of a liquid having a specific weight higher than the specific weight of the whole structure of the device 1. When a device 1 according to the invention is situated on the surface of a liquid, the latter begins to penetrate into the inner cavity of chamber 4 through the opening 6 sooner or later, while the device 1 is rotating on the surface due to different environmental effects like wind blow or slight rippling of the surface of the liquid, and opening 6 approximates, then goes underneath the surface of the liquid allowing inflow thereof. It also is clear, however, that a weight member 8 fitted preferably in the proximity of the opening 6 results in tending the device 1 to get a position with the opening 6 below the surface of the liquid. The weight member 8 in this embodiment is provided by a through hole 8a and arranged in the opening 6 in order to achieve the best effect. Thus, the chamber 4 is filling with liquid up to a level when the internal pressure of the air in chamber 4 becomes equal to the pressure of water penetrating from beneath through the opening 6, and the device 1 starts to float with an axis A being substantially vertical or perpendicular to the surface of the liquid.

(10) In order to accelerate above filling process and to make it less aleatory, and to increase the level of the liquid penetrating into chamber 4 for enhancing stability of the device 1, at least one further opening 7 can be arranged on the shell 2 as it can be seen in FIG. 2 depicting a second preferred embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention. This opening 7 is provided adjacent the separating means 5, e.g a wall in order to allow air in the chamber 4 to escape to the full. Thus, the opening 6 is serving only to inflow of the liquid into chamber 4, and opening 7 serves to let the air to exhaust therefrom.

(11) In a third preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, as it can be seen in FIG. 3, the device 1 is shaped by two parts 9, 10 rather than by one part separated by an internal separating means 5, e.g a wall. In this embodiment the parts 9, 10 are attached to each other by a solid central neck 51 portion separating the chambers 3, 4. This form allow the device 1 according to the invention to be more stable, since the device hangs on the surface S of the liquid, the latter exerting lifting force directly to a lower surface 21 of the shell 2 delimiting the upper chamber 3. Moreover, there are several openings 7 formed on the shell 2 delimiting the lower chamber 4, in this embodiment.

(12) It is to be noted, though the number and diameter or adequate size, like cross sectional area, of openings 7 can be chosen arbitrarily, the greater the number of openings 7 the faster the inflow of the liquid into the chamber 4. But choosing greater diameters in case of openings 7 positioned closer to the external edge 41 of the lower part 10 along the surface of the device 1 and therefore to the surface of the liquid, increases a risk of instability in case of strong undulation of the liquid, when the device rocks and openings 7 positioned closer to the edge 41 may be positioned above the surface, because this openings 7 in this position allow the air to inflow the chamber 4, while liquid of equal volume can be removed rapidly from the chamber 4 through opposite opening 7 dove deeply. Therefore, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the diameter, or an adequate cross sectional size or area, of each openings 7 is different and decreases while approaching the edge 41 of the lower part 10, as it can be seen in FIG. 4. That is, when the opening 6 is arranged in alignment with an axis A of the device 1 at a lowermost point of the device 1, and said axis A being perpendicular to the separating means 5, e.g a wall, a cross section area of an opening 7 formed closer to the opening 6 in the shell 2 is smaller than a cross section area of an opening 7 formed farther from the opening 6 in the shell 2. The device, in this embodiment, has a form substantially of a sphere, and the area of a separating means 51, e.g a neck portion separating the chambers 3, 4 is smaller, as measured perpendicularly to the axis A, than a greatest internal cross sectional area of any chamber 3, 4 as measured perpendicularly to the axis A.

(13) The chambers 3, 4 of the device 1 can be spaced apart by means of using a neck portion 52 as separating means interconnecting the walls 5 of the chambers 3, 4 of a device 1, 11 according to the invention, as depicted in FIG. 5 showing a further preferred embodiment of the invention. In case of i.e. heat insulating purposes at least two, but even several layers formed by devices 1 in close order can be arranged on the surface S of a pond filled with a liquid. However, the devices 1 in the second and subsequent layers placed above the first layer can be filled with the liquid only if its lower chamber 4 is at least partly under the surface S of the liquid. For this, the length of the separating means 51, e.g a neck portion is extended in this embodiment, resulted in a longer separating means 52, e.g a stem interconnecting the respective shells 2 of the chambers 3, 4. Length of the separating means 52, e.g a stem, is determined by the given layer intended to contain a device 1 according to the invention. In the first layer of the devices 1 according to the invention, that is the layer arranged directly on the surface of the liquid in a pond, devices 1 according to any embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, 2, 3 or 4 may adequately be used. In a subsequent or second layer, that is a layer of the devices 1 arranged on the first layer, devices 11 according to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 may be used. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the separating means 52 is hollow and being in fluid communication with chamber 4 through a hole 54, and having an opening 71 formed adjacent the chamber 3.

(14) FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of layers formed by the devices 1, 11 according to the invention arranged on the surface of a pond filled with a liquid and shows two subsequent layers of devices 1, 11 arranged above each other. Nonetheless, devices 11 may be used in a first layer directly arranged on the surface S as well.

(15) In case of environmental disasters caused by e.g. shipwrecks of tankers allowing the surface of the sea to be bestrewn by several tons of oil, a blanket formed by devices 1 according to the invention can be laid down onto the surface of the water, the openings 6, 7 formed on the shell 2 of the chamber 4 of which can be formed as one way valves known itself for the person skilled in the art, e.g. flap valves formed by partially cutting round the material of the shell 2 at forming the openings 6, 7, for retaining the liquid to be removed along with the devices 1 and/or 11 from the environment. In a preferred embodiment most suitable for this purpose, the chamber 4 may at least partly be filled with a hygroscopic material able for collecting oil or other contaminants.

(16) By placing a sufficient quantity of hollow plastic cover devices 1 according to the invention onto the surface of a liquid, the devices 1 automatically arrange themselves into a close packed formation creating a composite blanket on the surface of a storage reservoir containing liquid. It is clear however, that the geometrical shape of the device 1, 11 can be other than a sphere or spheres separating by a stem 52, although the device has been disclosed by this shape but in an exemplary way only, e.g. a cube or an octahedron etc.

(17) By means of the devices 1 according to the invention disclosed above, floating composite blankets can be formed on surfaces of ponds containing any liquid, providing a highly effective solution to difficult liquid storage problems e.g. in petrochemical and metal treatment industries. The term composite here refers to a trait of consisting of several cover devices 1, 11. Although this blanket consists of several devices 1, 11 according to the invention placed side by side on the liquid surface of a pond or a pool, they do not drift into a limited surface area climbing up to each other, or be blown out from the pond or pool in case of strong or stormy winds, and do not require to be produced and transported in a state at least partly filled with a liquid, e.g. water, but it is simple to transport and to install as well as maintenance free. The device 1, 11 according to the invention can be useful for removing oil, detergents and toxic pollutants of water. The device 1, 11 can be applied by different activities of environmental protection such as controlling climate and aqueous biology by using of special sensors mounted on the device 1, 11.