Oil detection and signaling system

• US 3,918,034 A
• Filed: 02/11/1974
• Issued: 11/04/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George Otto Jr. Orth
• Original Assignee: George Otto Jr. Orth
• Inventors: Orth, George Otto Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myer, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US05/441,251
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 340/236,261,244,224 73/32,61.1,311,448
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1833 Oil in water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/18 Special adaptations for indicating, recording, or control

Abstract

A detector unit and system for detecting and signaling the presence of an oil slick on the body of water. An oil sensing assembly consists of a hydrophobic, oleophilic oil sensing material secured to one end of a rod and a magnet secured to the opposite end of the rod, the rod extending into the central bore of a water-tight ballasted shell which houses a battery-powered transmitter. An adjustable magnetic reed switch is positioned in the housing for actuation by the magnet secured to the rod to initiate an output signal from the transmitter. A wire cage surrounds the oil sensing material. An antenna connected to the output of the transmitter extends upwardly from the wire cage. Arms having floats on their terminating ends extend laterally outwardly from the shell, the floats having sufficient flotation capacity to suspend the unit in the water. The oil sensing assembly incorporating the hydrophobic oil sensing material is sufficiently buoyant to float on the surface of the water. When the oil sensing material contacts oil floating on the surface of the water, the assembly sinks into the water, moving the target adjacent the reed switch to close it and initiate an output signal from the transmitter which is received by a corresponding receiver. The receiver activates an audio or visual alarm.

Claims

1. An oil-in-water detector unit for detecting and signaling the presence of oil floating on the surface of a body of water, comprising:

a ballasted, water-tight elongated hollow cylindrical housing sealed at both ends and having a central hollow stem extending therethrough, a bridle connected to the housing having a plurality of arms extending from a central apex above one end of the housing and above the level of the water when the unit is floating in the water down alongside housing and then laterally outwardly at spaced intervals around the housing, floats secured to the ends of each of the arms providing sufficient buoyancy to suspend the housing within the water and in a vertical position relative to its longitudinal axis, a ballasted rod having a magnet secured in one end thereof received in the hollow stem for free vertical movement therein, an oil sensing material secured to the opposite end of the rod including (1) a mass of loosely packed fiber material coated with a silyl compound to render the fiber mass substantially hydrophobic so that it does not become waterlogged over an extended period of time and sink into the water and (2) an oil and water pervious retaining means retaining the loose fiber mass in position, battery powered transmitter means mounted in the housing for transmitting an output signal, an antenna extending upwardly from the apex of the bridle operatively connected to the transmitter means for transmitting the output signal, and a magnetic reed switch adjustably secured within the housing around the stem operatively connected to the transmitter means for actuation by the magnet secured to the rod, the switch positioned along the stem to be actuated when the sEnsing material absorbs sufficient oil to sink into the water and cause the magnet to close the switch and initiate an output signal from the transmitter means.

2. An oil-in-water detection unit for detecting and signaling the presence of oil floating on the surface of a body of water, comprising:

a ballasted, water-tight housing having a central bore extending therethrough, means for maintaining the housing partially afloat in the water with the bore substantially vertical, an oil sensing assembly including a rod received in the bore of the housing for free vertical movement and a floating oil sensing material secured to one end of the rod having sufficient buoyancy to float the assembly on the water surface, the oil sensing assembly sinking into the water upon detection by the sensing material of oil floating on the surface of the water due to an increase in the specific gravity of the assembly above that of water, a magnetic reed switch secured adjacent the central bore of the housing and a magnet secured to the end of the rod extending down into the bore, the magnet closing the reed switch when the oil sensing assembly sinks into the water, and signal means rendered operative by the reed switch when the oil sensing assembly sinks into the water.

3. The detector unit of claim 2 wherein the position of the magnetic reed switch relative to the magnet is adjustable.

4. An oil-in-water detection unit for detecting and signaling the presence of oil floating on the surface of a body of water, comprising:

a ballasted, water-tight housing having a central bore extending therethrough, means for maintaining the housing partically afloat in the water with the bore substantially vertical, an oil sensing assembly including a rod received in the bore of the housing for free vertical movement and a floating oil sensing material secured to one end of the rod having sufficient buoyancy to float the assembly on the water surface, the oil sensing assembly sinking into the water upon detection by the sensing material of oil floating on the surface of the water due to an increase in the specific gravity of the assembly above that of water, proximity switch means in the housing means actuated in response to the position of the oil sensing assembly in the water, powered transmitter means sealed within the housing generating an output signal comprising a carrier modulated by multiple audio tone signals, said transmitter means including a time-delay circuit for preventing energization of the transmitter by switch closure caused by wave action, antenna means operatively connected to the transmitter means for radiating the output signal, and receiver means for receiving the output signal from the antenna and activating an alarm, said receiver means operating on the same frequency channel as the transmitter means and including tone detectors responsive to the audio tones which modulate the transmitter carrier.

5. An oil-in-water detection system for detecting and signaling the presence of oil floating on the surface of a body of water, comprising:

a ballasted, water-tight housing having a central bore extending therethrough, means for maintaining the housing partially afloat in the water with the bore substantially vertical, an oil sensing assembly including a rod received in the bore of the housing for free vertical movement and a floating oil sensing material secured to one end of the rod having sufficient buoyancy to float the assembly on the water surface, the oil sensing assembly sinking into the water upon detection by the sensing material of oil floating on the surface of the water due to an increase in the specific gravity of the assembly above that of water, proximity switch means in the housing actuated in response to the position of the oil sensing assembly in the water, a transmitter mounted in the housing rendered operative by the proximity switch means when the oil sensing assembly sinks a Predetermined amount into the water, the transmitter generating a carrier which is modulated in a predetermined pattern, an antenna driven by the transmitter, and a receiver for producing an oil spill indication when the receiver detects the predetermined modulation pattern.

6. The oil-in-water detection system of claim 5 wherein the transmitter carrier is amplitude modulated by first and second audio tones of differing frequency, the audio tones being separated by a blank period wherein the unmodulated carrier is transmitted.

7. The oil-in-water detection system of claim 6 wherein the receiver detects the predetermined modulation pattern by examining the transmitted signal during the second transmitted audio tone to insure that the first transmitted audio tone is not present, that the first audio tone was transmitted before the blank period, and that neither the first nor second audio tone was present during the blank period.

8. In an oil-in-water detection unit for detecting and signaling the presence of oil floating on the surface of a body of water having a ballasted, water-tight housing having a central bore extending therethrough and means for maintaining the housing partially afloat in the water, the detection unit further having an oil sensing assembly including a rod received in the bore of the housing for free vertical movement and a floating oil sensing material secured to one end of the rod having sufficient buoyancy to float the assembly on the water surface, the oil sensing assembly sinking into the water upon detection by the sensing material of oil floating on the surface of the water due to an increase in the specific gravity of the assembly above that of water, the improvement comprising means for adjusting the specific gravity of the oil sensing assembly.

9. The oil sensing assembly of claim 8 wherein the rod is hollow and the means for adjusting the specific gravity of the oil sensing assembly includes a predetermined amount of ballast material inside the hollow rod.

10. The detector unit of claim 5 wherein the oil sensing material comprises a mass of fiber material coated with a silyl compound to render the fiber substantially hydrophobic and oleophilic.

11. The detector unit of claim 5 wherein the oil sensing material is a hollow member having multiple small openings therein coated with a silyl compound which prevents passage of water through the openings until contact of the member with oil.

12. The detector of claim 11 including a hydrophilic material disposed within the hollow member for absorbing water on passage through the openings of the member.