Barge transportation system and refurbishing system and method of transporting and refurbishing barges

• US 20070098499A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paducah River Painting Incorporated
• Original Assignee: James Marine Incorporated
• Inventors: James, Jeffrey, Crabtree, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,837,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 405/2
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/06 Cleaning devices for hulls
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 13/00 Equipment forming part of or attachable to vessels facilitating transport over land amphibious craft, land vehicles convertible for use on water B60F; land vehicles for carrying boats B60P; hand carts for transporting boats B62B; harnesses attachable to vessels for personal carrying A45F
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 3/04 by sideways movement of vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 3/08 Tracks on slipways

Abstract

A refurbishing system for refurbishing a barge includes transport systems that pull the barge out of water and onto a shelf above water level, then pull the barge into a covered blast system and a covered coating system. A reclamation system receives spent abrasive media. The transport systems then move the refurbished barge back into the water. The transport systems move the barge without substantially tilting it or changing its orientation.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a barge from a waterway and within a refurbishing system, comprising:

moving the barge out of and away from the waterway;

moving the barge within the refurbishing system; and

moving the barge away from the refurbishing system and into the waterway.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the barge out of and away from the waterway comprises laterally moving the barge with respect to the waterway.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the barge within the refurbishment system comprises longitudinally moving the barge with respect to the waterway.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein moving the barge within the refurbishing system comprises longitudinally moving the barge with respect to the refurbishing system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the barge away from the refurbishing system comprises longitudinally moving the barge away from the refurbishing system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the barge away from the refurbishing system and into the waterway comprises laterally moving the barge.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the barge out of and away from the waterway comprises moving the barge in a level orientation up a marine way and onto a rail system, the rail system including at least one perpendicular transfer station.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein moving the barge away from the refurbishing system comprises changing the direction of movement of the barge at a transfer station without changing the orientation of the barge, and further comprises lowering, in a level orientation, the barge down the marine way.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the barge is raised, moved and lowered without changing its orientation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the barge comprises an unpowered barge having a length of about 100-450 feet (about 30 to about 135 meters), a width of about 30-75 feet (about 9 to about 23 meters), and a depth of about 8-30 feet (about 2.5 to about 9 meters).

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the barge is 195 feet (59 meters) long and 35 feet (10.7 meters) wide, both dimensions ±

5%.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the barge has a weight of between about 200 U.S. tons and about 1,000 U.S. tons (about 180,000 kg to about 907,000 kg).

13. A method of transferring a barge from an inland waterway and within an inland refurbishing system, the method comprising:

connecting a first transport system to a second transport system;

positioning the connected first transport system and the second transport system at least partially into the inland waterway;

floating the barge from the inland waterway onto the first transport system;

supporting the barge on the first transport system;

moving the second transport system, the connected first transport system and supported barge, in a first direction out of the waterway and toward an inland position;

disconnecting the first transport system from the second transport system at the inland position and moving the first transport system and supported barge away from the disconnected second transport system and toward another inland position;

removing the barge from the first transport system and supporting the barge on a third transport system at the other inland position;

moving the third transport system and the supported barge in a second direction into the refurbishing system, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; and

moving the third transport system and the barge out of the refurbishing system.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising moving the barge in the refurbishing system in a third direction opposite the second direction.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising moving the barge in a fourth direction perpendicular to the second direction, before moving the barge in the third direction.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein moving the second transport system, the connected first transport system and the supported barge toward the inland position comprises moving the second transport system, the connected first transport system and the supported barge up a marine way, and wherein the method further comprises moving the barge down the marine way after it is moved out of the refurbishing system.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the barge comprises an unpowered barge having a length of about 100-450 feet (about 30 to about 135 meters), a width of about 30-75 feet (about 9 to about 23 meters), and a depth of about 8-30 feet (about 2.5 to about 9 meters).

18. A method of refurbishing a barge having a length of about 100-450 feet (about 30 to about 135 meters), a width of about 30-75 feet (about 9 to about 23 meters), and a depth of about 8-30 feet (about 2.5 to about 9 meters), the method comprising:

moving the barge from an inland waterway to an inland position;

moving the barge from the inland position into a covered blast area;

abrasive blasting the exterior surface of the barge with an abrasive media while the barge is positioned within the covered blast area;

moving the barge to a covered coating area; and

applying a coating to the exterior surface of the barge while the barge is positioned within the covered coating area.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising collecting in a pit the abrasive media that has been blasted against the exterior surface of the barge, the pit comprising augers which move the abrasive media, and recycling the collected abrasive media.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising spraying the exterior surface with compressed air to remove abrasive media that is adhered to the exterior surface during the abrasive blasting of the exterior surface.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein moving the barge from the inland waterway comprises laterally moving the barge with respect to the inland waterway, and moving the barge from the inland position into a covered blast area comprises moving the barge longitudinally.

22. An inland refurbishing system for refurbishing a barge, the system, comprising:

a covered blast system having a blast media storage tank which stores abrasive media, the covered blast system further having a blast media discharge system in communication with the blast media storage tank, the blast media discharge system being configured to discharge the abrasive media against an exterior surface of the barge; and

a reclamation system in communication the blast media discharge system, the reclamation system having a collector and a recycler, wherein the collector receives the abrasive media after the abrasive media has been discharged against the exterior surface of the barge and wherein the recycler accepts the collected abrasive media from the collector and moves the collected abrasive media to the blast media storage tank for reuse of the collected abrasive media.

23. The refurbishing system of claim 22 further comprising a transportation system that is positioned within the covered blast system and moves the barge, and a control system which automatically controls at least one of the transportation system and the blast system.

24. The refurbishing system of claim 22 wherein the blast media discharge system comprises a plurality of blast discharge nozzles which are positioned on both sides and underneath of a portion of the transportation system that is positioned within the covered blast system.

25. The refurbishing system of claim 22 further comprising a covered coating system in communication with the covered blast system, the covered coating system having a coating storage tank which stores an amount of coating and having a coating discharge system in communication with the coating storage tank.

26. The refurbishing system of claim 22 further comprising a covered transition system, the covered transition system having an air discharge system that discharges compressed air to remove abrasive media that is adhered to the exterior surface of the barge.

27. An inland refurbishing system for refurbishing a barge having a length of about 100-450 feet (about 30 to about 135 meters), a width of about 30-75 feet (about 9 to about 23 meters), and a depth of about 8-30 feet (about 2.5 to about 9 meters), the system, comprising:

a covered blast area having a blast media storage tank which stores abrasive media, the covered blast area further having a blast media discharge system in communication with the blast media storage tank, the blast media discharge system being configured to discharge the abrasive media against an exterior surface of the barge;

a covered coating area in communication with the covered blast area, the covered coating area having a coating storage tank which stores an amount of coating and having a coating discharge system in communication with the coating storage tank, the coating discharge system being configured to permit discharge of the coating onto the blasted exterior surface of the barge; and

a transportation system operatively connected with the covered blast area and operatively connected with the covered coating area wherein the transportation system transports the barge from an inland waterway, within the covered blast area and within the covered coating area in a level orientation while the blast media discharge system and the coating discharge system respectively process the exterior surface of the barge.

28. The refurbishing system of claim 27 wherein the transportation system comprises a first transport system, a second transport system and a third transport system, each of the first transport system, the second transport system and the third transport system comprising wheeled platforms capable of supporting the weight of the barge.

29. The refurbishing system of claim 27 wherein the transportation system further comprises a drive system that operatively moves the first transport system, the second transport system and the third transport system.

30. The refurbishing system of claim 29 wherein the drive system comprises a plurality of motors and cables wherein the cables connect the plurality of motors to the first transport system, the second transport system and the third transport system.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising a control system which controls the drive system and the blast media discharge system.

32. A method of refurbishing a barge, the method comprising moving the barge through an enclosed abrasive blast area having a length less than the length of the barge, blasting the barge with abrasive while it is moved through the blast area, and recovering at least a part of the abrasive for reuse.

33. A method of refurbishing a barge, the method comprising moving the barge into an enclosed abrasive blast area, the blast area comprising a pit below the barge, blasting the barge with abrasive while the barge is in the blast area, and recovering at least a part of the abrasive from the pit for reuse.

34. A method of refurbishing a barge, the method comprising moving the barge into an enclosed abrasive blast area, the blast area comprising a blast media discharge system, producing relative movement between the barge and the blast media discharge system while causing the blast media discharge system to discharge blast media in a predetermined pattern into contact with the barge, and automatically controlling at least one of the producing relative movement and the causing the blast media discharge system to discharge blast media in a predetermined pattern.

35. A method of refurbishing a barge comprising moving the barge through a curtain into an enclosed refurbishment area.

36. A method of refurbishing a barge comprising moving the barge into a covered building and performing at least one refurbishment process on the barge while the barge is in the covered building.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the refurbishment processes comprise blasting the barge with abrasive.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the barge is blasted with abrasive while it is moving through the building.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein the barge is moved through an abrasive blasting area in a first direction and wherein the barge is moved through a coating area in an opposite direction.

40. A method of refurbishing a barge comprising moving the barge laterally from a waterway up a marine way to a level area, and thereafter moving the barge longitudinally through a cleaning area.

41. The method of claim 40 comprising a further step of moving the barge longitudinally through a coating area in a direction opposite the direction the barge moves through the cleaning area.