Storage apparatus

Claim 1

MEANS FOR STORING A WATER-IMMISCIBLE LIQUID HAVING HOLLOW, OPEN-ENDED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER OF RELATIVELY HOLLOW, OPEN-ENDED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER OF RELATIVELY RIGID STRUCTURE, ADAPTED LATERALLY TO CONFINE A FLOATING COLUMN OF SAID WATER-IMMISCIBLE LIQUID AND POSITIONED VERTICALLY IN A BODY OF WATER WHICH DIRECTLY SUPPORTS SAID FLOATING COLUMN OF LIQUID, THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FLOATING COLUMN OF LIQUID EXTENDING ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF WATER, SAID BODY OF WATER HAVING DEPTH GREATER THAN THE SUBMERGED DEPTH OF THE CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER, SUPPORTING FLOAT MEANS POSITIONED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE CONTAINER AND ASSOCIATED THEREWITH SO AS TO SUPPORT A MINOR PORTION OF THE CONTAINER ABOVE THE UPPOER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF WATER, THE HIGHT OF SAID MINOR PORTION BEING GREATER THAT THE HIGHET OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FLOATING COLUMN OF LIQUID, A VERTICALLY MOVABLE, IMPERMABLE MEMBER FREELY FLOATING WITHIN SAID CONTAINER ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FLOATING COLUMN OF LIQUID, THE HORONTAL DIMENSIONS OF SAID MEMBER BEING LESS THAN, BUT APPROXIMATELY CONTERMINOUS WITH, THE HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONS OF THE CONTAINER, SAID MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO COVER A PORTION OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN, AND A PERMEABLE LAYER OF DISCRETE, OIL-AND WATER-INSOLUBLE PARTICLES, OF A DEPTH SUFFICIENT TO IMPEDE THE PASSAGE OF HEAT, VAPORS AND HARMFUL LIGHT, FLOATING ON AND COVERING THE PORTION OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FLOATING COLUMN OF LIQUID THAT IS NOT COVERED BY SAID IMPERMEABLE MEMBER.