Method and apparatus for removing and reclaiming oil-slick from water

Claim 1

An apparatus for recovering oil-slick from a water surface comprising a plurality of floats immersible in water, each float having a collecting compartment with side walls and a cover, with openings provided in such side walls to admit an oil and water mixture, a ballast compartment for receiving and retaining water at a controlled height, whereby said floats are maintained at predetermined positions with respect to the water surface with the openings in the side walls of the collecting compartments partially below the water surface, said floats each having a flexible tube at its lower end connected to the collecting compartment, each such tube in turn connected to a common flexible tube for delivery of such oil and water mixture to a separation tank, such separation tank in turn having a first ball float valve having a hollow sliding member provided with a longitudinal slot opening mounted for sliding engagement in an open-ended sleeve supported in the bottom of said separation tank, whereby such first ball float valve will permit drain-off of the water in such separation tank when such longitudinal slot opening is disposed above the level of such sleeve.

Claim 3

An apparatus for recovering oil slick from a water surface, comprising: a float immersible in water having a collecting compartment with side walls, a cover disposed over said collecting compartment, openings provided in said side walls to admit an oil and water mixture to said collecting compartment, and a ballast compartment within said float separated from said collecting compartment; and a limit valve means disposed in the lower region of said ballast compartment with an intake thereinto in fluid communication with the exterior of said float and an outlet from said valve means in fluid communication with said ballast compartment for automatically admitting water at a controlled height to said ballast compartment, said valve means having a piston, a piston chamber, and a valve member actuated by said piston, and including a conduit with an intake in fluid communication with the exterior of said float and an outlet in fluid communication with said piston chamber for admitting water to said piston chamber to move said piston to close said valve when said openings to said collecting compartment are disposed partially below the surface of the water, said valve being responsive to said water admitted thereto by said conduit.