Oil accumulator

Claim 1

Oil accumulating apparatus for use in conjunction with a line of booms, for the collection and containment of oil on the surface of water, comprising in combination: A. A unit having a first side and a parallel second side, an enclosed stern end and an open bow end, said unit being open at its top and its bottom, said unit being several normal wavelengths long and the width of said unit being approximately one-quarter its length; B. Means for maintaining said unit partially submerged in said water; C. A ramp located within said unit substantially at or near the central region thereof and coupled to said first and second sides, said ramp having a first end and a second end, said first end being nearer to but displaced from the bow end of said unit and lower than the nominal sea level, said ramp further being tapered and having side walls providing a narrowed passageway for producing a lifting action on water and oil moving thereon, said ramp extending upward from said first end such that said second end is sufficiently higher than nominal sea level to prevent back-flow of accumulated oil; D. A solid baffle member coupled to said first and second sides of said unit at said first end of said ramp, and extending across the width of said unit, the bottom surface of said baffle member being essentially contiguous with the bottom surface of said sides.