Device for collecting light-weight substances floating on a liquid surface

Claim 1

In apparatus for collecting light-weight material such as oil, from the surface of a body of water, which comprises wall means defining an enclosure for isolating a volume of a body of water from the free surface of the water outside such isolated volume, said wall means extending from a level above said free surface to a level below the oil so as to define a reservoir space which communicates directly with the body of water beneath the reservoir space; and nozzle means outside of and spaced from said wall means for downwardly and inwardly directing a stream of water through the oil on the surface of the body of water to a location beneath the open bottom of said enclosure said nozzle means comprising at least one jet nozzle discharging water at said downward inclination to impinge said oil; the improvement which comprises: guide means attached to said jet nozzle and extending downwardly therefrom at said inclination to terminate at a point below the level of said light-weight material, said guide means being oriented with respect to said jet nozzle such that the water discharged therefrom clings to and concentrically surrounds said guide means.