METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COUNTERING FLOODING IN COASTAL AREAS
A method and apparatus for protecting a coastline from a predicted storm surge. The method includes the steps of: providing at least one inflatable barrier segment for protection against flooding during a hurricane surge; storing the at least one inflatable barrier segment at a first location; transporting the at least one inflatable barrier segment from the first location to a second location corresponding to a coastal location under threat of a future hurricane surge; deploying the at least one inflatable barrier segment at the second location to provide a barrier; removing each at least one inflatable barrier segment from the second location once the threat of the hurricane surge has receded; and depositing the at least one inflatable barrier segment at a third location, wherein the first location is selected from the group consisting of: an ocean floor, an offshore storage platform, and a buoy.
This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/767,319, filed Mar. 17, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a method and apparatus, in the form of at least one inflatable barrier segment, for countering flooding in coastal areas that are otherwise at risk of flooding from natural weather phenomenon such as, but not limited to, hurricane surges.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHurricanes produce high winds, tornadoes, and often the most deadly of all—flooding. Devastating flooding can occur as a result of hurricane storm surges. For example, hurricane Katrina produced a storm surge that caused severe and catastrophic flood damage along the Gulf coast.
As a general matter flood barrier systems are often not popular in areas of coastline that depend on the tourist dollar to drive the local economy. An unsightly flood protection system could, for example, discourage surfers enjoying such pastimes as regular stand-up surfing, kneeboarding, bodyboarding, surf-skiing and bodysurfing. Thus, there is a need for flood protection system that offers protection against hurricane storm surges and yet does not interfere with the aesthetics or intended use of coastal areas desiring such flood protection.
Land based protection such as levees and seawalls provide some protection against storm surge flooding. While useful, such structures take a considerable amount of time and money to construct. In addition, there are hundreds of miles of existing levees and seawalls that would have to be raised substantially in order to prevent flooding during a Category 4 or 5 storm. Many such levees and seawalls have been built along the edges of coastal bodies of water such as bays and estuaries.
Levees and seawalls are uncommon along beachfront land due to poor aesthetics, environmental issues, and high financial cost. The only protection from flooding in most of these areas is typically provided by natural formations such as barrier islands. Barrier islands have decreased in size and number in recent years due to rising ocean levels as well as erosion that occurs during hurricanes.
Coastal marshlands, which provide additional protection in some areas, have also been detrimentally affected by rising ocean levels and construction of man-made channels.
A review of the prior art follows.
European Patent Publication No. EP1362145, published Aug. 29, 2002 to Nordberg, describes a barrier for delimiting liquid accumulations during a flood.
WIPO Publication No. WO2004033804 published Apr. 22, 2004 to Papachristou et al., describes an inflatable anti-flood barrier consisting of an inflatable elongated envelope housed in a drain buried in the ground and normally closed with a hinged metal plate designed to be lifted and maintained in a substantially vertical position when the envelope is inflated to act as support for the latter on the side opposite to that subjected to the pressure of the water.
U.S. Publication No. 20040071510, published Apr. 15, 2004 to Dery, describes a flood control barrier for separating water in a wet area from an area to be maintained substantially dry. The Dery '510 invention comprises a flexible exterior membrane made of liquid impervious material and includes elongated upper and lower membrane sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,577, issued Nov. 16, 1999 to Strong, describes a flood barrier wall consisting of a flexible tubular flood chamber, skirts and an air-filled flotation collar. In its unexpanded and deflated mode the Strong '577 device is said to be relegated to a substantially flattened condition which can be folded, rolled up or placed on a spindle for ease of transport and rapid deployment at a flood site. Deployment consists of placing the barrier on the anticipated flood site, weighting and fastening the skirts to the ground and inflating the collar. The '577 patent states that rising flood water enters and expands the flood chamber to provide an effective flood barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,405, issued Apr. 27, 2004 to Rorheim, describes a portable flood barrier comprising two parallel, spaced apart, inflatable, elongated tubes joined by a waterproof web. Both tubes are inflated, and ballast water is filled on the web, whereupon, when floodwater rises, the tube facing the flooded area floats in the floodwater and due to its buoyancy rises, thereby forming a flood barrier.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20030143027, published Jul.31, 2003 to Obermeyer et al., relates to improved water control gates and related inflatable actuators, and associated sealing, manufacture and operation apparatus and methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,810, issued Feb. 12, 1985 to Muramatsu et al., describes a collapsible rubber dam secured to a riverbed portion and slope portions of both riverbanks is inflated and deflated by supply and discharge of a fluid. A pipe for supply and discharge of a fluid is communicated with the inside of the rubber dam from the shape portion of at least one riverbank except the riverbed portion securing the rubber dam. The pipe for supply and discharge of the fluid is preferably located in a region defined by a top end of the rubber dam located in the slope portion, a line connecting the top end of the rubber dam to substantially a middle position of a deflated width of the rubber dam at a toe of the slope portion, and a securing position of the rubber dam at the toe of the slope portion.
The Venice Barrier Tide Project (The Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico project (MOSE)) will lead to the construction of some 79 inflatable flood gates. Each flood gate requires extensive engineering work. Installing the flood gates is expected to take several years.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA method and apparatus for protecting a coastline from a predicted storm surge such as a hurricane storm surge. The method includes the steps of: providing at least one inflatable barrier segment for protection against flooding during a hurricane surge; storing the at least one inflatable barrier segment at a first location; transporting the at least one inflatable barrier segment from the first location to a second location corresponding to a coastal location under threat of a future hurricane surge; deploying the at least one inflatable barrier segment at the second location to provide a barrier; removing each at least one inflatable barrier segment from the second location once the threat of the hurricane surge has receded; and depositing the at least one inflatable barrier segment at a third location, wherein the first location is selected from the group consisting of: an ocean floor, an offshore storage platform, and a buoy.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a method and apparatus, in the form of at least one inflatable barrier segment 30, for countering flooding in coastal areas that are otherwise at risk of flooding from natural weather phenomenon such as, but not limited to, a storm surge 50, e.g., a hurricane storm surge.
It should be understood that the terms “ocean floor”, “marine floor”, and “seabed” are regarded herein as equivalent terms. The terms “additional submerged compartment” and “lower compartment” are regarded as equivalent terms. The terms “air-filled compartment” and “upper compartment” are herein regarded as equivalent terms. The term “inflatable” within the phrase “at least one inflatable barrier segment 30” refers to the capability of the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 to be at least partially filled with air to permit being towed between, for example, a first location and a second location or a second location and a third location. In one embodiment the first location is selected from the group consisting of: an ocean floor, an offshore storage platform, and a buoy.
Numbering in the present disclosure is an extension of that used in the parent provisional application Ser. No. 60/767,319, filed Mar. 17, 2006, and is summarized in Table 1 along with some of the additional numbering found in the present disclosure. Table 1 is found in
In one aspect of the present invention a method is provided for protecting an area of coastline from the prospect of flooding from a weather phenomenon such as, but not limited to, a hurricane surge. The method includes the steps of: providing an inflatable barrier for protection against flooding during a hurricane surge; storing the inflatable barrier at a first location on an ocean floor; transporting the inflatable barrier from the first location to a second location corresponding to a coastal location under threat of a future hurricane surge; deploying the inflatable barrier at the second location; and removing the inflatable barrier from the second location once the threat of the hurricane surge has receded and depositing the inflatable barrier at a third location. The third location can be the same as the first location. Alternatively, the third location is different from the first location.
The inflatable barrier should be capable of remaining in a stored configuration at the first location, such as an ocean floor or offshore floating structure (e.g., an offshore storage platform or a buoy), and capable of being floated and transported from the first location to a second location for deployment as a barrier against a predicted storm surge such as a hurricane storm surge. Any suitable boat, such as a tugboat, can be used to tow the inflatable barrier, e.g., from a first location to a second location to a third location.
The at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 of the present invention is designed to be moveable between a first location where the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 is safely stored while not in use, and a second location where the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 is deployed to mitigate the affects of a hurricane storm surge, and thence to a third location after the threat of a hurricane storm surge has receded and where the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 can be stored until it is required next. The third location can be the same or be a different location from the first location.
The inflatable barriers shown in
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The overall shape of the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 can vary. For example, the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 can be designed with various overall shapes, such as, but not limited to: a teardrop shape, a triangular shape, and a rounded dome shape. The at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 has a long axis near the horizontal plane with an apex 38 coupled to the moorings 20. In one non-limiting embodiment, a plurality of flat struts 35 provide a measure of rigid support to the at least one inflatable barrier segment 30. In the cross-section view of
Still referring to
The at least one inflatable barrier segment 30 comprises at least one compartments, for example, upper compartment 34 and at least one valve such as, but not limited to, external valve 33. Valve 33 is used for active inflation (by air compressor 42) or deflation of the least one inflatable barrier 30. The air compressor 42 can be located in any suitable place such as, but not limited to, a boat 40, an offshore platform 80 (see
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It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A method of protecting an area of coastline from the prospect of flooding from a predicted hurricane surge, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least one inflatable barrier segment for protection against flooding during a hurricane surge;
- storing said at least one inflatable barrier segment at a first location;
- transporting said at least one inflatable barrier segment from the first location to a second location, wherein said second location is a coastal location under threat of a future hurricane surge;
- deploying said at least one inflatable barrier segment at the second location to provide a barrier;
- removing each at least one inflatable barrier segment from the second location once the threat of the hurricane surge has receded; and
- depositing said at least one inflatable barrier segment at a third location,
- wherein the first location is selected from the group consisting of: an ocean floor, an offshore storage platform, and a buoy.
2. A method of protecting an area of coastline from the prospect of flooding from a predicted hurricane surge, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least one inflatable barrier segment for protection against flooding during a hurricane surge;
- storing said at least one inflatable barrier segment at a first location, wherein the first location is on an ocean floor or on an offshore storage platform;
- transporting said at least one inflatable barrier segment from the first location to a second location corresponding to a coastal location under threat of a future hurricane surge;
- deploying said at least one inflatable barrier segment at the second location to provide a barrier;
- removing each at least one inflatable barrier segment from the second location once the threat of the hurricane surge has receded; and
- depositing said at least one inflatable barrier segment at a third location.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first location is on the ocean floor.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first location is an offshore storage platform.
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third location is the same as the first location.
6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third location is different from the first location.
7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third location is a seabed, and wherein the third location is different from the first location.
8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of transporting said at least one inflatable barrier segment from the first location to a second location further is performed using a sea vessel.
9. A barrier system (41) to prevent flooding due to storm surge from a hurricane, comprising:
- a plurality of inflatable barrier segments, each of the inflatable barrier segments comprise at least one compartment fillable with air or water, each of the inflatable barrier segments are fitted with at least one valve for receiving air or water; and
- a superior surface spanning the inflatable barrier segments to reduce leakage between the segments.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 5, 2007
Publication Date: Sep 20, 2007
Inventor: Thomas R. Beidle (Reno, NV)
Application Number: 11/682,249
International Classification: E02B 3/04 (20060101);