MOBILE FLOATING DECK BARGE WITH CONTAINMENT AND WASTE WATER RECYCLING SYSTEM

Abstract

A mobile floating deck barge system is provided for use in performing work on the underside of a bridge or other structure extending over a body of water.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/545,859 filed on Oct. 11, 2011 entitled MOBILE FLOATING DECK BARGE WITH CONTAINMENT AND WASTE WATER RECYCLING, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to constructing, inspecting, repairing, cleaning, prepping, painting, and performing maintenance on the undersides of bridges and other over-water structures, allowing for the capture of water-blasting and sand-blasting debris and for recycling of blast-waters to remove particulate matter, and packaging the particulate for easy removal. Known devices for accomplishing these tasks generally comprise small lifts on flat decked barges, large expanses of canvas hanging from the undersides of bridges down to the water, and either large vacuum systems for sand-blasting, or a broom for water-blasting debris collection. In areas immediate to abutments, steel scaffolding is usually welded up into a complex structure that may take up to two weeks of crew labor to erect. Except for aerial suspended platforms, most systems provide a working deck that is small, usually a 4′×8′ man-lift platform rolled onto a deck barge. One working condition in navigable channels is that the gear must be cleared away in a reasonable time to allow the Coast Guard to perform vital functions.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a mobile floating deck barge system is provided for use in performing work on an underside of a structure extending over a body of water. The system includes a barge that can float on the body of water. The barge has a containment well for receiving blast waters and/or debris from said work. The system also includes a working deck platform having openings through which blast waters and/or debris can pass to the containment well. A lift mechanism installed on the barge supports the working deck platform and is configured to move the working deck platform between a lowered rest position and an elevated working position proximate the underside of the structure. A miniskirt is attached to the underside of the structure and extends to the working deck platform when the working deck is in the elevated working position. The miniskirt inhibits release of blast waters and/or debris from the system. A containment bag extends from the working deck to the barge when the working deck is in the elevated working position. The containment bag also inhibits release of blast waters and/or debris from the system.

In accordance with one or more further embodiments, a method is provided for performing work on an underside of a structure extending over a body of water. The method comprises the steps of: providing a barge that can float on the body of water, said barge having a containment well and a working deck platform on the barge; raising said working deck platform from a lowered rest position on the barge to an elevated working position proximate the underside of the structure; and performing work on the underside of the structure from the working deck platform, and passing used blast waters and/or debris from the work through openings in the working deck platform to the containment well, while inhibiting release of the blast waters and/or debris into the body of water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary mobile floating deck system in accordance with one or more embodiments shown operating vertically but not side-slung.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mobile floating deck system in a rest position with a deployed “mini-skirt.”

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mobile floating deck system in operation vertically and side-slung over a projecting abutment.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the mobile floating deck system illustrating the general deck layout.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mobile floating deck system with the containment bag removed for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lower end of the lift mechanism inside the containment well of the mobile floating deck system.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the lift mechanism shown in isolation in the resting and full vertical positions, respectively, and showing, in a simplified way, the cross-slide rails for the mobile platform.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lift mechanism, showing details around the tops of the leg sections in way of the carts.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating further details of the underside of the platform and the carts.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view generally illustrating components of the blast water recycling system.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view showing further details of the recycling system of the mobile floating deck system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mobile floating deck system in accordance with various embodiments provides a large safe work deck that can be quickly erected and taken down. In addition, the mobile floating deck system can be slid sideways over abutments. The mobile floating deck system captures water-blasting and/or sand-blasting debris, recycles blast-waters to remove particulate matter, and packages the particulate for easy removal.

The mobile floating deck system uses a short canvas enclosure attached to the work area to be pulled over a solid aluminum railing of the working deck. This short “mini-skirt” can in some embodiments have a depth of not more than ten feet, being a shorter depth than the full “dress” tarps currently employed. It can be better fastened and more easily adjusted and moved. The working deck itself is made up of removable fiberglass grating sections, so that material that hits the deck can pass through.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, “guard” bars are provided overhead which, when coming into contact with the overhead structure, will activate limit switches to the hydraulic lift mechanism. The platform containing the working deck is capable of translating sideways, and is adjusted by a series of stays and turnbuckles in the usual fashion, moved by pistons in both directions. While simple pistons are shown in the drawings, necessitating a clearance hole for sliding the platform in both directions, more expensive double sided pistons (steering cylinder) can also be used.

Below the platform is a containment-bag preferably comprising four tarps made up so that the short side tarps overlap on the long sides to make enclosed corners. A custom bag can also be constructed. However, because the containment bag will typically become torn and need replacement, use of standard tarps is preferred. The bag is fastened around the platform to a skirt board, which will form a secondary containment edge around the outside of the work platform and solid aluminum rail. The bag fastens to the skirt board with a pinch bar held by nuts to studs welded every three feet on the skirt board. The containment bag is loosely fastened inside the rim of the containment well in the barge, and can be tensioned with tag lines so that debris falls cleanly down into the well. The long sided tarps may be rigged to rollers with the short sided tarps hung to fit and to create the overlapped “bag”; but most likely the tarpaulin “bag” will simply fall into a pipe-basket inside the rim of the containment well.

The barge itself has many features of an ordinary deck barge including cleats, bitts, and spuds. However several features distinguish it. The barge has a raised solid outer rail, which acts as a secondary containment at the main deck level. The barge also has a large center well with a sump and is easily cleaned of sand, water, and debris. There is a generator aft with a control station for the device; there are also repeater controls on the platform. The forward deck has a multi-chambered settling tank and screen system to recycle blast water for re-use and to remove particulate matter and package it in re-useable containers for disposal. The barge contains a fresh water blasting tank, a recycled water tank, and four water ballast tanks which also utilize fresh water for maintenance considerations. Fixed cement ballast is also provided to set the device's initial stability properties. In the usual way, the barge is segmented into numerous water-tight compartments to prevent sinking in case of puncture. The water ballasting system is used to counterbalance the sliding platform, and may also be used to adjust the height of the barge and therefore the entire device in relation to the water.

The lift mechanism is designed for use in a variety of conditions, including, e.g., the unstable surface to which it is mounted, and the sometimes caustic nature of materials in the containment well. The platform and associated masses do not shift in the fore and aft direction, which would make the ballasting (stability) situation more difficult. Accordingly, one difference with known lifts is that the moving parts and delicate pistons and hose connections are on the upper carriage, leaving a simplified base-shoe, which can be easily cleaned and maintained. Additionally, opposing parallelogram “towers” are used, which each and together are designed to resist the corkscrew and twist motion generated by wave action.

Optionally, a secondary set of three or four identical pistons fixed at the opposing base shoe area and pushing “up” could enable heavy lifting with an appropriate platform or platform modification. This could be a removable kit, and the fiberglass grating could be selectively removed to allow a cradle to sit directly on top of the platform carriage frame.

Optionally, the piston position may be adjusted to offset the platform-carriage in the fore and aft direction (mobile in both directions). (As an example, a beam may be hoisted up and slid over, then finely adjusted, to rest on pilings or posts under a dock where a crane cannot reach)

The waste recycling system picks up debris from a sump in the containment well with a trash-pump, preferably a bellows action large diameter pump. Debris laden water passes into a diffuser box, which splits and slows the velocity of the streams so that they pour into each side of the cascade at a useable velocity. Each side of the Cascade is made up of two or more 55 gallon drums employing a channel shaped baffle and anti-splash plate to facilitate the “settling action” and catch floating debris. The entire unit is adjustable for angle, and a provision for altering the relative heights of the drums to one another may be employed, so as to be able to control the amount and final weight of the material in the 55 gallon drums. As water leaves the cascade via the “trickle down trays,” a fenced base with a lipped outlet offers a secondary catchment to the flow with any remaining particulate, before the water falls through a pair of fine particle screen boxes. From the screen boxes, the water goes directly by pipe into the recycled blast water hold. The hold is equipped with a hatch coaming with one low side so that if the tank becomes full, it overflows back into the containment well, while a hatch inhibits contamination of the hold. A return line brings recycled water back through another screened pickup to the blast water tank to be reused, if desired, or alternately to be pumped to a tank truck or elsewhere for processing and disposal.

The system can be scaled up into multiple sizes, and can have multiple variations.

FIG. 1 shows the mobile floating deck system deployed in vertical-only “floating” mode. The barge 1 is deployed in the usual way with spuds (shown in FIG. 5 by reference number 22). Platform 2 is raised vertically. Containment bag 4 is fixed to the base of the platform 2, loosely fixed inside the rim of the containment well (not shown). The mini-skirt 4a is fastened up to the underside of the bridge 80 with its lower extremities draped inside the railing 47 of the platform. An operator controls various functions from the control section 6.

FIG. 2 shows the mobile floating deck system in a “rest” mode. The mini-skirt 4a is left surrounding the work area. The platform 2 is lowered fully and centered.

FIG. 3 shows the mobile floating deck system fully deployed vertically “floating” and side-slung “mobile.” (As used herein, “floating” refers to vertical movement and “mobile” refers to side movement of the platform.) The mini-skirt 4a has been moved to the abutment 82 of the bridge 80. The containment bag 4 is shaped by tag lines (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a top view showing the deck plan.

FIG. 5 shows the system with the containment bag (and body of water) removed for purposes of illustration. The barge 1 is fixed in place by the spuds 22 or tied to another barge in the usual way. The lift mechanism 3 supporting the platform 2 is more clearly shown in this figure. The containment well 11 also holds the base feet for the lift mechanism 3.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway looking into the containment well 11, showing the members of the structural frame built into the barge. The sliding platform is not shown in this figure. The containment well 11 forms a hold for waste. Waste is picked up at the containment well sump 12. Now detailing the lift from the bottom up; the base shoes 28 rest on the structural I-beams below. The bottom of the containment well is built around the shoes, ¼″ steel plate laid over poured and formed cement ballast 10, and locks the base shoes in place. Reference number 32 indicates the inner leg sections, reference number 31 indicates the outer leg sections, and reference number 33 indicates sway bars. Sliding platform rails (not shown) sit on the platform carriage frame 23.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 detail the lift mechanism from the top showing (in FIG. 8), the action of the pistons 41-42, and without any framing detail showing the position of the side action pistons 46, and the sliding platform rails 24. At one end of the platform, a fixed rail section, the platform non-sliding access gate section 26 is attached.

FIG. 9 shows the details around the tops of the leg sections in way of the carts 34 and 38. Here the lift mechanism is not fully elevated, so the carts can be clearly seen. The pistons 41 and 42 push inward on the carts 34 and 38 to produce the upward action. The cart guides, here labeled as cart guide wheels 39 and 35 ride in the split channel frame making up the platform carriage (not shown).

FIG. 10 shows further detail of the underside of the platform 2 and the carts 38 and 34. The platform carriage frame 23 is primarily comprised of four split box-tubes. Removable sections of fiberglass grating are indicated at 44. A system of cables and turnbuckles 45 are provided for taking twist out of the platform.

FIG. 11 is an overview of the waste separation system 5. Water is pumped from the containment well sump 12 through a pickup hose 50, into the trash pump 51, and continues on to the diffuser box 52. The diffuser box splits the stream and pours into the cascade of drums 53, which can, e.g., be 55 gallon drums. The Settling Baffles 54 reduce splash, and hold back floating debris, hinge out of the way for 55 gallon drum removal. The Trickle Down Trays 55 guide overflow to the Base Tray 56, which has another settling dam and particle catcher 57, before falling over a lip and through a pair of Fine Particle Screen Boxes 58 to the Recycled Water Holding Tank 60.

FIG. 12 shows the waste separation system 5 in the Resting Position. A Settling Baffle 54 is rotated out of the way on a guide and the 55 gallon drum 53 associated with it is lifted out with a standard barrel grab, also sometimes referred to as a drum lifter or drum lift. The two-stage fine particle screen boxes 58 are formed with a splash back and integral handles. The whole Cascade Assembly is rotated to the Rest Position by Piston 61.

In accordance with one or more alternate embodiments, the water separation system 5 is located off the barge, e.g., on another barge.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to form a part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While some examples presented herein involve specific combinations of functions or structural elements, it should be understood that those functions and elements may be combined in other ways according to the present disclosure to accomplish the same or different objectives. In particular, acts, elements, and features discussed in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar or other roles in other embodiments.

Additionally, elements and components described herein may be further divided into additional components or joined together to form fewer components for performing the same functions.

Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by way of example only, and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. A mobile floating deck barge system for use in performing work on an underside of a structure extending over a body of water, the system comprising:

a barge that can float on the body of water, said barge having a containment well for receiving blast waters and/or debris from said work;

a working deck platform, having openings through which blast waters and/or debris can pass to the containment well;

a lift mechanism installed on the barge, said lift mechanism supporting said working deck platform and configured to move the working deck platform between a lowered rest position and an elevated working position proximate the underside of the structure;

a miniskirt attachable to the underside of the structure and extending to the working deck platform when the working deck is in the elevated working position, said miniskirt inhibiting release of blast waters and/or debris from the system; and

a containment bag extending from the working deck to the barge when the working deck is in the elevated working position, said containment bag inhibiting release of blast waters and/or debris from the system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said work comprises constructing, inspecting, repairing, cleaning, prepping, painting, or performing maintenance on the underside.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recycling system for receiving blast waters collected in the containment well, removing particulate matter from the blast waters, and collecting the particulate matter for removal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the recycling system is located on the barge or on another barge.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the recycling system recycles the blast waters for reuse.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the recycling system comprises a multi-chambered settling tank and screen system and a pump for moving blast waters collected in the containment well through the multi-chambered settling tank and screen system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the multi-chambered settling tank comprises a plurality of drums that can be removed to dispose of collected particulate matter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the working deck platform comprises side walls extending at least partly around a periphery of the working deck platform, and wherein the miniskirt extends to said sidewalls.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the working deck platform comprises removable fiberglass grating sections.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism can further move the working deck platform in a sideways direction.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the containment bag comprises a plurality of tarps extending from and around a periphery of the working deck platform.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a bridge.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism to inhibit damage to the platform by activating a limit switch in the lift mechanism if the platform comes into contact with the structure.

14. A method of performing work on an underside of a structure extending over a body of water, the method comprising:

providing a barge that can float on the body of water, said barge having a containment well and a working deck platform on the barge;

raising said working deck platform from a lowered rest position on the barge to an elevated working position proximate the underside of the structure; and

performing work on the underside of the structure from the working deck platform, and passing used blast waters and/or debris from the work through openings in the working deck platform to the containment well, while inhibiting release of the blast waters and/or debris into the body of water.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising recycling the blast waters collected in the containment well by removing particulate matter from the blast waters and collecting the particulate matter for removal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of recycling is performed on the barge or another barge.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising reusing blast waters recycled in the recycling step.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein performing the work comprises constructing, inspecting, repairing, cleaning, prepping, painting, or performing maintenance on the underside.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising activating a limit switch in the lift mechanism if the platform comes into contact with the structure to inhibit damage to the platform.