The present invention relates to an in place device and surrounding media that can capture and contain small oil or gasoline spills of up to about 25 gallons (94.6 liters) allowing retrieval by pumping rather than discharge into local waters.
Storm water that falls on paved streets or parking lots is usually gravity passed to a variety of catch basins, generally buried in the ground, as taught, for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,744,048; 5,297,367 and 4,261,823 (Morris et al., Stetler, Sainz, and Gallagher et al., respectively). Most of these catch basins are buried in ground, conventional asphalt pavement, concrete or the like, and many have interior filters to control/catch hydrocarbons or the like which may be washed into the catch basin by rain water or the like.
It is the possibility of the catch basin passing a mixture of vapor plus oil, gasoline or chemicals from a spill into local waters that presents a problem. FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,723 (Morris et al.) is particularly illustrative of this problem. Many of the catch basins have top grates, usually of metal, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,243B1 (Flanagan), while others, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,051 (Pratt) utilize a perforated/pervious paving layer covering a deep bed of crushed stone or the like surrounded by impervious walls. Additional patents in this area include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,231,758B 1; 6,106,707 and 6,080,307 (all Morris et al.).
What is needed is containment of leaks of 1 to 2 gallons (3.8 liters to 7.6 liters) of oil, gasoline or the like at a time from mobile vehicles, so that discharge into the surrounding environment is avoided. Typically, if there are reports of a leak, spill response crews are dispatched to try and contain the leak before it enters a storm drain. It is a main object of this invention to provide such a containment system that can be easily emptied by spill response crews.
The above needs are met and problems solved by providing a storm drain system, in place in the ground, for receiving water and liquid impurities insoluble in water, comprising (a) a standpipe positioned/disposed within the drain system, the standpipe having a top section having a top outlet pipe and a bottom perforated section; (b) porous pavement material surrounding the top area of the storm drain system; (c) a non-porous base material deposited in the ground and surrounding the porous pavement material and providing a base for holding the standpipe and porous pavement in place in the ground; where the top outlet pipe of the standpipe connects to a storm drain, so that water would permeate the porous pavement, and the water would enter the perforations at the bottom of the standpipe.
If liquid impurities had a specific gravity less than water, they would settle on the top of the water outside the standpipe, within supportive aggregate under the porous pavement, until the water and impurities are pumped out of the system. If the liquid impurities had a specific gravity greater than water they would settle below the water, at the bottom of the standpipe, and could still be pumped out of the standpipe. The system could also contain a release of about 25 gallons of a material whose density is less than water and about 25 gallons of a material whose density was greater than that of water. Almost all spills, 90% to 95%, will have a density less than water.
Any water already in the standpipe would usually be displaced by the impurities. A pump or vacuum devise can be used periodically to remove the impurities. Typical impurities could be gasoline, hydrocarbon chemicals or oil. The impurities will most usually have a specific gravity less than water, about 0.95 at 20° C. vs water at 4° C. (which equals 1.000). The porous pavement is preferably from about 20 vol. % to about 35 vol. % porous and the non-porous base material can be concrete or the like.
Referring now to
Under certain circumstances, it might be desirable to have the harder, less porous compressed pavement 24 to better support the standpipe at the top section 14, with a depression 26 in the porous pavement 21 to help catch spills/run off, as shown in
The standpipe 12 cover/closure 16 and top outlet pipe 30 should resist the elements and most gasolines, oils and the like, and can be made of plastic, fiberglass, a metal such as aluminum or galvanized steel, or the like. The standpipe will be impervious except for the perforations 20 at the bottom section 18 of the standpipe. The porous pavement 21 is not hot rolled and is from about 15 vol. % to about 50 vol. % porous, preferably from about 20 vol. % to about 35 vol. % porous. Greater than 35 vol. % to 50 vol. % porosity and heavy equipment driving over it could cause cracks or other damage in the porous pavement and stones gravel or other debris could block permeable passageways. Less than about 15 vol. % and viscous oils might not permeate. It's top is not perforated but is porous due to use of medium size asphalt (mineral pitch) or aggregate particles utilizing an adhering adhesive binder of an asphalt, plastic or the like. The particles can have diameters from about 2 mm to about 7 mm, with from about 10 vol. % to 20 vol. % binder and contain less fines and more binder than normal road/paving materials. By contrast the less porous compressed/hot rolled pavement 24 is less than 10 vol. % porous.
If subsequent to the impurity spill, generated as shown by arrows 44, there is a heavy infux of additional storm water, the additional storm water will flow under the liquid impurity layer 42, and flow through the perforations, then up and out the standpipe.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only on the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Having described the presently preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.
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4296884 | Luebke | Oct 1981 | A |
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4988235 | Hurley | Jan 1991 | A |
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5855774 | Boelter | Jan 1999 | A |
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6099723 | Morris et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6106707 | Morris et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6132603 | Mokrzycki et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6146051 | Pratt | Nov 2000 | A |
6221243 | Flanagan | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6231758 | Morris et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6428692 | Happel | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6468942 | Sansalone | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6503390 | Gannon | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6537446 | Sanguinetti | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6569321 | Coffman | May 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20060169625 A1 | Aug 2006 | US |