| 摘要 |
<p>A system and method to reduce outflow of oil due to the rupture of a ship's tank by means of creating, and continuing to dynamically maintain, a partial vacuum in the effected tank or tanks. The vacuum is continuously maintained in a precise balance responsive to forces acting on the contents of the tank, which forces change when the tank is ruptured. If the rupture (1) is below the water line and on the side hull, then surface tension dynamics induce a stratified flow, forcing water into the tank through the rupture (1) while forcing oil upward and out of the tank, oppositely to the flow of water, until the water level reaches the top part of the rupture. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention stratified flow is stopped because a nonstructural barrier (10), typically a tarpaulin, is placed over the rupture while partial vacuum is dynamically maintained.</p> |
