Solid buoyancy booms are associated with permanent installations that can be used for a multitude of uses. Using GRP polyethylene filled floats this range of booms can be used as a debris screen on rivers, canals or reservoirs in conjunction with the 'trash trap' these booms greatly assist in the prevention of costly maintenance and additional pollution problems associated with floating debris.

Solid buoyancy booms can be an incorporate part of a contingency plan fixed to the outlet of drains along side ponds and lagoons in general industry for the prevention of oil/chemical spills to our inland waterways or coastal regions. To complete such a contingency the use of the 'E' Series Mop Skimmer system enables a spill not only to be contained but also recovered safely and efficiently before any damage could occur.
Specially designed booms vary considerably. Over the years OPEC and others have developed 'rising sinking booms' and 'water ballast booms' as well as other bespoke booms.

Fence Booms

Permanent buoyancy booms are manufactured as a continuous flat strip about 4 cms in thickness and varying heights and lengths. These booms are ideal for semi-permanent deployment because buoyancy is provided by foam blocks rather than an air chamber. Thus they are less prone to deflation and vandalism than air inflated booms.

The booms are produced in PVC which is hardwearing and resistant to the everyday wear and tear likely to be encountered in the field. The booms are fitted with couplings to enable one length to be joined to another.

In the longitudinal direction the fabric is welded vertically to form individual pockets into which there is inserted a synthetic foam block for buoyancy. Mild steel ballast is fitted at the manufacturing stage in individually sealed pockets in the lower part of the boom

Harbour Gard

The OPEC range of 'HARBOURGARD' rigid buoyancy containment booms complement the 'COASTGARD' range of inflatable buoyancy booms and give the user a free choice to equip with the type of boom which is best suited to the site requirements.

• Strong, durable, polyurethane boom.
• Exclusive end connector fixings to create a water tight seal.
• Ideal for permanent installations.

General Description

'HARBOURGARD' booms are manufactured from heavy duty polyurethane coated woven polyester fabric with all the joins welded using the latest techniques in high frequency welding and these joins are designed to be stressed in shear for maximum strength and reliability.

The 'HARBOURGARD' boom is manufactured in four different sizes as standard so that users may choose the one which is ideally suited to any particular application or situation without having to obtain a boom which is either just too large or too small. The boom can also be made to special sizes should the site conditions dictate non standard lengths. Additionally, the boom can be manufactured from alternative fabrics such as PVC coated polyester. The standard fabric colour is high visibility orange but black is available as an option. Changes can also be made to the configuration and sizes of the load carrying tension members to accommodate any special operational conditions.

The buoyancy is formed from a moulded polystyrene closed cell foam in watertight compartments and is separated into short lengths to improve the wave following characteristics as well as the handling of the boom during deployment and recovery.

Rigid foam ensures that the boom will remain floating even after suffering damage from hard contact with rocks or fixed structures, or even from boats or ships. It is also highly suited to permanent installations because of the minimal maintenance required. The standard lengths of boom terminate in universal connectors enabling rapid and easy joining of the individual sections to each other and to other booms using the same type of connector, a feature especially useful where booms are used for emergency situations. A tension wire or galvanized chain is contained in a longitudinal pocket at the base of the skirt and this carries all tensile loads. Mooring points are available at each end of the boom sections where intermediate anchorages may be attached.

Where booms are used for permanent installations there are alternative fixings available including an exclusive running end connector which allows for changes in the water level and provides a positive seal against leakage of pollutant around the end connector.

Image Gallery: Harbour Gard

Special Design

Certain situations require a special type of boom that is designed to cope with the various local conditions.

These situations include but are not limited to:

• Type of material boom in contact with
• Efficiency of seal required
• Local Weather Conditions
• Speed of deployment required
• Period of use
• Geographical Location

Over the years we have developed many different types of boom to cope with these local conditions. Listed below is a brief description of 3 of these booms.

Rising Sinking Boom

Developed initially as a preventative barrier in loading areas within docks for tankers to offload and load their shipments.

The boom rests in position on the sea floor, held together in one piece by the use of universal end connectors and pilings fixed to the seabed. When a ship arrives at port the boom is activated by a remote switch. Air is then allowed to fill the hollow chambers of the boom so that it rises to the sea surface. The shape is maintained by the pilings and pre-positioned anchors on the seabed.

Advantages of this type of boom over conventional booms can be summarized as follows:

• No specialist manpower required for boom deployment
• Rapidly activated - boom can effective within minutes
• Manpower efficient - a maximum of 2 people required for deployment
• Easily deactivated - no delay to shipping movement when boom no longer required
• Renewable skirt gives the boom a long working life

Sequence of Boom Rising from the sea bed:

 

 

Maintenance of the boom is minimal, but should the skirt fabric become torn this can easily be replaced as it is not part of the air buoyancy system. The boom can be removed and subsequently re-installed, should it be necessary to dredge the berth which it is surrounding.

Each boom is specifically designed for its intended use location. Initial installation and commissioning would be carried out under the supervision of engineers at OPEC and as an option we can offer long term contracts.

A complete package of equipment can be supplied including boom anchors, air compressors and air supply pipes.

General Specifications

Height	70cm
Freeboard	28cm
Water Draft	42cm
Section Length	Continuous
Anchor points	Every 25ms
Materials of construction	Polyurethane coated fabric outer
Air Requirement	Dependent upon depth and length of boom

Beach Seal

Maintenance of the boom is minimal, but should the fabric become torn this can easily be repaired using a boom repair kit. The boom can be removed and subsequently re-installed, should it be necessary to dredge the berth which it is surrounding'.

Bank Seal

Bank seal boom follows the same traits as the beach seal boom as it allows the boom to be deployed over water and land without losing a seal which would inherently allow contaminants to escape.

 

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