Liquid containment berm and method of use

Inventor: Mark D. Shaw (Jacksonville, FL)

E02B8/00 B65D90/24

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 8,979,433
App. No.: 13/848,357
Granted: Mar 17, 2015
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A liquid containment berm and its method of creation, assembly and use, wherein the berm has one or more interior seal members, a floor member and an outer wall member created by applying an expandable foam polymer along a desired retention or flow control pathway, the foam polymer expanding to form the liquid impermeable outer wall member. The berm is assembled and installed on site about a liquid container.

Claims (25)

1. A method for containing liquid released from a liquid container having a base configuration, the liquid container being installed on a base surface, the method comprising the steps of:

positioning a liquid impermeable floor member on the base surface around the liquid container by creating an opening in said floor member matching the base configuration of the liquid container and dropping said floor member over the liquid container, said floor member having an outer perimeter;

creating a liquid impermeable interior seal member between the liquid container and the floor member by applying an expandable polymer foam to the liquid container and the floor member, the polymer foam expanding and curing to adhere to the liquid container and said floor member to form said liquid impermeable interior seal member;

creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member by applying the expandable polymer foam onto said floor member, the polymer foam expanding and curing to form said liquid impermeable outer wall member.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member comprises configuring said liquid impermeable outer wall member as a closed loop.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member comprises configuring said liquid impermeable outer wall member to comprise a gap.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of positioning a liquid impermeable floor member on the base surface around the liquid container comprises creating a slit in said floor member extending from said outer perimeter to said opening and laterally positioning said floor member around said liquid container.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing apertures in said floor member adjacent said opening, whereby said liquid impermeable interior seal member extends through said apertures to adhere to the base surface.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of providing apertures in said floor member adjacent said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member extends through said apertures to adhere to the base surface.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing apertures in said floor member adjacent said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member extends through said apertures to adhere to the base surface.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step of creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member comprises applying said expandable polymer foam beyond said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member also adheres to the base surface.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of sizing said opening such that a portion of the base surface is exposed between said floor member and the liquid container, whereby said liquid impermeable interior seal member also adheres to the base surface.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member comprises applying said expandable polymer foam beyond said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member also adheres to the base surface.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of applying coating layer to said outer wall member.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid container is installed on the base surface with support members, and said step of positioning a liquid impermeable floor member on the base surface around the liquid container comprises positioning the floor member around the support members; and said step of creating a liquid impermeable interior seal member between the liquid container and the floor member comprises applying the expandable polymer foam to the support members of the liquid container and the floor member.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said step of positioning a liquid impermeable floor member on the base surface around the liquid container comprises creating a slit in said floor member extending from said outer perimeter to said opening and laterally positioning said floor member around said liquid container.

14. A liquid containment berm formed by the method of claim 1 .

15. A method for containing liquid released from a liquid container installed on a base surface, the method comprising the steps of:

positioning a liquid impermeable floor member on the base surface around the liquid container itself or support members for the liquid container, said floor member having an outer perimeter, creating an opening in said floor member, creating a slit in said floor member extending from said outer perimeter to said opening, and using said slit and said opening to circumscribe said liquid container with said floor member by dropping said floor member over said liquid container;

creating a liquid impermeable interior seal member between the liquid container or its support members and the floor member by applying an expandable polymer foam to the liquid container or its support members and the floor member, the polymer foam expanding and curing to adhere to the liquid container or its support members and said floor member to form said liquid impermeable interior seal member, whereby liquid is precluded from entering said opening;

sealing said slit by applying the expandable polymer foam onto said slit;

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of providing apertures in said floor member adjacent said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member extends through said apertures to adhere to the base surface.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said step of creating a liquid impermeable outer wall member comprises applying said expandable polymer foam beyond said outer perimeter of said floor member, whereby said liquid impermeable outer wall member also adheres to the base surface.

18. A liquid containment berm formed by the method of claim 16 .

Continuity (2)

Provisional Application 61616049 · Mar 27, 2012

Related Publication 20130259574A1 · Oct 3, 2013