Storage and transportation of hazardous fluids, such as hazardous liquids and gases, is known to be problematic, as any rupture that occurs in the tank containing the fluid can be difficult to mend quickly while fluid is still in the tank. Such ruptures typically result in leakage and/or spillage of hazardous fluid from the tank, which can contaminate and damage the surrounding environment.
For example, if a rail tank car is involved in a rail accident, it has been found that the leakage of the fluids from the ruptured tank car(s) into the surrounding environment is not easily prevented. Similar difficulties exist for other for fluid transport vehicles, such as rail tank cars and highway tanker trucks, as well as static fluid containers, such as unpressurized fluid storage tanks and 55 gallon drums. As most fluid transport vehicles and static fluid containers do not have internal baffles, the amount of fluid leakage in such cases can be significant.
A conventional approach to deal with such a rupture is to plug the rupture with a wooden peg. However, in many instances, the use of a wooden peg is inadequate to completely stop fluid flow through the plugged rupture.
Removable fluid barriers have also been considered. For example, International PCT Application No. WO 1992004574 to Goulding describes an apparatus that includes an aluminum backing plate onto which a sponge rubber layer is bonded. The sponge rubber layer has an impervious skin, which is impervious to liquids contained in a transport tanker or tank made of steel or another ferrous material to which the apparatus is to be applied for sealing a rupture therein. At the periphery of the backing plate are a set of eight permanent magnets which are also bonded to the aluminum plate. When a rupture occurs in the tanker or tank, the apparatus may be used to stem the flow of the leak by fastening the magnets to the tanker or tank to thereby compress the sponge rubber layer against the rupture.
Improvements are generally desired. It is therefore an object at least to provide a novel removable fluid barrier.