RU2538739C1 - System for fluid medium transportation to floating vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: in system for fluid medium transportation to vessel, receiving cavity located in submerged part of vessel and opened downwards is made with possibility of buoy, transfer pipeline and mooring line to be passed through it, is placed from bottom to upper part of vessel with inclination of at least one of its walls and is provided in its upper part with room for equipment, which room is located in vessel hull between its submerged part and deck or on the deck and accommodates lifting device and docking and mooring gears made capable to be connected with flexible transfer pipeline and moorings respectively through receiving cavity. The lifting device is provided with gripper made capable to capture and lift buoy and buoy rope and including carrier vehicle and gripping element. Gripper buoy is made as rugged sealed case with positive buoyancy, with hydroacoustic and light beacons placed in it and is connected by buoy rope with head part of flexible pipeline which is connected with underwater equipment by mooring line. Discharging valve and pump of underwater terminal are made capable to be switched on/off according to hydroacoustic signal.

EFFECT: simplification of system for fluid medium transportation to floating vessel and cutting time for fluid medium transportation.

4 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to shipbuilding and marine technical means for the development of the Arctic shelf, and in particular to systems for transporting hydrocarbons between an underwater terminal located on the seabed and a vessel located in the drifting ice zone, under conditions of both clear water and continuous ice fields.

A ship system is known for loading or unloading a fluid, in particular oil, onto a ship (RU, p. 2119874, publ. 10.10.1998), containing a receiving cavity open downward with a locking mechanism located therein for removable fastening in the buoy receiving cavity , and a buoy that is anchored at the bottom of the sea and connected to at least one transmission pipe for transporting a fluid. The buoy contains a central element fixed at anchor at the bottom of the sea, intended for the passage of fluid from the transmission pipeline through the connecting device to the pipeline system of the vessel, and an external floating element mounted for rotation on the Central element. The receiving cavity is at least partially conical in shape for interfacing with the buoy, and the vessel contains lifting means installed on its deck with a cable lowered through the receiving cavity to connect to the buoy and to raise it into this cavity. The receiving cavity is fully located in the submerged part of the bow of the vessel and is connected to the deck of the vessel with a service shaft configured to allow passage of the said lifting means cable through it. In this case, the receiving cavity is made with a sealing flange located with the possibility of sealing contact with the mating abutment surface of the outer floating element of the buoy for sealing the service shaft from the surrounding sea when the buoy is fixed in the receiving cavity.

The disadvantage is the difficulty of using this system in adverse weather conditions.

Known loading terminal for loading or unloading petroleum products (RU, p.2198110, publ. 10.02.2003), containing a barge having an open downward receiving cavity, designed to be placed and secured with the ability to detach a submersible buoy, as well as a submersible buoy containing attached to the bottom of the Central element with a channel for transmitting fluid from the transmission pipe connected to the Central element, or in this transmission pipe, as well as an outer element mounted for rotation on a central element for allowing the barge to rotate around the central element when the outer element is fixed in the receiving cavity of the barge. The barge is equipped with connecting means for connecting the channel of the central element with the line for transferring the medium to an adjacent tanker connected to or from the barge and with means for raising and introducing the buoy into the receiving cavity.

The disadvantage is the difficulty of using this terminal in ice conditions and during heavy waves, since the barge is located on the surface of the water.

Known connecting system for a dynamically positioned floating object for attaching a floating object to a buoy associated with an underwater installation (RU, p. 2440272, publ. 20.01.2012). The buoy comprises a first connecting device for connecting pipes and / or lines for transmitting fluid, control signals and / or electric power between the buoy and a dynamically positioned floating object. The buoy also contains a support device installed with the possibility of lateral movement relative to a dynamically positioned floating object, a tiered swivel structure mounted on the support device with the possibility of movement and containing a second connecting device for connecting with the first connecting device on the buoy, locking devices for opening and closing, at least one of the pipes and / or lines in the first and second connecting devices in the process of connecting and disconnecting the buoy and support ate to rotate relative to the buoy dynamically positioned floating object. To maintain the angular position of the buoy relative to the underwater installation, position data obtained from the positioning system of a dynamically positioned floating object is used.

The disadvantage is a longer and technically complex method of connecting the transmitting pipeline to the connecting device of the vessel.

A known loading system for working in waters clogged with ice (RU, p. 2475405, publ. 02.20.2013), containing a submersible turret loading device, including loading and unloading buoy, made with the possibility of entering into the open receiving compartment of the vessel and detachable fastening in this compartment, a flexible ascending pipeline passing from the installation on the seabed to the buoy and made with the possibility of reliable connection with the corresponding pipeline on board the ship, and many moorings connected to the buoy and departing from it outside. The buoy and moorings serve as an anchor system allowing the ship to turn like a weather vane. The system includes: a protective device for protecting the ascending pipeline from impacts when it is in an elongated position corresponding to the transportation of goods. The protective device contains many separate suspended from each other elements through which the ascending pipeline passes, and is arranged to be stored in a position in which its elements are stacked on top of each other with the ascending pipeline in the retracted position, and a protective structure located on the sea the bottom or dug into it, for storage and protection of the ascending pipeline when it is in the retracted position, corresponding to an inoperative state, and a protective device when it is on the floor In the event that its elements are stacked on top of each other. The protective structure comprises means for storing the ascending pipeline in a protected position when it is disconnected from the vessel and removed.

The disadvantage of the system is the complex design of the installation located on the seabed, as well as the lengthy process of preparing the loading system for transporting hydrocarbons.

A known system for transporting fluid to or from a floating vessel (RU, p. 2125949, publ. 10.02.1999), adopted for the prototype, containing the buoy, located on the vessel open down the receiving cavity, designed to receive and connect to the buoy, and a lifting means with a cable mounted on the deck of the vessel for lifting the buoy into the receiving cavity, lowered through the receiving cavity by said cable. The buoy is connected to at least one transmission pipeline for transporting a fluid and is mounted at anchor at the bottom of the sea with the possibility of being kept submerged at a given depth when not in use. The buoy is also made with a central element anchored at the bottom of the sea, intended for the passage of fluid from the transmission pipeline through the connecting device to the piping system on the vessel, as well as with an external floating element mounted for rotation on the central element to ensure rotation of the vessel around the central item. The receiving cavity is made with the means of fastening the buoy in it and disconnecting the buoy from this cavity, the cavity is made of conical shape, converging in the upward direction, for at least partial coupling with the buoy made of the corresponding shape. The receiving cavity is completely located in the submerged part of the bow of the vessel and is connected to the deck of the vessel with a service shaft configured to allow passage of the said lifting means cable through it. In this case, the receiving cavity is made with a sealing flange located with the possibility of interaction with the mating abutment surface of the outer floating element of the buoy to seal the service shaft from the surrounding sea while fixing the buoy in the receiving cavity.

The disadvantage of the system is the technical complexity of the connection of the transmitting pipeline with the receiving cavity of the vessel.

The technical result is to simplify the system for transporting fluid to a floating vessel and reduce the time for transporting the fluid.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that in a system for transporting fluid to a floating vessel containing a buoy connected to a flexible transmission pipe for transporting fluid from underwater equipment and mounted at anchor at the bottom of the sea with the ability to be kept submerged at a given depth when not in use, located in the submerged part of the vessel, a receiving cavity open downward and a lifting device with a cable, a receiving cavity made with the possibility of a buoy transmitting a pipe passing through it wire and mooring, placed from the bottom to the top of the vessel with an inclination of at least one of its walls and equipped in its upper part with a connected equipment room located in the hull of the vessel between its submerged part and the deck or on the deck and in which the lifting the device, and the docking and mooring devices, made with the possibility of connecting respectively with a flexible transmission pipe and mooring lines through the receiving cavity, the lifting device is equipped with a gripping device made with the ability to capture and raise the buoy and the buoyrp and including the carrier device and the gripping element, while the buoy of capture is made in the form of a robust sealed enclosure with positive buoyancy, with hydroacoustic and light beacons placed in it and connected by means of the buoyer to the head of the flexible pipeline, which connected to the underwater equipment mooring, and the underwater equipment is made in the form of an underwater terminal with a bottom module on which sonar and light beacons are installed, and dressings valve and the underwater pump of the terminal are arranged to be on and off by sonar signals.

The carrier device can be made in the form of a remote-controlled underwater vehicle equipped with a propulsion and steering complex and television-optical equipment. The gripping device can be made in the form of a frame structure with a detachable attachment unit to the cable of the lifting device and a buirp catcher.

The receiving cavity can be installed obliquely with a shift of its lower end relative to the upper end to the bow of the vessel.

The receiving cavity can be installed vertically, and one of its walls in the submerged part of the vessel is inclined, forming a beveled corner of the receiving cavity at the bottom.

Figure 1 shows a system for transporting fluid at the initial moment, figure 2 shows a system for transporting during shipment of a fluid, figure 3 and 4 shows a gripper, figure 5 shows a buoy capture, figure 6 another embodiment of the receiving cavity is presented, where 1 is a vessel, for example a tanker, 2 is a receiving cavity, 3 is a docking device, 4 is a bottom module of an underwater terminal, 5 is a flexible transmission pipeline, 6 is a sea bottom, 7 are light beacons of a bottom module 4 and capture buoy 8, 8 - capture buoy, 9 - pome equipment, 10 - a lifting device, for example a winch, 11 - a conductor cable, 12 - a carrier device of a gripping element 14, 13 - a mooring device, 14 - a gripping element of a gripping device, 15 - a node for connecting the gripping device to the conductor cable 11 16 - buoyrepa catcher, 17 - buoyre capture buoy 8, 18 - cargo-anchor of the capture buoy, 19 - mooring lines of the underwater terminal, 20 - sonar beacons of buoy 8 and bottom module 4, 21 - hydroacoustic actuator.

A floating vessel, for example an ice class tanker 1, is equipped with a receiving cavity 2 open downward. A receiving cavity 2 is located from the bottom to the upper part in the bow section of the tanker 1, partially in the submerged part thereof. At least one of its walls is inclined. Figures 1 and 6 show embodiments of the receiving cavity 2. In Fig. 6, the receiving cavity 2 is placed obliquely from the bottom to the top of the vessel with a shift of its lower end at the bottom relative to the upper end to the bow of tanker 1. In Figs. 1, 2 the receiving cavity 2 is placed vertically from the bottom to the upper part of the tanker 1, and one of its walls in the submerged part of the vessel is inclined, forming a beveled angle of the receiving cavity 2 at the bottom closer to the bow of the tanker 1. The receiving cavity 2 is arranged to allow a buoy to pass through it capture 8, re the supply pipe 5, the mooring 19. The receiving cavity 2 is provided in its upper part with the equipment room 9 connected to it, located in the hull of the vessel 1 between its submerged part and the deck or on the deck. The equipment room 9 is located above the waterline of tanker 1, and the receiving cavity 2 is stretched from room 9 to the bottom and connected to room 9. The location of room 9 depends on the complexity of refitting the tanker. If there is a cargo compartment in the tanker, a room 9 is placed in the hull, which is more preferred. In the absence or loading of the cargo compartment, the room 9 is placed on the deck when organizing the heating of the room 9. In the equipment room 9 there is a lifting device and a mooring 13 and a docking device 3 made with the possibility of connecting with a flexible transmission pipe 5 and a mooring 19, respectively, through the receiving cavity 2 The docking device 3 of the tanker 1 and the submarine terminal are fully consistent with the devices used to connect the pipeline or hose emerging from under the water to the fore end t anchors, and tested in practice, including in the Arctic, for example, the underwater Varandey terminal. At shallow depths, instead of flexible conduit 5 and mooring 19, it is possible to use a mooring hose of known designs.

The receiving cavity and the equipment room open from below allow lifting of the gripping device and docking with the transmitting pipeline of the underwater terminal and mooring in severe weather conditions and without crossing the ice field, thereby reducing the complexity and time of the docking, and also allow the use of the transmitting pipeline of the underwater terminal without special reinforcements designed to protect against ice fields. The implementation of the receiving cavity with an inclination of at least one of its walls ensures a safe docking of the transmission pipeline with the docking device of the vessel, eliminating the possibility of bending the transmission pipeline of the underwater terminal during single anchoring and displacement of the vessel during loading.

The lifting device is designed to raise and lower the capture buoy 8, the flexible pipe 5 and the mooring 19 through the receiving cavity 2. The lifting device is made in the form of a winch 10 having a corresponding cable conductor 11, for example, a synthetic cable ⌀0.008 m, withstanding a load of 0.9 t , and is equipped with a gripper. The gripping device is capable of gripping and raising the buoy 8 and the buoyrp 17 and can be disconnected from the conductor cable 11. The gripping device includes a carrier device 12 and a gripping element 14, for example, in the form of a frame structure with a detachable assembly 15 for connecting to the cable the conductor 11 and the catcher 16 of the buoyrp 17, for example a carbine for connecting to the buirp 17. The carrier device 12 is made in the form of a remote-controlled underwater vehicle equipped with a propulsion-steering complex and television-optical equipment, for example , such as "Gnome" and which receives control signals from the operator. (Pfd No. 33550, publ. 10/27/2003. Deep-sea uninhabited inspection micro-device). The device 12 can be equipped with a depth sensor with an accuracy of 10-20 cm and a compass with the output of information to a video monitor in the "teletext" mode. The device 12 is controlled by a joystick from a computer located on the tanker. A detachable gripping element 14 is mounted on the apparatus 12. The gripping device is connected to the lifting means of the tanker 1 by a cable-conductor 11 with the possibility of disconnecting it from the cable-conductor 11.

The use of a gripping device to provide lifting and connecting to the transmission pipeline of the submarine terminal simplifies the process of lifting the pipeline, simplifies the transportation system, reduces the connection time of the docking device with the transmission pipeline, and is cost-effective due to the low cost of the gripping device and its maintenance.

The capture buoy 8 is connected to a flexible transmission pipe 5 for transporting fluid from underwater equipment and is anchored in the form of cargo 18 at the bottom of the sea with the ability to keep the capture buoy 8 submerged at a given depth when not in use. The load 18 prevents the float of the capture buoy 8, preventing the capture of the buoy capture 8 in the screws of the tanker 1. The buoy capture 8 is made in the form of a strong sealed enclosure with positive buoyancy, with the possibility of its passage through the receiving cavity 2 of the tanker 1. On the buoy capture 8 placed sonar 20 and light 7 beacons. The capture buoy 8 is connected by means of a buirp 17 to the head of the flexible transmission pipe 5, which is connected to the bottom module 4 of the underwater equipment mooring 19. The capture buoy 8 is used as a conductor of the transmission pipeline 5. The buoy 8 is held at a predetermined depth by a load 18, which does not allow it float up and present any danger to shipping.

The use of a capture buoy of a simple lightweight construction equipped with sonar and light beacons simplifies the system for transportation, allows you to quickly recognize the buoy and raise it with a gripping device, which reduces the time the tanker searches for the transmission pipeline and the time for transporting the fluid as a whole.

The underwater equipment is made in the form of a bottom module 4 of an underwater terminal, on which hydroacoustic 20 and light 7 beacons are installed, which allow the tanker to navigate when approaching the terminal and reduce transportation time. The discharge valve and the discharge pump (not shown) of the subsea terminal are capable of being turned on and off by a hydroacoustic signal coming from tanker 1 or from a coastal base, for example, using an hydroacoustic actuator 21 of the bottom module 4.

These elements of the simple design of the underwater terminal can reduce transportation time. For example, an underwater terminal can be installed, consisting of a bottom module, whose mass is 100 tons, diameter ⌀12 m, height h = 2.5 m, similar to Arctic Submerged Loading Terminal - an Arctic underwater shipping terminal, with a flexible pipe in the form of a Du500 shipping hose to which a conventional mooring cable is attached with a diameter of 0.04-0.08 m, depending on the size of the tanker.

The system operates as follows. Tanker 1 using a standard navigation system comes to the area of the bottom module 4 of the underwater terminal. Then, using the sonar-alien pulse supplied from the tanker 1, hydroacoustic and light beacons 7 are located on the bottom module 4 and on the capture buoy 8. Using the winch 10 of the tanker 1, the cable-conductor 11 with the apparatus is lowered through its receiving cavity 2 -carrier 12, equipped with a gripping element 14. The carrier device 12 with a gripping element 14 is lowered into the water and directed to the buoyrep 17 or buoy 8 of the head of the flexible transmission pipe 5 under the control of the operator, focusing on sonar beacons 7. Finishing The aiming of the gripping element 14 to the buoyrp 17 or buoy 8 is carried out by the light beacons 7. After aiming at the buirp 17 or buoy 8, the buoyrp 17 is captured due to the stroke of the gripping element 14. Then the winch 10 of the tanker 1 by the cable-conductor 11 through the receiving cavity 2 raise the buoyrep 17, buoy 8, the carrier device 12 with the gripping element 14 into the premises 9 for equipment. In this case, the flexible pipe 5 itself remains in place. In room 9, the gripping device is uncoupled and then a flexible pipe is lifted by the buoyrp 17 through the receiving cavity 2 to the docking device and the mooring device of the tanker 1. The final docking of the pipeline 5 of the underwater terminal and tanker 1 and the fastening of the mooring 19 are carried out in the tanker body 1 in room 9 by existing technology. After checking the tightness of the docking and the readiness of the systems of tanker 1 and the submarine terminal using the hydroacoustic signal coming from tanker 1 or from the coastal base, the discharge valves of the submarine terminal are opened and the discharge pumps are turned on. From tanker 1, a radio signal can be sent to the coastal base, from which the operator sends a hydroacoustic signal to the bottom module 4. Upon completion of loading of tanker 1, similarly turn off the pumps, close the valves of the underwater terminal, disconnect the flexible pipe 5 and mooring 19 and lower them through the receiving cavity 2 together with the capture buoy 8 and the buoyrp 17 using the winch 10 on the conductor cable 11 to the bottom 6. When undocking, the beacons 7 of the bottom module 4 are automatically switched off. The buoy 8 under the weight of the load 18 lies on the bottom 6. In winter, Processes for docking and undocking shipping fluid, such as hydrocarbons, ice around the tanker 1 cut away duty icebreaker.

Thus, the system allows to simplify the system for transporting fluid from an underwater terminal to a floating vessel and to reduce the time of such transportation.

Claims (4)

1. System for transporting fluid to a floating vessel, containing a buoy connected to a flexible transmission pipe for transporting fluid from underwater equipment and mounted at anchor at the bottom of the sea with the ability to keep submerged at a given depth when not in use, located in the submerged part of the vessel down the receiving cavity and lifting means with a cable, characterized in that the receiving cavity, made with the possibility of passage through it of a buoy, a transmitting pipeline and a mooring, size from the bottom to the top of the vessel with an inclination of at least one of its walls and provided in its upper part with a room for equipment connected to it, located in the hull of the vessel between its submerged part and the deck or on the deck and in which the lifting device and docking and mooring devices configured to connect respectively to the flexible transmission pipe and mooring lines through the receiving cavity, the lifting device is provided with a gripping device configured to capture and lifting the buoy and the buoyrp and including the carrier device and the gripping element, while the buoy of capture is made in the form of a strong sealed enclosure having positive buoyancy, with hydroacoustic and light beacons placed in it, and connected by means of a buoyer to the head of the flexible pipeline, which is connected to mooring underwater equipment, and underwater equipment is made in the form of an underwater terminal with a bottom module, on which hydroacoustic and light beacons are installed, and the discharge valve and pump one-water terminal made with the possibility of their inclusion and shutdown by sonar signal. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier device is made in the form of a remote-controlled underwater vehicle equipped with a propulsion-steering complex and television-optical equipment, and the gripping element is made in the form of a frame structure with a detachable connection unit to the cable of the lifting device and a buyrepa catcher. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving cavity is installed obliquely with a shift of its lower end relative to the upper end to the bow of the vessel. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving cavity is installed vertically, and one of its walls in the submerged part of the vessel is made inclined, forming a beveled corner of the receiving cavity at the bottom.

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