EA003292B1 - A device for rapidly interconnecting and disconnecting a plurality of hull sections - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A device for rapidly interconnecting and disconnecting a plurality of floating hull sections, each hull section (6,8,10), along at least one of its broadsides, provided with a connection portion (14) having engagement means (16) adapted to cooperate with mating engagement means (16) of a connection portion (14) on a broadside of an other hull section to prevent translational and rotational movements between juxtaposed hull sections (6,8,10), and means (14; 50) for interlocking the juxtaposed hull sections, characterized in that the engagement means (16) are in form of corrugations comprised of ribs (20) and intermediate grooves (22). 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ribs (20) are trapezoidal. 3. A device according to any one preceding claim, characterized in that the interconnecting means comprise a plurality of wire straps (24) extending laterally across the juxtaposed hull sections and locked in a tightened condition. 4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises guide tubes (26,28) for the wire straps. 5. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means are locking pins (50) adapted to be inserted through rows of vertically aligned bores (52) in the corrugations.

Description

The invention relates to a device and to a method for quickly connecting and disconnecting a number of body sections. The United hull sections form a ship or a floating structure of another kind, for example, an offshore platform, a ship, a barge, etc.

In particular, the invention is intended to be used in the extraction of oil deposits under the Caspian Sea, which, despite being the oldest oil-bearing area, are hardly developed. Geological exploration results indicate large reserves, and unopened large reserves are assumed. Among international oil companies, there is a growing interest in exploration and production in the area. However, the number of drilling and production platforms located in the area is too small compared to what is required for oil companies in terms of exploration and production. In addition, compared with Western standards, the technical condition of existing drilling platforms is poor, while shipyards have limited capabilities. Technical equipment imported from western countries.

The main reason for the above situation is probably due to the geographical position of the Caspian Sea. This sea is actually a lake that, with the exception of the Volga River, has no other waterways with the outside world. This fact greatly limits the size of ships capable of reaching the sea. For effective offshore oil production, relatively large (in length and width) drilling and oil-producing vessels are required, having high maneuverability in some of the narrow and shallow waters of the Caspian Sea. These circumstances also limit the possibility of rapid withdrawal of drilling and production installations in emergency situations that may arise, for example, due to the unstable political situation in the countries adjacent to the Caspian Sea.

The present invention provides a solution to the above problems as defined in the appended claims.

The objective of the invention is to create a vessel containing a series (two or more) hull sections made with the possibility of quick and easy connection and disconnection.

Devices that allow the connection and disconnection of the hull sections are already known, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 1,266,362, 3,486,476, 3,841,254, 3,614,938 and 3,983,830. .

The present invention overcomes design flaws that require relatively large structural tolerances that are required for the connecting parts of the respective sections in order to be able to practically connect the sections as quickly as necessary, with the achievement of the possibility of transferring forces in all directions between the body sections. The fact that the solution according to the invention makes it possible to perform all the joining work at the section deck level also simplifies the work and minimizes the time costs.

In the case of applying the invention, for example, to work in the Caspian Sea, the corresponding hull sections will be built and launched separately and towed to the destination or drilling site, where they will be connected in such a way that the ship is ready for operation.

The invention is described in detail below with reference to schematic drawings, in which the invention is illustrated in three perspective views in FIG. 1, 2 and 3.

So in FIG. 1 shows a ship according to the invention, which is initially divided into a number of independent floating hull sections, whereas in FIG. 2 shows the details of an embodiment of a device according to the present invention for connecting with the possibility of disconnecting sections according to FIG. 1, and in FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 2

In the example in the drawing, the vessel is shown as a drilling platform or barge 4 assembled from three hull sections: from the central section 6 and from two opposite, essentially similar side sections 8, 10. The central section 6 is provided, for example, with a drilling tower 12 and drilling shaft (not shown). In the connected state (not shown) of the hull sections 6, 8, 10, the vessel 4 is substantially symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis passing through the central section 6. As shown, the central section may be slightly shorter than the lateral sections 8, 10, forming a recess on each end of the barge to accommodate the bow or stern of another vessel, which may be a tug or pusher.

In accordance with the invention, each body section 6, 8, 10 along the entire length of at least one freeboard has a connecting part 14 provided with engaging means 16 (FIG. 2). Thus, in the example shown, the central section 6 is provided with engaging means 16 on each surface board, while the two side sections 8, 10 are provided with connecting parts 14 having associated engaging means 16 throughout at least one freeboard.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the engaging means 16 are made in the form of undulations, for example in the form of spaced protrusions or ribs 20 and intermediate recesses or grooves 22 extending in the longitudinal direction of the body section. The undulations on the tops of each hull section in the vertical direction are offset with respect to the undulations on the side surfaces of the adjacent hull section, so that when the hull sections are brought together, all the other ribs 20 of the same section will engage with the grooves 22 of the adjacent section. In the example shown, the undulations are trapezoidal ribs 20 and grooves 22. However, they can, of course, be made of another shape, for example, a sinusoidal one. With the achievement of the advantage of the step or wavelength of the undulations, i.e. the distance between the centers of the ribs may be approximately 850 mm. The formation of undulations is assumed either directly in the lateral surface of the hull or in steel plates with a thickness of approximately 50 mm welded to the freeboard of the vessel.

In addition, all along each side of the hull with the connecting part 14, trapezoidal protrusions 23 are formed, preferably at the deck level, made with the possibility of engagement with the mating recesses 25 on the adjacent hull section. The undulations 16, together with the protrusions 23 and the recesses 25, will mainly resist the translational and rotational movements of the body sections in a vertical plane and will compensate for all the resulting shear forces. The undulations 16, which extend along substantially the entire length of each body section, which is preferable, will usually transfer loads only in separate load bearing zones. Outside of these zones, the purpose of the ribs is to prevent the free flow of water through the connection between the sections. Preferably, the ribs 20 are coated with a load-resisting and sound-damping material, such as high-pressure and high-strength elastomer, such as neoprene, which serves to improve the distribution of shear forces, while also reducing the noise from compression between the sections. Preferably, the horizontal protrusions 23 of the deck and the lower levels of the hull sections are also provided with such a load-bearing material.

FIG. 2, an advantageous method for fixing the connecting portions of the assembled body sections is also explained. The fixing operation can be carried out by stretching steel slings 24 (of which only the ends are shown) located in the horizontal guide tubes 26, 28 in the upper and lower parts of each hull section. The cables are stretched or pre-stretched to a sufficient degree to prevent loosening due to external loads and prevent the sections from moving at a distance from each other, while the stretched cables are fixed, which is more fully explained below.

Each guide tube 26, 28 has an outer end opening into the connecting part 14. The upper guide tube 26 extends horizontally across the connecting part, with the inner end opening into the side wall of the recess 32 in the deck of the hull. In the example shown, the lower guide tube 28 is also arranged horizontally in the transverse direction, opening at the inner end of the base of the recess 32 by means of the bend 34 of the tube having a relatively large curvature and the vertical part 36 of the tube. Preferably, the lower guide tube 28 is located between the bulkheads and the body kit and is secured by ribs (not shown).

Steel slings 24, which pass through the guide pipes 26, 28 for connecting the body sections, have fastening means 38 at one end, for example, in the form of a disk that engages the wall of the recess 32, with each other end connected to the device 40 for tensioning and fixing the cable which may itself be well known (often referred to as a “tension jack”), for example, which is used to perform similar procedures on cables in other applications, for example, to connect bridge sections.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cable guides 26, 28 can be arranged in pairs in a row in the recesses 32. Although only one such pair is shown in the figure, it should be understood that it is preferable that such pairs of connecting cables together with the corresponding guide tubes, fasteners and tensioning devices be equally spaced apart all over the sides of the hull.

So in the example shown, the outer ends of the guide tubes 26, 28 extend to the outer surface of the rib 20 of one body section, while the outer ends of the pipes of the adjacent body section protrude a short distance into the edge groove 22 associated with the rib to form preferably a somewhat conical or pointed pin 41 which, when assembling the hull sections, enters the end portion 43 of the adjacent pipe in front of it. Since the sections are made floating, water will always be present in the guide tubes 28 up to the surface of the water. Therefore, it is preferable to apply a waterproof plastic coating to the cables to protect them from contact with sea water.

In addition, it is preferable that the cables 24 are provided with a load sensor (not shown) measuring at any time the stress / tension force of the connections. If necessary, means may be provided for tightening and controlling the cables during operation.

The sizing of the cable system is carried out in accordance with the expected loads. For the drilling platform, shown as an example, the cable 24 is suitable, consisting of many (for example 55) cores or elements with a diameter of approximately 15 mm, and the internal diameter of the guide tube is approximately 320 mm with a material thickness of approximately 40 mm.

In addition, since the lower cable guides 28 extend to the level of the deck near the upper cable guides 26, the connecting operation can be performed without underwater work.

From the above description it should be clear that the hull sections are fixed in all directions, and the curvature is excluded. Therefore, the engaging means 16 mainly prevent vertical movement, the means 23 and 25 mainly hold the body parts against each other, counteracting the longitudinal movements, while the steel slings mainly prevent movements from bending and turning.

FIG. 3 shows another possible method for connecting adjacent body sections. This method uses fixing bolts or pins 50 with heads inserted down through the holes 52 in the ribs 20 of the two body sections when placed side by side or in the engaged state. Preferably, the holes 52 are provided with a lining (not shown) made of waterproof material. It is preferable to manufacture bolts 50 of high-strength steel with a diameter consistent with the above-mentioned loads, for example with a diameter of approximately 300 mm, whereas in this case the lining will have an inner diameter of approximately 320 mm and an outer diameter of approximately 400 mm.

All horizontal loads will be perceived by locking pins 50. For the implementation of the operation of convergence and location side by side of the hull sections, hydraulic cylinders (not shown) are attached to the upper and lower plates of the hull section. The cylinders are disconnected after the fixing bolts 50 are in place. Again, the ribs 20 are covered with a load-bearing material, transferring shear stresses of the joint to the fixing bolts 50 after the cylinders are turned off.

When implementing the invention, the individual hull sections to be connected are towed to the selected assembly site and brought closer to each other until the corrugations 20, 22 and the protrusions / depressions 23, 25 are fully engaged, after which they fix by means of the cable equipment described above. in accordance with FIG. 2 or locking pins in accordance with FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 1, for aligning the body sections 6, 8, 10, one of the outer sections, for example section 8, can be provided with a guide bracket 60 extending perpendicularly outward from the attachable side of the body section and mated with guide grooves 62, 64 formed in the remaining body sections 6, ten.

In particular, the hull section is usually carried out, bearing in mind that it should be combined with other hull sections with the formation of a functional or ready-to-work ship complex after connection. However, it is also assumed that the separate hull section itself can be an independently operating vessel, which by means of the device according to the invention can also be connected to other independently working hull sections as elements of a composite vessel designed for work that cannot be performed by the individual hull elements themselves.

Claims (5)

CLAIM 1. Device for quick connection and disconnection of a number of floating hull sections, with each hull section (6, 8, 10) along at least one of the freeboards provided with a connecting part (14) having hooking means (16) made with the ability to interact with the mating engaging means (16) of the connecting part (14) on the surface side of another hull section to prevent rectilinear and rotational movements between the adjacent hull sections (6, 8, 10), and the means (14; 50) for fixing ii adjacent hull sections, characterized in that the engagement means (16) are formed as corrugations, consisting of ribs (20) and intermediate grooves (22). 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ribs (20) are trapezoidal. 3. A device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the connecting means comprise a series of steel slings (24) extending in the transverse direction through the adjacent body sections and fixed in the tensioned state. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that it contains guide tubes (26, 28) for steel slings. 5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means is made in the form of locking pins (50), made with the possibility of introducing the group of vertically aligned holes (52) in undulations.