RU2041120C1 - Vessel for processing and transporting ice of icebergs - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: shipbuilding. SUBSTANCE: hull is made in form of main block and several cargo sections separated from hull. Cargo sections are equipped with power plant, propellers and devices for mooring to ice masses, processing these masses, loading them in holds and unloading ice and melt water at point of destination. Vessel is provided with devices for servicing the search-and-investigation helicopter and submersible vehicle. Hull of cargo sections may be heat-insulated. Above-mentioned equipment may be arranged in one hull as version. Vessel may be used for delivery of ice of arctic and Antarctic icebergs as source of ecologically pure fresh water. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency. 8 cl, 3 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to shipbuilding, namely to ship hulls, and can be used for transporting ice of Arctic and Antarctic icebergs.

 Currently, more and more countries are experiencing the problem of providing the population with drinking water. If we take into account the contamination of fresh water sources by the products of industrial enterprises and agricultural production, excluding their use for drinking or leading to unacceptably high costs of water treatment to established sanitary requirements, then the majority of industrialized countries can be classified as those experiencing a shortage of environmentally friendly fresh water developed countries.

Almost inexhaustible reserves of fresh water are in Arctic and Antarctic icebergs. Up to 40 thousand icebergs are formed annually, in the surface of which contains at least 300 billion m ^{3 of} ice. Only off the coast of Greenland about 15 thousand icebergs are formed annually. The use of even an insignificant part of them, which would have practically no adverse effect on the ecology of the oceans, would radically solve the problem of providing fresh ecologically clean water for many countries. However, its delivery to consumers is a serious scientific and technical problem.

 To date, limited attempts have been made to deliver Arctic icebergs to the southern regions by towing them to destinations, isolating ice from sea water, and pumping fresh water that forms when the ice melts.

 This method of delivering ice makes it highly dependent on weather conditions, poses a threat to shipping because of the possibility of losing an iceberg or its parts in areas of heavy shipping, and leads to a large loss of ice due to prolonged towing at low speeds.

 More efficient and safer is the delivery of ice by specialized vessels. For the maximum possible use of the usable volume of cargo holds, the ice should be crushed.

 The closest in technical essence to the proposed invention is the project of an articulated tanker, consisting of a main unit and several detachable independent cargo units, which after arrival at the destination can be disconnected from the main unit and towed to the berths. In the main block there are: a power plant, propulsors, office and household premises, fuel reserves, ballast compartments, mooring mechanisms. Cargo blocks are equipped with autonomous pump rooms for pumping cargo liquid and ballast (Shipbuilding abroad. L. Shipbuilding, N 5 (77), 1973, p. 75, 76).

 However, the lack of propellers, thrusters, devices for mooring to ice masses, cargo means for developing monolithic ice and loading it in holds, and on the main block of the helipad and underwater lifting device (SPU PA), do not allow the use of the well-known a tanker for the extraction and transportation of iceberg ice.

 The technical problem solved by the invention is the provision of extraction by ship means and transportation of ice of the Arctic and Antarctic icebergs for its use as a source of fresh clean water.

 In addition, the problem of transporting ice in a solid state is solved for the possibility of using it at a destination as a source of cold.

This is due to the fact that:
in the hull of the vessel for transporting ice, containing the main unit with a power plant, propulsors, anchor mooring devices, control systems, crew rooms and detachable cargo sections equipped with mooring systems for the main block and coastal structures, the hull of cargo sections is made in the form of several tanks with hatch superstructure, at the same time, a cabin, a power plant, a device for the development and loading of ice tanks, a device for mooring to an iceberg, two doors are installed on each cargo section residents, a bow thruster, pipelines with drives and fittings for transferring melt water from tanks to coastal consumers, and on the main unit there is a helipad and an underwater lifting device;
on the main unit, sailing weapons with drive mechanisms connected to the control system are installed;
masts of sails are made telescopic;
cabin of the cargo section is made with the possibility of extension;
tanks of cargo sections are made insulated;
heat-insulated tanks of cargo sections are made with a double hull;
cargo sections are equipped with an unloading device for unloading ice into onshore tanks;
pipelines are placed in the cargo sections with the possibility of docking with onshore pipelines.

 As an embodiment of the device, it is possible to place the indicated systems and equipment in one integral case.

 Figure 1 shows the hull of the vessel, a General view; figure 2 cargo section, General view; figure 3 is a cross section of a thermally insulated body of the cargo section.

 The hull of the vessel (figure 1) consists of a main unit 1 with a power plant, propulsors, anchor, mooring devices, ballast tanks, control systems, crew rooms. Several cargo sections 2 are connected to the main unit via detachable lock joints. On the main unit there are sails 3 controlled by an automated system with drive mechanisms that can be mounted on telescopic masts 4, helipad 5, SPU 6 of the underwater vehicle, as well as corresponding systems and devices for Helicopter and PA services. It is possible to use both autonomous and remote-controlled PA equipped with instruments and equipment for inspecting the underwater part of the iceberg.

 On the cargo section 2 (Fig.2) installed mooring devices 7 for mooring to the berthing facilities, the main unit and the ice. The feasibility of mooring to ice is confirmed by the fame, for example, of jet anchors (Skryagin L. Anchors. M. Transport, 1979, p. 361-363), however, it is more efficient to use special devices 8 for mooring to ice, which are the subject of a separate application.

 On the deck of the section there is a complex of mining equipment 9 for crushing ice and transporting it to the hold. Nearby is the cabin 10 with lighting fixtures. The wheelhouse is installed with the possibility of extension, for example, on a telescopic base 11. The cargo section is equipped with autonomous energy sources, propulsors 12 and thrusters. Various types of thrusters are possible, providing dynamic stabilization and maneuvering of the section.

 The cargo section (Fig. 3) is equipped with a hatch superstructure 13 to increase the filling density of the cargo tank and reduce the free surface area of the cargo. The surface of the tank is covered with thermal insulation 14. To increase the heat-insulating effect, the tanks of the cargo sections can be made with a double hull with an air gap between them 15. On the hatch superstructure 13 there is a hatch 16 made that is thermally insulated when the surface of the tank is also insulated.

 The cargo sections are equipped with an unloading device for unloading ice (not shown in the drawing) into coastal tanks. The technical feasibility of such an unloading is confirmed, for example, by the fame of a shipboard unloading device for bulk cargo with a conveyor and telescopic discharge pipe (US patent N 4483655, CL 65 G 67/60, 1984).

 Pipelines are placed in the cargo sections with the possibility of docking with onshore pipelines.

 The device operates as follows.

 When the vessel approaches the specified area, a search is made using an iceberg helicopter with the required parameters, after which, by means of SPU 6, the PA is launched and the underwater part of the iceberg is examined to determine the appropriate mooring points for the cargo sections 2, which are undocked with the main unit 1, independently approach iceberg selected places due to the operation of movers 12 and thrusters and are moored to it by means of mooring devices 7, 8. After that, ice mass is developed willow using mining equipment 9, crushing ice and loading it into the tanks of the cargo section. Monitoring the operation of mining equipment and the external environment is carried out from the wheelhouse 10, equipped with lighting and other devices. For better observation conditions, the cabin can be mounted on a telescopic base, for example connected to actuators, and extended to the desired height.

 After loading the cargo sections, they approach the main unit, dock with it, after which the ship heads to its destination.

 The design of the tanks may vary depending on whether the consumer is interested only in fresh water or ice, for example, as a source of cold. In the first case, for the quickest melting of ice, the cargo sections are single-hull, without thermal insulation, with the transfer of water ashore through pipelines with a pump system. In the second case, the surface of the tanks of the cargo sections is covered with thermal insulation 14, and the hatch 16 is also thermally insulated. To increase the heat-insulating effect, the body of the cargo sections can be double with an air gap between the shells 15. These measures make it possible to deliver ice to the place of consumption in solid chilled form, which will give an additional economic effect when placed at the destination of production facilities, storage facilities, etc. related to the cooling of raw materials, semi-finished products or finished products (for example, beer production plants, vegetable stores, etc.). In this case, pipelines are made inside the tanks, connecting with onshore pipelines through which the cooled liquid is pumped. For this purpose, it is possible to use the melt-water pipeline system available on the cargo sections. In the presence of coastal ice storage tanks and the need for the quickest release of the cargo sections, a ship unloading device is installed on the latter.

 Along the route, cargo sections can be undocked from the main unit and each of them can independently go to their destination and moor to coastal facilities.

 A vessel may have several sets of cargo sections for the possibility of transporting (loading) part of the sections and at the same time unloading and use another part of them as a source of cold.

 The ice sections freed from the ice dock with the main unit heading to the ice mining area. For the docking-undocking of loaded and empty sections with different draft, the ballast system is used on the main unit.

 To increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact on the vessel, sailing armaments can be installed in the form of effective retractable wing sails 3, mounted mainly on telescopic masts 4. The optimal position of the sails is ensured by an automated control system.

 The number of cargo sections and the total displacement of the complex is determined by the results of feasibility studies. If they show that for some areas and consumers cheaper (taking into account the costs of construction and operation) is a single-hull vessel option, then the main unit and cargo sections are made in the form of one integral body with a set of systems and a device from those specified in the invention, providing the possibility of extraction, loading, transportation and unloading of ice (melt water).

 Implementation of the proposed invention will effectively solve the extremely urgent task of providing fresh water to areas experiencing a need for it.

Claims (9)

 1. A VESSEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPORTATION OF ICE ICEBERG ICE, containing a main unit with a power plant, propulsors, anchor, mooring devices, control systems, crew rooms and several detachably connected to the main block of cargo sections equipped with mooring systems for the main block and coastal structures, characterized in that the cargo sections are made in the form of several tanks with hatch superstructures, while each cargo section has a wheelhouse, power plant, devices o for the development and loading of ice into tanks, a device for mooring to an iceberg, propulsion devices, thrusters, pipelines with drives and fittings for transferring melt water from tanks to coastal consumers, and on the main unit there is a helipad and an underwater lifting device.  2. A ship according to claim 1, characterized in that a sailing structure with drive mechanisms connected to their control system is installed on the main block.  3. The ship according to paragraphs 1 and 2, characterized in that the masts of the sails are made telescopic.  4. The ship under item 1, characterized in that the cabin of the cargo section is made with the possibility of its extension.  5. The ship under item 1, characterized in that the tanks of the cargo sections are made insulated.  6. The ship according to paragraphs 1 and 5, characterized in that the insulated tanks of the cargo sections are made with a double hull.  7. The ship under item 1, characterized in that the cargo sections are equipped with a discharge device for unloading ice into shore tanks.  8. A ship according to claim 1, characterized in that pipelines are placed in the cargo sections with the possibility of their connection with onshore pipelines.  9. A vessel for the development and transportation of icebergs containing the main unit with a power plant, propulsors, an anchor device, devices for mooring to coastal structures and icebergs, control systems, crew rooms, a helipad and an underwater lifting device, and cargo sections in the form of several tanks with hatch superstructures, equipped with devices for the development and loading into ice tanks, pipelines with drives and fittings for transferring melt water from the tanks coastal consumers, characterized in that the main unit and the cargo sections are interconnected inseparably.

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