A self-balancing device for ship ballast water

Abstract

This invention discloses a ship ballast water self-balancing device, comprising two compartments, connecting pipelines, and two adjusting mechanisms. The two compartments are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the hull, each including a water tank filled with seawater. The connecting pipeline includes a water pipe, with both ends connected to the two water tanks respectively. The two adjusting mechanisms are respectively disposed within the two compartments, each including a guide tube, a piston, a guide rail, a counterweight, a connecting rope, and an elastic element. The lower end of the guide tube is connected to the water tank, and the piston is slidably and sealingly disposed within the guide tube. The beneficial effects of this invention are: this ship ballast water self-balancing device generates a reverse restoring torque through the displacement of the counterweight, which can effectively reduce the ship's roll amplitude and shorten the roll period. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for active actuators such as motors and hydraulic systems, achieving zero-power self-balancing solely through mechanical structures and fluid pressure, thus significantly saving ship energy consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine engineering technology, and in particular to a self-balancing device for ship ballast water. Background Technology

[0002] In marine transportation, ballast water tanks are one of the core structures of a ship. Their main function is to adjust the ship's draft by adding or removing water to adapt to different loads, speeds, and sea conditions. Due to the high inertia of the water in ballast water tanks, this can easily lead to reduced stability during navigation, especially in rough seas, causing excessive tilting and prolonging the ship's rolling period, thus increasing instability. This problem is particularly pronounced for ships with low centers of gravity, such as ore carriers, which are more susceptible to rolling due to their cargo-carrying characteristics. Existing ballast water tanks (such as the ballast tank for reducing sloshing loads and liquefied gas carriers disclosed in application number 202411246272.X) can only adjust draft and cannot actively suppress rolling, resulting in reduced stability and a prolonged rolling period, increasing safety risks during navigation in rough seas. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a ship ballast water self-balancing device to achieve zero-power self-balancing of ballast water, shorten the ship's rolling period, and meet the dual requirements of draft adjustment and stability assurance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and propose a ship ballast water self-balancing device to solve the technical problem that ballast water tanks in the prior art cannot actively suppress ship rolling and the rolling period is prolonged.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the present invention provides a ship ballast water self-balancing device, installed in the hull, comprising:

[0005] Two compartments are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the hull, each including a water tank filled with seawater;

[0006] The connecting pipeline includes a water pipe, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the two water tanks;

[0007] Two adjustment mechanisms are respectively installed in the two chambers. Each mechanism includes a conduit, a piston, a guide rail, a counterweight, a connecting rope, and an elastic element. The lower end of the conduit communicates with the water tank. The piston is slidably installed inside the conduit. The guide rail is installed above the conduit and extends along the width of the hull. The counterweight is slidably connected to the guide rail. The connecting rope connects the piston and the counterweight. The elastic element is connected to the counterweight to apply a force to the counterweight, causing it to move towards the center of the hull.

[0008] Furthermore, the cabin also includes an air chamber located above the water tank. The air chamber is used to hold air at a preset pressure. The connecting pipeline also includes an air pipe, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the two air chambers. The upper end of the conduit is connected to the air chamber. The guide rail is disposed in the air chamber.

[0009] Furthermore, the connecting pipeline also includes a flow limiting valve, and the air pipe includes two, one end of each of the two air pipes is connected to one of the two air chambers respectively, and the two ends of the flow limiting valve are connected to the other ends of the two air pipes respectively. The flow limiting valve is used to allow the gas in the two air chambers to exchange slowly.

[0010] Furthermore, when the hull is in a balanced state, the water pipe is in a horizontal position, the air pipe is in a horizontal position, the duct is in a vertical position, and the guide rail is in a horizontal position.

[0011] Furthermore, the piston includes a plug body and a sealing ring. The outer wall of the plug body is provided with a mounting groove with a closed structure. The sealing ring is embedded in the mounting groove and is used to abut against the wall of the conduit.

[0012] Furthermore, one end of the connecting rope is connected to the piston, and the other end of the connecting rope is connected to the end of the counterweight away from the center of the hull.

[0013] Furthermore, the connecting rope has a first section and a second section that are connected to each other. The first section is in a vertical position and its end is connected to the piston. The second section is parallel to the guide rail and its end is connected to the end of the counterweight away from the center of the hull.

[0014] Furthermore, one end of the elastic element is connected to the inner wall of the air chamber, and the other end of the elastic element is connected to the end of the counterweight near the center of the hull.

[0015] Furthermore, the elastic element is a spring, and the spring is parallel to the guide rail.

[0016] Furthermore, the adjustment mechanism also includes a pulley, which is disposed above the guide tube and corresponds to the piston. The pulley frame is fixedly connected to the end of the guide rail away from the center of the hull, and the pulley body is used for the connecting rope to slide around.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include: In use, both water tanks are filled with seawater. When the ship tilts to the left, the left side of the ship is lower than the right side. Seawater in the right water tank flows into the left water tank through a water pipe. On the one hand, the increased seawater in the left water tank pushes the piston on the left side upwards, causing the connecting rope on the left side to bend. The counterweight on the left side loses the force exerted by the piston on it, causing it to move towards the left side of the ship. The elastic element on the left side can pull the counterweight towards the center of the ship, generating a rightward restoring torque. On the other hand, the decrease in seawater in the right water tank... When the piston on the right loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater, it moves downward under its own weight. This pulls the counterweight on the right towards the right side of the hull via the connecting rope, generating another rightward restoring torque. The two rightward restoring torques can counteract the port roll. When the hull rolls to the right, the principle is the same. This ship's ballast water self-balancing device generates a reverse restoring torque through the displacement of the counterweight, which can effectively reduce the ship's roll amplitude and shorten the roll period. Moreover, it does not require active actuators such as motors or hydraulic systems, and achieves zero-power self-balancing only through mechanical structure and fluid pressure, which can greatly save the ship's energy consumption. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a ship ballast water self-balancing device in a balanced state, provided by the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a ship ballast water self-balancing device provided by the present invention when it is in a portward state;

[0020] In the diagram: 1 - Hull, 100 - Cabin, 110 - Water tank, 120 - Air chamber, 200 - Connecting pipe, 210 - Water pipe, 220 - Air pipe, 230 - Flow control valve, 300 - Adjusting mechanism, 310 - Conduit, 320 - Piston, 330 - Guide rail, 340 - Counterweight, 350 - Connecting rope, 360 - Elastic element, 370 - Pulley. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0022] This invention provides a ship ballast water self-balancing device, which is installed inside the hull 1, and its structure is as follows: Figure 1 - Figure 2As shown, the system includes two compartments 100, a connecting pipeline 200, and two adjusting mechanisms 300. The two compartments 100 are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the hull 1. Each compartment includes a water tank 110, which is filled with seawater. The connecting pipeline 200 includes a water pipe 210, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the two water tanks 110. The two adjusting mechanisms 300 are respectively disposed in the two compartments 100, and each includes a guide tube 310, a piston 320, a guide rail 330, a counterweight 340, a connecting rope 350, and an elastic element. 360, the lower end of the conduit 310 is connected to the water tank 110, the piston 320 is slidably disposed inside the conduit 310, the guide rail 330 is disposed above the conduit 310 and extends along the width direction of the hull 1, the counterweight 340 is slidably connected to the guide rail 330, the connecting rope 350 connects the piston 320 and the counterweight 340, and the elastic element 360 is connected to the counterweight 340 to apply a force to the counterweight 340 to move it toward the center of the hull 1.

[0023] In use, both water tanks 110 are filled with seawater. When the hull 1 tilts to the left, the left side of the hull 1 is lower than the right side. The seawater in the right water tank 110 flows into the left water tank 110 along the water pipe 210. On the one hand, the seawater in the left water tank 110 increases, pushing the left piston 320 upward. The left connecting rope 350 bends, and the left counterweight 340 loses the force exerted on it by the left piston 320 to move it to the left side of the hull 1. The left elastic element 360 can pull the left counterweight 340. The counterweight 340 moves towards the center of the hull 1, generating a rightward restoring torque. Simultaneously, the seawater in the right-side water tank 110 decreases, and the right-side piston 320 loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater. Under its own weight, the right-side piston 320 moves downward, pulling the right-side counterweight 340 towards the right side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350, generating another rightward restoring torque. These two rightward restoring torques can counteract the port roll. When the hull 1 rolls to the right, the right side of the hull 1 is lower than the left side, and the water in the left-side water tank 110... Seawater flows into the right-side water tank 110 through the water pipe 210. On one hand, the increased seawater in the right-side water tank 110 pushes the right-side piston 320 upwards, causing the right-side connecting rope 350 to bend. The right-side counterweight 340 loses the force exerted by the right-side piston 320 on it, causing it to move towards the right side of the hull 1. The right-side elastic element 360 can then pull the right-side counterweight 340 towards the center of the hull 1, generating a restoring torque to the left. On the other hand, the decreased seawater in the left-side water tank 110 causes the left-side piston 320 to... When the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater is lost, the piston 320 on the left moves downward under its own weight, and pulls the counterweight 340 on the left side of the hull 1 to the left via the connecting rope 350, generating another restoring torque to the left. The two restoring torques to the left can counteract the starboard roll. The ballast water self-balancing device of this ship generates a reverse restoring torque through the displacement of the counterweight 340, which can effectively reduce the ship's roll amplitude and shorten the roll period. Moreover, it does not require active actuators such as motors and hydraulic systems, and achieves zero-power self-balancing only through mechanical structure and fluid pressure, which can greatly save the ship's energy consumption.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2The hull 100 also includes an air chamber 120 located above the water tank 110. The air chamber 120 is used to hold air at a preset pressure. The connecting pipe 200 also includes an air pipe 220, with both ends of the air pipe 220 connected to the two air chambers 120 respectively. The upper end of the conduit 310 is connected to the air chamber 120. The guide rail 330 is disposed within the air chamber 120. In use, the two water tanks 110 are filled with seawater, and the two air chambers 120 are filled with air at a preset pressure. When the hull 1 lists to the left, the left side of the hull 1 is lower than the right side. Seawater in the right-side water tank 110 flows along the water pipe 210 into the left-side water tank 110. Within 10, on the one hand, the seawater in the left-side water tank 110 increases, pushing the left-side piston 320 upward. The left-side connecting rope 350 bends, and the left-side counterweight 340 loses the force exerted on it by the left-side piston 320, causing it to move towards the left side of the hull 1. The left-side elastic element 360 can pull the left-side counterweight 340 towards the center of the hull 1, generating a rightward restoring torque. On the other hand, the seawater in the right-side water tank 110 decreases, and the right-side piston 320 loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater. The right-side piston 320 moves downward under its own weight, pulling the right-side counterweight 340 via the connecting rope 350. As piston 320 moves to the right side of hull 1, the left piston 320 moves upward, causing the left air chamber 120 to shrink and the pressure inside to increase. Conversely, as piston 320 moves downward, right air chamber 120 expands and the pressure inside to decrease. Air from left air chamber 120 flows into right air chamber 120 via air pipe 220, exerting a downward thrust on right piston 320 and pushing it to continue moving downward. This, in turn, pulls right counterweight 340 to the right side of hull 1 via connecting rope 350, generating another rightward restoring torque. These two rightward restoring forces... The torque can counteract the list to the left. When the hull 1 lists to the right, the right side of the hull 1 is lower than the left side. Seawater in the left-side water tank 110 flows into the right-side water tank 110 along the water pipe 210. On the one hand, the increase in seawater in the right-side water tank 110 pushes the right-side piston 320 upward, causing the right-side connecting rope 350 to bend. The right-side counterweight 340 loses the force exerted on it by the right-side piston 320, causing it to move to the right side of the hull 1. The right-side elastic element 360 can pull the right-side counterweight 340 towards the center of the hull 1, generating a restoring torque to the left. On the other hand, the decrease in seawater in the left-side water tank 110.As the piston 320 on the left loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater, it moves downward under its own weight, pulling the counterweight 340 on the left side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350. During the upward movement of the piston 320 on the right, the air chamber 120 on the right shrinks, increasing the pressure inside. As both pistons 320 move downward, the air chamber 120 on the left expands, decreasing the pressure inside. Air from the air chamber 120 on the right flows into the air chamber 120 on the left along the air pipe 220, exerting a downward thrust on the piston 320 on the left, pushing it to continue moving downward. This, in turn, pulls the counterweight 340 on the left side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350, generating another restoring torque to the left. These two restoring torques to the left counteract the starboard tilt.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the initial pressure in the air chamber 120 is set to the water depth pressure at the ship's draft when the ship is unloaded and the water tank 110 is filled with ballast water.

[0026] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The connecting pipe 200 also includes a flow limiting valve 230. There are two air pipes 220. One end of each air pipe 220 is connected to one of the two air chambers 120. The two ends of the flow limiting valve 230 are connected to the other ends of the two air pipes 220. The flow limiting valve 230 is used to allow the gas in the two air chambers 120 to exchange slowly. The flow limiting valve 230 controls the slow flow of gas to prevent the counterweight 340 from moving excessively and improve balance stability.

[0027] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 When the hull 1 is in a balanced state, the water pipe 210 is in a horizontal position, the air pipe 220 is in a horizontal position, the duct 310 is in a vertical position, and the guide rail 330 is in a horizontal position, thereby improving the effect of torque.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the conduit 310 is chrome-plated or nitrided to make the surface roughness Ra≤1.6μm, ensuring that the piston 320 slides smoothly.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the piston 320 includes a plug body and a sealing ring. The outer wall of the plug body has a mounting groove with a closed structure. The sealing ring is embedded in the mounting groove and is used to abut against the wall of the conduit 310. The plug body is made of hard materials such as high-strength alloy (e.g., TC4 titanium alloy) or engineering plastic (e.g., PEEK). The sealing ring is made of nitrile rubber or fluororubber, which is resistant to seawater corrosion and has strong elasticity. The outer diameter of the sealing ring is 0.5-1 mm larger than the inner diameter of the conduit 310, forming an interference fit to achieve complete sealing between the air chamber 120 and the water tank 110.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the guide rail 330 is made of wear-resistant cast iron and its surface is hardened.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the counterweight 340 is made of lead or a high-density alloy.

[0032] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 One end of the connecting rope 350 is connected to the piston 320, and the other end of the connecting rope 350 is connected to the end of the counterweight 340 away from the center of the hull 1. When the piston 320 moves downward, the counterweight 340 can be pulled to the side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350.

[0033] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The connecting rope 350 has a first section and a second section that are connected to each other. The first section is in a vertical position and its end is connected to the piston 320. The second section is parallel to the guide rail 330 and its end is connected to the end of the counterweight 340 away from the center of the hull 1, forming a linkage mechanism in which the up and down movement of the piston 320 is converted into the movement of the counterweight 340.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the connecting rope 350 is made of high-strength nylon rope with a breaking strength greater than or equal to 50kN.

[0035] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 One end of the elastic element 360 is connected to the inner wall of the air chamber 120, and the other end of the elastic element 360 is connected to the end of the counterweight 340 near the center of the hull 1, forming a linkage mechanism in which the up-and-down movement of the piston 320 is converted into the movement of the counterweight 340, thereby converting the pressure change of the water tank 110 into the displacement torque of the counterweight 340 and achieving passive zero-power self-balancing.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1The elastic element 360 is a spring, which is parallel to the guide rail 330, thereby improving the pulling effect of the spring on the counterweight 340.

[0037] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The adjustment mechanism 300 also includes a pulley 370, which is disposed above the guide tube 310 and corresponds to the piston 320. The wheel frame of the pulley 370 is fixedly connected to the end of the guide rail 330 away from the center of the hull 1. The wheel body of the pulley 370 is used for the connecting rope 350 to slide around, so as to avoid the turning point of the connecting rope 350 directly contacting the guide rail 330, thereby avoiding the situation where the turning point of the connecting rope 350 breaks due to friction caused by long-term contact with the guide rail 330.

[0038] To better understand this invention, the following is combined with... Figure 1 - Figure 2 The working principle of the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below:

[0039] In use, both water tanks 110 are filled with seawater. When the hull 1 tilts to the left, the left side of the hull 1 is lower than the right side. The seawater in the right water tank 110 flows into the left water tank 110 along the water pipe 210. On the one hand, the increased seawater in the left water tank 110 pushes the left piston 320 upward, causing the left connecting rope 350 to bend. The left counterweight 340 loses the force exerted on it by the left piston 320, which moves it to the left side of the hull 1. The left elastic element 360 can pull the left counterweight 340 towards the center of the hull 1, generating a rightward restoring torque. On the other hand, the right water tank... As the seawater level decreases, the piston 320 on the right loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater. Under its own weight, the piston 320 moves downwards, pulling the counterweight 340 on the right towards the right side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350. As the piston 320 on the left moves upwards, the air chamber 120 on the left shrinks, increasing the pressure inside. As the piston 320 on the right moves downwards, the air chamber 120 on the right expands, decreasing the pressure inside. Air from the air chamber 120 on the left flows into the air chamber 120 on the right along the air pipe 220, exerting downward pressure on the piston 320 on the right, pushing it... The piston 320 continues to move downwards, pulling the right-side counterweight 340 towards the right side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350, generating another rightward restoring torque. These two rightward restoring torques can counteract the port roll. When the hull 1 rolls to the right, the right side of the hull 1 is lower than the left side. Seawater in the left-side water tank 110 flows into the right-side water tank 110 via the water pipe 210. This increases the amount of seawater in the right-side water tank 110, pushing the right-side piston 320 upwards. The right-side connecting rope 350 bends, and the right-side counterweight 340 loses the force exerted by the right-side piston 320 to move it towards the right side of the hull 1. The elastic element 360 can pull the right-side counterweight 340 towards the center of the hull 1, generating a restoring torque to the left. Meanwhile, the seawater in the left-side water tank 110 decreases, and the left-side piston 320 loses the upward buoyancy exerted on it by the seawater. Under its own weight, the left-side piston 320 moves downward, pulling the left-side counterweight 340 towards the left side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350. As the right-side piston 320 moves upward, the right-side air chamber 120 shrinks, and the pressure inside the right-side air chamber 120 increases. Conversely, as the left-side piston 320 moves downward, the left-side air chamber 120 expands, and the pressure inside the left-side air chamber 120 decreases.Air from the right-side air chamber 120 flows into the left-side air chamber 120 via the air pipe 220, applying downward pressure to the left-side piston 320. This pushes the left-side piston 320 downward, pulling the left-side counterweight 340 towards the left side of the hull 1 via the connecting rope 350, generating another leftward restoring torque. These two leftward restoring torques counteract the starboard roll. This ballast water self-balancing device, through the displacement of the counterweight 340 to generate a reverse restoring torque, effectively reduces the ship's roll amplitude and shortens the roll period. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for active actuators such as motors or hydraulic systems, achieving zero-power self-balancing solely through mechanical structures and fluid pressure, thus significantly saving ship energy consumption.

[0040] The self-balancing device for ship ballast water provided by this invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0041] (1) The ballast water self-balancing device of this ship has high structural reliability, simple mechanical structure, is not easy to be damaged, uses seawater corrosion resistant materials, has long component life, can be used for a long time, and has low maintenance cost.

[0042] (2) This ship ballast water self-balancing device is based on the ship's ballast water tank and is suitable for all ships that are compatible with ballast water tanks, especially for ships with a low center of gravity such as ore carriers. It can work stably under full load or empty load conditions, solving the pain point of "insufficient stability" of such ships.

[0043] (3) The ballast water self-balancing device of this ship generates a reverse restoring torque through the displacement of the counterweight block 340, which can effectively reduce the ship's roll amplitude and shorten the roll cycle. Moreover, it does not require active drives such as motors and hydraulic systems, but achieves zero-power self-balancing through mechanical structure and fluid pressure, which can greatly save the ship's energy consumption.

[0044] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A ship ballast water self-balancing device, installed in the hull, characterized in that, include: Two compartments are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the hull. Each compartment includes a water tank and an air chamber. The water tank is filled with seawater, and the air chamber is located above the water tank and is used to hold air at a preset pressure. The connecting pipeline includes a water pipe, an air pipe, and a flow limiting valve. The two ends of the water pipe are respectively connected to the two water tanks, and the two ends of the air pipe are respectively connected to the two air chambers. There are two air pipes, one end of each of the two air pipes is connected to the two air chambers, and the two ends of the flow limiting valve are respectively connected to the other ends of the two air pipes. The flow limiting valve is used to allow the gas in the two air chambers to exchange slowly. Two adjustment mechanisms are respectively installed in the two compartments, each including a conduit, a piston, a guide rail, a counterweight, a connecting rope, and an elastic element. The lower end of the conduit communicates with the water tank, and the upper end of the conduit communicates with the air chamber. The piston is slidably installed inside the conduit. The guide rail is installed above the conduit and located inside the air chamber, extending along the width direction of the hull. The counterweight is slidably connected to the guide rail. The connecting rope connects the piston and the counterweight. The elastic element is connected to the counterweight to apply a force to the counterweight, causing it to move towards the center of the hull. The connecting rope has a first section and a second section that are connected to each other. The first section is in a vertical position and its end is connected to the piston. The second section is parallel to the guide rail and its end is connected to the end of the counterweight away from the center of the hull. One end of the elastic element is connected to the inner wall of the air chamber, and the other end of the elastic element is connected to the end of the counterweight near the center of the hull.

2. The ship ballast water self-balancing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the hull is in a balanced state, the water pipe is horizontal, the air pipe is horizontal, the duct is vertical, and the guide rail is horizontal.

3. The ship ballast water self-balancing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piston includes a piston body and a sealing ring. The outer side wall of the piston body has a mounting groove with a closed structure. The sealing ring is embedded in the mounting groove and is used to abut against the wall of the conduit.

4. The ship ballast water self-balancing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the connecting rope is connected to the piston, and the other end of the connecting rope is connected to the end of the counterweight away from the center of the hull.

5. The ship ballast water self-balancing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic element is a spring, and the spring is parallel to the guide rail.

6. The ship ballast water self-balancing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism also includes a pulley, which is disposed above the guide tube and corresponds to the piston. The pulley frame is fixedly connected to the end of the guide rail away from the center of the hull, and the pulley body is used for the connecting rope to slide around.

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