A detachable anti-ice device applicable to floating offshore platforms

Abstract

The present invention provides a detachable anti-icing device applicable to a floating ocean platform. The present invention includes a curved plate main body, a curved plate main body position adjusting device, and an ice-breaking mechanism. The ice-breaking mechanism is disposed on the curved plate main body, and the curved plate main body position adjusting device is connected to the curved plate main body and is used to adjust the height of the curved plate main body, change the position where the curved plate contacts sea ice, so as to ensure that the curved plate has a proper cone angle to minimize the influence of ice loads. The present invention can not only improve the anti-icing performance of the platform during the icing period, prevent the platform from being damaged by ice loads during offshore operations, but also ensure its normal operation under wave loads during the ice-free period. The present invention is detachable and flexible in use, avoiding direct contact between sea ice and structures, which is beneficial to anti-icing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of ocean engineering, and particularly to a detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating ocean platform. Background Art

[0002] The Arctic has become a key focus of high attention for various marine powers due to its huge oil and gas resources. In order to develop the oil and gas resources in the Arctic Sea area, countries have started to research equipment for polar exploitation and transportation, including semi-submersible ocean platforms, cylindrical ocean platforms, floating production storage and offloading units (FPSOs), and drilling ships, etc. Among them, the semi-submersible ocean platform is considered to be one of the equipment very suitable for entering the Arctic Sea area for offshore operations after optimization design. Currently, the semi-submersible ocean platforms capable of conducting offshore operations in the Arctic Sea area are still in the research stage, and related technical problems have not been overcome. Marine structures operating in the Arctic Sea area need to consider the influence of ice loads. The semi-submersible ocean platform must have the ability to resist ice in order to minimize the impact of ice loads on the structure. Currently, most of the most common ice-resistant devices adopt the structure of adding cones or inclined planes. The cone and inclined plane structures can change the failure mode of sea ice from extrusion crushing to bending failure, which can greatly reduce the local ice force and overall ice force borne by the structure. Adding ice-resistant cones on the columns and adopting a new type of column with a straight upper part and an inclined lower part can both enable the semi-submersible ocean platform to have ice-resistant performance. However, it has drawbacks, that is, changing the shape of the column will inevitably affect the waterplane area of the structure, thereby affecting the movement of the platform under wave loads. At the same time, the inability to be disassembled also makes its operation and maintenance less convenient. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A semi-submersible ocean platform operating in the Arctic Sea area needs to be equipped with an ice-resistant device, otherwise it is very difficult to exploit resources in the ice area. In order to improve the ice-resistant performance of the platform and not affect the influence of wave loads on it during the ice-free period, a detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating ocean platform is provided. The technical means adopted by the present invention are as follows:

[0004] A detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating ocean platform includes a curved plate main body, a curved plate main body position adjusting device, and an ice-breaking mechanism. The ice-breaking mechanism is arranged on the curved plate main body. The curved plate main body position adjusting device is connected to the curved plate main body and is used to adjust the height of the curved plate main body, change the position where the curved plate contacts the sea ice to ensure that the curved plate has a suitable cone angle to minimize the influence of ice loads.

[0005] Further, the curved plate main body position adjusting device includes a pulley system and a chain. The pulley system is installed on the floating ocean platform, and the chain is connected above the curved plate main body after passing around the pulley.

[0006] Further, the curved plate body has a structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, that is, the arc length above the curved plate body is greater than the arc length below, and the curved plate smoothly transitions from top to bottom.

[0007] Further, the ice-breaking mechanism includes the pointed corners of a plurality of cones arranged on the curved plate body, the pointed corners of the cones facing outward, and the cones are radially arranged around the outer edge of the curved plate near the water line.

[0008] Further, the floating offshore platform includes an upper deck, columns, and pontoons, and the contour of the curved plate body wraps around the columns while maintaining a certain interval.

[0009] Further, the bottom of the curved plate body is limited at the lowest end through the grooves on the pontoons.

[0010] Further, the grooves include two steel plates arranged side by side.

[0011] The present invention can not only improve the anti-icing performance of the platform during the icing period, prevent the platform from being damaged by ice loads during offshore operations, but also ensure its normal operation under wave loads during the ice-free period. The present invention is detachable and flexible in use. The curved surface design that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom will convert the extrusion damage between sea ice and the vertical structure into bending damage. The curved plate separates the sea ice from the columns, avoiding the direct contact between sea ice and the structure, which is beneficial for anti-icing. The inverted cone design near the water plane will reduce the influence of ice loads and prevent the accumulation of broken ice. The pointed corners facing outward on the outer surface can break large pieces of sea ice, avoiding the generation of high-pressure areas. The lower part of the anti-icing device is placed in the grooves of the pontoons, playing a fixing role to prevent the lower part of the device from colliding with the columns under the impact of sea ice. The upper part of the anti-icing device is connected to the deck through pulleys and chains, and the position of the entire device when it contacts the sea ice can be adjusted at any time to find the optimal anti-icing angle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a left view of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the pulley connection of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the morphology of the curved plate main body of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the groove structure of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure: 1. Pulley system; 2. Chain connecting the anti-icing device and the upper deck; 3. Curved plate with a narrow upper part and a wide lower part; 4. Sharp corner for ice breaking; 5. Groove placed on the buoy. Specific embodiments

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 shown, the embodiments of the present invention disclose a detachable anti-icing device applicable to a floating offshore platform. The floating offshore platform includes an upper deck, columns and buoys. Each column is protected by an anti-icing device. Only one of them is shown in the figure and is used during the icing period. The present invention specifically includes a curved plate main body, a curved plate main body position adjusting device and an ice breaking mechanism. The ice breaking mechanism is arranged on the curved plate main body. The curved plate main body position adjusting device is connected to the curved plate main body and is used to adjust the height of the curved plate main body, change the position where the curved plate contacts the sea ice to ensure that the curved plate has a suitable cone angle to minimize the influence of ice load.

[0021] The curved plate main body position adjusting device includes a pulley system and a chain. The pulley system is installed on the floating offshore platform. The chain is wound around the pulley and connected above the curved plate main body. In this embodiment, the anti-icing device is connected to the upper deck by 4 chains. The chains have sufficient length and are stretched by the pulley system. For the layout of the pulley system and the chain, see Figure 3 (Only two pulley systems and chains are shown in the figure). As Figure 5 shown, the bottom of the curved plate main body is limited at the lowest end through the groove on the buoy. The groove includes two steel plates arranged side by side, which can not only prevent the curved plate from floating around and failing to play a protective role, but also avoid the lower part of the device from contacting the column and being damaged by continuous collision.

[0022] When the present invention is in use, the lower part is fixed by the groove; the upper part uses pulleys and chains to increase flexibility and can adjust the angle.

[0023] The ice resistance of an inverted cone is better than that of a regular cone, and the inverted cone design can avoid the accumulation of broken ice. Therefore, as a preferred embodiment, the curved plate is designed to have a wider upper part and a narrower lower part to ensure that a form similar to an inverted cone is presented near the waterline, that is, the arc length above the main body of the curved plate is greater than that below, and the curved plate smoothly transitions from top to bottom. The contour of the main body of the curved plate wraps around the column while maintaining a certain interval, avoiding the phenomenon that the ice-resistant device moves inward and collides with the column under the action of sea ice.

[0024] In this embodiment, the ice-breaking mechanism includes the pointed corners of a plurality of cones arranged on the main body of the curved plate. The pointed corners of the cones face outward, and the cones are radially arranged around the outer edge of the curved plate near the waterline. The pointed corners of the cones facing outward can, to a certain extent, eliminate the impact of large pieces of ice. This design can prevent the high-pressure area generated during the interaction between sea ice and the structure, and reduce the influence of ice load and structural vibration. Considering the change of tidal range, the cones are radially arranged around the outer edge of the curved plate near the waterline. For the specific situation of the curved plate and the pointed corners, see Figure 4 .

[0025] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A detachable anti-ice device applicable to a floating offshore platform, characterized in that, Comprising: A curved plate main body, a curved plate main body position adjusting device, and an ice-breaking mechanism. The ice-breaking mechanism is arranged on the curved plate main body, and the curved plate main body position adjusting device is connected to the curved plate main body and is used to adjust the height of the curved plate main body, change the position where the curved plate contacts the sea ice to ensure that the curved plate has a proper cone angle to minimize the influence of ice load; The curved plate main body position adjusting device includes a pulley system and a chain. The pulley system is installed on the floating offshore platform, and the chain is connected above the curved plate main body after passing around the pulley; The floating offshore platform includes an upper deck, columns, and pontoons. The outline of the curved plate main body wraps around the columns while maintaining a certain interval; The bottom of the curved plate main body is limited at the lowest end through a groove on the pontoon.

2. The detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating offshore platform according to claim 1, wherein The curved plate main body has a structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, that is, the arc length above the curved plate main body is greater than the arc length below, and the curved plate smoothly transitions from top to bottom.

3. The detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating ocean platform according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ice-breaking mechanism includes the sharp corners of a plurality of cones arranged on the curved plate main body. The sharp corners of the cones face outward, and the cones are radially arranged around the outer edge of the curved plate near the water line.

4. The detachable ice-resistant device applicable to a floating offshore platform according to claim 1, wherein, The groove includes two steel plates arranged side by side.

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