A device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline

Abstract

The invention discloses a device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline, comprising a main body mechanism, a grasping mechanism, a cruising mechanism and a cleaning mechanism; wherein the main body mechanism is used to carry the grasping mechanism, the cruising mechanism and the cleaning mechanism, the grasping mechanism is used to grasp the submarine pipeline to prevent the device from shaking, the cruising mechanism is used to make the entire device move on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline, and the cleaning mechanism is used to clean the outer surface of the submarine pipeline; the device for cleaning the outer surface of the submarine pipeline in the invention can be tightly held on the submarine pipeline and can move on the submarine pipeline. When marine organisms such as oysters and barnacles grow on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline or there is rust, the marine organisms and rust on the surface of the submarine pipeline are cleaned by using a high-pressure water jet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of marine equipment, and in particular to a device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline. Background Art

[0002] Submarine pipelines are the main means of offshore oil and gas transportation. Due to the particularity of the submarine environment, the conditions for laying and maintaining submarine pipelines are also extremely harsh. How to ensure their safety during use is particularly important. Submarine pipelines have sections buried in the seabed and exposed sections. Because the exposed sections have been in the seabed environment for a long time, marine organisms such as oysters and barnacles will grow. Some submarine pipelines may even rust, which will cause corrosion and damage to the submarine pipelines, causing the pipelines to deteriorate. However, the current robots for cleaning submarine pipelines focus on cleaning the inner surface of the pipeline, and there is no mature application for cleaning technology on the outer surface of submarine pipelines.

[0003] In summary, providing a submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device is an issue that needs to be urgently addressed by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art. The device can be tightly held on the submarine pipeline and can move on the submarine pipeline. When marine organisms such as oysters and barnacles grow on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline or there is rust, the marine organisms and rust on the surface of the submarine pipeline are cleaned by using high-pressure water jets.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline, comprising a main body mechanism, a grasping mechanism, a cruising mechanism and a cleaning mechanism; wherein the main body mechanism is used to carry the grasping mechanism, the cruising mechanism and the cleaning mechanism, the grasping mechanism is used to grasp the submarine pipeline to prevent the device from shaking, the cruising mechanism is used to make the entire device move on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline, and the cleaning mechanism is used to clean the outer surface of the submarine pipeline;

[0007] The main body mechanism comprises a main body support, a cruise arm support and a slide plate; the main body support comprises a support plate and four support legs arranged at the four corners of the bottom of the support plate, the bottom of each support leg is connected to a grab arm of the grab mechanism, and the grab arm is controlled by a grab cylinder to hold or loosen the submarine pipeline; two cruise arm supports are respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the main body support, each cruise arm support is connected to the walking crawler through a cruise arm, and the cruise arm is controlled to rotate by a cruise cylinder; the slide plate is arranged at the bottom of the support plate, and a slider driven to slide by a screw mechanism is arranged on the slide plate, and the two sides of the slider are connected to the cleaning mechanism;

[0008] The main support is also equipped with a pipeline detector, a controller and a power supply system. The pipeline detector is used to detect whether there are foreign objects that need to be cleaned on the surface of the submarine pipeline. The pipeline detector is electrically connected to the controller. The signal of the pipeline detector is transmitted to the controller, and the controller controls the operation of the grasping mechanism, the cruising mechanism and the cleaning mechanism. The power supply system is used to supply power to the entire device.

[0009] Preferably, a Y-shaped support frame opening downward is respectively provided at the head and tail ends of the support plate, the cruise arm bracket is arranged on the Y-shaped support frame, and a lifting ear is arranged on the top of the support plate.

[0010] Preferably, a grabbing cylinder is installed on the outer side of each supporting leg, the top of the cylinder body of the grabbing cylinder is hinged to the supporting leg, and the top of the grabbing arm is provided with two hinge points, one of the hinge points is hinged to the bottom end of the telescopic rod of the grabbing cylinder, and the other hinge point is hinged to the bottom end of the supporting leg, and the bottom end of the grabbing arm is provided with a grabbing claw.

[0011] Preferably, an upper oil cylinder is respectively provided at both ends of the bottom of the slide plate, and the upper oil cylinder is used to extend and tighten the pipeline.

[0012] Preferably, the cruise cylinder is arranged at the top of the cruise arm bracket, the cylinder body of the cruise cylinder is hinged to the Y-shaped support frame, and two hinge points are arranged at one end of the cruise arm close to the cruise arm bracket, the top hinge point is hinged to the telescopic rod of the cruise cylinder, and the bottom hinge point is hinged to the end of the cruise arm bracket away from the Y-shaped support frame, and the end of the cruise arm away from the cruise arm bracket is connected to the walking track.

[0013] Preferably, the screw mechanism includes a screw and a screw motor, the two ends of the screw are supported by two Y-shaped support frames, one end of the screw passes through the Y-shaped support frame to connect to the screw motor, the slider is threadedly connected to the screw, and the bottom of the slider is slidably connected to the slide plate.

[0014] Preferably, the cleaning mechanism includes a base, a robotic arm and a nozzle, and a base is provided on each side of the slider. The base is a rotating base that can rotate 360° around the center of the base. The outer sides of the two bases are connected to the robotic arm, and the nozzle is provided at the end of the robotic arm, and the nozzle is driven by the robotic arm to move.

[0015] Preferably, the nozzle is a rotating nozzle, and the nozzle is connected to a high-pressure pump set on shore.

[0016] Preferably, the pipeline detector is a sensor or a camera installed on the main support.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device provided by the present invention realizes the walking and fixing of the cleaning device on the submarine pipeline by arranging a grasping mechanism and a cruising mechanism, and is combined with the cleaning mechanism to realize the cleaning operation on the submarine pipeline surface. When marine organisms such as oysters and barnacles grow on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline or there is rust, the marine organisms and rust on the surface of the submarine pipeline are cleaned by using a high-pressure water jet sprayed from a nozzle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the main mechanism in the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the grabbing mechanism in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cruising mechanism in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cleaning mechanism in the present invention;

[0025] In the figure: 1 is the main mechanism, 1-1 is the main support, 1-2 is the slide plate, 1-3 is the cruise arm support, 1-4 is the Y-type support frame, 1-5 is the lifting ear, 2 is the grabbing mechanism, 2-1 is the grabbing cylinder, 2-2 is the upper cylinder, 2-3 is the grabbing arm, 2-4 is the grabbing claw, 3 is the cruise mechanism, 3-1 is the cruise cylinder, 3-2 is the cruise arm, 3-3 is the crawler, 4 is the cleaning mechanism, 4-1 is the slider, 4-2 is the base, 4-3 is the mechanical arm, 4-4 is the nozzle, 4-5 is the screw mechanism, 4-6 is the screw motor, and 5 is the submarine pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 1-Figure 5 As shown, it includes a main body mechanism 1, a grasping mechanism 2, a cruising mechanism 3 and a cleaning mechanism 4; wherein the main body mechanism 1 is used to carry the grasping mechanism 2, the cruising mechanism 3 and the cleaning mechanism 4, the grasping mechanism 2 is used to grasp the submarine pipeline 5 to prevent the device from shaking, the cruising mechanism 3 is used to make the entire device walk on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline 5, and the cleaning mechanism 4 is used to clean the outer surface of the submarine pipeline 5;

[0030] The main mechanism 1 includes a main frame 1-1, a cruise arm frame 1-3 and a slide plate 1-2; the main frame 1-1 includes a support plate and four support legs arranged at the four corners of the bottom of the support plate, the bottom of each support leg is connected to a grab arm 2-3 of a grab mechanism 2, and the grab arm 2-3 is controlled by a grab cylinder 2-1 to hold or release the submarine pipeline 5; two cruise arm frames 1-3 are respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the main frame 1-1, each cruise arm frame 1-3 is connected to a walking crawler 3-3 through a cruise arm 3-2, and the cruise arm 3-2 is controlled to rotate by a cruise cylinder 3-1; the slide plate 1-2 is arranged at the bottom of the support plate, and a slider 4-1 driven to slide by a screw mechanism 4-5 is arranged on the slide plate 1-2, and the two sides of the slider 4-1 are connected to the cleaning mechanism 4;

[0031] A pipeline detector, a controller and a power supply system are also installed on the main support 1-1. The pipeline detector is used to detect whether there are foreign objects that need to be cleaned on the surface of the submarine pipeline 5. The pipeline detector is electrically connected to the controller. The signal of the pipeline detector is transmitted to the controller, and the controller controls the operation of the grasping mechanism 2, the cruising mechanism 3 and the cleaning mechanism 4. The power supply system is used to supply power to the entire device.

[0032] In this specific embodiment, a Y-shaped support frame 1-4 with a downward opening is respectively provided at the head and tail ends of the support plate, the cruise arm bracket 1-3 is arranged on the Y-shaped support frame 1-4, the longitudinal rod body at the top of the Y-shaped support frame 1-4 is connected to the support plate, and the two inclined legs at the bottom of the Y-shaped support frame 1-4 straddle the submarine pipeline 5.

[0033] In this embodiment, a lifting lug 1-5 is provided on the top of the support plate, and the provision of the lifting lug 1-5 facilitates the lifting of the entire device by a crane.

[0034] In this specific embodiment, a grabbing cylinder 2-1 is installed on the outside of each supporting leg. The top of the cylinder body of the grabbing cylinder 2-1 is hinged to the supporting leg. The top of the grabbing arm 2-3 is provided with two hinge points, one hinge point is hinged to the bottom end of the telescopic rod of the grabbing cylinder 2-1, and the other hinge point is hinged to the bottom end of the supporting leg. The bottom end of the grabbing arm 2-3 is provided with a grab claw 2-4. A top cylinder 2-2 is also provided at both ends of the bottom of the slide 1-2, and the top cylinder 2-2 is used to extend and compress the pipeline. When it is necessary to grab the pipeline, the extension of the grabbing cylinder 2-1 drives the grabbing arm 2-3 to rotate downward, thereby driving the grab claw 2-4 to compress the pipeline, and then the top cylinder 2-2 extends and compresses the pipeline. Thereby, the two grab claws 2-4 and the top cylinder 2-2 form a triangular fulcrum, making the grabbing more firm.

[0035] In this specific embodiment, the cruise cylinder 3-1 is arranged at the top of the cruise arm bracket 1-3, the cylinder body of the cruise cylinder 3-1 is hinged to the Y-shaped support frame 1-4, and the end of the cruise arm 3-2 close to the cruise arm bracket 1-3 is provided with two hinge points, the top hinge point is hinged to the telescopic rod of the cruise cylinder 3-1, and the bottom hinge point is hinged to the end of the cruise arm bracket 1-3 away from the Y-shaped support frame 1-4, and the end of the cruise arm 3-2 away from the cruise arm bracket 1-3 is connected to the walking track 3-3. When cruising is required, the cruise cylinder 3-1 extends, driving the cruise arm 3-2 to rotate downward, so that the track 3-3 is close to the submarine pipeline 5, and then the autonomous forward and backward movement is achieved through the track 3-3. When cleaning operations are required, the cruise cylinder 3-1 shrinks, driving the cruise arm 3-2 to rotate upward, so that the track 3-3 is separated from the submarine pipeline 5.

[0036] In this specific embodiment, the screw mechanism 4-5 includes a screw and a screw motor 4-6, the two ends of the screw are supported by two Y-shaped support frames 1-4, one end of the screw passes through the Y-shaped support frame 1-4 to connect the screw motor 4-6, the slider 4-1 is threadedly connected to the screw, and the bottom of the slider 4-1 is slidably connected to the slide 1-2. The screw motor 4-6 drives the screw to rotate, driving the slider 4-1 to slide forward and backward along the slide 1-2, thereby realizing the forward and backward movement of the cleaning mechanism 4.

[0037] In this specific embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 4 includes a base 4-2, a mechanical arm 4-3 and a nozzle 4-4. A base 4-2 is provided on both sides of the slider 4-1. The base 4-2 is a rotating base 4-2 that can rotate 360° around the center of the base 4-2. Specifically, the base 4-2 can be driven to rotate by embedding a motor in the slider 4-1. The outer sides of the two bases 4-2 are connected to the mechanical arm 4-3. The nozzle 4-4 is provided at the end of the mechanical arm 4-3, and the mechanical arm 4-3 drives the nozzle 4-4 to move. The mechanical arm 4-3 is composed of two joints, each of which is driven to rotate by an underwater motor; the nozzle 4-4 is a rotating nozzle 4-4, and the nozzle is connected to the high-pressure pump group on the shore, which can spray a columnar high-pressure water jet, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

[0038] In this specific embodiment, the pipeline detector is a sensor or camera installed on the main support 1-1 (the sensor can be of various types, such as eddy current probes and magnetic leakage detection to detect cracks on the pipeline surface, and ultrasonic probes to see if there are foreign objects on the surface); when the sensor or camera detects the presence of marine organisms or rust on the submarine pipeline 5, it transmits a signal to the controller, which controls the various parts to perform corresponding operations. The movement of the crawler 3-3 can be automatically controlled by the controller or remotely controlled manually.

[0039] The specific working process of the device for cleaning the outer surface of the submarine pipeline 5 of the present invention is as follows:

[0040] (1) Cruise operations;

[0041] The submarine pipeline 5 outer surface cleaning device of the present invention is hoisted to an exposed section of a submarine pipeline 5 through the lifting lug 1-5, the cruise cylinder 3-1 in the cruise mechanism 3 is extended, and the controller controls the crawler 3-3 to move or the crawler 3-3 is driven forward by remote control until marine organisms or rust are found on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline 5 through the sensor or camera.

[0042] (3) Grasping and holding operations;

[0043] When marine organisms or rust are found, the crawler 3-3 stops moving, the grabbing cylinder 2-1 and the upper cylinder 2-2 extend, so that the whole device holds the pipeline tightly, and then the cruising cylinder 3-1 contracts to make the crawler 3-3 detach from the pipeline.

[0044] (4) Cleaning operations;

[0045] The screw motor 4-6 works, causing the slider 4-1 to drive the cleaning mechanism 4 to the front end, and the nozzle 4-4 starts to spray high-pressure water jets. The mechanical arm 4-3 starts to move and drives the nozzle 4-4 to rotate 360 ​​degrees along the circumference of the pipe. The high-pressure water jet cleans marine organisms or rust. After cleaning a certain annular belt, the screw motor 4-6 drives the cleaning mechanism 4 to continue to move and continue cleaning.

[0046] (5) Cruise operations;

[0047] After cleaning the area, the crawler 3-3 is driven to move forward autonomously or by human remote control. After the exposed section of the entire submarine pipeline 5 is cleaned, the entire device is hoisted by a crane.

[0048] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device, characterized in that: It includes a main body mechanism, a grasping mechanism, a cruising mechanism and a cleaning mechanism; wherein the main body mechanism is used to carry the grasping mechanism, the cruising mechanism and the cleaning mechanism, the grasping mechanism is used to grasp the submarine pipeline to prevent the device from shaking, the cruising mechanism is used to make the entire device walk on the outer surface of the submarine pipeline, and the cleaning mechanism is used to clean the outer surface of the submarine pipeline; The main body mechanism includes a main body support, a cruise arm support and a slide plate; the main body support includes a support plate and four support legs arranged at the four corners of the bottom of the support plate, the bottom of each support leg is connected to a grab arm of the grab mechanism, and the grab arm is controlled by a grab cylinder to hold or loosen the submarine pipeline; two cruise arm supports are respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the main body support, each cruise arm support is connected to the walking crawler through a cruise arm, and the cruise arm is controlled to rotate by the cruise cylinder; the head and tail ends of the support plate are respectively provided with a Y-shaped support frame with a downward opening, and the cruise arm support is arranged on the Y-shaped support frame; The cruise oil cylinder is arranged at the top of the cruise arm bracket, the cylinder body of the cruise oil cylinder is hinged to the Y-shaped support frame, and the end of the cruise arm close to the cruise arm bracket is provided with two hinge points, the top hinge point is hinged to the telescopic rod of the cruise oil cylinder, and the bottom hinge point is hinged to the end of the cruise arm bracket away from the Y-shaped support frame, and the end of the cruise arm away from the cruise arm bracket is connected to the walking crawler; The slide plate is arranged at the bottom of the support plate, and a slider driven to slide by a screw mechanism is arranged on the slide plate, and the two sides of the slider are connected to the cleaning mechanism; The main support is also equipped with a pipeline detector, a controller and a power supply system. The pipeline detector is used to detect whether there are foreign objects that need to be cleaned on the surface of the submarine pipeline. The pipeline detector is electrically connected to the controller. The signal of the pipeline detector is transmitted to the controller, and the controller controls the operation of the grasping mechanism, the cruising mechanism and the cleaning mechanism. The power supply system is used to supply power to the entire device.

2. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A lifting lug is arranged on the top of the support plate.

3. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A grabbing cylinder is installed on the outer side of each supporting leg, the top of the cylinder body of the grabbing cylinder is hinged to the supporting leg, and the top of the grabbing arm is provided with two hinge points, one of which is hinged to the bottom end of the telescopic rod of the grabbing cylinder, and the other is hinged to the bottom end of the supporting leg. The bottom end of the grabbing arm is provided with a grabbing claw.

4. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 3 is characterized in that: An upper oil cylinder is also provided at both ends of the bottom of the slide plate, and the upper oil cylinder is used to extend and compress the pipeline.

5. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The screw mechanism includes a screw and a screw motor, the two ends of the screw are supported by two Y-shaped support frames, one end of the screw passes through the Y-shaped support frame to connect to the screw motor, the slider is threadedly connected to the screw, and the bottom of the slider is slidably connected to the slide plate.

6. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The cleaning mechanism includes a base, a robotic arm and a nozzle. A base is provided on each side of the slider. The base is a rotating base that can rotate 360° around the center of the base. The outer sides of the two bases are connected to the robotic arms. The nozzle is provided at the end of the robotic arm, and the nozzle is driven by the robotic arm to move.

7. The device for cleaning the outer surface of a submarine pipeline according to claim 6, characterized in that: The nozzle is a rotating nozzle, and the nozzle is connected to a high-pressure pump group on the shore.

8. The submarine pipeline outer surface cleaning device according to claim 1 is characterized by: The pipeline detector is a sensor or a camera installed on the main support.

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