suction anchor

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a suction anchor, comprising: a cylinder body, the top of which is sealed by a top plate, and the bottom of which is open, the cylinder body comprising a first section, a second section and a connecting section, the first section being arranged above the second section and concentrically with the second section, the diameter of the first section being larger than that of the second section, the top end of the second section being lower than the bottom end of the first section and being connected therebetween by the connecting section arranged obliquely; and a drainage valve arranged on the top plate for being connected with a suction pump to drain seawater in the cylinder body to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure. The top of the cylinder body of the present disclosure is sealed by the top plate, and the bottom is open, the top plate being provided with the drainage valve for being connected with the suction pump, the seawater in the cylinder body being drained by the suction pump to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure when penetrating, the diameter of the first section of the cylinder body being larger than that of the second section, the soil in the cylinder body rising slowly after the cross-sectional area increases during the penetration of the suction anchor, thereby weakening the soil plug effect, and the height difference between the soil inside and outside the cylinder body being reduced after the final sinking ends.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of ocean engineering anchoring, in particular, to a suction anchor. BACKGROUND

[0002] The suction anchor is a kind of ocean engineering anchoring structure sunk by suction, which has the advantages of simple construction, safety and reliability, and reusability. Since the first application of the suction anchor in the shallow sea area of China in the 1990s and the success, the suction anchor has become one of the widely used mooring anchor types in the field of ocean engineering.

[0003] During the penetration process of the suction anchor, the soil plug phenomenon of soil uplift often occurs inside the suction anchor, which causes the suction anchor to be unable to fully penetrate the seabed, resulting in a decrease in its bearing capacity. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a suction anchor that can alleviate the soil plug phenomenon and increase its bearing capacity.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present disclosure provides a suction anchor, comprising: a cylinder body, the top of which is sealed by a top plate, and the bottom of which is open, the cylinder body comprising a first section, a second section and a connecting section, the first section being arranged above the second section and being arranged concentrically with the second section, the diameter of the first section being greater than the diameter of the second section, the top end of the second section being lower than the bottom end of the first section and being connected by the connecting section arranged obliquely therebetween; and a drainage valve arranged on the top plate for connecting with a suction pump to drain seawater in the cylinder body to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure.

[0006] Optionally, the cylinder body comprises a first shell and a second shell with side openings, the first shell being arranged opposite to the second shell and the open ends of the two being connected by two groups of connecting plates to increase the contact area of the cylinder body with the soil, the connecting plates comprising first connecting plates for connecting the first section, second connecting plates for connecting the connecting section and third connecting plates for connecting the second section.

[0007] Optionally, the cross section of the first shell and the second shell is arc-shaped.

[0008] Optionally, the cylinder body is divided into several chambers by the partition plates arranged at intervals, the top of each chamber is provided with the drainage valve to control the pressure in the plurality of chambers respectively, and the partition plates extend vertically downward from the top plate to the bottom end of the cylinder body.

[0009] Optionally, a plurality of through holes are arranged at intervals at the top of the partition plate to make the several chambers communicate with each other.

[0010] Optionally, the suction anchor further comprises a slide rail arranged on the outer side of the barrel and parallel to the axis of the barrel, used to cooperate with an inclined slide rail arranged on the ship body to make the suction anchor enter the water.

[0011] Optionally, the slide rail comprises two support plates arranged in parallel and spaced apart, the cross section of the support plate is configured as a V shape, the opening side of the V shape is connected with the barrel, and the support plate comprises a first part connected with the first section, a second part connected with the second section, and a third part connected with the connecting section and arranged obliquely.

[0012] Optionally, the suction anchor further comprises an ear and a mooring cable, the ear is arranged on the vertical center line outside the third connecting plate, the ear protrudes from the length of the connecting plate by less than the difference between the radii of the first section and the second section, and one end of the mooring cable is connected with the ear.

[0013] Optionally, the suction anchor further comprises a cable pipe shaft arranged on the top plate for winding the mooring cable, and the other end of the mooring cable is provided with an inflatable float.

[0014] Optionally, the suction anchor further comprises a lifting ring, the top of the barrel is provided with an extension section extending out of the top plate, and the lifting ring is arranged on the extension section.

[0015] Through the above technical solution, in the suction anchor provided by the present disclosure, the top of the barrel is sealed by the top plate, the bottom is open, the top plate is provided with a drainage valve for connecting a suction pump, the suction pump discharges seawater in the barrel during penetration to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure, the barrel comprises a first section, a second section and a connecting section, the diameter of the first section is greater than the diameter of the second section, which makes the soil in the barrel rise slowly after the cross-sectional area increases during the penetration of the suction anchor, thereby weakening the soil plug effect, reducing the height difference between the soil inside and outside the barrel after the final sinking ends, and the larger diameter of the first section can increase the contact area with the soil to increase the bearing capacity of the suction anchor, and the inclined arrangement of the connecting section can reduce the resistance when the barrel sinks, making it easier to sink into the soil.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification, and together with the specific embodiments below, serve to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation on the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the suction anchor described in the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2is a top view of the suction anchor described in the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 is a side view of the suction anchor described in the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a structural schematic view of the support plate described in the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 is a structural schematic view of the partition plate described in the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic view of the suction anchor when entering water described in the present disclosure.

[0024] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] 1, barrel; 11, first section; 12, connecting section; 13, second section; 14, outer extension section; 15, first shell; 16, second shell; 17, connecting plate; 171, first connecting plate; 172, second connecting plate; 173, third connecting plate; 18, top plate; 2, drain valve; 3, lifting lug; 4, mooring cable; 5, inflatable buoy; 6, cable stub shaft; 7, lifting ring; 8, slide rail; 81, support plate; 811, first part; 812, third part; 813, second part; 9, partition plate; 91, through hole; 10, ship body; 101, slide way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely intended to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0027] In the present disclosure, the orientation words such as "up, down, top, bottom" used without the opposite description generally refer to the up, down, top, bottom of the corresponding components in the direction of gravity in the use state, and "inner, outer" refers to the inner, outer relative to the outline of the component or structure itself. In addition, it should be noted that the terms such as "first, second" used are to distinguish one element from another element, and do not have sequentiality and importance. In addition, in the description with reference to the drawings, the same reference signs in different drawings represent the same elements.

[0028] As Figures 1-6As shown, the present disclosure provides a suction anchor, which is an important deepwater offshore floating platform anchoring foundation. The suction anchor is anchored on the seabed and connected with the structure on the sea surface through a cable to fix the structure on the sea surface. The suction anchor comprises: a cylinder 1, the top of which is sealed by a top plate 18, and the bottom of which is open. The cylinder 1 comprises a first section 11, a second section 13 and a connecting section 12. The first section 11 is arranged above the second section 13 and is concentrically arranged with the second section 13. The diameter of the first section 11 is larger than that of the second section 13. The top end of the second section 13 is lower than the bottom end of the first section 11, and the two are connected by the connecting section 12 arranged obliquely. A drain valve 2 is arranged on the top plate 18 for connecting with a suction pump to drain the seawater in the cylinder 1 to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure.

[0029] Through the above technical solution, in the suction anchor provided by the present disclosure, the top of the cylinder 1 is sealed by the top plate 18, and the bottom is open. The drain valve 2 for connecting the suction pump is arranged on the top plate 18. The suction pump drains the seawater in the cylinder 1 to make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure during penetration. The cylinder 1 comprises the first section 11, the second section 13 and the connecting section 12. The diameter of the first section 11 is larger than that of the second section 13. During the penetration of the suction anchor into the seabed soil, the soil in the cylinder 1 rises slowly after the cross-sectional area increases, thereby weakening the soil plug effect. After the final sinking ends, the height difference between the soil inside and outside the cylinder 1 is reduced. The diameter of the first section 11 is larger, which can increase the contact area between the first section 11 and the soil and thereby increase the bearing capacity of the suction anchor. The connecting section 12 is arranged obliquely, which can reduce the resistance when the cylinder 1 sinks and make it easier to sink into the soil.

[0030] As an optional implementation, as shown in the drawings, Figures 1-3 As shown, the cylinder 1 comprises a first shell 15 and a second shell 16 which are open on the side. For example, the first shell 15 and the second shell 16 are two semicircular shells which can be spliced into a complete cylindrical shape. The first shell 15 is arranged opposite to the second shell 16, and the open ends of the two are connected by two groups of connecting plates 17 to increase the contact area between the cylinder 1 and the soil. Each group of connecting plates 17 connects one end of the shell on the open side, forming a capsule-shaped cross section to increase the surface area of the cylinder 1 to increase the contact area with the soil and thereby increase the bearing capacity of the suction anchor. The connecting plate 17 comprises a first connecting plate 171 for connecting the first section 11, a second connecting plate 172 for connecting the connecting section 12 and a third connecting plate 173 for connecting the second section 13, so that the surface area of the suction anchor as a whole is increased. The second connecting plate 172 is also arranged obliquely, and the angle of inclination is consistent with that of the connecting section 12.

[0031] Optionally, the cross section of the first shell 15 and the second shell 16 is arc-shaped, which is more smooth, making it easier for the cylinder 1 to sink into the soil.

[0032] As an optional implementation, as shown in Figures 1-3 and Figure 5 The barrel 1 is divided into several chambers by the partition plates 9 arranged at intervals, and each chamber is provided with a drainage valve 2 at the top to control the pressure in each chamber. The partition plates 9 extend vertically downward from the top plate 18 to the bottom end of the barrel 1, and the pressure in each chamber is controlled by the drainage valve 2 at the top of the chamber, which can prevent the barrel 1 from tilting when sinking, and the partition plates 9 can increase the load-bearing capacity of the structure to a certain extent.

[0033] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5 The top of the partition plate 9 is provided with a plurality of through holes 91 to connect the chambers to balance the pressure in each chamber, which can make it easier to control the pressure in the barrel 1 and prevent the barrel 1 from tilting when sinking.

[0034] As an optional implementation, as shown in Figures 1-4 and Figure 6 The suction anchor also includes a slide rail 8 arranged on the outside of the barrel 1 and parallel to the axis of the barrel 1, for example, two slide rails 8 can be arranged oppositely, and the two slide rails 8 are arranged on the two sides of the barrel 1, which are used to cooperate with the inclined slide 101 arranged on the ship body 10 to make the suction anchor enter the water, transport the suction anchor to the offshore installation site, open the side cover of the ship body 10, use the crane to lift the suction anchor, make the opening of the suction anchor inclined downward, and slide down the ship with the help of the slide 101, which reduces the difficulty of lifting. In the previous implementation, the suction anchor needs to be lifted to a specified height to completely separate from the ship body 10, and a small crane may not be able to lift the suction anchor to the specified height, which affects the construction progress, and using a large crane increases the cost.

[0035] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4 The slide rail 8 includes two support plates 81 arranged at intervals and parallel to each other, and the cross section of the support plate 81 is V-shaped, and the upper and lower ends and the side of the support plate 81 are open. The opening side of the V-shaped side is connected to the barrel 1, which increases the support capacity of the support plate 81. When the barrel 1 penetrates into the soil, the soil can enter from the bottom of the support plate 81 and be discharged from the top, which does not increase the resistance when the barrel 1 penetrates, and the support plate 81 includes a first part 811 connected to the first section 11, a second part 813 connected to the second section 13, and a third part 812 inclinedly arranged and connected to the connecting section 12, to ensure that the support plate 81 is parallel to the axis of the barrel 1.

[0036] As an optional implementation, as shown in Figures 1-3As shown, the suction anchor further comprises an ear 3 and a mooring cable 4, the ear 3 is arranged on the vertical center line outside the third connecting plate 173, for example, two ears 3 can be arranged oppositely, the ear 3 is arranged on the third connecting plate 173, that is, arranged in the length direction of the barrel 1, the tension of the mooring cable 4 is obliquely upward, the contact area of the side of the barrel 1 provided with the connecting plate 17 with the soil is larger, which can increase the carrying capacity of the barrel 1; the length of the ear 3 protruding from the connecting plate 17 is less than the difference between the radii of the first section 11 and the second section 13, when sinking, the ear 3 protruding from the barrel 1 can cause damage to the surrounding soil, affecting the carrying capacity of the suction anchor, the first section 11 of the suction anchor with a larger diameter can repair the damaged part when sinking, one end of the mooring cable 4 is connected with the ear 3, and the other end is connected with a building on the sea surface to fix the building on the sea surface.

[0037] Optionally, the suction anchor further comprises a cable short pipe shaft 6 arranged on the top plate 18 for winding the mooring cable 4, the other end of the mooring cable 4 is provided with an inflatable float 5, before use of the suction anchor, the mooring cable 4 is wound on the cable short pipe shaft 6, after inflation of the inflatable float 5, the mooring cable 4 is separated from the cable short pipe shaft 6 under the buoyancy of the inflatable float 5, and after completion of lowering, the inflatable float 5 is still on the water surface, facilitating finding of the mooring cable 4.

[0038] As an optional embodiment, as shown in Figures 1-3 As shown, the suction anchor further comprises a lifting ring 7, the top of the barrel 1 is provided with an extension section 14 extending out of the top plate 18, the lifting ring 7 is arranged on the extension section 14, for example, a plurality of lifting rings 7 can be arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, the lifting ring 7 is used for connecting the lifting rope of a crane to lift the suction anchor, and adjusting the angle and the sinking speed of the suction anchor in the process of sinking of the suction anchor.

[0039] In actual use, the use method comprises the following steps:

[0040] (1) Assembled in the shore plant, and fixed on the ear 3 and shipped;

[0041] (2) Transported to the sea installation site, the side of the ship body 10 is opened, the suction anchor is lifted by the crane, the opening of the suction anchor is obliquely downward, and the ship is slid down with the help of the slide 101, so as to reduce the lifting difficulty;

[0042] (3) After the suction anchor is completely lowered, the position of the suction anchor is adjusted, the suction anchor is kept in a vertical state with the opening downward, all the drainage valves 2 are opened, and the suction pump is connected with the valve pipe opening, and then lifted and sunk;

[0043] (4) When the bottom of the suction anchor is away from the seabed by a certain distance, the position of the suction anchor is continuously adjusted, and the position is accurately positioned, so that the suction anchor starts to sink under the action of the weight;

[0044] (5) When the suction anchor is anchored in mud and cannot continue to sink, the suction pump installed at the top of the suction anchor is started to discharge water outward, and the suction anchor continues to sink in the way of suction sinking until the top plate 18 of the suction anchor contacts the inner mud surface, the discharge valve 2 is closed, and the suction pump is recovered, for example, the suction pump can be removed by an underwater robot or a diver;

[0045] (6) Inflating the inflatable buoy 5 connected to the mooring cable 4 to make the mooring cable 4 wound on the cable short pipe shaft 6 float to the sea surface and be connected to the offshore structure.

[0046] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above-described embodiments, and various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure within the technical concept of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] In addition, it should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combination manners.

[0048] In addition, various different embodiments of the present disclosure can also be combined in any manner, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present disclosure, and it should also be considered as disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A suction anchor characterized by, The application relates to a suction anchor, which comprises: a cylinder body, the top of which is sealed by a top plate, and the bottom of which is open, the cylinder body comprising a first section, a second section and a connecting section, the first section being arranged above the second section and being concentric with the second section, the diameter of the first section being larger than that of the second section, the top end of the second section being lower than the bottom end of the first section, and the two being connected by the connecting section arranged in an inclined manner; the cylinder body comprising a first shell and a second shell which are arranged oppositely and whose open ends are connected by two groups of connecting plates to increase the contact area between the cylinder body and the soil, the connecting plates comprising first connecting plates for connecting the first section, second connecting plates for connecting the connecting section and third connecting plates for connecting the second section; a drainage valve arranged on the top plate and connected with a suction pump to drain seawater in the cylinder body and make the suction anchor sink under negative pressure; a slide rail arranged on the outside of the cylinder body and parallel to the axis of the cylinder body, which is matched with an inclined slide rail on a ship body to make the suction anchor enter water, the slide rail comprising two support plates arranged in parallel and spaced apart, the cross section of the support plates being in the shape of a V, the open side of the V being connected with the cylinder body, the support plates comprising a first part connected with the first section, a second part connected with the second section and a third part connected with the connecting section and arranged in an inclined manner; the cylinder body is divided into several chambers by interval-arranged partition plates, the top of the partition plates is provided with a plurality of through holes to make the chambers communicate with each other, the top of each chamber is provided with the drainage valve to control the pressure in the chambers respectively, and the partition plates vertically extend downward from the top plate to the bottom end of the cylinder body.

2. The suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The cross section of the first shell and the second shell is in the shape of a circular arc.

3. The suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The suction anchor further comprises an earing and a mooring cable, the earing is arranged on the vertical center line outside the third connecting plate, the earing protrudes from the connecting plate by a length smaller than the difference between the radius of the first section and the radius of the second section, and one end of the mooring cable is connected with the earing.

4. The suction anchor of claim 3, wherein, The suction anchor further comprises a cable short pipe shaft arranged on the top plate and used for winding the mooring cable, and the other end of the mooring cable is provided with an inflatable float.

5. The suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The suction anchor further comprises a lifting ring, and the top of the cylinder body is provided with an extension section extending out of the top plate. The suction anchor further comprises a lifting ring, and the top of the cylinder body is provided with an extension section extending out of the top plate.

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