A mooring buffer device, a mooring chain assembly and a floating structure assembly

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mooring buffer device, comprising: a counterweight connected to a mooring chain; a buoyancy box having a cavity for accommodating the counterweight; an elastic device disposed in the cavity and separating the cavity into a buffer energy absorption cavity, wherein the counterweight is movably disposed in the buffer energy absorption cavity. The counterweight relies on gravity to slow down the movement of the mooring chain, and the counterweight is disposed in the buoyancy box cavity, and elastic devices are disposed at both ends of the buoyancy box cavity. When the counterweight moves with the mooring chain and hits the elastic device, the elastic device generates elastic deformation, thereby absorbing the kinetic energy, greatly alleviating the external force suffered by the mooring chain, reducing the stress of the mooring chain, and significantly improving the stress condition of the mooring chain, thereby significantly increasing the service life of the mooring chain. The present invention also discloses a mooring chain assembly and a floating structure assembly having the above-mentioned mooring buffer device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mooring, and in particular to a mooring buffer device, a mooring chain assembly and a floating structure assembly. Background Art

[0002] The mooring system is a system that connects floating structures to fixed points through cables or other mechanical devices, so that the moored structure has the ability to withstand certain environmental conditions, ensuring the operational requirements under the designed environment, and ensuring the safety of the floating structure and the mooring system itself when encountering extreme sea conditions. Figure 1 As shown, a typical mooring system consists of a floating structure 500, a guide device, a mooring chain 400 and an anchor (seabed fixed end) 600.

[0003] In existing mooring systems, mooring chains are subjected to repeated stress over a long period of time due to factors such as waves, winds, and currents. The floating structures connected to these mooring chains are subject to violent swaying on the sea surface due to factors such as winds and waves, further exacerbating the stress on the mooring chains and making them susceptible to damage. Furthermore, the mooring chains are directly connected to the anchor (fixed end on the seabed). In severe wind conditions or other unexpected events at sea, the mooring chains can be suddenly damaged by external forces, or the anchor (fixed end on the seabed) can be pulled up. Therefore, the stress on the mooring chains directly affects the operating state of the mooring system, significantly impacting its service life.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the stress condition of the mooring chain and increase the service life of the mooring system is a technical problem that those skilled in the art currently need to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a mooring buffer device to improve the stress of the mooring chain, thereby increasing the service life of the mooring system;

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a mooring chain assembly having the above-mentioned mooring buffer device;

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a floating structure assembly having the above-mentioned mooring buffer device.

[0008] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A mooring buffer device, comprising:

[0010] counterweight, connected to the mooring chain;

[0011] a buoyancy tank having a cavity for accommodating the counterweight;

[0012] An elastic device is arranged in the cavity to separate the cavity into a buffer energy absorption cavity, and the counterweight block is movably arranged in the buffer energy absorption cavity.

[0013] Optionally, in the above mooring buffer device, the elastic device is a compression spring provided at both ends of the cavity, and the buffer energy absorption cavity is formed between the two compression springs; or,

[0014] The elastic device is a rubber sponge arranged at both ends of the cavity, and the buffer energy absorption cavity is formed between the two rubber sponges.

[0015] Optionally, in the above mooring buffer device, the outer layer of the elastic device is wrapped with a waterproof device for preventing water from contacting the elastic device.

[0016] Optionally, in the above mooring buffer device, the area of the surface of the elastic device facing the counterweight block is not less than the area of the surface of the counterweight block facing the elastic device;

[0017] The thickness of the elastic device is not less than the thickness of the counterweight block, and both the thickness of the elastic device and the thickness of the counterweight block are dimensions in the extension direction of the mooring chain.

[0018] Optionally, in the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, there are multiple counterweight blocks in the buffer energy absorption cavity, and the counterweight blocks are connected in series or in parallel.

[0019] Optionally, in the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, the counterweight block is provided with a lifting lug device, and the lifting lug device is used to be hung with the mooring chain.

[0020] Optionally, in the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, the side length of the buoyancy box along the direction of the mooring chain is 2-3 times the maximum side length of the counterweight block.

[0021] Optionally, in the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, the cavity wall of the buoyancy box is provided with a telescopic layer, and the telescopic layer is used to adjust the length of the buoyancy box along the direction of the mooring chain.

[0022] The present invention provides a mooring buffer device, in which a counterweight is arranged on a mooring chain. When the mooring chain is subjected to violent movement due to factors such as sea breeze and waves, the counterweight relies on gravity to slow down the movement of the mooring chain. The counterweight is arranged in the cavity of the buoyancy box, and elastic devices are provided at both ends of the cavity of the buoyancy box. When the counterweight moves with the mooring chain and hits the elastic device, the elastic device produces elastic deformation, thereby absorbing the movement energy, greatly alleviating the external force suffered by the mooring chain, reducing the stress of the mooring chain, significantly improving the stress condition of the mooring chain, and thus significantly increasing the service life of the mooring chain.

[0023] A mooring chain assembly comprises a mooring chain and at least one mooring buffer device connected in series to the mooring chain, wherein the mooring buffer device is the mooring buffer device as described in any one of the above items.

[0024] A floating structure assembly comprises a floating structure connected to the floating structure via a plurality of mooring buffer devices as described above.

[0025] The mooring chain assembly and floating structure assembly provided by the present invention have all the technical effects of the above-mentioned mooring buffer device due to the presence of the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, and therefore will not be described in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. 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 any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the mooring system;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a mooring buffer device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of a mooring buffer device on a mooring chain disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the collision between the elastic device and the counterweight block disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the swinging of the counterweight disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple counterweights installed in series according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple counterweights installed in parallel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the telescopic layer structure of the pontoon disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of a mooring chain assembly disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10This is a schematic structural diagram of a floating structure assembly disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Among them, 100 is the counterweight;

[0038] 200 is a buoyancy box, 210 is a buffer energy absorption cavity, and 220 is a telescopic layer;

[0039] 300 is an elastic device, 310 is a compression spring, and 320 is a rubber sponge;

[0040] 400 is the mooring chain;

[0041] 500 is a floating structure;

[0042] 600 is anchoring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The core of the present invention is to provide a mooring buffer device to improve the stress of the mooring chain, thereby increasing the service life of the mooring system;

[0044] Another core of the present invention is to provide a mooring chain assembly and a floating structure assembly having the above-mentioned mooring buffer device.

[0045] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 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 making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] Mooring systems are divided into deepwater mooring and shallowwater mooring based on the relative proportion between the floating structure and the water depth. Mooring system lines typically include catenary or semi-tensioned types. Whether for deepwater or shallowwater mooring systems, mooring chains are subject to the effects of wind, waves, and currents, causing repeated movement and stress. Especially in severe sea conditions, factors such as waves and currents in shallow waters are more intense than those in deep waters, exerting a stronger force on the mooring chains. Under the influence of strong external forces, mooring chains in existing technologies have greater stiffness along their length and rapidly tighten, causing internal tension to increase rapidly, leading to breakage, or the fixed end connected to the seabed to be pulled up by the huge pulling force.

[0047] Therefore, if Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a mooring buffer device, which is arranged on a mooring chain to improve the stress of the mooring chain. The device includes a counterweight 100 , a buoyancy box 200 and an elastic device 300 .

[0048] Among them, the counterweight block 100 is connected to the mooring chain 400. When the mooring chain 400 moves due to factors such as waves and currents, the counterweight block 100 absorbs kinetic energy through its own gravity to slow down the movement of the mooring chain 400, making the mooring chain 400 relatively stable to reduce internal stress.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, when the mooring chain 400 swings, the counterweight 100 connected to the mooring chain 400 can play a damping role, absorbing the kinetic energy of the swing of the mooring chain 400 to slow down the violent swing of the mooring chain 400.

[0050] At the same time, in order to buffer and absorb the kinetic energy generated by the movement of the counterweight 100 with the mooring chain 400, a buoyancy chamber 200 is provided, and an elastic device 300 is disposed within the cavity of the buoyancy chamber 200. The elastic device 300 separates the cavity into a buffering and energy-absorbing cavity 210, and the counterweight 100 is movably disposed within the buffering and energy-absorbing cavity 210. Therefore, when the counterweight 100 moves along the extension direction of the mooring chain 400, the counterweight 100 will collide with the elastic device 300. The elastic device 300 absorbs the kinetic energy of the counterweight 100 through elastic deformation, thereby significantly reducing the movement of the counterweight 100 and the internal stress of the mooring chain 400, thereby effectively protecting the mooring chain 400.

[0051] In addition, when the mooring chain 400 pulls the counterweight 100 to move, the elastic force of the counterweight 100 due to its own gravity and the collision with the elastic device 300 and the pulling force of the mooring chain 400 serve as a reaction force. This reaction force can reduce the pulling force of the mooring chain 400 on the anchor 600 to prevent the anchor 600 from being pulled out of the ground due to excessive pulling force.

[0052] like Figure 5 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the elastic device 300 can be a compression spring 310, with a compression spring 310 disposed at each end of the cavity, and a buffer energy absorption cavity 210 formed between the two compression springs 310. The compression spring 310 has strong compressive strength, energy storage performance, and elastic deformation capability, and is suitable for buffering and absorbing the kinetic energy of the counterweight 100.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the elastic device 300 can also be a rubber sponge 320. Similarly, a rubber sponge 320 is provided at each end of the cavity, and a buffer energy absorption cavity 210 is provided between the rubber sponges 320 at both ends of the cavity. The rubber sponge 320 not only absorbs the kinetic energy of the counterweight 100, but also enhances the buoyancy of the pontoon 200 in water, reducing the load on the mooring chain. Alternatively, those skilled in the art can design other elastic structures to absorb the kinetic energy of the counterweight 100 according to actual needs, and these are not listed here.

[0054] To prevent the elastic device 300 from being corroded and damaged by water while submerged, thereby damaging its structure and rendering its energy-absorbing function ineffective, a waterproof coating is applied to the outer layer of the elastic device 300 to prevent contact between the elastic device 300 and water. The coating can be made of a carbon fiber composite material, which offers excellent radiation and water resistance, and a low specific gravity, thus reducing the overall weight of the pontoon 200. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may employ other waterproof materials to provide waterproof protection for the elastic device 300, depending on actual needs.

[0055] In another specific embodiment, the area of the surface of the elastic device 300 facing the counterweight 100 is not less than the area of the surface of the counterweight 100 facing the elastic device 300, so that the counterweight 100 can completely contact and collide with the elastic device 300, thereby avoiding the counterweight 100 from colliding with the elastic device 300 when moving along the extension direction of the mooring chain 400, or the collision area is too small to reduce the effect of the elastic device 300 on absorbing and buffering the kinetic energy of the counterweight 100.

[0056] In addition, in order to enhance the kinetic energy buffering and absorption of the counterweight 100 by the elastic device 300, the thickness of the elastic device 300 along the extension direction of the mooring chain 400 is not less than the thickness of the counterweight 100 along the extension direction of the mooring chain 400, so as to reduce the damage to the buoyancy box 200 caused by the strong collision between the counterweight 100 and the buoyancy box 200 due to insufficient deformation of the elastic device 300.

[0057] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, depending on the application environment of the mooring system, for example, in shallow water mooring, waves, currents and sea winds are relatively strong, which causes the movement of the mooring chain 400 to be more violent. At this time, the counterweight blocks 100 in the buffer energy absorption cavity 210 can be set to multiple to significantly slow down the violent movement of the mooring chain 400. And the connection method of the multiple counterweight blocks 100 is series (such as Figure 6 The scheme shown), or in parallel (such as Figure 7 scheme shown).

[0058] To facilitate removal and installation between the counterweight 100 and the mooring chain 400, a lifting lug device is provided on the counterweight 100. The lifting lug device is integrally connected to the counterweight 100, or the lifting lug device is threadedly connected to the counterweight 100. Furthermore, to facilitate removal and installation of the mooring buffer device provided in this embodiment from the mooring chain 400, the mooring chain 400 connected to both ends of the mooring buffer device can be removed from the entire mooring chain 400. The mooring chain 400 can be provided with a hook device that quickly connects to the lifting lug device. By disassembling and assembling the hook device and the lifting lug device, the mooring chain 400 and the counterweight 100 can be quickly removed and assembled. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the hook device can alternatively be provided on the counterweight 100, and the lifting lug device on the mooring chain 400. Alternatively, those skilled in the art can design other connection structures that enable quick removal and assembly according to actual needs.

[0059] In a specific embodiment, the side length of the pontoon 200 along the mooring chain 400 is 2-3 times the maximum side length of the counterweight block 100, so that the counterweight block 100 can move fully in the cavity of the pontoon 200, and absorb the kinetic energy of the mooring chain 400 through the movement of the counterweight block 100, thereby reducing the tension generated by the movement of the mooring chain 400.

[0060] like Figure 8 As shown, in order to further absorb the kinetic energy of the mooring chain 400 and the counterweight 100, a telescopic layer 220 is provided on the cavity wall of the pontoon 200. When the pontoon 200 is subjected to the tension of the mooring chain 400, the telescopic layer 220 can be stretched. When the counterweight 100 hits the elastic device 300 in the cavity of the pontoon 200, the elastic device 300 is compressed and the telescopic layer 220 of the pontoon is also stretched, thereby absorbing and buffering the kinetic energy of the mooring chain 400 and the counterweight 100, and further alleviating the internal stress of the mooring chain 400.

[0061] like Figure 9 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further discloses a mooring chain assembly, including a mooring chain 400 and at least one mooring buffer device connected in series to the mooring chain 400. The mooring buffer device is the mooring buffer device disclosed in the above embodiment, and therefore has all the technical effects of the above-mentioned mooring buffer device, which will not be repeated herein.

[0062] like Figure 10 As shown, embodiments of the present invention further disclose a floating structure assembly, including floating structures 500 connected to each other via a plurality of mooring buffer devices as disclosed in the above embodiments. Two adjacent floating structures 500 are connected by the mooring buffer devices, thereby achieving all the technical benefits of the above-described mooring buffer devices, which will not be further described herein.

[0063] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same and similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0064] As used in this application and the claims, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the terms "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" are not intended to refer to the singular and may include the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Generally speaking, the terms "comprises" and "include" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements specifically identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. A method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements. The phrase "comprises a..." does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, product, or apparatus that includes the elements.

[0065] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents or. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this article is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "plurality" means two or more than two.

[0066] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the quantity of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0067] This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only intended to help understand the core ideas of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and such improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mooring buffer device, characterized in that: It is arranged on a mooring chain (400) and comprises: a counterweight (100) connected to the mooring chain (400); when the mooring chain (400) swings, the counterweight (100) connected to the mooring chain (400) acts as a damper to absorb the kinetic energy of the swing of the mooring chain (400) so as to slow down the violent swing of the mooring chain (400); A buoyancy box (200) has a cavity for accommodating the counterweight (100); a cavity wall of the buoyancy box (200) is provided with a telescopic layer (220), and the telescopic layer (220) is used to adjust the length of the buoyancy box (200) along the direction of the mooring chain (400); An elastic device (300) is arranged in the cavity to separate the cavity into a buffer energy absorption cavity (210), and the counterweight block (100) is movably arranged in the buffer energy absorption cavity (210); when the counterweight block (100) moves along the extension direction of the mooring chain (400), the counterweight block (100) will collide with the elastic device (300), and the elastic device (300) absorbs the kinetic energy of the counterweight block (100) through elastic deformation, thereby reducing the internal stress of the mooring chain (400); the outer layer of the elastic device (300) is wrapped with a waterproof device for preventing water from contacting the elastic device (300).

2. The mooring buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic device (300) is a compression spring (310) provided at both ends of the cavity, and the buffer energy absorption cavity (210) is formed between the two compression springs (310); or, The elastic device (300) is a rubber sponge (320) disposed at both ends of the cavity, and the buffer energy absorption cavity (210) is formed between the two rubber sponges (320).

3. The mooring buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area of the surface of the elastic device (300) facing the counterweight (100) is not less than the area of the surface of the counterweight (100) facing the elastic device (300); The thickness of the elastic device (300) is not less than the thickness of the counterweight (100), and the thickness of the elastic device (300) and the thickness of the counterweight (100) are both dimensions in the extension direction of the mooring chain (400).

4. The mooring buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are a plurality of counterweight blocks (100) in the buffer energy absorption cavity (210), and each of the counterweight blocks (100) is connected in series or in parallel.

5. The mooring buffer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The counterweight (100) is provided with a lifting lug device, and the lifting lug device is used for being hooked to the mooring chain (400).

6. The mooring buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side length of the buoyancy box (200) along the direction of the mooring chain (400) is 2-3 times the maximum side length of the counterweight block (100).

7. A mooring chain assembly, characterized in that: The invention comprises a mooring chain (400) and at least one mooring buffer device connected in series to the mooring chain (400), wherein the mooring buffer device is the mooring buffer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A floating structure assembly, characterized in that: The floating structures (500) are connected to each other via a plurality of mooring buffer devices according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images