An anti-tilt suction anchor

Abstract

The application provides an anti-inclination suction anchor and belongs to the technical field of suction anchors. The anti-inclination suction anchor comprises a first anchor cylinder and a plurality of adjusting cylinders. The first anchor cylinder is a hollow cylinder with an open bottom end. The top of the first anchor cylinder is provided with a connecting hole for connecting with an external negative pressure device. The adjusting cylinders are arranged around the inner side wall or the outer side wall of the first anchor cylinder. Each adjusting cylinder is provided with a cavity. The adjusting cylinders are provided with a first adjusting member and a second adjusting member. The first adjusting member is used for controlling the communication or disconnection between the cavity and the inside of the first anchor cylinder. The second adjusting member is used for controlling the communication or disconnection between the cavity and the external environment. The anti-inclination suction anchor can effectively avoid the inclination of the first anchor cylinder during the sinking process and improve the sinking stability of the suction anchor by adjusting the pressure difference of different adjusting cylinders to straighten the first anchor cylinder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of suction anchor technology, and more particularly to an anti-tilting suction anchor. Background Technology

[0002] With the large-scale development and utilization of offshore wind energy, the construction speed of offshore wind farms is also accelerating. Many offshore wind farms are built in deep water areas, which places very high demands on the foundation. The foundation is a very important component of offshore wind farms. Foundation types include gravity foundations, pile foundations, and suction anchor foundations. Due to the advantages of simple structure, quick installation, and low cost, suction anchors have become the most widely used foundation structure in marine engineering.

[0003] However, current suction anchors are prone to tilting during settlement. As the settlement depth increases, the suction anchor gradually tilts into the soil, affecting its verticality. Tilted suction anchors are not easy to adjust and straighten, requiring the use of large machinery to hoist and adjust them, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to provide an anti-tilting suction anchor to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an anti-tilting suction anchor, comprising:

[0006] The first anchor cylinder is a hollow cylinder with an open bottom. The top of the first anchor cylinder is provided with a connection hole for connecting to an external negative pressure device.

[0007] Multiple adjusting cylinders are arranged around the inner or outer side wall of the first anchor cylinder. Each adjusting cylinder has a cavity inside. Each adjusting cylinder is provided with a first adjusting member and a second adjusting member. The first adjusting member is used to control the cavity to communicate or disconnect from the interior of the first anchor cylinder, and the second adjusting member is used to control the cavity to communicate or disconnect from the external environment.

[0008] Furthermore, the adjusting cylinder is disposed on the outer wall of the first anchor cylinder, and the plurality of adjusting cylinders are evenly spaced apart from each other.

[0009] Furthermore, the adjusting cylinder is bent into an "L" shape, with one end of the adjusting cylinder extending into the first anchor cylinder and the other end of the adjusting cylinder protruding from the first anchor cylinder. The first adjusting member and the second adjusting member are respectively placed at both ends of the adjusting cylinder.

[0010] Furthermore, the axes of the bent adjusting cylinders interweave to form a reference plane, and the axis of the first anchor cylinder is located in the reference plane of any one of the adjusting cylinders.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a second anchor cylinder, which is a hollow cylinder with openings at both ends. The second anchor cylinder is detachably connected to the bottom end of the first anchor cylinder, and the second anchor cylinder is coaxial with the first anchor cylinder.

[0012] Furthermore, the first anchor tube and the second anchor tube are respectively provided with a docking flange at their docking ends, and the first anchor tube and the second anchor tube are sealed together by the docking flange. The bottom end of the second anchor tube is constructed in a wedge shape.

[0013] Furthermore, a plurality of zinc blocks are fixed on the outer wall of the second anchor cylinder.

[0014] Furthermore, lifting lugs are respectively provided on the side walls of the first anchor tube and the second anchor tube.

[0015] Furthermore, a sealing shell is provided at the top of the first anchor cylinder, and an installation cavity is formed between the sealing shell and the top of the first anchor cylinder. An inclinometer for detecting the inclination of the first anchor cylinder and an electric compass for detecting the azimuth of the first anchor cylinder are installed in the installation cavity. The inclinometer and the electric compass are electrically connected to external monitoring equipment.

[0016] Furthermore, the first regulating element and / or the second regulating element are solenoid valves.

[0017] As can be seen from the above, the anti-tilting suction anchor provided by the present invention has multiple adjusting cylinders arranged around the inner or outer side wall of the first anchor cylinder. Each adjusting cylinder is equipped with a first adjusting member and a second adjusting member. When the first anchor cylinder tilts during settlement, the first adjusting member of the adjusting cylinder controls the cavity to connect with the first anchor cylinder to form an overall negative pressure. The other adjusting cylinders remain in their original state. External water pressure or atmospheric pressure will apply pressure to the adjusting cylinder with the negative pressure cavity to drive the first anchor cylinder to return from the tilted state to the vertical settlement state. The entire process does not require manual straightening, which improves the convenience of the suction anchor straightening operation. In addition, due to the multiple adjusting cylinders, the self-weight of the adjusting cylinders can enhance the overall sinking force of the suction anchor, improve the problem of soil plug bulging, and ensure the horizontal and vertical bearing capacity of the suction anchor. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-tilting suction anchor in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the anti-tilting suction anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0022] 1. Second anchor cylinder; 2. First anchor cylinder; 3. Adjusting cylinder body; 4. Connecting hole; 5. Lifting lug; 6. Zinc block; 7. Butt flange; 8. Transmission cable; 9. Rubber sealing gasket; 10. Bolts; 11. Sealing housing; 12. Electrocompass; 13. Inclinometer; 14. First adjusting component; 15. Second adjusting component. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0024] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this invention should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0025] Suction anchors are a promising type of foundation that has been applied to marine engineering in the last 20 years. With the development and utilization of shallow underwater oil and gas resources, suction anchors are gradually being used in the development of shallow and deep underwater oil and gas resources to provide support for underwater wellhead equipment and drilling strings.

[0026] During the installation of the suction anchor, it is first placed vertically on the seabed. Under its own weight and ballast, it sinks into the seabed to a certain depth. Then, the drain outlet is sealed to create a sufficiently sealed environment inside the anchor tube. Water is continuously pumped out using a submersible pump to reduce the pressure inside the anchor tube. The downward force generated by the pressure difference causes the suction anchor to continue sinking. With continuous pumping, the suction anchor continues to sink until the top cover inside the anchor tube contacts the muddy surface of the seabed. Finally, the submersible pump is removed, and the pressure difference inside and outside the anchor tube gradually dissipates, completing the installation of the suction anchor.

[0027] However, the inventors discovered in engineering practice that due to the complex and uneven soil conditions in deep water, the suction anchor often tilted during the insertion process, leading to operation failure and seriously affecting the operating efficiency of the suction anchor.

[0028] Based on the above description, this application provides an anti-tilting suction anchor to improve the problem of suction anchor tilting during settlement.

[0029] One or more embodiments of this application provide an anti-tilting suction anchor, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device includes a first anchor cylinder 2 and multiple adjusting cylinders 3. The first anchor cylinder 2 is a hollow cylinder with an open bottom. The top of the first anchor cylinder 2 is provided with a connection hole 4 for connecting to an external negative pressure device. The multiple adjusting cylinders 3 are arranged around the inner or outer side wall of the first anchor cylinder 2. Each adjusting cylinder 3 has a cavity inside. The adjusting cylinder 3 is provided with a first adjusting member 14 and a second adjusting member 15. The first adjusting member 14 is used to control the cavity to communicate or disconnect from the interior of the first anchor cylinder 2, and the second adjusting member 15 is used to control the cavity to communicate or disconnect from the external environment.

[0030] As can be seen from the above, the anti-tilting suction anchor provided in this application has multiple adjusting cylinders 3 arranged around the inner or outer side wall of the first anchor cylinder 2. The adjusting cylinders 3 are provided with a first adjusting member 14 and a second adjusting member 15. When the first anchor cylinder 2 tilts during the settlement process, the first adjusting member 14 of the adjusting cylinder 3 controls the cavity to connect with the first anchor cylinder 2 to form an overall negative pressure. The other adjusting cylinders 3 except for this adjusting cylinder 3 remain in their original state. External water pressure or atmospheric pressure will apply pressure to the adjusting cylinder 3 with the negative pressure cavity to drive the first anchor cylinder 2 to return from the tilted state to the vertical settlement state. The whole process does not require manual straightening operation, which improves the convenience of the suction anchor straightening operation. In addition, since multiple adjusting cylinders 3 are provided, the self-weight of the adjusting cylinders can enhance the overall sinking force of the suction anchor, improve the problem of soil plug bulging, and ensure the horizontal and vertical bearing capacity of the suction anchor.

[0031] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "bottom end" and "top" mentioned in the application embodiments are used to describe the orientation of the suction anchor in the anchored state. That is, when the suction anchor is anchored in the soil layer, the suction anchor is inserted into the soil layer downward along the height direction. At this time, the bottom end of the suction anchor contacts the soft soil layer first, and the top end of the suction anchor contacts or does not contact the soil last.

[0032] like Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments, the main structure of the first anchor cylinder 2 can be designed with reference to existing mature anchor cylinder structures. That is, it is a hollow cylinder with an open bottom and a closed top. The connecting hole 4 at the top of the first anchor cylinder 2 connects to an external negative pressure device during sinking to achieve a pumping effect, so as to form a negative pressure inside the first anchor cylinder 2. The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the first anchor cylinder 2 is used to accelerate the sinking action of the first anchor cylinder 2. Here, for example, the external negative pressure device can be a submersible pump + water supply pipeline, as long as it can be connected to the connecting hole 4 to extract the internal water or internal air of the first anchor cylinder 2.

[0033] In some embodiments, a sealing housing 11 is provided at the top of the first anchor cylinder 2, forming an installation cavity between the sealing housing 11 and the top of the first anchor cylinder 2. An inclinometer 13 for detecting the inclination of the first anchor cylinder 2 and an electrocompass 12 for detecting the azimuth of the first anchor cylinder 2 are installed within the installation cavity. To facilitate real-time reception of monitoring data from the inclinometer 13 and electrocompass 12, the inclinometer 13 and electrocompass 12 are connected to an external monitoring device via a transmission cable 8. The external monitoring device can be an external computer or existing related testing instruments. The electrocompass 12 and inclinometer 13 enable more accurate measurement of the inclination and offset azimuth of the first anchor cylinder 2, thereby facilitating the control of the adjustment cylinders 3 at different azimuths on the first anchor cylinder 2 for inclination adjustment.

[0034] In some embodiments, multiple adjusting cylinders 3 can be disposed on the inner sidewall of the first anchor cylinder 2. When disposed on the inner sidewall of the first anchor cylinder 2, through holes can be opened on the sidewall of the first anchor cylinder 2, the adjusting cylinder 3 communicates with the through holes, and the communication state between the adjusting cylinder 3 and the external environment can be controlled by setting a second adjusting member on the communication path.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple adjusting cylinders 3 are disposed on the outer wall of the first anchor cylinder 2, and the multiple adjusting cylinders 3 are evenly spaced from each other. For example, Figure 1 Four adjusting cylinders 3 are marked on the diagram. Of course, other numbers of adjusting cylinders 3 can also be used. The following description assumes that the adjusting cylinders 3 are installed on the outer wall of the first anchor cylinder 2.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the adjusting cylinder 3 is made of the same material as the first anchor cylinder 2, both of which can be made of highly corrosion-resistant metal. The adjusting cylinder 3 is bent into an "L" shape, with one end of the adjusting cylinder 3 extending into the first anchor cylinder 2 and the other end protruding and extending upwards at a bending angle of 90°. The four adjusting cylinders 3 equally divide the outer perimeter of the first anchor cylinder 2 into four sections. For example, using... Figure 2The directions shown are explained. Figure 2 The four adjusting cylinders 3 are labeled as cylinder 1, cylinder 2, cylinder 3, and cylinder 4, respectively. When the first anchor cylinder 2 shifts position between cylinders 1 and 2 during settlement, the negative pressure inside cylinders 3 and 4, combined with the external water pressure or atmospheric pressure, corrects and restores the first anchor cylinder 2 to its original position. Of course, the tilt angle of the first anchor cylinder 2 in this embodiment is only an example; different adjusting cylinders 3 can be flexibly selected for adjustment and correction depending on the tilt direction.

[0037] In some embodiments, the axes of the aforementioned bent adjusting cylinders 3 interweave to form a reference plane, and the axis of the first anchor cylinder 2 is located in the reference plane of any adjusting cylinder 3. Specifically, the horizontal portion of each adjusting cylinder 3 is perpendicular to the first anchor cylinder 2, and the vertical portion of each adjusting cylinder is parallel to the axis of the first anchor cylinder 2. This arrangement can ensure that the force on the first anchor cylinder 2 is uniform by each adjusting cylinder 3, thereby facilitating the subsequent adjustment of the tilt of the first anchor cylinder 2 by different adjusting cylinders 3.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, each of the aforementioned regulating cylinders 3 is respectively provided with a first regulating member 14 and a second regulating member 15. The first regulating member 14 is located at the joint where the regulating cylinder 3 connects to the first anchor cylinder 2, and is used to control the switching of the communication state between the cavity of the regulating cylinder 3 and the interior of the first anchor cylinder 2. The second regulating member 15 is located at the free end of the regulating cylinder 3, and is used to control the switching of the connection state between the cavity of the regulating cylinder 3 and the external environment of the first anchor cylinder 2. Here, the external environment of the first anchor cylinder 2 includes the following two scenarios: the first anchor cylinder 2 is partially immersed in water and partially located in the exposed air environment above the liquid surface. In this case, the second regulating member 15 controls the switching of the connection state between the cavity of the regulating cylinder 3 and the exposed air environment of the first anchor cylinder; the first anchor cylinder 2 is completely immersed in water. In this case, the second regulating member 15 controls the switching of the connection state between the cavity of the regulating cylinder 3 and the surrounding water environment of the first anchor cylinder.

[0039] In the above description, the first regulating element 14 and the second regulating element 15 can be solenoid valves. The opening and closing actions of the first regulating element 14 and the second regulating element 15 are remotely controlled to realize the pressure change of the cavity of the regulating cylinder 3. When the first regulating element 14 of one regulating cylinder 3 is open and the second regulating element 15 is closed, the first regulating element 14 of the other regulating cylinders is closed and the second regulating element 15 is open. As the external negative pressure device draws water or air from the inside of the first anchor cylinder 2, the water or air inside the regulating cylinder 3 is also drawn out to form a negative pressure environment consistent with that inside the first anchor cylinder 2. Under this premise, the pressure of the other regulating cylinders 3 whose first regulating element 14 is not open is consistent with that of the external environment of the first anchor cylinder. The regulating cylinder 3 forming a pressure difference will cause the first anchor cylinder 2 to tilt towards the regulating cylinder 3 in which the first regulating element 14 is open due to the external water pressure or atmospheric pressure. The tilting force is used to correct the first anchor cylinder 2 in the opposite direction, thereby avoiding excessive tilting of the first anchor cylinder 2 and affecting the anchoring effect.

[0040] In some embodiments, the anti-tilting suction anchor further includes a second anchor cylinder 1, which is a hollow cylinder with openings at both ends. The bottom end of the second anchor cylinder 1 is detachably connected to the bottom end of the first anchor cylinder 2, and the second anchor cylinder 1 and the first anchor cylinder 2 are arranged coaxially.

[0041] Specifically, the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1 are respectively provided with a connecting flange 7 at their docking ends. The first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1 are sealed together by bolts 10 passing through the connecting flanges 7. In order to ensure the sealing connection effect of the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1, a rubber sealing gasket 9 can be sandwiched between the connecting flanges 7 of the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1 to maintain the sealing connection effect of the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1. This allows the second anchor cylinder 1 to be in a synchronous negative pressure state when the first anchor cylinder 2 is connected to an external negative pressure device for negative pressure suction. The detachable connection of the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1 allows only the second anchor cylinder 1 to be left for anchoring after the negative pressure suction work of the first anchor cylinder 2 is completed, and the first anchor cylinder 2 and the related measuring components on the first anchor cylinder 2 can be recovered, which helps to protect the service life of the first anchor cylinder 2.

[0042] It should be noted that, in order to protect the first anchor cylinder 2 from soil erosion as much as possible, the plane where the joint end face of the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1 is located should be above the maximum limit of the second anchor cylinder 1 extending into the coating. The second anchor cylinder 1 is provided with a lifting lug 5 at one end near the docking flange 7, and multiple zinc blocks 6 are spaced apart on the side wall of the second anchor cylinder 1 to enhance its corrosion resistance.

[0043] An exemplary usage description of the anti-tilting suction anchor described in this application is as follows:

[0044] The first anchor 2, which is connected to the second anchor 1, is lowered into deep water. The weight of the first anchor 2, the adjusting cylinder 3, and the second anchor 1 drives them to sink until the bottom of the second anchor 1 is in complete contact with the soft soil layer. Then, an external negative pressure device is connected to the connecting hole 4 of the first anchor 2 to extract the water or air from the first anchor 2 and the second anchor 1. During the extraction process, as the water inside the first anchor 2 and the second anchor 1 decreases, a negative pressure environment is formed inside the first anchor 2 and the second anchor 1. The external water or atmospheric pressure drives the first anchor 2 to continue sinking.

[0045] When the external monitoring equipment detects an abnormality in the signals of the gyrocompass 12 and the inclinometer 13, that is, when the inclination of the first anchor cylinder 2 increases, the tilt direction and tilt angle of the first anchor cylinder 2 are first determined according to the gyrocompass 12 and the inclinometer 13. Then, a target adjusting cylinder 3 opposite to the tilt direction is selected. The first adjusting component 14 of the target adjusting cylinder 3 is opened and the second adjusting component 15 is closed. The first adjusting component 14 of other adjusting cylinders 3 is closed and the second adjusting component 15 is opened. At this time, because the water or air inside the target adjusting cylinder 3 is drawn by the external negative pressure equipment to form a negative pressure environment consistent with the inside of the first anchor cylinder 2, the external water or atmospheric pressure causes the target adjusting cylinder 3 to sink. The other adjusting cylinders 3 are not affected by the external water or atmospheric pressure. The relative sinking force helps to maintain the verticality of the first anchor cylinder 2.

[0046] When the second anchor cylinder 1 sinks to the specified depth, the docking flange 7 is removed to separate the first anchor cylinder 2 and the second anchor cylinder 1. A blind hole flange is then fixedly installed on the docking flange 7 after the second anchor cylinder 1 is removed to seal the second anchor cylinder 1, thus completing the anchoring work of this suction anchor.

[0047] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the invention as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity.

[0048] The embodiments of this invention are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations falling within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An anti-tilt suction anchor, characterized in that, The utility model relates to a kind of anchor device, including: First anchor cylinder, hollow cylinder with bottom end opening, the top of the first anchor cylinder is provided with connecting hole for connecting with external negative pressure equipment; Multiple adjusting cylinder, the inside wall or the outside wall of the first anchor cylinder is arranged, each adjusting cylinder is respectively provided with a cavity, the adjusting cylinder is provided with first adjusting member and second adjusting member, the first adjusting member is used to control the cavity and the inside of the first anchor cylinder is connected or disconnected, the second adjusting member is used to control the cavity and external environment is connected or disconnected.

2. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The adjusting cylinder is arranged on the outside wall of the first anchor cylinder, and multiple adjusting cylinders are uniformly arranged between each other.

3. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 2, wherein, The adjusting cylinder is bent into "L" shape, one end of the adjusting cylinder extends into the first anchor cylinder, the other end of the adjusting cylinder is exposed outside the first anchor cylinder, and the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member are arranged at both ends of the adjusting cylinder.

4. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 3, wherein, The axis of the bent adjusting cylinder is interwoven to form a reference surface, and the axis of the first anchor cylinder is located in the reference surface of any adjusting cylinder.

5. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, Also including second anchor cylinder, hollow cylinder with two ends opening, the second anchor cylinder is detachably connected with the bottom end of the first anchor cylinder, and the second anchor cylinder is coaxially arranged with the first anchor cylinder.

6. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 5, wherein, The connecting end of the first anchor cylinder and the second anchor cylinder is respectively provided with a pair of connecting flanges, the first anchor cylinder and the second anchor cylinder are sealedly connected through the connecting flanges, and the bottom end of the second anchor cylinder is configured as wedge shape.

7. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 5, wherein, Multiple zinc blocks are fixedly arranged on the outside wall of the second anchor cylinder.

8. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 5, wherein, Lifting lug is arranged on the sidewall of the first anchor cylinder and the second anchor cylinder respectively.

9. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The top end of the first anchor cylinder is covered with a sealing shell, and a mounting cavity is formed between the sealing shell and the top end of the first anchor cylinder, an inclinometer for detecting the inclination of the first anchor cylinder and a gyrocompass for detecting the azimuth angle of the first anchor cylinder are arranged in the mounting cavity, and the inclinometer and the gyrocompass are electrically connected with external monitoring equipment.

10. The anti-tilt suction anchor of claim 1, wherein, The first adjusting member and / or the second adjusting member is solenoid valve.

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