A locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator

Abstract

The application discloses a locking and unlocking mechanism of an underwater electric valve actuator, which comprises a plug system and a socket system; the plug system is integrated at the bottom of the underwater electric valve actuator and comprises an ROV handle, a handle rotating pin, a transmission rod, a transmission rod connecting pin, a guide rod, a guide rod connecting pin, a lock tongue, a locking spring, a locking ball and a locking plug; the socket system is integrated at the top of the underwater valve and is fixedly connected with an underwater full-electric Christmas tree, and comprises an ROV super control interface, a screw nut transmission device, a shell, a shell upper cover, a shell lower cover and a sleeve. The locking and unlocking of the application is realized by a mechanical mode, does not rely on external power and hydraulic power, can be independently operated by the ROV, and can complete the locking and unlocking of the underwater electric valve actuator, and has the advantages of good adaptability, simple operation, high reliability and the like. In addition to being applied to the underwater electric actuator, the application also has certain reference value for other underwater structures which are installed and recovered by the ROV.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine oil engineering, and more particularly, to a locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the continuous development of deep-sea engineering and the deepening of deep-sea oil and gas extraction, the research and development of subsea production systems and related equipment has become a hot area of ​​research in offshore oil and gas development equipment. As offshore oil and gas extraction gradually moves towards deeper water, traditional hydraulic and electro-hydraulic hybrid subsea production systems can no longer meet the needs of deep-water oil and gas production systems. All-electric subsea production systems are the focus of future research on subsea production system facilities. Meanwhile, the subsea electric valve actuator is the terminal execution unit of the all-electric subsea production system and one of its most core pieces of equipment. When the actuator is installed or malfunctions and needs to be recovered, a reliable and safe locking and unlocking mechanism is required. The performance of the locking and unlocking mechanism directly affects the reliability of the subsea electric valve actuator, and thus the reliability and safety of the entire all-electric subsea production system.

[0003] Because underwater electric gate valve actuators are electrically driven and integrate numerous electronic components, damage to these components necessitates the use of an underwater robot for retrieval. After repair, the actuator must be reinstalled on the tree valve, thus requiring a reliable and secure locking / unlocking mechanism. Since valve actuators operate underwater for extended periods, using hydraulic or electrically driven locking / unlocking mechanisms would significantly increase the complexity of the locking and unlocking process.

[0004] Therefore, it is essential to study a mechanical locking / unlocking mechanism for underwater electric valve actuators. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention provides a locking and unlocking mechanism for underwater electric valve actuators, designed to improve the reliability and safety of underwater valve actuator installation and retrieval.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator includes a plug system and a socket system. The plug system is integrated into the bottom of the underwater electric valve actuator and includes an ROV handle, a handle rotating pin, a transmission rod, a transmission rod connecting pin, a guide rod, a guide rod connecting pin, a locking tongue, a locking spring, a locking ball, and a locking plug. The ROV handle is connected to the locking plug via the handle rotating pin. One end of the transmission rod is connected to the ROV handle via the transmission rod connecting pin, and the other end of the transmission rod is connected to the guide rod via the guide rod connecting pin. The locking tongue is installed inside the locking grooves on both sides of the locking plug. The top of the locking tongue has a guide groove, and the guide rod extends into the guide groove of the locking tongue. A mounting groove is provided on the front side of the locking plug. The guide rod, transmission rod, handle rotating pin, transmission rod connecting pin, locking spring, and locking ball are installed inside the mounting groove of the locking plug. The locking spring and locking ball are positioned between the guide rod and the locking plug. One end of the locking spring abuts against the locking plug, and the other end of the locking spring abuts against the guide rod via the locking ball. A locking groove is provided on the guide rod. When the guide rod moves to the locked position, the locking spring pushes the locking ball into the locking groove of the guide rod to achieve locking. To unlock, the ROV handle is rotated to overcome the spring force of the locking spring, squeezing the locking ball out of the locking groove of the guide rod to achieve unlocking. The socket system is integrated on top of the underwater valve and is fixedly connected to the underwater fully electric oil production tree. The socket system includes an ROV control interface, a screw and nut transmission device, a housing, an upper housing cover, a lower housing cover, and a sleeve. The ROV control interface is securely connected to the sleeve, and an O-ring is used to achieve a static seal. The ROV control interface has a through hole at its bottom, into which the upper end of the screw nut drive device extends and is dynamically sealed using a Glyd ring. The upper and lower covers of the housing are securely connected to the housing and are statically sealed using O-rings. The lower end of the screw nut drive device is connected to the underwater valve, and the screw nut drive device is used to convert rotary motion into linear motion to control the action of the underwater valve. The locking plug of the plug system can be inserted into the ROV control interface of the socket system, and the ROV handle can be used to lock the plug system and the socket system together.

[0008] Preferably, the locking and unlocking mechanism of the socket system further includes a position indicator device. The position indicator device is connected to the lead screw and nut transmission device through an indicator pin and an indicator nut. When the lead screw and nut transmission device rotates, it drives the indicator nut and indicator pin to move linearly, thereby causing the position indicator device to swing, thus displaying the actual opening position of the underwater valve.

[0009] Preferably, the locking and unlocking mechanism and the plug system employ the following installation steps:

[0010] Step 1: Place the locking spring and locking ball inside the mounting slot of the locking plug;

[0011] Step 2: Install the guide rod from the bottom of the mounting slot of the locking plug and insert the guide rod connecting pin;

[0012] Step 3: Install the transmission rod from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug, and insert the transmission rod connecting pin from the side of the locking plug;

[0013] Step 4: Install the ROV handle from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug, and insert the handle rotating pin from the side of the locking plug;

[0014] Step 5: Insert the guide groove at the top of the latch into the inside of the guide rod.

[0015] Preferably, the locking and unlocking mechanism of the socket system employs the following installation steps:

[0016] Step 1: Connect the underwater gate valve to the lead screw and nut transmission device using threads;

[0017] Step 2: Connect the housing to the lower cover and upper cover of the housing with screws, and place an O-ring seal;

[0018] Step 3: Connect the sleeve to the housing cover with screws and place an O-ring seal;

[0019] Step 4: Place a Glyd ring on the contact surface between the lead screw and nut drive device and the ROV control interface, and connect the ROV control interface to the sleeve with a screw.

[0020] The present invention has the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solutions:

[0021] 1. This invention adopts a mechanical locking / unlocking mechanism, which does not rely on electricity or hydraulic power. The locking and unlocking functions of the underwater electric valve actuator are achieved entirely by ROV operation. This avoids problems such as the inability to recover the actuator due to power loss after the actuator is damaged, which greatly improves the safety of underwater electric valve actuator installation and recovery. At the same time, the mechanical components have the advantages of long service life and high reliability, which can greatly improve the overall reliability of the valve actuator.

[0022] 2. This invention uses a combination of a locking spring and a locking ball to limit the two extreme strokes of the locking tongue by the spring force, thereby reducing the complexity of locking / unlocking the ROV operating actuator.

[0023] 3. This invention uses the lever principle to reduce the torque when the underwater robot operates the ROV handle while ensuring the locking force of the locking tongue. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same parts. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the plug system of the present invention in the locked state;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the plug system of the present invention in the unlocked state;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the plug system of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of the plug system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the plug system of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the locking state of the plug system and socket system of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the unlocked state of the plug system and socket system of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the socket system of the present invention.

[0033] The labels for the attached figures are as follows:

[0034] 1-ROV handle; 2-Handle rotating pin; 3-Drive rod; 4-Drive rod connecting pin; 5-Guide rod; 6-Guide rod connecting pin; 7-Lock tongue; 8-Locking spring; 9-Locking ball; 10-Locking plug; 11-ROV over-control interface; 12-Screw nut transmission device; 13-Position indicator device; 14-Housing; 15-Housing upper cover; 16-Housing lower cover; 17-Sleeve; 18-Underwater valve; 19-Indicator pin; 20-Indicator nut. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the system or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., used to define components are merely for the convenience of distinguishing the aforementioned components. Unless otherwise stated, these terms have no special meaning and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "setting," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] This invention provides a locking / unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator, comprising a plug system and a socket system. The plug system is integrated at the bottom of the underwater electric valve actuator and includes an ROV handle, a handle rotating pin, a transmission rod, a transmission rod connecting pin, a guide rod, a guide rod connecting pin, a locking tongue, a locking spring, a locking ball, and a locking plug. The socket system is integrated at the top of the underwater valve and is fixedly connected to the underwater fully electric oil recovery tree, including an ROV control interface, a screw-nut transmission device, a housing, a housing upper cover, a housing lower cover, and a sleeve. This invention uses a mechanical method for locking / unlocking, without relying on external electricity or hydraulic power. It can be operated independently by the ROV to complete the locking / unlocking actions of the underwater electric valve actuator, and has advantages such as good adaptability, simple operation, and high reliability. In addition to its application in underwater electric actuators, this invention also has certain reference value for other underwater structures that rely on ROV installation and recovery.

[0039] The locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator provided in the embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Please see Figures 1 to 4The locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator provided in this embodiment includes a plug system integrated at the bottom of the underwater electric valve actuator and a socket system integrated at the top of the underwater valve. The plug system includes an ROV handle 1, a handle rotating pin 2, a transmission rod 3, a transmission rod connecting pin 4, a guide rod 5, a guide rod connecting pin 6, a locking tongue 7, a locking spring 8, a locking ball 9, and a locking plug 10. The ROV handle 1 and the locking plug 10 are connected via the handle rotating pin 2. One end of the transmission rod 3 is connected to the ROV handle 1 via the transmission rod connecting pin 4, and the other end of the transmission rod 3 is connected to the guide rod 5 via the guide rod connecting pin 6. Two locking tongues 7 are respectively installed inside the locking grooves on the left and right sides of the locking plug 10. The top of the locking tongue 7 has a guide groove, and the guide rod 5 extends into the guide groove of the locking tongue 7. A mounting groove is provided on the front side of the locking plug 10, and the guide rod 5, transmission rod 3, handle rotating pin 2, transmission rod connecting pin 4, locking spring 8, and locking ball 9 are all installed inside the mounting groove of the locking plug 10. The locking spring 8 and the locking ball 9 are located between the guide rod 5 and the locking plug 10. One end of the locking spring 8 abuts against the locking plug 10, and the other end of the locking spring 8 abuts against the guide rod 5 through the locking ball 9. The guide rod 5 has a locking groove. When the guide rod 5 moves to the locking position, the locking spring 8 pushes the locking ball 9 into the locking groove of the guide rod 5 to achieve locking. When unlocking, the ROV handle 1 is rotated to overcome the spring force of the locking spring 8 and squeeze the locking ball 9 out of the locking groove of the guide rod 5 to achieve unlocking.

[0041] Please see Figure 5 When the underwater electric valve actuator needs to be installed or retrieved, the ROV holds one end of the ROV handle 1 and rotates the ROV handle 1 clockwise. The clockwise rotation of the ROV handle 1 drives the transmission rod 3 to rotate counterclockwise. At the same time as the transmission rod 3 rotates, it drives the guide rod 5 to move linearly. The linear movement of the guide rod 5 overcomes the preload of the locking spring 8, thereby driving the locking tongue 7 to swing, completing the locking / unlocking process of the underwater electric valve actuator.

[0042] Please see Figures 6 to 8The socket system includes an ROV control interface 11, a screw and nut drive device 12, a housing 14, a housing top cover 15, a housing bottom cover 16, and a sleeve 17. The ROV control interface 11 and the sleeve 17 are connected by screws and use O-rings for static sealing. The bottom of the ROV control interface 11 has a through hole, into which the upper end of the screw and nut drive device 12 extends and uses a Glyd ring for dynamic sealing. The housing top cover 15 and the housing bottom cover 16 are connected to the housing 14 by screws and use O-rings for static sealing. The lower end of the screw and nut drive device 12 is threadedly connected to the underwater valve 18. The screw and nut drive device 12 is used to convert rotary motion into linear motion, thereby controlling the action of the underwater valve 18. The locking plug 10 of the plug system can be inserted into the ROV control interface 11 of the socket system, and the ROV handle 1 can be operated to lock the plug system and the socket system.

[0043] In the above embodiments, preferably, the socket system further includes a position indicator 13, which is connected to the lead screw and nut transmission device 12 via an indicator pin 19 and an indicator nut 20. When the lead screw and nut transmission device 12 rotates, it will drive the indicator nut 20 and the indicator pin 19 to move linearly, thereby causing the position indicator 13 to swing, thus displaying the actual opening position of the underwater valve 18.

[0044] In the above embodiments, the plug system employs the following installation steps:

[0045] Step 1: Place the locking spring 8 and locking ball 9 inside the mounting slot of the locking plug 10;

[0046] Step 2: Install the guide rod 5 from the bottom of the mounting slot of the locking plug 10 and insert the guide rod connecting pin 6;

[0047] Step 3: Install the transmission rod 3 from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug 10, and insert the transmission rod connecting pin 5 from the side of the locking plug 10;

[0048] Step 4: Install the ROV handle 1 from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug 10, and insert the handle rotating pin 2 from the side of the locking plug 10;

[0049] Step 5: Insert the top guide groove of the latch 7 into the guide rod 5.

[0050] In the above embodiments, the socket system adopts the following installation steps:

[0051] Step 1: Connect the underwater gate valve 18 to the screw nut transmission device 12 using threads;

[0052] Step 2: Connect housing 14 to housing lower cover 16 and housing upper cover 15 with screws, and place O-ring seals;

[0053] Step 3: Connect the sleeve 17 to the housing cover 15 with screws and place the O-ring seal;

[0054] Step 4: Place a Glyd ring on the contact surface between the lead screw and nut drive device 12 and the ROV control interface 11, and connect the ROV control interface 11 to the sleeve 17 with screws.

[0055] The locking and unlocking mechanism for underwater electric valve actuators provided by this invention operates on the following principle:

[0056] Locking process of the underwater electric valve actuator: The ROV moves the underwater electric valve actuator to the vicinity of the underwater valve 18. At this time, the ROV flips the ROV handle 1 through the robotic arm. The rotation of the ROV handle 1 drives the transmission rod 3 to rotate. The transmission rod 3 drives the guide rod 5 to move linearly. While the guide rod 5 moves, it needs to overcome the preload of the locking spring 8, causing the locking tongue 7 to rotate inward. After the locking tongue 7 reaches the locking position, the locking ball 9 is inserted into the locking groove of the guide rod 5 under the action of the preload of the locking spring 8. At this time, the locking ball 9 will squeeze the guide rod 5 to prevent it from moving up and down, thereby maintaining the unlocked state of the locking and unlocking mechanism. After the locking and unlocking mechanism is unlocked, the locking plug 10 of the plug system is inserted into the ROV over-control interface 11 of the socket system. The ROV rotates the ROV handle 1 in the opposite direction to complete the locking state of the underwater electric valve actuator.

[0057] Unlocking process of underwater electric valve actuator: When the underwater electric valve actuator is damaged and needs to be recovered, the ROV moves to the vicinity of the underwater valve 18. Similarly, the ROV flips the ROV handle 1 through the mechanical arm, causing the locking tongue 7 to rotate inward, completing the unlocking process of the underwater electric valve actuator, and carrying the underwater electric valve actuator back to the surface.

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of this application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the embodiments can be combined in any way. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A locking and unlocking mechanism for an underwater electric valve actuator, characterized in that, Including plug systems and socket systems; The plug system is integrated into the bottom of the underwater electric valve actuator. The plug system includes an ROV handle, a handle rotating pin, a transmission rod, a transmission rod connecting pin, a guide rod, a guide rod connecting pin, a locking tongue, a locking spring, a locking ball, and a locking plug. The ROV handle is connected to the locking plug via the handle rotating pin. One end of the transmission rod is connected to the ROV handle via the transmission rod connecting pin, and the other end of the transmission rod is connected to the guide rod via the guide rod connecting pin. The locking tongue is installed inside the locking grooves on both sides of the locking plug. The top of the locking tongue has a guide groove, and the guide rod extends into the guide groove of the locking tongue. An installation groove is provided on the front side of the locking plug. A guide rod, a transmission rod, a handle rotating pin, a transmission rod connecting pin, a locking spring, and a locking ball are installed inside the mounting groove of the locking plug. The locking spring and the locking ball are positioned between the guide rod and the locking plug. One end of the locking spring abuts against the locking plug, and the other end of the locking spring abuts against the guide rod via the locking ball. A locking groove is provided on the guide rod. When the guide rod moves to the locked position, the locking spring pushes the locking ball into the locking groove of the guide rod to achieve locking. To unlock, the ROV handle is rotated to overcome the spring force of the locking spring, squeezing the locking ball out of the locking groove of the guide rod to achieve unlocking. The socket system is integrated on top of the underwater valve and is fixedly connected to the underwater fully electric oil recovery tree. The socket system includes an ROV control interface, a screw and nut drive device, a housing, an upper housing cover, a lower housing cover, and a sleeve. The ROV control interface is fastened to the sleeve and uses an O-ring for static sealing. The bottom of the ROV control interface has a through hole, into which the upper end of the screw and nut drive device extends and uses a Glyd ring for dynamic sealing. The upper and lower housing covers are fastened to the housing and use O-rings for static sealing. The lower end of the screw and nut drive device is connected to the underwater valve. The screw and nut drive device is used to convert rotary motion into linear motion, thereby controlling the operation of the underwater valve. The locking plug of the plug system can be inserted into the ROV control interface of the socket system, and the ROV handle can be used to lock the plug system to the socket system.

2. The locking and unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The socket system also includes a position indicator device, which is connected to the lead screw and nut transmission device via an indicator pin and an indicator nut. When the lead screw and nut transmission device rotates, it drives the indicator nut and indicator pin to move linearly, thereby causing the position indicator device to swing, thus displaying the actual opening position of the underwater valve.

3. The locking and unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plug system is installed using the following steps: Step 1: Place the locking spring and locking ball inside the mounting slot of the locking plug; Step 2: Install the guide rod from the bottom of the mounting slot of the locking plug and insert the guide rod connecting pin; Step 3: Install the transmission rod from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug, and insert the transmission rod connecting pin from the side of the locking plug; Step 4: Install the ROV handle from the top of the mounting slot of the locking plug, and insert the handle rotating pin from the side of the locking plug; Step 5: Insert the guide groove at the top of the latch into the inside of the guide rod.

4. The locking and unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The socket system is installed using the following steps: Step 1: Connect the underwater valve to the lead screw and nut transmission device using threads; Step 2: Connect the housing to the lower cover and upper cover of the housing with screws, and place an O-ring seal; Step 3: Connect the sleeve to the housing cover with screws and place an O-ring seal; Step 4: Place a Glyd ring on the contact surface between the lead screw and nut drive device and the ROV control interface, and connect the ROV control interface to the sleeve with a screw.

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