An emergency floating motion velocity control device for a deep sea platform

Abstract

The application relates to a deep-sea platform emergency floating movement speed control device, which comprises a shell, the shell is cylindrical, a pressure cabin is arranged at the axial center of the shell, symmetric main ballast water tanks are arranged on the two sides of the pressure cabin, and a plurality of speed control devices are arranged at the lower ends of the two symmetric main ballast water tanks and used for controlling the floating speed. The specific structure of the speed control device comprises a compressed air cabin, an upper spring mechanism, a lower spring mechanism and a triggering mechanism. The triggering mechanism is displaced and can break the nearest breakable piece. The application has the advantages of compact and reasonable structure, convenient operation, active speed control method, automatic breakage of the upper spring under the action of tension when the platform floats too fast, high autonomy, no need of judgment and control instruction, effective reduction of the floating speed of the platform near the water surface, and smooth floating of the platform to the water surface to the safe state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deep-sea surfacing control technology, and in particular to an emergency surfacing speed control device for deep-sea platforms. Background Technology

[0002] Deep-sea platforms are specialized submersibles used for various operations in deep-sea environments, typically including platforms for oil and gas extraction, scientific research, seabed resource exploration, aquaculture, and other purposes. These platforms usually possess strong pressure resistance, storm resistance, and special designs adapted to deep-sea environments, enabling them to stably perform tasks at depths of thousands of meters.

[0003] To control the platform's emergency ascent, a common practice is to appropriately depressurize some of the ballast tanks during the ascent process to adjust the platform's pitch and roll attitude and ascent speed. However, because the platform itself is a large inertial and hysteretic system, it takes time for the platform's attitude and ascent speed information to be transmitted to the central control center. The operators at the central control center also need time to judge and issue operational commands. Furthermore, the actuators (vent valves) that depressurize the ballast tanks also have a certain delay in responding to operational commands. Therefore, the adjustment of the platform's attitude is delayed, which is detrimental to the platform's safe ascent.

[0004] Meanwhile, in a double-hull manned platform, the two external ballast tanks are located between the inner and outer hulls, specifically in the interhull space between the pressure hull and the non-pressure hull. These ballast tanks provide more buoyancy adjustment space without occupying valuable internal space within the pressure hull. Therefore, improving the surfacing safety and stability of the manned platform is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0005] Therefore, we propose an emergency ascent speed control device for deep-sea platforms. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In response to the shortcomings of the existing production technology, the applicant provides an emergency surfacing speed control device for deep-sea platforms, which enables autonomous, rapid, and effective slowing of the platform's surfacing speed near the water surface, allowing the platform to gently rise to a safe state on the water surface.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows: A deep-sea platform emergency ascent speed control device, comprising: The outer shell is cylindrical. The pressure chamber is located at the axis of the outer shell, and symmetrical main ballast water tanks are arranged on both sides of the pressure chamber. Multiple speed control devices are respectively installed at the lower ends of the two symmetrical main ballast water tanks to control the buoyancy. The specific structure of the speed control device includes: A compressed air chamber comprises multiple stacked compartments, each containing compressed air, and the compartments are connected by rupture discs. The upper spring mechanism and the lower spring mechanism are located at the upper and lower ends of the compressed air chamber, respectively, connecting the compressed air chamber between the main ballast water tank and the outer shell. Both the upper and lower spring mechanisms are susceptible to breakage under certain forces. The triggering mechanism is capable of displacing and destroying the nearest fragile piece.

[0008] Its further features are: The upper spring mechanism and the lower spring mechanism of the device are respectively connected to their upper support plate and lower support plate. The upper support plate is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ballast water tank, and the lower support plate is fixedly connected to the outer shell through the bottom bracket.

[0009] The compressed air chamber can be vertically divided into a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber, and a fourth chamber from top to bottom. The first chamber has mounting holes at its upper part for mounting rupture discs. The rupture discs are mounted on the first chamber using clamping and sealing assemblies. Mounting holes are also provided at the center of the upper part of the second, third, and fourth chambers. The first rupture disc is mounted on the second chamber using a first clamping and sealing assembly; the second rupture disc is mounted on the third chamber using a second clamping and sealing assembly; and the third rupture disc is mounted on the fourth chamber using a third clamping and sealing assembly.

[0010] The rupture disc is an inverted arch type, meaning that the convex surface of the rupture disc is subjected to force, and the rupture pressure of multiple rupture discs gradually increases from top to bottom.

[0011] The capacity of each compartment gradually decreases from top to bottom, and each compartment is kept independently sealed by a sealing clamping assembly.

[0012] Both the upper and lower spring mechanisms are connected by a screw, an adjusting nut, and a first spring mounting sleeve. One end of the screw is fixed to the support plate, and the other end passes through the adjusting nut into the spring cavity. The adjusting nut is threadedly connected to the screw. One end of the spring is embedded in the first spring mounting sleeve, and the other end is embedded in the second spring mounting sleeve. The first spring mounting sleeve is fixed to the adjusting nut, and the second spring mounting sleeve is fixed to the top of the first compartment. The first spring mounting sleeve and the second spring mounting sleeve are coaxial. The adjusting nut can move downward along the screw axis to adjust the spring force.

[0013] The spring located in the upper spring mechanism is made of cast iron, which has a low tensile strength limit. It is resistant to compression but not to tension. When the tensile stress reaches the limit, it will break at a designated position. Meanwhile, the spring located in the lower spring mechanism is made of cast steel, which has better compressive and tensile strength than the upper spring.

[0014] The triggering mechanism is fixed to the lower end of the upper support plate. The triggering mechanism consists of a hydraulic oil pipeline, a hydraulic cylinder, a piston, and a cone. The hydraulic oil pipeline is used to supply hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder. The piston moves along the axial direction of the hydraulic cylinder under the drive of the hydraulic oil. The cone is fixed to the lower part of the piston and can extend or retract from the hydraulic cylinder under the action of the piston. The cone is directly opposite the fragile piece installed on the upper part of the first compartment. The convex surface of the fragile piece faces upward. The cone is in a fixed locking position under the action of the hydraulic locking mechanism.

[0015] The compressed air chamber is externally provided with multiple buoyancy material block structures. The buoyancy material block structure is a multi-layer structure, and each layer of the buoyancy material block structure includes multiple ring-shaped buoyancy material block structures.

[0016] The buoyancy material block structure consists of a buoyancy material block, a hanging frame, and straps. The hanging frame is fixedly connected to the compressed air chamber structure. The bottom of the buoyancy material block has a lug-type structure, which is connected to the hanging frame by a snap-fit ​​mechanism and the two are fixed together by straps.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention features a compact and rational structure, and is easy to operate. It employs an active speed control method; when the platform rises too quickly, the upper spring automatically breaks under tension, demonstrating high autonomy and eliminating the need for human judgment or control commands. The invention is simple in structure, reliable in action, and responds quickly. Using this invention will effectively slow the platform's surfacing speed near the water surface, allowing it to gently rise to a safe state on the water's surface.

[0018] In addition, the present invention also has the following advantages: (1) The compressed air chamber is stacked (the chamber capacity decreases from top to bottom, and the burst pressure of the rupture discs in each chamber gradually increases from top to bottom) to control the injection of seawater into each chamber in stages, so as to achieve a smooth ascent and ensure the safety of the platform's ascent.

[0019] (2) The use of automated operation mode can realize automatic operation in emergency situations, which improves safety.

[0020] (3) The device adopts a modular design and can be modularly installed in other locations on the deep-sea platform, with both balancing and buoyancy adjustment capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the compressed air chamber in the normal state of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the compressed air chamber in the floating state of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the upper spring mechanism in this invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lower spring mechanism in this invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the triggering mechanism in this invention.

[0027] in: 100. Speed ​​control device; 200. Outer shell; 300. Pressure-resistant compartment; 400. Main ballast water tank; 1. Upper spring mechanism; 2. Upper support plate; 3. Triggering mechanism; 4. Fragile disc; 5. Clamping and sealing assembly; 6. First tank; 7. Buoyancy material block structure; 8. Second tank; 9. Third tank; 10. Fourth tank; 11. Lower support plate; 12. First clamping and sealing assembly; 13. First rupture disc; 14. Second clamping and sealing assembly; 15. Second rupture disc; 16. Third clamping... 17. Sealing assembly; 18. Third rupture disc; 19. Lower spring mechanism; 101. Upper screw; 102. Upper adjusting nut; 103. Upper spring first mounting sleeve; 104. Upper spring; 105. Upper spring second mounting sleeve; 301. Hydraulic oil line; 302. Hydraulic cylinder; 303. Piston; 304. Cone; 1801. Lower screw; 1802. Lower adjusting nut; 1803. Lower spring first mounting sleeve; 1804. Lower spring; 1805. Lower spring second mounting sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1- Figure 6 As shown in the figure, this embodiment discloses an emergency surfacing speed control device for a deep-sea platform. In order to quickly reduce the platform's pitch angle and surfacing speed, its structure includes a speed control device 100, an outer shell 200, a pressure-resistant chamber 300, and a main ballast water tank 400. The outer shell 200 is cylindrical, the pressure-resistant chamber 300 is located at its axis, and symmetrical main ballast water tanks 400 are arranged on both sides of the pressure-resistant chamber 300. The number of speed control devices 100 is multiple and they are respectively arranged at the lower ends of the two main ballast water tanks 400.

[0030] To avoid exposing more of the structure, a simplified diagram is used for illustration.

[0031] The speed control device 100 includes an upper spring mechanism 1, a lower spring mechanism 18, multiple stacked compressed air chambers, and a triggering mechanism 3.

[0032] The upper spring mechanism 1 and the lower spring mechanism 18 of the device are connected to the upper support plate 2 and the lower support plate 11 respectively. The upper support plate 2 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ballast water tank 400, and the lower support plate 11 is fixedly connected to the outer shell 200 through the bottom bracket. During the platform's submersion and floating process, the positions of the upper support plate 2 and the lower support plate 11 remain relatively fixed.

[0033] The upper spring mechanism 1 consists of an upper screw 101, an upper adjusting nut 102, an upper spring first mounting sleeve 103, an upper spring 104, and an upper spring second mounting sleeve 105. One end of the upper screw 101 is fixedly connected to the upper support plate 2, and the other end passes through the upper adjusting nut 102 and enters the cavity of the upper spring 104. The upper adjusting nut 102 and the upper screw 101 are connected by threads. One end of the upper spring 104 is embedded in the upper spring first mounting sleeve 103, and the other end is embedded in the upper spring second mounting sleeve 105. The upper spring first mounting sleeve 103 is fixedly connected to the upper adjusting nut 102, and the upper spring second mounting sleeve 105 is fixedly connected to the top of the first compartment 6, and the upper spring first mounting sleeve 103 and the upper spring second mounting sleeve 105 are coaxial. The upper adjusting nut 102 can move up and down along the axial direction of the upper screw 101 to adjust the elastic force of the upper spring 104. The upper spring 104 is made of cast iron with a low tensile strength limit. It is resistant to compression but not to tension. When the tensile stress reaches the limit, it will break at a designated position.

[0034] The lower spring mechanism 18 is identical in structure to the upper spring mechanism 1, consisting of a lower screw 1801, a lower adjusting nut 1802, a lower spring first mounting sleeve 1803, a lower spring 1804, and a lower spring second mounting sleeve 1805. One end of the lower screw 1801 is fixedly connected to the lower support plate 11, and the other end passes through the lower adjusting nut 1802 and enters the cavity of the lower spring 1804. The lower adjusting nut 1802 is threadedly connected to the lower screw 1801. One end of the lower spring 1804 is embedded in the lower spring first mounting sleeve 1803, and the other end is embedded in the lower spring second mounting sleeve 1805. The lower spring first mounting sleeve 1803 is fixedly connected to the lower adjusting nut 1802, and the lower spring second mounting sleeve 1805 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the fourth compartment 10, with the lower spring first mounting sleeve 1803 and lower spring second mounting sleeve 1805 coaxial. The lower adjusting nut 1802 can move up and down along the axis of the lower screw 1801 to adjust the elastic force of the lower spring 1804. The lower spring 1804 is made of cast steel and has better compressive and tensile strength than the upper spring 104.

[0035] A triggering mechanism 3 is fixedly connected to the lower part of the support plate 2 on the deep-sea platform. The triggering mechanism 3, through displacement, can destroy the nearest fragile piece. The triggering mechanism 3 consists of a hydraulic oil line 301, a hydraulic cylinder 302, a piston 303, and a cone 304. The hydraulic oil line 301 supplies hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder 302. Driven by the hydraulic oil, the piston 303 moves axially along the hydraulic cylinder 302. The cone 304 is fixed to the lower part of the piston 303 and can extend or retract from the hydraulic cylinder 302 under the action of the piston 303. The cone 304 faces the fragile piece 4 installed on the upper part of the first compartment 6, with the convex surface of the fragile piece 4 facing upwards. In use, the cone 304 is in a fixed locked position under the action of a hydraulic locking mechanism.

[0036] The compressed air chamber of the speed control device 100 is a compressed air chamber structure that can withstand deep seawater pressure. Multiple buoyancy material block structures 7 are arranged around the exterior of the compressed air chamber. Each buoyancy material block structure 7 consists of buoyancy material blocks, a hanging frame, and straps. The hanging frame is fixedly connected to the compressed air chamber structure. The bottom of the buoyancy material blocks has a lug-type structure, which is connected to the hanging frame via a snap-fit ​​mechanism, and the two are secured with straps. The buoyancy material block structure 7 is a multi-layered structure, with each layer including multiple annularly distributed buoyancy material block structures 7. During use, the overall buoyancy can be adjusted by disassembling or assembling one or more layers of buoyancy material.

[0037] The compressed air chamber is vertically divided into four layers from top to bottom: a first layer (6), a second layer (8), a third layer (9), and a fourth layer (10). The first layer (6) has mounting holes at its upper part for installing fracturing discs (4). The fracturing discs (4) are mounted on the first layer (6) via clamping and sealing assemblies (5). Similarly, mounting holes are located at the center of the upper parts of the second layer (8), third layer (9), and fourth layer (10). The first fracturing disc (13) is mounted on the second layer (8) via a first clamping and sealing assembly (12); the second fracturing disc (15) is mounted on the third layer (9) via a second clamping and sealing assembly (14); and the third fracturing disc (17) is mounted on the fourth layer (10) via a third clamping and sealing assembly (16). All fracturing discs are installed with the stress-bearing surface facing downwards (concave side of a positively arched fracturing disc faces downwards, and convex side of a negatively arched fracturing disc faces downwards).

[0038] To achieve a smooth ascent, seawater is injected into each compartment in stages, with the volume of each compartment gradually decreasing from top to bottom, and the area of ​​the rupture discs also gradually decreasing from top to bottom. To achieve staged water injection during the ascent, the bursting pressure of each rupture disc gradually increases from top to bottom. Each compartment is kept independently sealed by a sealing clamping assembly.

[0039] The specific working principle is as follows: When in the water surface state, each compartment is pre-charged with compressed air at the same pressure, which should be greater than the seawater back pressure when the deep-sea platform is in shallow water. In this embodiment, each compartment is charged with high-pressure air at 5 MPa, the first rupture disc 13 has a burst pressure of 1 MPa, the second rupture disc 15 has a burst pressure of 2 MPa, and the third rupture disc 17 has a burst pressure of 3 MPa.

[0040] In its underwater state, the device remains in balance under the combined forces of the gravity of the water tank (including internal compressed air), the buoyancy of the water tank, the gravity of the buoyancy material block structure 7, the buoyancy of the buoyancy material block structure 7, the tension of the lower spring 1804, and the pressure of the upper spring 104. Due to the pressure of the upper spring 104, the fragile piece 4 and the pointed cone 304 do not come into contact. Figure 2 ).

[0041] When a deep-sea platform encounters distress, emergency ascent maneuvers are activated, and the platform accelerates upward. Due to inertia, the lower spring 1804 is compressed and the upper spring 104 is stretched during this acceleration. Figure 3 As the upward acceleration gradually increases, the upper spring 104 breaks under tension. At this point, the pressure of the upper spring 104 on the device disappears, the resultant force of the device is upward, and the device floats up under the buoyancy of the buoyancy material block structure 7. The pointed cone 304 comes into contact with the fragile piece 4 and punctures it. Figure 4 If the seawater back pressure is higher than 5 MPa, seawater enters the first compartment 6, and the compressed air in the first compartment 6 overflows through the fragile flap, thus injecting water into the first compartment 6. If the seawater back pressure is lower than 5 MPa, the compressed air in the first compartment 6 overflows through the fragile flap until the air pressure inside the compartment equals the seawater back pressure. At this point, because the density of compressed air is less than that of seawater, seawater will still be injected into the first compartment 6.

[0042] As the platform continues to rise, the back pressure of the seawater gradually decreases, while the pressure difference between the compressed air pressure and the back pressure of the seawater gradually increases. When the platform rises to a depth of less than 400m, the pressure difference between the compressed air pressure and the back pressure of the seawater is greater than 1MPa. The first rupture disc 13 is activated, and the second compartment 8 is connected to the seawater environment, thus enabling the second compartment 8 to be filled with water.

[0043] When the platform rises to a depth of 300m or less, the pressure difference between the compressed air and the seawater back pressure is greater than 2MPa. The second rupture disc 15 is activated, and the third compartment 9 is connected to the seawater environment, thus enabling the third compartment 9 to be filled with water.

[0044] By analogy, as the platform rises, water is injected into each compartment in stages to continuously increase the platform's gravity and slow down its ascent.

[0045] If the upper spring 104 breaks under tension and the cone 304 fails to pierce the fragile disc 4 due to a malfunction, the manual intervention mode is activated. The hydraulic locking mechanism is opened, and the cone 304 is pushed out by oil pressure to pierce the fragile disc 4, so that water can be injected into each compartment in sequence.

[0046] (1) The compressed air chamber is stacked (the chamber capacity decreases from top to bottom, and the burst pressure of the rupture discs in each chamber gradually increases from top to bottom) to control the injection of seawater into each chamber in stages, so as to achieve a smooth ascent and ensure the safety of the platform's ascent.

[0047] (2) The use of automated operation mode can realize automatic operation in emergency situations, which improves safety.

[0048] (3) The device adopts a modular design and can be modularly installed in other locations on the deep-sea platform, with both balancing and buoyancy adjustment capabilities.

[0049] The invention employs an active speed control method. When the platform rises too quickly, the upper spring automatically breaks under tension, exhibiting high autonomy and requiring no human judgment or control commands. The invention features a simple structure, reliable operation, and rapid response. Through a specially designed water tank structure, seawater is injected into each water tank in stages during the ascent process, increasing the platform's gravity, slowing its ascent speed near the water surface, and allowing the platform to rise smoothly to a safe state on the water surface.

[0050] The above description is an explanation of the present invention and not a limitation thereof. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Within the scope of protection of the present invention, any form of modification may be made.

Claims

1. A device for controlling the emergency ascent speed of a deep-sea platform, characterized in that, include: The outer casing (200) is cylindrical; The pressure chamber (300) is located at the axial position of the outer shell (200), and symmetrical main ballast water tanks (400) are provided on both sides of the pressure chamber (300). Speed ​​control devices (100), of which there are multiple devices and are respectively installed at the lower ends of the two symmetrical main ballast water tanks (400), are used to control the buoyancy. The specific structure of the speed control device (100) includes: A compressed air chamber comprises multiple stacked compartments, each containing compressed air, and the compartments are connected by rupture discs. The upper spring mechanism (1) and the lower spring mechanism (18) are located at the upper and lower ends of the compressed air chamber, respectively, and connect the compressed air chamber between the main ballast water tank (400) and the outer shell (200). The upper spring mechanism (1) and the lower spring mechanism (18) may break under a certain force. Triggering mechanism (3) can destroy the nearest fragile piece by displacement; The compressed air chamber can be divided vertically from top to bottom into a first chamber (6), a second chamber (8), a third chamber (9), and a fourth chamber (10). The first chamber (6) has an installation hole at the top for installing a rupture disc (4). The rupture disc (4) is installed on the first chamber (6) by a clamping and sealing assembly (5). The second chamber (8), the third chamber (9), and the fourth chamber (10) all have installation holes at the top center position. The first rupture disc (13) is installed on the second chamber (8) by a first clamping and sealing assembly (12); the second rupture disc (15) is installed on the third chamber (9) by a second clamping and sealing assembly (14); and the third rupture disc (17) is installed on the fourth chamber (10) by a third clamping and sealing assembly (16).

2. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper spring mechanism (1) and the lower spring mechanism (18) are connected to their upper support plate (2) and lower support plate (11) respectively. The upper support plate (2) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the main ballast water tank (400), and the lower support plate (11) is fixedly connected to the outer shell (200) through the bottom bracket.

3. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The rupture disc is an inverted arch type, meaning that the convex surface of the rupture disc is subjected to force, and the rupture pressure of multiple rupture discs gradually increases from top to bottom.

4. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The capacity of each compartment gradually decreases from top to bottom, and each compartment is kept independently sealed by a sealing clamping assembly.

5. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper spring mechanism (1) and the lower spring mechanism (18) are both connected by a screw, an adjusting nut, and a first spring mounting sleeve. One end of the screw is fixed to the support plate, and the other end passes through the adjusting nut and enters the spring cavity. The adjusting nut and the screw are connected by a thread. One end of the spring is embedded in the first spring mounting sleeve, and the other end is embedded in the second spring mounting sleeve. The first spring mounting sleeve is fixed to the adjusting nut, and the second spring mounting sleeve is fixed to the top of the first compartment (6). The first spring mounting sleeve and the second spring mounting sleeve are coaxial. The adjusting nut can move downward along the screw axis to adjust the spring force.

6. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The spring located in the upper spring mechanism (1) is made of cast iron, with a low tensile strength limit. It is resistant to compression but not to tension. When the tensile stress reaches the limit, it will break at a designated position. Meanwhile, the spring located in the lower spring mechanism (18) is made of cast steel, and its compressive and tensile strengths are superior to those of the upper spring (104).

7. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The triggering mechanism (3) is fixed to the lower end of the upper support plate (2). The triggering mechanism (3) consists of a hydraulic oil pipeline (301), a hydraulic cylinder (302), a piston (303), and a cone (304). The hydraulic oil pipeline (301) is used to supply hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder (302). The piston (303) moves along the axial direction of the hydraulic cylinder (302) under the drive of the hydraulic oil. The cone (304) is fixed to the lower part of the piston (303) and can extend or retract from the hydraulic cylinder (302) under the drive of the piston (303). The cone (304) is directly opposite the fragile piece (4) installed on the upper part of the first compartment (6). The convex surface of the fragile piece (4) faces upward. The cone (304) is in a fixed locking position under the action of the hydraulic locking mechanism.

8. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The compressed air chamber is provided with multiple buoyancy material block structures (7) on its exterior. The buoyancy material block structures (7) are multi-layered structures, and each layer of buoyancy material block structures (7) includes multiple ring-shaped buoyancy material block structures (7).

9. The emergency ascent speed control device for a deep-sea platform as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The buoyancy material block structure (7) consists of a buoyancy material block, a hanging frame and straps. The hanging frame is fixedly connected to the compressed air chamber structure. The bottom of the buoyancy material block is a lug-type structure, which is connected to the hanging frame by a slot and buckle, and the two are fixed by straps.

Images