Deepwater flexible pipe laying ship with vertical laying system

Abstract

The invention provides a deepwater flexible pipe laying ship with a vertical laying system, which is characterized in that a reel pipe coil chamber is arranged in a cabin of a ship body, at least one transverse cable reel pipe coil is arranged in the reel pipe coil chamber, and each cable reel pipe coil is connected with a reel driver; a cable through hole and a cable guide mechanism are mounted on the upper surface of the main deck; a set of vertical laying system is installed on the upper surface of the main deck, the vertical laying system comprises a vertical supporting frame erected on the main deck, a conveying pulley is installed at the top of the vertical supporting frame, and the conveying pulley is connected with a pulley driver; the ship body is provided with a working moon pool which downwards penetrates from the main deck to the ship bottom, a cable wound on the cable reel pipe disc penetrates through the cable through hole and is connected and conveyed to the vertical laying system through the cable guide mechanism, and the cable downwards penetrates through the working moon pool through the conveying pulley and is laid underwater. The reelpipe is coiled in the cabin body, so that the gravity center height of the ship can be reduced while the loading capacity is improved, and the economic benefit and the operation safety are further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to submarine cable laying, and in particular to a deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel with a vertical laying system. Background Art

[0002] Flexible pipe laying vessels, as an important role in the field of marine engineering, are responsible for laying flexible pipelines such as offshore hoses, umbilical cables, cables and communication cables. This type of ship not only carries the heavy responsibility of connecting the underwater world, but is also an indispensable part of modern marine resource development. Its core capabilities, namely the loading capacity of flexible pipes and the operating water depth, directly determine whether it can cope with the challenges of complex and changing marine environments.

[0003] In each laying operation, the flexible pipe-laying vessel strives to lay as many complete and continuous pipes and cables as possible in one operation to reduce the number of pipe and cable joints. This is not only to reduce the risk of pipe and cable failure, but also to improve laying efficiency and thus reduce the cost of the entire laying project. Therefore, the loading capacity of pipes and cables has become a key indicator to measure whether a flexible pipe-laying vessel can undertake long-distance submarine laying projects. The capacity and efficiency of the laying equipment directly restrict the operating water depth and operating efficiency, and become an important criterion for judging the performance of the ship.

[0004] However, my country started late in submarine cable engineering construction, and there are relatively few independently designed and built flexible pipe laying vessels, so there is a lot of room for development in loading capacity and operating water depth. At present, domestic submarine flexible pipe operation vessels are mainly used in domestic coastal areas, with relatively shallow operating water depths and relatively small loading capacity. In terms of positioning systems, these ships mainly use anchoring positioning and horizontal laying methods, which are difficult to meet the needs of long-distance, deep-water, and large-capacity laying projects.

[0005] Faced with this situation, we urgently need to improve our independent development capabilities of flexible pipe-laying vessels with large operating depths and large loading capacities, not only to meet the needs of my country's marine resource development, but also to occupy a place in the global marine engineering field. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention provides a deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system, comprising a hull and a main deck.

[0007] The upper surface of the main deck is equipped with an underwater robot system, a saturation diving system and a maintenance and repair system;

[0008] A cable reel chamber is provided in the cabin of the hull, and at least one transverse cable reel is horizontally distributed in the cable reel chamber, and each cable reel is connected to a reel drive;

[0009] At least one cable through hole and a cable guide mechanism corresponding to the position of the cable reel are installed on the upper surface of the main deck;

[0010] A vertical laying system is installed on the upper surface of the main deck. The vertical laying system includes a vertical support frame erected on the main deck. A conveying pulley is installed on the top of the vertical support frame. The conveying pulley is connected to a pulley driver.

[0011] The hull is equipped with an autonomous deck that extends down to the working moon pool at the bottom of the ship.

[0012] The cable wound on the cable reel passes through the cable through-hole and is connected to the cable guide mechanism and transported to the vertical laying system. The conveying pulley pulls the cable downward through the working moon pool and is laid underwater.

[0013] Furthermore, at least one transverse cable reel is installed on the main deck, and each cable reel is equipped with a reel drive.

[0014] Furthermore, there are a number of ballast tanks on both sides of the hull;

[0015] A plurality of cable reels are distributed in sequence along the length of the ship in the reel room.

[0016] Furthermore, the cable guiding mechanism includes a guiding support frame, on which a transverse guiding slot is mounted, and one end of the transverse guiding slot is bent downward toward the direction of the cable through hole.

[0017] Furthermore, a rotating guide frame is provided at the other end of the transverse guide slot, and the rotating guide frame includes a rotating frame and an arc-shaped guide slot. The rotating frame is vertically rotatably connected to the guide support frame or the main deck, and the arc-shaped guide slot is fixedly mounted on the rotating frame, and one end of the arc-shaped guide slot is bent toward the direction of the conveying pulley.

[0018] Furthermore, a plurality of platforms for carrying the cable reel are provided in the reel chamber, and a circle of supporting rollers in contact with the platforms is provided at the bottom of the cable reel.

[0019] Furthermore, the working moon pool is arranged in the middle of the hull, and the vertical laying system and the hose reel room are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the working moon pool.

[0020] Furthermore, a crane is installed on the main deck above the hose reel room.

[0021] Furthermore, the power system of the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel adopts new energy power such as batteries, methanol or ammonia.

[0022] Furthermore, the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, which includes a detection system and a power control system. The detection system is used to collect hydrological environmental data including positioning, meteorology, and tidal speed. The power control system controls the shipboard thrusters according to the hydrological environmental data to achieve dynamic positioning of the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel in the ocean current.

[0023] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0024] 1. Placing the cable reel horizontally in the cabin under the main deck can effectively improve the efficiency and quality of laying operations, reduce the number of pipe and cable joints, reduce the risk of failure, and thus improve the reliability of the entire project; at the same time, it can also reduce the height of the ship's center of gravity, thereby improving economic benefits and operational safety;

[0025] 2. Through the vertical laying system and the working moon pool opened on the hull, the cables can be dropped vertically directly from the working moon pool into the water. Compared with the traditional horizontal cable laying method, the cables laid by the present invention can reach the bottom of the water faster and more efficiently. At the same time, the excessive horizontal suspension length in the water is reduced, so that the cable offset during the laying process is smaller, thereby improving the laying accuracy.

[0026] 3. The unique cable guide mechanism design ensures smooth and accurate cable laying, avoiding cable entanglement and damage problems that may be caused by traditional horizontal laying methods.

[0027] 4. The use of new energy power systems not only reduces dependence on traditional fossil fuels and reduces environmental pollution, but also improves the ship's endurance and economic benefits.

[0028] 5. The dynamic positioning system enables the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel to maintain stability in complex marine environments, ensure operational accuracy and safety, and adapt to a wider range of operating water depths and environments.

[0029] In summary, the present invention provides an efficient, safe, environmentally friendly, deep-water flexible pipe-laying vessel with greatly improved loading capacity, which can meet the current needs of marine resource development and has good development prospects and market potential. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, 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 creative labor.

[0031] Figure 1A side view of a deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 A top view of the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 It is a bottom-up cross-sectional view of the deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the cable guide mechanism;

[0035] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the cable reel on the platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0037] In order to fully understand the present invention, detailed steps and detailed structures will be proposed in the following description to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other implementations.

[0038] The domestic flexible pipe laying is basically horizontal, which makes the pipe and cable subject to greater stress and deformation, and requires high strength for the flexible pipe and cable. The operating water depth basically does not exceed 300 meters, and it is impossible to operate in deep water areas. In recent years, although a number of large-tonnage cable-laying ships have been built in China, their loading capacity is limited to 10,000 tons, and they all adopt horizontal laying, which cannot meet the needs of accelerating the construction of my country's marine economy.

[0039] The present invention proposes a high-performance and large-load flexible pipe-laying vessel, which can operate at a water depth of 3,000 meters by arranging a vertical laying system on the main deck. Multiple pipe reels are arranged below the main deck, and pipe reels can also be arranged on the main deck to improve the pipe and cable loading capacity.

[0040] Reference Figure 1-5 As shown, the present invention provides a deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system 160 , comprising a hull 100 and a main deck 101 .

[0041] The ship of the present invention has a wide and flat working deck surface. By adopting modular technology, different working modules are used for adaptive modification according to different working requirements. Such as underwater robot system (ROV) 120, saturation diving system (SAT) 130 and maintenance and repair system (IMR) 140, etc., to expand the scope of use of the ship, shorten the operation cycle, and reduce the investment cost. The underwater robot system 120 is used as the working area of ​​the ROV robot. The ROV robot is equipped with an advanced navigation and positioning system to ensure the accuracy and safety in deep-water operations. The saturation diving system SAT provides divers with the ability to work in a high-pressure environment for a long time, making deep-water operations more efficient and safe. The maintenance and repair system IMR includes various maintenance tools and equipment, which can quickly and effectively maintain and repair deep-water facilities. The design of the hull 100 and the main deck 101 fully considers the special requirements of marine engineering and ensures the stability and reliability of the ship in long-term operations. A plurality of working platforms and lifting equipment are also provided on the main deck 101 to facilitate the rapid installation and disassembly of various operating modules.

[0042] In practical applications, the deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel of the present invention can meet the needs of various deepwater projects, such as the laying of submarine pipelines, the installation and maintenance of offshore platforms, the development of deepwater oil and gas fields, etc. Through the application of modular technology, the ship can quickly adjust the operation module according to different engineering needs, thereby improving the operation efficiency and reducing the operation cost. At the same time, the ship of the present invention also has good environmental adaptability, can stably operate in a variety of climates and sea conditions, and ensure the smooth progress of deepwater projects.

[0043] A plurality of ballast tanks 102 are provided on both sides of the hull 100. In the ballast tanks of the hull 100, accurate control of ballast water can be achieved through corresponding valves and piping systems. Ballast water regulation not only helps to maintain the stability and balance of the ship, but also optimizes the performance of the ship under different speeds and sea conditions.

[0044] A cable reel chamber 150 is provided in the cabin of the hull 100, and at least one transverse cable reel 151 is horizontally distributed in the cable reel chamber 150. Each cable reel 151 is connected to a reel driver, and the reel driver can drive the cable reel 151 to rotate.

[0045] At least one cable through hole 152 and a cable guide mechanism 153 corresponding to the position of the cable reel 151 are installed on the upper surface of the main deck 101.

[0046] A vertical laying system 160 is installed on the upper surface of the main deck 101. The vertical laying system 160 includes a vertical support frame 161 erected on the main deck 101. A conveying pulley 162 is installed on the top of the vertical support frame 161. The conveying pulley 162 is connected to a pulley driver.

[0047] The hull 100 is provided with an autonomous deck 101 extending downwardly to a working moon pool 170 at the bottom of the ship.

[0048] The working process of the present invention is briefly described as follows: the cable wound on the cable reel 151 passes through the cable through hole 152 and is connected to the cable guide mechanism 153 and transported to the vertical laying system 160, and the conveying pulley 162 of the vertical laying system 160 vertically passes through the working moon pool 170 and is laid on the seabed. In this process, the reel driver and the pulley driver rotate synchronously to achieve the uniform speed of laying the cable on the seabed.

[0049] In an optional embodiment, a plurality of cable reels 151 are distributed in sequence along the length of the ship in the reel room 150, and the ship width is utilized as much as possible to place larger cable reels 151 to maximize resource utilization.

[0050] In addition, in an optional embodiment, in addition to placing a cable reel in the cabin, a cable reel 151 can be installed on the vacant main deck 101 to further increase the cable loading capacity. Accordingly, the cable reel on the deck also needs to be equipped with a reel drive.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, the cable guide mechanism 153 includes a guide support frame 153-1, on which a horizontal guide slot 153-2 is installed, and one end of the horizontal guide slot 153-2 (i.e., the left side in the figure) is bent downward toward the cable through hole 152. A rotating guide frame 153-3 is provided at the other end of the horizontal guide slot 153-2 (i.e., the right side in the figure), and the rotating guide frame 153-3 includes a rotating frame 153-4 and an arc-shaped guide slot 153-5. The rotating frame 153-4 is vertically rotatably connected to the guide support frame 153-1 or the main deck 101, and the arc-shaped guide slot 153-5 is fixedly installed on the rotating frame 153-4, and one end of the arc-shaped guide slot 153-5 is bent toward the conveying pulley 162. For example, the rotating frame 153-4 can be driven to rotate by a hydraulic cylinder to adjust the elevation angle of the arc-shaped guide slot 153-5, so as to better guide the cable 1. When not in use, the rotating frame 153 - 4 can also be rotated to a storage state.

[0052] like Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of platforms 154 for carrying the cable reel 151 are provided in the reel chamber 150, and a circle of supporting rollers 151-1 in contact with the platforms 154 are provided at the bottom of the cable reel 151. When the cable reel 151 rotates, the supporting rollers 151-1 can roll, thereby reducing the friction force of the cable reel 151 on the platform 154 during the rotation process, and also playing a better supporting role.

[0053] A ventilation system is also provided on the top of the reel chamber 150 to ensure air circulation in the reel chamber 150. The ventilation system may include an air inlet and an air outlet, and maintains the temperature and humidity in the reel chamber within an appropriate range through natural ventilation or forced ventilation, thereby extending the service life of the cable.

[0054] The working moon pool 170 is disposed in the middle of the hull 100 , and the vertical laying system 160 and the hose reel chamber 150 are disposed at the front and rear sides of the working moon pool 170 , respectively.

[0055] A crane 180 is installed on the main deck 101 above the cable reel room 150. The crane 180 is mainly used to hoist and carry the cable reel 151 and other equipment during ship operations. It is designed with sufficient load-bearing capacity and stability to ensure that the task can be completed safely and reliably even in severe sea conditions. The boom of the crane 180 can be extended and rotated to meet different hoisting requirements.

[0056] Next to the crane 180, there is a control room where operators can precisely control the crane 180 through an advanced control system. The control room is equipped with a variety of monitoring equipment, such as cameras and sensors, to monitor the progress of the lifting operation in real time and ensure the safety of the operation.

[0057] In addition, in order to further improve the operation efficiency and safety, the present invention also provides an intelligent management system. The system can record and analyze the use of the cable reel 151, the operation status of the crane 180, and the operation progress of the working moon pool 170 in real time. Through data analysis, the system can predict maintenance needs and perform preventive maintenance in advance, thereby reducing unexpected downtime and improving overall operation efficiency.

[0058] Considering the consumption of conventional fossil fuels and the protection of the marine environment, the present invention pays more attention to energy conservation and environmental protection. The present invention equips the ship with a new energy power battery 170 and new energy power such as methanol or ammonia, which can reduce pollution to the marine environment, improve the energy efficiency and competitiveness of the ship, and truly realize green ships.

[0059] The deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, which includes a detection system and a power control system. The detection system is used to collect hydrological environmental data including positioning, weather, and tidal speed. The power control system can control the DP system to automatically adjust the thrust of different propellers, thereby achieving accurate dynamic positioning, so that the deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel is always in the best working position, avoiding the ship from being affected by wind and water flow and thus deviating from the preset working position. The system can increase the reliability of laying operations under harsh sea conditions, shorten operation time, and improve operation efficiency. The deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel of the present invention also has a powerful power system and flexible control performance, enabling it to operate stably in harsh marine environments.

[0060] The ship of the present invention is equipped with a DP2 / DP3 dynamic positioning system and a vertical laying system, and can carry out laying operations in deep waters, with an operating depth of up to 3,000 meters. By placing multiple cable reels horizontally in the main hull of the cabin, the height of the ship's center of gravity can be lowered while ensuring the loading capacity of the reels, thereby improving economic benefits and operational safety. At the same time, the cable reels are placed in the cabin and do not occupy the main deck area, so that the main deck can be equipped with underwater robot systems ROV, saturation diving systems SAT, and maintenance and repair systems IMR, which greatly improves the versatility and operational efficiency of the ship. In addition, the ship of the present invention is also equipped with advanced navigation and communication systems to ensure that real-time contact with the land command center can be maintained even under severe weather conditions, thereby improving operational safety. At the same time, according to operational needs, the ship's cable loading capacity can be further expanded, the frequency of the ship's round trips can be reduced, and operational efficiency can be improved.

[0061] The above describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the devices and structures that are not described in detail should be understood to be implemented in a common manner in the art; any technician familiar with the art can use the above-disclosed methods and technical contents to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes, which does not affect the essential content of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system, comprising a hull (100) and a main deck (101), characterized in that: An underwater robot system, a saturation diving system and a maintenance and repair system are provided on the upper surface of the main deck (101); A cable reel chamber (150) is provided in the cabin of the hull (100), at least one transverse cable reel (151) is horizontally distributed in the cable reel chamber (150), and each cable reel (151) is connected to a reel drive; At least one cable through hole (152) and a cable guide mechanism (153) respectively corresponding to the position of the cable reel (151) are installed on the upper surface of the main deck (101); A vertical laying system (160) is installed on the upper surface of the main deck (101), and the vertical laying system (160) includes a vertical support frame (161) erected on the main deck (101), and a conveying pulley (162) is installed on the top of the vertical support frame (161), and the conveying pulley (162) is connected to a pulley driver; The hull (100) is provided with an autonomous deck (101) extending downwardly to a working moon pool (170) at the bottom of the ship. The cable wound on the cable reel (151) passes through the cable through hole (152) and is connected to the cable guide mechanism (153) and transported to the vertical laying system (160). The transport pulley (162) pushes the cable downward through the working moon pool (170) and is laid underwater.

2. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: At least one transversely placed cable reel (151) is installed on the main deck (101), and each of the cable reel (151) is equipped with a reel drive.

3. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of ballast tanks are provided on both sides of the hull (100); A plurality of cable reel drums (151) are sequentially distributed in the reel drum chamber (150) along the length of the ship.

4. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The cable guide mechanism (153) comprises a guide support frame (153-1), a transverse guide slide groove (153-2) is installed on the guide support frame (153-1), and one end of the transverse guide slide groove (153-2) is bent downward toward the cable through hole (152).

5. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: A rotating guide frame (153-3) is provided at the other end of the transverse guide slot (153-2); the rotating guide frame (153-3) comprises a rotating frame (153-4) and an arc-shaped guide slot (153-5); the rotating frame (153-4) is vertically rotatably connected to the guide support frame (153-1) or the main deck (101); the arc-shaped guide slot (153-5) is fixedly mounted on the rotating frame (153-4); and one end of the arc-shaped guide slot (153-5) is bent toward the conveying pulley (162).

6. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of platforms (154) for supporting the cable reel (151) are arranged in the cable reel chamber (150), and a circle of supporting rollers (151-1) in contact with the platforms (154) are arranged at the bottom of the cable reel (151).

7. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The working moon pool (170) is arranged in the middle of the hull (100), and the vertical laying system (160) and the hose reel chamber (150) are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the working moon pool (170).

8. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: A crane (180) is installed on the main deck (101) above the hose reel room (150).

9. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The power system of the deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel adopts new energy power of batteries, methanol or ammonia.

10. A deepwater flexible pipe-laying vessel with a vertical laying system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, which includes a detection system and a power control system. The detection system is used to collect hydrological environment data including positioning, meteorology, and tidal speed. The power control system controls the shipboard propeller according to the hydrological environment data to achieve dynamic positioning of the deepwater flexible pipe laying vessel in ocean currents.

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