Cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension

Abstract

The invention discloses a cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension, and relates to the technical field of offshore mooring, the cable stopper device comprises a shell fixed on a tension leg platform, the upper end and the lower end of the shell are both provided with openings, the inner wall surface of the shell is an inner concave cambered surface, the inner side of the shell is slidably connected with a head stopper, the head stopper is of a split structure, and the head stopper is provided with an opening. A through hole is formed in the middle of the head stopper, a dragging head is arranged in the through hole in a penetrating mode, clamping teeth are arranged on the outer wall of the dragging head and the hole wall of the through hole, and the dragging head is matched with the head stopper in a limiting mode through the clamping teeth. Connecting rings are arranged at the two ends of the dragging head, the top end of the dragging head is connected with a winch cable on the tension leg platform, and the bottom end of the dragging head is connected with a mooring cable connector on the tension leg platform. The clamping teeth on the dragging head and the clamping teeth on the head stopper are all involute tooth profiles, the head stopper is in an open state when the dragging head is pulled upwards, the head stopper and the dragging head can be locked and stopped in a closed state, and therefore the tension can be adjusted in the field operation period of the tension leg platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of offshore mooring, and in particular to a cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension. Background Art

[0002] The design of the tension leg platform is to generate buoyancy far greater than the deadweight of the structure through its own structural form. In addition to offsetting the deadweight, the remaining part of the buoyancy is balanced with the pre-tension. The pre-tension acts on the vertical tension leg mooring system of the tension leg platform, so that the tension leg is always in a tensioned state. The larger tension leg pre-tension makes the platform's out-of-plane movement (roll, pitch and heave) smaller, close to rigidity. The tension leg connects the platform to the seabed, providing a relatively stable and safe working environment for production.

[0003] For tension-leg offshore floating platforms, vertical tension tendon mooring is often used. This type of mooring rope is often made of synthetic fiber materials and wire ropes. Tension tendon mooring has the smallest mooring radius and has little impact on the seabed. The high tension inside the tension tendon gives the platform excellent stability. Therefore, the calibration and adjustment of the mooring tension has become a more important part of the tension leg platform system.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a cable stop device for adjusting the mooring tension, which is used for a tension leg platform, connects the tension leg platform with the mooring cable, and adjusts and calibrates the tension of the mooring cable. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension, so as to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a cable stop device for adjusting mooring tension, comprising a shell fixedly mounted on a tension leg platform, openings being provided at both upper and lower ends of the shell, the inner wall surface of the shell being an inner concave arc surface, a head stop being slidably connected to the inner side of the shell, the head stop being a split structure, a through hole being provided in the middle portion of the head stop, a towing head being passed through the through hole, latching teeth being provided on the outer wall of the towing head and the hole wall of the through hole, the towing head and the head stop being limitedly engaged by the latching teeth; connecting rings are provided at both ends of the towing head, the top end of the towing head is connected to the winch cable on the tension leg platform, and the bottom end of the towing head is connected to the mooring rope joint on the tension leg platform.

[0007] Preferably, the head stopper includes a base, the base is slidably connected to the inner wall of the outer shell, and the side of the base close to the outer shell is a spherical surface; a plurality of stop blocks are provided on the inner side of the base, and the plurality of stop blocks are arranged along the circumferential direction of the towing head to form an annular structure, and the side of the base away from the outer shell is a conical structure, the stop block is limitedly installed in the base, and the towing head is limitedly cooperated with the base through the stop block.

[0008] Preferably, a plurality of guide rails are arranged on the conical surface on the inner side of the base, the guide rails are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the stop blocks, and the stop blocks are slidably connected to the base via the guide rails.

[0009] Preferably, a limiter is provided at the end of the guide rail, and the limiter is detachably connected to the base.

[0010] Preferably, a connecting structure is provided between two adjacent stop blocks, and the connecting structure includes a rectangular connecting column and a limiting slide groove, the rectangular connecting column and the limiting slide groove are respectively provided on the two adjacent stop blocks, and the rectangular connecting column is slidably connected in the limiting slide groove.

[0011] Preferably, the number of the stop blocks is 4.

[0012] Preferably, the top end of each stop block is fixedly connected with a hanging ring.

[0013] Preferably, the contact surface between the base and the housing is treated with a low-friction coating.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0015] The cable stopper device for adjusting the mooring tension provided by the present invention has a top end of a towing head connected to a winch cable on a tension leg platform, and a bottom end of the towing head connected to a mooring rope joint on the tension leg platform. The latching teeth on the towing head and the latching teeth on the head stopper both have involute tooth profiles. When the towing head is pulled up, the head stopper is in an open state, and in a closed state, the head stopper can be interlocked with the towing head for stopping, thereby adjusting the tension during on-site operation of the tension leg platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. 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 work.

[0017] Figure 1It is a front view of a cable stop device for adjusting mooring tension of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 A top view of a cable stop device for adjusting mooring tension according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between two adjacent stop blocks of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0021] In the figure: 1. shell; 2. traction head; 3. latching teeth; 4. connecting ring; 5. base; 6. stop block; 7. guide rail; 8. limiter; 9. rectangular connecting column; 10. limiting slide groove; 11. lifting ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0023] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention provides a cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension, comprising a shell 1 fixedly mounted on a tension leg platform, openings being arranged at both upper and lower ends of the shell 1, the inner wall surface of the shell 1 being an inner concave arc surface, a head stopper being slidably connected to the inner side of the shell 1, the head stopper being a split structure, a through hole being arranged in the middle part of the head stopper, a towing head 2 being penetrated in the through hole, latching teeth 3 being arranged on the outer wall of the towing head 2 and the hole wall of the through hole, the towing head 2 and the head stopper being limitedly matched by the latching teeth 3; connecting rings 4 are arranged at both ends of the towing head 2, the top end of the towing head 2 is connected to the winch cable on the tension leg platform, and the bottom end of the towing head 2 is connected to the mooring rope joint on the tension leg platform.

[0024] When the present invention is in use, the top end of the towing head 2 is connected to the winch cable on the tension leg platform, and the bottom end of the towing head 2 is connected to the mooring rope joint on the tension leg platform. The latching teeth 3 on the towing head 2 and the latching teeth 3 on the head stopper both have involute tooth profiles. When the towing head 2 is pulled up, the head stopper is in an open state, and in a closed state, the head stopper can be interlocked with the towing head 2 to stop, so that the tension can be adjusted during the on-site operation of the tension leg platform.

[0025] A further optimized solution is to facilitate the rotation between the stopper and the outer shell 1, and to facilitate the relative position adjustment between the tractor head 2 and the stopper, the stopper includes a base 5, the base 5 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the outer shell 1, and the side of the base 5 close to the outer shell 1 is a spherical surface; a plurality of stop blocks 6 are arranged on the inner side of the base 5, and the plurality of stop blocks 6 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the tractor head 2 and form an annular structure, and the side of the base 5 away from the outer shell 1 is a conical structure, the stop block 6 is limitedly installed in the base 5, and the tractor head 2 is limitedly matched with the base 5 through the stop block 6.

[0026] To further optimize the solution, in order to facilitate the sliding between the stop block 6 and the base 5 and ensure that the position of the stop block 6 will not move at will, a plurality of guide rails 7 are arranged on the conical surface inside the base 5, and the guide rails 7 and the stop blocks 6 are arranged one by one, and the stop block 6 is slidably connected to the base 5 through the guide rails 7.

[0027] According to a further optimized solution, in order to prevent the stop block 6 from slipping out of the base 5 , a limiter 8 is provided at the end of the guide rail 7 , and the limiter 8 is detachably connected to the base 5 .

[0028] A further optimized solution is to provide a connecting structure between two adjacent stop blocks 6 to ensure synchronous up and down movement of the multiple stop blocks 6. The connecting structure includes a rectangular connecting column 9 and a limiting slide groove 10. The rectangular connecting column 9 and the limiting slide groove 10 are respectively provided on the two adjacent stop blocks 6. The rectangular connecting column 9 is slidably connected in the limiting slide groove 10.

[0029] According to a further optimized solution, the number of the stop blocks 6 is four.

[0030] According to a further optimized solution, when the tractor head 2 is adjusted to move downward, in order to lift the stop blocks 6 respectively so that the tractor head 2 can be adjusted downward, a lifting ring 11 is fixedly connected to the top of each stop block 6 .

[0031] According to a further optimized solution, in order to facilitate the free rotation of the stopper in all directions during operation, the contact surface between the base 5 and the housing 1 is treated with a low-friction coating.

[0032] To further optimize the solution, a stress detection device is welded on the rib plate of the tension leg platform mounting shell 1 to monitor the load of the cable stop.

[0033] Since the cable stop is subjected to high loads during operation and the ribs experience large elastic strains under the loads, the stress detection device installed on the ribs can measure the mooring force. In addition, in the event of a failure of the stress detection device, it can be easily repaired or replaced.

[0034] The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension provided by the present invention has the following working principle:

[0035] During the mooring rope towing operation, the towing head 2 is recovered from the seabed together with the complete mooring rope, and the top of the towing head 2 is connected to the winch cable on the tension leg platform. When the towing head 2 passes through the central opening of the head stopper, the towing head 2 makes initial contact with the head stopper; during the towing process, the towing head 2 moves upward, pushing the stop block 6 in the head stopper assembly along the guide rail 7 on the base 5 to the position of the limiter 8. When the stop block 6 contacts the limiter 8, the four stop blocks 6 in the head stopper are in the open mode, at which time the head of the towing head 2 can pass through the through hole in the middle of the head stopper; when the stop block 6 contacts or is compressed with the limiter 8, the limiter 8 generates a reaction force and acts on the stop block 6. When the tooth top of the towing head 2 passes through the stop block 6, the stop block 6 returns to the tooth root position of the towing head 2 under the action of the reaction force and its own weight, and at this time the head stopper is in the closed mode.

[0036] During the mooring cable tension adjustment operation, the mooring load is transferred from the towing head 2 to the winch cable on the tension leg platform. The head stopper does not bear the mooring load. By pulling the towing head 2 upward, the mooring cable tension is increased. When the towing head 2 is pulled, the height of the latch 3 is moved upward each time, and no other operation is required. When the towing head 2 is lifted, the stopper 6 moves upward along the guide rail 7 and pushes to the position of the sliding stopper 8. At this time, the stopper 6 contacts the limit block and squeezes each other, and the stopper 6 is in the open state. When the towing head 2 passes the tooth top of the stopper 6, the stopper 6 falls back to the root of the towing head 2 under the reaction force of squeezing and the deadweight, and the tooth type is locked.

[0037] In order to reduce the tension of the mooring rope, the stop block 6 is lifted through the lifting ring 11 at the top of the stop block 6 and kept at the highest position, and then the position of the towing head 2 is lowered to reach the predetermined tension, and the stop block 6 is released, and the stop block 6 falls back to the locked position to complete the adjustment of the mooring rope tension.

[0038] The above are only preferred specific implementations of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension, characterized in that: The invention comprises a shell (1) fixedly mounted on a tension leg platform, wherein the upper and lower ends of the shell (1) are both provided with openings, the inner wall surface of the shell (1) is an inner concave arc surface, a stopper is slidably connected to the inner side of the shell (1), the stopper is a split structure, a through hole is opened in the middle of the stopper, a towing head (2) is passed through the through hole, latch teeth (3) are both provided on the outer wall of the towing head (2) and on the hole wall of the through hole, the towing head (2) and the stopper are limitedly matched by the latch teeth (3); both ends of the towing head (2) are provided with connecting rings (4), the top end of the towing head (2) is connected to the winch cable on the tension leg platform, and the bottom end of the towing head (2) is connected to the mooring cable joint on the tension leg platform.

2. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 1, characterized in that: The head stopper comprises a base (5), the base (5) being slidably connected to the inner wall of the outer shell (1), and the surface of the base (5) close to the outer shell (1) being a spherical surface; a plurality of stop blocks (6) are arranged on the inner side of the base (5), and the plurality of stop blocks (6) are arranged along the circumferential direction of the traction head (2) to form an annular structure; a surface of the base (5) away from the outer shell (1) is a conical structure; the stop block (6) is limitedly installed in the base (5), and the traction head (2) is limitedly matched with the base (5) through the stop block (6).

3. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of guide rails (7) are arranged on the conical surface inside the base (5), the guide rails (7) and the stop blocks (6) are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the stop blocks (6) are slidably connected to the base (5) via the guide rails (7).

4. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiter (8) is provided at the end of the guide rail (7), and the limiter (8) is detachably connected to the base (5).

5. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 3, characterized in that: A connecting structure is provided between two adjacent stop blocks (6), the connecting structure comprising a rectangular connecting column (9) and a limiting slide groove (10), the rectangular connecting column (9) and the limiting slide groove (10) being respectively provided on the two adjacent stop blocks (6), and the rectangular connecting column (9) being slidably connected in the limiting slide groove (10).

6. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the stop blocks (6) is 4.

7. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top end of each stop block (6) is fixedly connected to a lifting ring (11).

8. The cable stopper device for adjusting mooring tension according to claim 2, characterized in that: The contact surface between the base (5) and the housing (1) is treated with a low-friction coating.

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