Underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring in-place state of pile foundation of ocean platform

Abstract

The invention discloses an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-place state of a pile foundation of an ocean platform. The underwater carrying device comprises a main body frame, the buoyancy tank is arranged on the main body frame; the underwater optical imaging system is arranged on one side of the main body frame; the sonar is arranged above the buoyancy tank; the attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are arranged on the main body frame, located on the two sides of the sonar respectively and located at the front end of the main body frame in the advancing direction; the two horizontal propelling devices and the two vertical propelling devices are arranged on the main body frame and located on the two sides of the sonar correspondingly. The communication system is installed on the sonar, located at the rear end of the main body frame in the advancing direction and in communication connection with the sonar, the underwater optical imaging system, the attitude sensor, the water depth sensor, the horizontal propelling device and the vertical propelling device so as to obtain underwater data, and the communication system is used for uploading the underwater data to the horizontal operation table through a data transmission cable at the same time. The underwater carrying device can reliably monitor the in-place state of the pile foundation of the ocean platform, and the operation stability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of equipment for monitoring the in-situ status of marine platform pile foundations, and in particular to an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of marine platform pile foundations. Background Art

[0002] As an important facility for offshore oil and gas development, the self-elevating platform is widely used. During operation, the platform inserts the pile foundation into the appropriate foundation soil through its own ballast to provide support for the platform operation; it can be seen that the stability of the platform in place plays an important role in ensuring the safe production of the platform.

[0003] However, due to the complex geological conditions of the seabed and the changes in the foundation caused by repeated pile insertion, jack-up platforms often encounter some risk accidents during actual pile insertion and pre-ballasting, among which the risk of puncture and "footprint" slippage is the most common. If the actual pile insertion depth is too shallow, the pile shoe is partially or completely exposed outside the foundation soil layer, exposing the pile shoe to the risk of current scouring, platform shaking causing liquefaction and loss of bottom soil, which may cause the platform to slip and capsize.

[0004] At present, the main method for monitoring pile foundation in place is to use multi-beam sonar measurement equipment carried by ships for scanning. It can scan the underwater terrain within the entire installation area, generate an underwater topographic map of the entire field, and check the scouring conditions of the seabed around the pile foundation, including the hollowing of the pile foundation.

[0005] Although the sonar scanning equipment carried by ships usually has the characteristics of high operating efficiency and easy use, since the sonar equipment is fixed on the ship, the dynamic influence of environmental parameters will have a certain impact on the measurement accuracy, and the measurement can only generate point cloud images and lacks underwater close-range visible light imaging to assist observation. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of offshore platform pile foundations, which can reliably monitor the in-situ status of offshore platform pile foundations and improve the stability of operations.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place, comprising:

[0008] Main frame;

[0009] The buoyancy box is arranged on the main frame and is used to absorb and discharge liquid so that the main frame can float up and dive down, and can also realize that the main frame is suspended at a preset position underwater;

[0010] The underwater optical imaging system is arranged on one side of the main frame and located at the front end in the forward direction of the main frame;

[0011] Sonar, located above the buoy, is used to convert sonar data into sonar images;

[0012] The attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are arranged on the main frame and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar and at the front end of the main frame in the forward direction;

[0013] Two sets of horizontal propulsion devices are installed on the main frame and located on both sides of the sonar;

[0014] Two sets of vertical propulsion devices are arranged on the main frame and are located on both sides of the sonar, respectively, and are arranged above the horizontal propulsion devices;

[0015] The communication system is installed on the sonar and is located at the rear end of the main frame in the forward direction. It is connected to the sonar, underwater optical imaging system, attitude sensor, water depth sensor, horizontal propulsion device and vertical propulsion device to obtain underwater data. The communication system is used to upload the underwater data to the horizontal operating console simultaneously via the data transmission cable.

[0016] Preferably, the main frame is an integrated structure, comprising:

[0017] The crossbeam is equipped with sonar, horizontal and vertical propulsion devices, attitude sensors and water depth sensors;

[0018] Two side panels are connected to the cross beam and are respectively located on both sides of the cross beam. One of the side panels is installed with an underwater optical imaging system, which is located on the side of the side panel facing the sonar.

[0019] Preferably, both side panels are provided with an underwater lighting system, and the underwater lighting system is located below the horizontal propulsion device.

[0020] Preferably, the vertical propulsion device, the attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are all arranged above the crossbeam, and the horizontal propulsion device is arranged below the crossbeam.

[0021] Preferably, the number of each group of horizontal propulsion devices is two, the number of each group of vertical propulsion devices is two, and the two horizontal propulsion devices and the two vertical propulsion devices located on either side of the sonar are arranged in sequence along the forward direction of the main frame.

[0022] Preferably, the cross beam is made of aluminum alloy, the side panels are made of polypropylene, and the side panels are provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes.

[0023] Preferably, the buoyancy tank includes a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in an array, and any pressure chamber is provided with a solenoid valve and a suction pump. The solenoid valve is connected to the suction pump, and the suction pump absorbs and discharges the liquid by opening the solenoid valve.

[0024] Compared with the above-mentioned background technology, the underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of marine platform pile foundations provided by the present invention utilizes a buoyancy box to realize the floating and diving of a main frame, and can realize the main frame hovering at a preset position underwater, and through the operation of a horizontal propulsion device and a vertical propulsion device, it can realize six degrees of freedom movement, namely, forward and backward, floating and diving, left and right lateral movement, heading, pitch and roll. The communication system is installed on the sonar, and the communication system is located at the rear end of the forward direction of the main frame, and is communicated and connected with the sonar, underwater optical imaging system, attitude sensor, water depth sensor, horizontal propulsion device and vertical propulsion device to obtain underwater data. The communication system is used to upload the underwater data to the horizontal operating console simultaneously via a data transmission cable.

[0025] It can be seen that the underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of marine platform pile foundations provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art: it can realize the integration of platform safety monitoring in place, so as to enhance the existing monitoring method of the status of marine platform pile foundations in place, improve operating efficiency and other issues, provide a simple and easy analysis method for on-site control of platform in place, reduce operational risks, improve the level of platform safety management, and can realize real-time and reliable monitoring of the status of marine platform pile foundations in place, and improve the stability of operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] 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 or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of an offshore platform pile foundation provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A front view of an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of an offshore platform pile foundation provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A top view of an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the in-situ status of offshore platform pile foundations provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A top view of a buoyancy box of an underwater carrying device for monitoring the status of pile foundations of an offshore platform provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] in:

[0032] 1. Underwater optical imaging system; 2. Attitude sensor; 3. Horizontal propulsion device; 4. Vertical propulsion device; 5. Underwater lighting system; 6. Water depth sensor; 7. Temperature sensor; 8. Main frame; 9. Sonar; 10. Communication system; 11. Floating tank; 110. Solenoid valve; 111. Suction pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0035] The present invention provides an underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place, please refer to the attached Figure 1 To Attachment Figure 4 The underwater carrying device mainly includes: underwater optical imaging system 1, attitude sensor 2, horizontal propulsion device 3, vertical propulsion device 4, underwater lighting system 5, water depth sensor 6, temperature sensor 7, main frame 8, sonar 9, communication system 10 and buoyancy box 11.

[0036] The buoyancy box 11 is arranged on the main frame 8, and is used for absorbing and discharging liquid, so that the main frame 8 can float up and dive down, and can realize that the main frame 8 is suspended at a preset position underwater.

[0037] The underwater optical imaging system 1 is arranged on one side of the main frame 8, and the underwater optical imaging system 1 is located at the front end of the main frame 8 in the forward direction; the underwater optical imaging system 1 can adopt a CCD camera, which has the advantages of high waterproofness, small size, and low working energy consumption.

[0038] The sonar 9 is arranged above the buoy 11, and is used to convert sonar data into sonar images; the sonar 9 has comprehensive hydroacoustic and underwater terminal data processing capabilities, converts underwater sonar data into sonar images, and transmits sonar scanning information in the form of images, which can realize the monitoring of underwater projects in low-visibility environments and obtain clear two-dimensional images in real time. The sonar 9 is preferably placed in the middle of the main frame 8.

[0039] The attitude sensor 2 and the water depth sensor 6 are arranged on the main frame 8, and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar 9, and are located at the front end of the main frame 8 in the forward direction;

[0040] The attitude sensor 2 includes a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis electronic compass and other motion sensors, which can calculate the attitude angle close to the true value through the direction cosine matrix. It can output 360° all-round attitude and heading, among which the roll and pitch accuracy is less than 0.5°, and the heading angle accuracy is less than 1°. The pressure sensing element in the water depth sensor 6 generates voltage when it is under pressure, thereby changing the resistance or changing the oscillation frequency of the sensor output, thereby calculating the current water depth. Specifically, the PA500 type device can be used, which has a higher operating frequency, a range between 0.1-10m, and a digital resolution of 1mm.

[0041] The underwater carrying device may also be provided with a temperature sensor 7, which can form a TCP / IP temperature collection network to realize remote temperature collection. The temperature sensor 7 is placed at the front end of the running direction of the main frame 8. After the underwater carrying device enters the water, the horizontal propulsion device 3 and the vertical propulsion device 4 have six degrees of freedom of movement: forward and backward, up and down, left and right, heading, pitch and roll, and can perform all-round observation of the seabed. After entering the water, the calibration of the attitude sensor 2, the water depth sensor 6 and the temperature sensor 7 is completed.

[0042] Two sets of horizontal propulsion devices 3 are arranged on the main frame 8 and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar 9; two sets of vertical propulsion devices 4 are arranged on the main frame 8 and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar 9, and are respectively arranged above the horizontal propulsion devices 3.

[0043] The horizontal propulsion device 3 and the vertical propulsion device 4 constitute the propeller of the underwater carrying device. The number of each group of horizontal propulsion devices 3 is preferably two, and the number of each group of vertical propulsion devices 4 is two. The two horizontal propulsion devices 3 and the two vertical propulsion devices 4 located on either side of the sonar 9 are arranged in sequence along the forward direction of the main frame 8. The present invention forms a layout scheme of four horizontal propulsion devices 3 and four vertical propulsion devices 4 through fluid dynamics analysis, which are arranged in different angle vectors to avoid interference between the propulsion devices; a fluid dynamics numerical simulation model is established to estimate the resistance and thrust value in the upstream direction, and determine the performance parameters of the propulsion device. The thrust is transmitted to the carrier platform through the propeller shaft and the thrust shaft, and it has six degrees of freedom of movement in the directions of forward and backward, floating and diving, left and right lateral movement, heading, pitch and roll. At the same time, combined with the above-mentioned pontoon 11, seawater is pumped into the pontoon 11 so that the gravity on the device is greater than the buoyancy, and the horizontal propulsion device 3 and the vertical propulsion device 4 are combined to complete the diving action of the device.

[0044] The communication system 10 is installed on the sonar 9 and is located at the rear end of the forward direction of the main frame 8. The communication system 10 is connected to the sonar 9, the underwater optical imaging system 1, the attitude sensor 2, the water depth sensor 6, the horizontal propulsion device 3 and the vertical propulsion device 4 to obtain underwater data. The communication system 10 is used to upload the underwater data to the horizontal operating console simultaneously via the data transmission cable.

[0045] It can be seen that the communication system 10 includes the communication between the underwater module controllers, data acquisition sensors and the surface operation console. Optoelectronic composite cables are used for data transmission and communication, and the underwater parts use the bus communication form, including the information of underwater lighting, thrusters and sensors, which are summarized by the underwater controller and uploaded to the surface operation console simultaneously through the data transmission cable using multi-threaded programming technology.

[0046] In some embodiments, the main frame 8 is an integrated structure, including a crossbeam and two side panels, and the crossbeam is equipped with a sonar 9, a horizontal propulsion device 3 and a vertical propulsion device 4, a posture sensor 2 and a water depth sensor 6; the two side panels are connected to the crossbeam, and the two side panels are respectively located on both sides of the crossbeam, one of the side panels is equipped with an underwater optical imaging system 1, and the underwater optical imaging system 1 is located on the side of the side panel facing the sonar 9.

[0047] With regard to the specific arrangement of the main frame 8, the cross beam is preferably made of aluminum alloy, the side panels are preferably made of polypropylene, and the side panels are provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes.

[0048] The main frame 8 can adopt an integrated frame design containing glass fiber reinforced polypropylene side panels and a bottom aluminum beam. The polypropylene material has the characteristics of low density, low water absorption, and good strength and toughness. The bottom aluminum beam is made of aluminum alloy. The beam design has the advantages of good rigidity and small water-blocking surface. At the same time, the aluminum beam is hard anodized to increase the corrosion resistance of the frame.

[0049] The vertical propulsion device 4, attitude sensor 2 and water depth sensor 6 are all arranged above the crossbeam, and the horizontal propulsion device 3 is arranged below the crossbeam. Such an arrangement can further optimize the layout of the underwater carrying device, ensure that the underwater carrying device runs smoothly and reliably underwater, and improve the reliability and stability of the operation.

[0050] In some embodiments, the underwater carrying device further includes an underwater lighting system 5 , and both side panels are provided with the underwater lighting system 5 , and the underwater lighting system 5 is located below the horizontal propulsion device 3 .

[0051] In this embodiment, since the underwater carrying device moves forward, observation in the front is more important. Two underwater lighting systems 5 are provided, which are respectively located on the left and right sides below the underwater optical imaging system 1, and are symmetrically distributed on the left and right sides of the sonar 9, so that the underwater optical imaging system 1 can obtain clear video images.

[0052] When in use, the communication system 10 is used and the underwater optical imaging system 1, the underwater lighting system 5 and the sonar 9 are used to control the underwater carrying device to move around the position of the marine platform pile foundation in place, and collect image sonar information. The horizontal propulsion device 3 and the vertical propulsion device 4 are used to patrol around the pile foundation to determine the overall outline of the marine platform pile foundation and clarify the key detection area. After the key detection area is determined by the underwater optical imaging system 1, the underwater lighting system 5 and the sonar 9, the hovering position is determined by the seawater pressure ratio in the buoy 11 to reduce the power loss due to the propulsion device. The detection part is fixed-point imaging detection based on the navigation patrol imaging data of the underwater optical imaging system 1 and the sonar 9. The mud entry position of the pile foundation is determined, and the surroundings of the mud entry position are imaged to determine whether the mud entry position is suspended. If the water quality of the environmental waters in the detection area is poor, the optical imaging system 1 may not be able to observe due to the high turbidity of the water quality. Therefore, the depth of the mud entry point is measured by the depth sensor 6 to reverse the depth of the mud entry point. According to the navigation data of the image sonar, the control device is used to reach the position where the pile foundation enters the mud. Six points are evenly selected around the pile foundation at the position where the pile foundation enters the mud, and the position depth is read out respectively to confirm the height of the mud entry point from the water surface and invert the depth of the pile foundation entering the mud.

[0053] The buoyancy tank 11 includes a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in an array. Each pressure chamber is provided with a solenoid valve 110 and a suction pump 111. The solenoid valve 110 is connected to the suction pump 111. The suction pump 111 absorbs and discharges liquid by opening the solenoid valve 110.

[0054] That is, the pontoon 11 adopts a segmented pressure cabin design, and each cabin is individually equipped with a solenoid valve 110 and a suction pump 111. The suction pump 111 can realize the process of continuous discharge and increase of ballast water in the pontoon, thereby changing the specific gravity relationship between buoyancy and gravity. The device completes actions such as floating or diving, and can hover at a fixed position on the seabed, reducing the working energy consumption of the propulsion device and improving the observation stability. The pontoon 11 can also adopt a streamlined structure as a whole to reduce the navigation resistance and tail vortex, and increase the guide groove to improve the floating and diving capabilities of the underwater carrying device.

[0055] The principles and implementation methods of the present invention are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundations, characterized in that: include: Main frame; A buoyancy box is provided on the main frame and is used to absorb and discharge liquid so that the main frame can float up and dive down, and can also enable the main frame to hover at a preset position underwater; An underwater optical imaging system is provided on one side of the main frame and is located at the front end of the main frame in the forward direction; A sonar, disposed above the buoyancy tank, for converting sonar data into sonar images; The attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are arranged on the main frame and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar and at the front end of the main frame in the forward direction; Two sets of horizontal propulsion devices are arranged on the main frame and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar; Two sets of vertical propulsion devices are arranged on the main frame and are respectively located on both sides of the sonar, and are respectively arranged above the horizontal propulsion device; The communication system is installed on the sonar and is located at the rear end of the forward direction of the main frame. The communication system is connected to the sonar, the underwater optical imaging system, the attitude sensor, the water depth sensor, the horizontal propulsion device and the vertical propulsion device to obtain underwater data. The communication system is used to upload the underwater data to the horizontal operating console via a data transmission cable at the same time.

2. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main frame is an integrated structure, comprising: A crossbeam, on which the sonar, the horizontal propulsion device, the vertical propulsion device, the attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are installed; Two side panels are connected to the crossbeam and are respectively located on both sides of the crossbeam. One of the side panels is installed with the underwater optical imaging system, and the underwater optical imaging system is located on the side of the side panel facing the sonar.

3. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The two side panels are both provided with an underwater lighting system, and the underwater lighting system is located below the horizontal propulsion device.

4. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vertical propulsion device, the attitude sensor and the water depth sensor are all arranged above the crossbeam, and the horizontal propulsion device is arranged below the crossbeam.

5. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the horizontal propulsion devices in each group is two, the number of the vertical propulsion devices in each group is two, and the two horizontal propulsion devices and the two vertical propulsion devices located on either side of the sonar are arranged in sequence along the forward direction of the main frame.

6. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cross beam is made of aluminum alloy, the side panels are made of polypropylene, and the side panels are provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes.

7. The underwater carrying device suitable for monitoring the status of offshore platform pile foundation in place according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoyancy tank includes a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in an array, and any of the pressure chambers is provided with a solenoid valve and a suction pump. The solenoid valve is connected to the suction pump, and the suction pump absorbs and discharges liquid by opening the solenoid valve.

Images