Submarine pipeline reverse thrust type ditching device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of ocean engineering, and particularly relates to a reverse thrust type ditching device for a submarine pipeline. The invention discloses a ditcher, and aims to solve the problems that a ditcher in the prior art is inconvenient to transport, a power unit is complicated, the operation cost is high, and the ditching depth and angle cannot be adjusted. The device comprises a body mechanism, a centering mechanism, a ground breaking mechanism, a ditch depth adjusting mechanism, a front spraying mechanism, a monitoring mechanism and an advancing mechanism. The body mechanism is hermetically connected and communicated with the water supply rubber pipe; the centering mechanism is clamped with a submarine pipeline to be landfilled, the ground breaking mechanism is hermetically connected and communicated with the body mechanism, the trench depth adjusting mechanism is respectively hinged with the centering mechanism and the body mechanism, the front spraying mechanism is fixedly connected and communicated with the body mechanism, the monitoring mechanism is fixed with the body mechanism, and the advancing mechanism is detachably and fixedly connected with the body mechanism. Underwater self-propelling can be achieved, and traction force does not need to be provided by a mother ship; longitudinal depth and angle adjustment can be carried out on the spraying arm so as to adapt to different working conditions and geological conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of marine engineering, and in particular relates to a reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline. Background Art

[0002] Existing underwater jet trenchers generally consist of three parts: a main structure, a soil-breaking system, and a mud discharge system. During operation, the trencher is lowered to the seabed by a lifting device of a surface mother ship and straddles the submarine pipeline. It is supported on the seabed by the sliding shoes on both sides of the main structure. The front-end soil-breaking system uses high-pressure water jets to break up the seabed soil. The rear-end mud discharge system uses water lift, air lift or suction pump to lift the soil mud to a higher position and use the ocean current to carry it away, thereby forming a trench under the pipeline. The trencher moves forward through the towing force provided by the surface mother ship to achieve continuous trenching.

[0003] The existing jet trenchers mainly have the following technical characteristics: First, the overall structure size and weight are large, and land transportation is extremely inconvenient; second, the supporting power unit is complex, and usually high-pressure water pumps, air compressors, generators and other equipment are required to provide power for the trenching and suction systems of the trencher, with high average power consumption and high operating costs; third, it does not have autonomous propulsion capabilities and relies on suspension and towing by surface mother ships, making it difficult to control underwater stability; fourth, the jet arm adopts a fixed design, the trenching angle and depth cannot be adjusted, and the adaptability to different sea conditions and geological conditions is poor; fifth, the trencher mud discharge system usually needs to lift the mud to the water surface, which causes great pollution to the water body and is not conducive to ecological environment protection; sixth, trenching and backfilling are not synchronized. After the trench is formed, it is generally necessary to backfill the trench through natural return or backfilling equipment, which is not only time-consuming and costly, but also there is still a great safety risk for the pipeline during the period before backfilling.

[0004] Based on this, the present invention proposes a submarine pipeline reverse-thrust trenching device with a light structure, a single power source, autonomous propulsion and trench depth adjustment capabilities, and the ability to achieve synchronous trenching and backfilling. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems in the prior art, namely, the trenching machines in the prior art are inconvenient to transport, have complex power units, high operating costs, lack of autonomous propulsion capabilities, and cannot adjust trenching depth and angle, the present invention provides a submarine pipeline reverse thrust trenching device.

[0006] The present invention provides a reverse-thrust trenching device for submarine pipelines, which is connected to a deck pump group fixed on a surface mother ship through a water supply hose, and comprises a main body mechanism, a centering mechanism, a ground-breaking mechanism, a trench depth adjustment mechanism, a front-spraying mechanism, a monitoring mechanism and a traveling mechanism;

[0007] The main body mechanism is sealed and connected to the water supply hose; the centering mechanism is clamped with the seabed pipeline to be buried, the centering mechanism is hinged to the main body mechanism, and the centering mechanism is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism;

[0008] The earth-breaking mechanism is sealed and connected to the main body mechanism, and the earth-breaking mechanism performs trenching work through the high-pressure jet provided by the deck pump group;

[0009] The groove depth adjustment mechanism is hingedly connected to the centering mechanism and the main body mechanism respectively, and the groove depth adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the height of the centering mechanism, thereby adjusting the height of the earth-breaking mechanism;

[0010] The front jet mechanism is fixedly connected and communicated with the main body mechanism, and the front jet mechanism is used to provide power for the traveling mechanism;

[0011] The monitoring mechanism is fixed to the main body mechanism, and the monitoring mechanism is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device;

[0012] The traveling mechanism is detachably fixedly connected to the main body mechanism, and the traveling mechanism is used to support and travel the device.

[0013] In some preferred embodiments, the main body structure includes a plurality of seamless welded steel pipes, the steel pipes on both sides of the main body structure are main pipes, the main pipes are sealed and fixed to and connected with the water supply hose, and the main pipes on both sides are fixed by a plurality of branch pipes.

[0014] In some preferred embodiments, the centering mechanism includes a guide roller, a guide column and a centering bracket;

[0015] The guide column is arranged on both sides of the submarine pipeline and clamped on the submarine pipeline, one end of the guide column is fixed to the centering bracket, the other end of the guide column is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism, the centering bracket is hinged to the main pipeline, and the guide column is provided with a plurality of groups of guide rollers along its length direction, and the guide rollers overlap the outer circumferential surface of the submarine pipeline.

[0016] In some preferred embodiments, the soil breaking mechanism includes a spraying arm, a nozzle and a telescopic pipe;

[0017] The spray arm is sealed and connected to the main pipeline through the telescopic pipeline, and is communicated with the main pipeline. The spray arm is sealed and fixed to the nozzle and is communicated with the nozzle. The nozzle is used for trenching operations.

[0018] The spray arm is fixed to the other end of the guide column.

[0019] In some preferred embodiments, the groove depth adjustment mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder, a telescopic rod and an adjustment bracket;

[0020] The hydraulic cylinder is hingedly connected to the adjusting bracket, and the adjusting bracket is fixed to the main pipe;

[0021] The telescopic rod of the hydraulic cylinder is hingedly connected to the centering bracket.

[0022] In some preferred embodiments, the front spray mechanism is an inclined pipeline sealed and fixed to and connected with the main pipeline, and a control valve is installed on the front spray mechanism, and the control valve is used to adjust the flow rate of the nozzle and the forward speed of the device.

[0023] In some preferred embodiments, the monitoring mechanism is a connecting rod fixed to the branch pipeline, and the connecting rod is used to install a sensor, and the sensor is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device.

[0024] In some preferred embodiments, the travel mechanism includes a support wheel and a support connecting rod, one end of the support connecting rod is fixed to the main pipeline, and the other end of the support connecting rod is connected to the support wheel bearing.

[0025] In some preferred embodiments, at least one buoyancy adjustment mechanism is fixed to each of the support link and the main body mechanism, and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the underwater negative buoyancy of the device.

[0026] In some preferred embodiments, at least one group of the guide rollers and the guide columns are provided along the length direction of the submarine pipeline.

[0027] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0028] The present invention effectively solves a number of key technical problems of existing jet-type submarine trenchers, such as large size and mass, high power consumption, lack of self-propulsion capability, weak ability to adapt to working conditions, water pollution, and asynchronous trenching and backfilling, by providing an underwater jet trencher with self-propulsion capability, adjustable trenching depth, and synchronous trenching and backfilling functions.

[0029] The reverse-thrust underwater jet trencher of the present invention adopts a lightweight design to reduce the overall size and mass; through structural design and flow matching, the jet source can provide the power required for underwater autonomous propulsion of the trencher in addition to the ground-breaking function. The trencher can achieve underwater self-propulsion without the need for a mother ship to provide traction; the jet arm can adjust the longitudinal depth and angle to adapt to different operating conditions and geological conditions, and the ground-breaking system can push the seabed soil broken up by the front end to the rear trench to achieve the function of trenching and backfilling at the same time; the ground-breaking strength can reach 50kPa, the maximum single excavation depth is 2m, and the maximum operating speed can reach 300m / h, effectively meeting the needs of high-efficiency and low-cost trenching and backfilling projects for shallow buried deep submarine pipelines in shallow and near-shore areas. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the use of a reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 The utility model is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a reverse thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the relevant invention, rather than to limit the invention. It is also necessary to explain that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the relevant invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0034] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0035] The present invention provides a reverse thrust trenching device for submarine pipelines, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The device 2 is connected to a deck pump group 4 fixed on the surface mother ship 1 through a water supply hose 6, and the device 2 includes a main body mechanism 21, a centering mechanism 22, a ground breaking mechanism 23, a trench depth adjustment mechanism 24, a front spray mechanism 25, a monitoring mechanism 26 and a traveling mechanism 27;

[0036] The main body mechanism 21 is sealed and connected to the water supply hose 6; the centering mechanism 22 is clamped with the submarine pipeline 3 to be buried, the centering mechanism 22 is hingedly connected to the main body mechanism 21, and the centering mechanism 22 is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism 23;

[0037] The earth-breaking mechanism 23 is sealed and connected to the main body mechanism 21, and the earth-breaking mechanism performs trenching through the high-pressure jet provided by the deck pump group 4;

[0038] The groove depth adjustment mechanism 24 is hingedly connected to the centering mechanism 22 and the main body mechanism 21 respectively, and the groove depth adjustment mechanism 24 is used to adjust the height of the centering mechanism 22, thereby adjusting the height of the earth-breaking mechanism 23;

[0039] The front jet mechanism 25 is fixedly connected and communicated with the main body mechanism 21, and the front jet mechanism 25 is used to provide power for the travel mechanism 27;

[0040] The monitoring mechanism 26 is fixed to the main body mechanism 21, and the monitoring mechanism 26 is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device 2;

[0041] The traveling mechanism 27 is detachably fixedly connected to the main body mechanism 21 , and the traveling mechanism 27 is used to support and travel the device 2 .

[0042] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The main body mechanism 21 includes a plurality of seamless welded steel pipes. The steel pipes on both sides of the main body mechanism 21 are main pipes 211. The main pipes 211 are sealed and fixed to and connected with the water supply hose 6. The main pipes 211 on both sides are fixed by a plurality of branch pipes 212.

[0043] The main pipes 211 on both sides have the dual functions of structural support and inlet flow passages. The high-pressure fluid provided by the deck pump group 4 on the surface mother ship 1 is distributed through the main pipes 211 on both sides to provide jet power for the earth-breaking mechanism 23 and the front spray mechanism 25.

[0044] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The centering mechanism 22 includes a guide roller 221, a guide column 222 and a centering bracket 223;

[0045] The guide column 222 is arranged on both sides of the submarine pipeline 3 and clamped on the submarine pipeline 3, one end of the guide column 222 is fixed to the centering bracket 223, the other end of the guide column 222 is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism 23, the centering bracket 223 is hinged to the main pipeline 211, and the guide column 222 is provided with a plurality of guide rollers 221 along its length direction. The guide rollers 221 overlap the outer circumferential surface of the submarine pipeline 3.

[0046] During operation, the centering mechanism 22 centers the submarine pipeline 3, so that the device 2 straddles the submarine pipeline 3. The guide column 222 can clamp the submarine pipeline 3 to ensure that the device 2 always travels along the route. The friction resistance between the submarine pipeline 3 and the device 2 can be reduced by setting the guide roller 221.

[0047] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The soil breaking mechanism 23 includes a spray arm 231, a nozzle 232 and a telescopic pipe 233;

[0048] The spray arm 231 is sealed and connected to the main pipeline 211 through the telescopic pipeline 233, and the spray arm 231 is sealed and fixed to the nozzle 232 and connected. The nozzle 232 is used for trenching operations;

[0049] The spray arm 231 is fixed to the other end of the guide column 222 .

[0050] The design of the machine centering mechanism 22 uses the support and rotation mechanism of the spray arm 231, which reduces the need for a separate mechanism and achieves lightweighting of the fuselage.

[0051] Among them, the high-pressure jet provided by the deck pump group 4 enters the spray arm 231 through the water supply hose 6, the main pipeline 211 and the telescopic pipe 233, and is then sprayed out from the nozzle 232, breaking up the seabed soil under the submarine pipeline 3 so that the submarine pipeline 3 sinks into the trench, and pushing the broken soil to the rear trench, realizing synchronous trenching and backfilling in a small section.

[0052] The telescopic pipe 233 is a relatively short hose connecting the earth-breaking mechanism 23 and the main body mechanism 21 .

[0053] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 , the groove depth adjustment mechanism 24 includes a hydraulic cylinder 241, a telescopic rod 242 and an adjustment bracket 243;

[0054] The hydraulic cylinder 241 is hingedly connected to the adjustment bracket 243, and the adjustment bracket 243 is fixed to the main pipe 211;

[0055] The telescopic rod 242 of the hydraulic cylinder 241 is hingedly connected to the centering bracket 223 .

[0056] The angle between the spray arm 231 and the horizontal plane is adjusted by extending and retracting the telescopic rod 242 of the hydraulic cylinder 241, so as to achieve the ground-breaking effect of different trench depths.

[0057] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The front spray mechanism 25 is an inclined pipeline sealed and fixed with the main pipeline 211 and connected. A control valve 251 is installed on the front spray mechanism 25. The control valve 251 is used to adjust the flow rate of the nozzle 232 and the forward speed of the device 2.

[0058] Among them, the front spray mechanism 25 is arranged at the front end of the device 2 and has an inclination angle, so that the high-pressure jet can achieve pre-ground breaking and provide forward power for the device 2 through the jet reaction force. By setting the control valve 251, the distribution of propulsion force and ground breaking force can be achieved by adjusting the nozzle flow, thereby adjusting the ground breaking ability and forward speed of the device 2.

[0059] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The monitoring mechanism 26 is a connecting rod fixed to the branch pipe 212 , and the connecting rod is used to install a sensor, and the sensor is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device 2 .

[0060] Wherein, the sensor may be a sonar or an underwater beacon.

[0061] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The travel mechanism 27 includes a support wheel 271 and a support link 272 , one end of the support link 272 is fixed to the main pipeline 211 , and the other end of the support link 272 is connected to the bearing of the support wheel 271 .

[0062] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 At least one buoyancy adjustment mechanism 28 is fixed on each of the supporting link 272 and the main body mechanism 21 , and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism 28 is used to adjust the underwater negative buoyancy of the device 2 .

[0063] The underwater negative buoyancy of the device 2 can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of the buoyancy adjusting mechanisms 28 to adapt to different working conditions. The buoyancy adjusting mechanisms 28 can be floats.

[0064] For further explanation of the present invention, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 At least one group of guide rollers 221 and guide columns 222 are arranged along the length direction of the submarine pipeline 3 .

[0065] The reverse-thrust trenching device for submarine pipelines of the present invention sprays and flushes locally on the submarine pipeline 3 when in use, pushes the seabed soil scattered at the front end to the rear trench, and realizes the effect of trenching and backfilling in a small section. During operation, the device 2 is set on the seabed, and the seawater is extracted through the water inlet pipe 5 located on the side of the surface mother ship 1, and is pressurized by the deck pump group 4 and transported to the earth-breaking mechanism 23 and the front spraying mechanism 25 through the water supply hose 6, which serves as the power for breaking the seabed soil and self-propulsion of the device 2. The control valve 251 of the front spraying mechanism 25 can adjust the flow balance of the earth-breaking mechanism 23 and the front spraying mechanism 25, and when the predetermined trench depth is reached, autonomous propulsion can be achieved, thereby completing the trenching and backfilling operation of the entire submarine pipeline.

[0066] The terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects rather than to describe or indicate a particular order or sequence.

[0067] The term "comprise" or any other similar term is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus / device that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus / device.

[0068] So far, the technical solutions of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline, the device (2) being connected to a deck pump unit (4) fixed on a surface mother ship (1) via a water supply hose (6), characterized in that: The device (2) comprises a main body mechanism (21), a centering mechanism (22), a ground-breaking mechanism (23), a trench depth adjustment mechanism (24), a front-jet mechanism (25), a monitoring mechanism (26) and a traveling mechanism (27); The main body mechanism (21) is sealed and connected to the water supply hose (6); the centering mechanism (22) is clamped with the submarine pipeline (3) to be buried, the centering mechanism (22) is hingedly connected to the main body mechanism (21), and the centering mechanism (22) is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism (23); The earth-breaking mechanism (23) is sealed and connected to the main body mechanism (21), and the earth-breaking mechanism performs trenching through the high-pressure jet provided by the deck pump group (4); The groove depth adjustment mechanism (24) is hingedly connected to the centering mechanism (22) and the main body mechanism (21) respectively, and the groove depth adjustment mechanism (24) is used to adjust the height of the centering mechanism (22), thereby adjusting the height of the ground-breaking mechanism (23); The front jet mechanism (25) is fixedly connected to and communicates with the main body mechanism (21), and the front jet mechanism (25) is used to provide power for the travel mechanism (27); The monitoring mechanism (26) is fixed to the main body mechanism (21), and the monitoring mechanism (26) is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device (2); The traveling mechanism (27) is detachably fixedly connected to the main body mechanism (21), and the traveling mechanism (27) is used to support and travel the device (2).

2. A submarine pipeline reverse-thrust trenching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body (21) comprises a plurality of seamlessly welded steel pipes. The steel pipes on both sides of the main body (21) are main pipes (211). The main pipes (211) are sealed and fixed to and communicate with the water supply hose (6). The main pipes (211) on both sides are fixed via a plurality of branch pipes (212).

3. A submarine pipeline reverse thrust trenching device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The centering mechanism (22) comprises a guide roller (221), a guide column (222) and a centering bracket (223); The guide column (222) is arranged on both sides of the submarine pipeline (3) and is clamped on the submarine pipeline (3); one end of the guide column (222) is fixed to the centering bracket (223); the other end of the guide column (222) is fixed to the earth-breaking mechanism (23); the centering bracket (223) is hingedly connected to the main pipeline (211); the guide column (222) is provided with a plurality of groups of guide rollers (221) along its length direction; the guide rollers (221) overlap the outer circumferential surface of the submarine pipeline (3).

4. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline according to claim 3, characterized in that: The soil breaking mechanism (23) comprises a spraying arm (231), a nozzle (232) and a telescopic pipe (233); The spray arm (231) and the main pipe (211) are sealed and connected to the main pipe (211) through the telescopic pipe (233), and the spray arm (231) and the nozzle (232) are sealed and fixed and connected, and the nozzle (232) is used for trenching operations; The spray arm (231) is fixed to the other end of the guide column (222).

5. A reverse-thrust trenching device for submarine pipelines according to claim 4, characterized in that: The groove depth adjustment mechanism (24) comprises a hydraulic cylinder (241), a telescopic rod (242) and an adjustment bracket (243); The hydraulic cylinder (241) is hingedly connected to the adjustment bracket (243), and the adjustment bracket (243) is fixed to the main pipe (211); The telescopic rod (242) of the hydraulic cylinder (241) is hingedly connected to the centering bracket (223).

6. A reverse-thrust trenching device for submarine pipelines according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front spray mechanism (25) is an inclined pipeline that is sealed and fixed to and communicates with the main pipeline (211). A control valve (251) is installed on the front spray mechanism (25). The control valve (251) is used to adjust the flow rate of the nozzle (232) and the forward speed of the device (2).

7. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline according to claim 6, characterized in that: The monitoring mechanism (26) is a connecting rod fixed to the branch pipeline (212), and the connecting rod is used to install a sensor, and the sensor is used for groove type monitoring and positioning of the device (2).

8. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline according to claim 7, characterized in that: The travel mechanism (27) comprises a support wheel (271) and a support connecting rod (272), one end of the support connecting rod (272) is fixed to the main pipe (211), and the other end of the support connecting rod (272) is connected to the bearing of the support wheel (271).

9. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline according to claim 8, characterized in that: At least one buoyancy adjustment mechanism (28) is fixed on each of the supporting connecting rod (272) and the main body mechanism (21), and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism (28) is used to adjust the underwater negative buoyancy of the device (2).

10. A reverse-thrust trenching device for a submarine pipeline according to claim 9, characterized in that: At least one group of the guide rollers (221) and the guide columns (222) is arranged along the length direction of the submarine pipeline (3).

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