Buoyancy clamp for deepwater pipe cable positioning beacon and mounting method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ocean engineering, in particular to a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater pipe cable positioning beacon and an installation method.The buoyancy clamp comprises a buoyancy module and a binding hoop, the buoyancy module is formed by buckling and splicing a first module and a second module, and the first module is provided with a positioning protrusion; the first module is provided with a positioning protrusion, the second module is provided with a positioning groove matched with the positioning protrusion, the first module and the second module are each provided with a pipe cable clamping groove, the two clamping grooves are in butt joint to form a pipe cable channel, the first module and the second module are each provided with a beacon installation groove, and the two beacon installation grooves are in butt joint to form a beacon installation channel. And the binding hoop is bound and fixed on the outer side walls of the first module and the second module and is locked. By adopting the buoyancy clamp, a plurality of positioning beacons are bound and fixed at different positions of the deepwater pipe cable along the way, and through coordinate parameters of the positioning beacons at different positions, the real-time curvature state and the overall configuration of the deepwater pipe cable can be constructed, the movement trend of the deepwater pipe cable can be calculated, the operation risk can be controlled, and the deepwater operation safety can be guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of marine engineering, and in particular to a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon and an installation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Umbilical cables, risers and other deepwater cable equipment are essential engineering equipment in deep-sea exploration, scientific research, construction and other marine engineering fields. When deployed, installed and used at sea, deepwater cables will be subjected to motion responses caused by ship movement and environmental loads such as waves and currents. The coordinate position of the cable along the way from the water surface to the seabed will change constantly. In particular, the influence of the current, due to the inconsistency of the speed and direction of the current at different water depths, causes the cable to produce different displacement changes and curvature changes at different water depths. Since it is impossible to monitor the position and curvature state of the cable underwater in real time, it is very easy to cause the cable to bend and be damaged, or touch the seabed and be damaged. With the exploration and development of deep-sea resources, the application depth of deepwater cables is getting deeper and deeper, the sea conditions are becoming more and more complex, and the operation risks are becoming greater and greater. For deepwater cables used in scientific research, deep-sea mining and other fields, since the underwater equipment is walking on the seabed, the cable will experience greater displacement and unpredictable curvature changes at the water depth near the seabed.

[0003] At present, there is no effective monitoring and control method for the underwater motion response state of deep-sea dynamic cables at home and abroad. In deep-sea operations at home and abroad, umbilical cables are often damaged due to excessive motion response. A typical case is that the umbilical cable touches the seabed and is damaged by the movement of seabed operating equipment. In order to ensure that the position changes along the deep-water cable can be reflected in real time during the operation, corresponding positioning beacons can be arranged at different positions along the cable, and their coordinates and water depth positions can be fed back through hydroacoustic signals to determine the overall motion response state of the cable.

[0004] Since positioning beacons are generally cylindrical structures, fixing and binding them to pipes and cables becomes a relatively critical technical problem. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a buoyancy clamp for deepwater cable positioning beacon and an installation method thereof, so as to solve the technical problem of effective fixing and binding of the beacon and the cable.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a buoyancy clamp for deep-water cable positioning beacons, including a buoyancy module and a binding hoop, the buoyancy module is composed of a first module and a second module that are snapped together, the first module is provided with a positioning protrusion, the second module is provided with a positioning groove that is adapted to the positioning protrusion, the first module and the second module are both provided with a cable clamping groove, and the two cable clamping grooves are connected to form a cable channel, the first module and the second module are both provided with a beacon installation groove, and the two beacon installation grooves are connected to form a beacon installation channel; the binding hoop is tied to the outer side walls of the first module and the second module, and the outer side walls of the first module and the second module are provided with a groove, and the binding hoop is embedded in the groove and locked.

[0007] Furthermore, a semi-annular umbilical cable elastic gasket is provided in the umbilical cable clamping groove, a semi-annular beacon elastic gasket is provided in the beacon installation groove, and both the umbilical cable elastic gasket and the beacon elastic gasket are made of rubber material.

[0008] Furthermore, the umbilical cable clamping groove is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, and the umbilical cable elastic gasket is installed in the groove; the beacon installation groove is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, and the beacon elastic gasket is installed in the groove.

[0009] Furthermore, the buoyancy module is provided with embedded parts, and the embedded parts are used for the installation of the shackles.

[0010] Furthermore, the main body material of the buoyancy module is a micro-bead resin composite buoyancy material for deep water, and the outer surface is sprayed with a polyurea protective coating.

[0011] Furthermore, the buoyancy module is arranged in a shuttle-shaped structure, the outer diameter of the middle part of the buoyancy module is large, and the outer diameters of the two ends are small.

[0012] Furthermore, the present application also provides a method for installing a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon, which is used for installing the buoyancy clamp described above, and the installation method is as follows: The rope is used to secure the buoyancy module. One end of the rope is connected to the buoyancy module, and the other end is secured to the side of the ship. Install the buoyancy module, put the first module and the second module together and clamp the deepwater pipe and cable. After the deepwater pipe and cable pass through the pipe and cable channel, tighten the binding hoop. At this time, do not completely lock the binding hoop, and there is still a gap between the first module and the second module; Install the positioning beacon, insert the positioning beacon into the beacon installation channel, and then continue to tighten the binding hoop until the deep-water cable and the positioning beacon are tightly attached to the first module and the second module and firmly fixed; Transfer the lashing rope installation position, untie the rope fastened to the side of the ship, and fasten it to the deep-water pipe cable.

[0013] Furthermore, in the step of tying the buoyancy module with ropes, both the first module and the second module are provided with embedded parts, the embedded parts are connected with shackles, and one end of the rope is tied to the shackle.

[0014] Furthermore, in the step of installing the buoyancy module, one of the first module and the second module is first installed on the deep-water duct and cable, the duct and cable clamping groove is pressed toward the deep-water duct and cable during installation, and then the other of the first module and the second module is aligned and installed, and finally the binding hoop is installed.

[0015] Furthermore, the binding hoop is made of a stainless steel strip or a titanium alloy strip, and bolts are provided at both ends of the strip of the binding hoop, and the binding hoop is tightened by screwing the bolts.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. Use the buoyancy fixture provided by the invention to tie and fix multiple positioning beacons at different positions along the deepwater cable, and feedback underwater coordinates, displacement, depth, acceleration and other parameters through hydroacoustic signals to analyze the overall motion response state of the deepwater cable in real time, timely discover abnormal situations with large displacement or motion response, and make risk decisions. At the same time, through the coordinate parameters of positioning beacons at different positions, the real-time curvature state and overall configuration of the deepwater cable can be constructed, its motion trend can be calculated, the operation risk can be controlled, and the safety of deepwater operations can be guaranteed.

[0017] 2. The pipe and cable elastic washers and the beacon elastic washers are both made of rubber material. When the binding hoop is locked, the pipe and cable elastic washers are elastically deformed to clamp the deep-water pipe and cable, and the beacon elastic washers are elastically deformed to clamp the positioning beacon.

[0018] 3. The buoyancy module is equipped with embedded parts, which can be installed with shackles. The shackles can facilitate the hoisting of the entire buoyancy fixture.

[0019] 4. The buoyancy module is arranged in a shuttle-shaped structure, with a large outer diameter in the middle and small outer diameters at both ends. The shuttle-shaped design is used to facilitate the entire buoyancy fixture to pass through the laying and recovery channel of the pipe and cable to prevent it from getting stuck at the entrance and exit of the laying channel of the pipe and cable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the partial structure of a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon after installation provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A cross-sectional structural diagram of a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon provided by an embodiment of the present invention after installation; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the installation position of a buoyancy clamp for a deepwater cable positioning beacon provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Description of reference numerals: 1. Buoyancy module; 11. Positioning protrusion; 12. Pipe and cable clamping groove; 13. Pipe and cable channel; 14. Beacon installation groove; 15. Beacon installation channel; 16. Pipe and cable elastic gasket; 17. Beacon elastic gasket; 2. Binding hoop; 3. Positioning beacon; 4. Deepwater pipe and cable; 5. Shackle; 6. Construction vessel; 7. Subsea operation equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 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.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] Reference Figures 1 to 4 A buoyancy clamp for positioning a beacon 3 for a deepwater cable 4 provided in an embodiment of the present invention comprises a buoyancy module 1 and a binding hoop 2. The buoyancy module 1 is composed of a first module and a second module which are joined together. A positioning protrusion 11 is provided on the first module, and a positioning groove matched with the positioning protrusion 11 is provided on the second module. Both the first module and the second module are provided with a cable clamping groove 12. The two cable clamping grooves 12 are connected to form a cable channel 13. Both the first module and the second module are provided with a beacon installation groove 14. The two beacon installation grooves 14 are connected to form a beacon installation channel 15. The binding hoop 2 is fastened to the outer side walls of the first module and the second module. The outer side walls of the first module and the second module are provided with a groove. The binding hoop 2 is embedded in the groove and locked.

[0029] By using the buoyancy fixture provided by the invention, multiple positioning beacons 3 are tied and fixed at different positions along the deepwater pipe cable 4, and the underwater coordinates, displacement, depth, acceleration and other parameters are fed back through the hydroacoustic signal to analyze the overall motion response state of the deepwater pipe cable 4 in real time, timely discover abnormal situations with large displacement or motion response, and make risk decisions. At the same time, through the coordinate parameters of the positioning beacons 3 at different positions, the real-time curvature state and overall configuration of the deepwater pipe cable 4 can be constructed, its motion trend can be calculated, the operation risk can be controlled, and the safety of deepwater operations can be guaranteed.

[0030] Furthermore, a semi-circular umbilical cable elastic gasket 16 is provided in the umbilical cable clamping groove 12, and a semi-circular beacon elastic gasket 17 is provided in the beacon installation groove 14. Both the umbilical cable elastic gasket 16 and the beacon elastic gasket 17 are made of rubber material.

[0031] Specifically, the pipe cable clamping groove 12 is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, the groove depth is about 3mm, and the width is generally 5 to 15mm. The pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is arranged in a semi-circular shape, the thickness of the pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is 4 to 5mm, and the width is slightly smaller than the width of the groove. The pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is made of rubber material and bonded in the groove by strong glue. When the first module and the second module are snapped together, the two semi-circular pipe cable elastic gaskets 16 are opposite, and can clamp the deep-water pipe cable 4 after elastic deformation, so that the buoyancy module 1 is fastened to the deep-water pipe cable 4. The beacon elastic gasket 17 has the same structure as the pipe cable elastic gasket 16, and the beacon installation groove 14 is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction. The beacon elastic gasket 17 is installed in the groove, and the installation method is the same as the installation method of the above-mentioned pipe cable elastic gasket 16, so it will not be repeated here. The two semi-circular beacon elastic washers 17 are facing each other and can clamp the positioning beacon 3 after elastic deformation, so that the positioning beacon 3 is fastened to the beacon installation channel 15. The beacon installation channel 15 is a circular channel with a closed bottom, which is composed of the semi-circular grooves with closed bottoms of the beacon installation grooves 14 on the first module and the second module.

[0032] Furthermore, the buoyancy module 1 is provided with embedded parts, and the embedded parts can be installed with the shackle 5. The shackle 5 can facilitate the hoisting of the entire buoyancy fixture.

[0033] Furthermore, the main material of the buoyancy module 1 is a micro-bead resin composite buoyancy material for deep water use, the main components of which are hollow glass micro-beads and epoxy resin, and the outer surface is sprayed with a polyurea protective coating.

[0034] Furthermore, the buoyancy module 1 is arranged in a shuttle-shaped structure, with a large outer diameter in the middle and small outer diameters at both ends. The shuttle-shaped design is used to facilitate the entire buoyancy fixture to pass through the laying and recovery channel of the pipe and cable to prevent it from getting stuck at the entrance and exit of the laying channel of the pipe and cable.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] Reference Figures 1 to 5 As an embodiment of the present invention, a buoyancy clamp installation method for a deepwater cable 4 positioning beacon 3 is provided, which is used for the installation of the buoyancy clamp described in Example 1. The installation method is as follows: S10: tying the buoyancy module 1 with a rope, connecting one end of the rope to the buoyancy module 1, and fastening the other end to the side of the ship; S20: Install the buoyancy module 1, assemble the first module and the second module and clamp the deepwater pipe cable 4, tighten the binding hoop 2 after the deepwater pipe cable 4 passes through the pipe cable channel 13, and do not completely lock the binding hoop at this time, and a gap is still reserved between the first module and the second module; S30: Install the positioning beacon 3, insert the positioning beacon 3 into the beacon installation channel 15, and then continue to tighten the binding hoop 2 until the deep-water pipe cable 4 and the positioning beacon 3 are tightly attached to the first module and the second module and firmly fixed; S40: Transfer the installation position of the lashing rope, untie the rope fastened to the side of the ship, and fasten it to the deep-water pipe cable 4.

[0037] In step S10, the buoyancy module 1 is composed of a first module and a second module that are snapped together. Both the first module and the second module are provided with embedded parts, which can be threaded holes. The embedded parts are connected with shackles 5. One end of the rope is tied to the shackle 5, and the other end is fastened to the side of the construction vessel 6. This prevents the entire buoyancy fixture from accidentally falling or falling into the sea. The main material of the buoyancy module 1 is a micro-bead resin composite buoyancy material for deep water, the main components of which are hollow glass micro-beads and epoxy resin, and a polyurea protective coating is sprayed on the outer surface. The purpose of using buoyancy material in the buoyancy module 1 is to provide buoyancy to reduce the influence of the weight of the buoyancy fixture and the positioning beacon 3 on the configuration of the deep-water pipe cable 4.

[0038] In step S20, first install one of the first module and the second module on the deep-water pipe cable 4. During installation, the pipe cable clamping groove 12 is pressed toward the deep-water pipe cable 4, and then the other of the first module and the second module is aligned and installed, and finally the binding hoop 2 is installed. Among them, the pipe cable clamping groove 12 is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, the groove depth is about 3mm, and the width is generally 5 to 15mm. The pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is arranged in a semi-circular shape, the thickness of the pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is 4 to 5mm, and the width is slightly smaller than the groove width. The pipe cable elastic gasket 16 is made of rubber material and bonded in the groove by strong glue. When the first module and the second module are buckled and spliced, the two semi-circular pipe cable elastic gaskets 16 are opposite, and can clamp the deep-water pipe cable 4 after elastic deformation, so that the buoyancy module 1 is fastened to the deep-water pipe cable 4. The beacon elastic gasket 17 has the same structure as the tube and cable elastic gasket 16. The beacon installation groove 14 is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction. The beacon elastic gasket 17 is installed in the groove. The installation method is the same as the installation method of the tube and cable elastic gasket 16, so it will not be repeated here. The two semi-annular beacon elastic gaskets 17 are facing each other, and can clamp the positioning beacon 3 after elastic deformation, so that the positioning beacon 3 is fastened to the beacon installation channel 15.

[0039] The outer side walls of the first module and the second module are provided with grooves, and there are two groups of grooves, and each group of grooves is correspondingly installed with a binding hoop 2. The groove depth is about 5mm and the width is about 20mm, which is convenient for the binding hoop 2 to be inserted, and the binding hoop 2 is inserted into the groove and locked. The binding hoop 2 is made of stainless steel strip or titanium alloy strip, and bolts are provided at both ends of the strip of the binding hoop 2. The binding hoop 2 is tightened by screwing the bolts, thereby realizing the tight pressing and fixing of the buoyancy module 1, the deep-water pipe cable 4 and the positioning beacon 3.

[0040] Specifically, in step S30, the rope fastened to the side of the ship is untied, and the other end of the rope remains fastened to the shackle 5. One end of the untied rope is fastened to the deep-water pipe cable 4, and the installation of a set of buoyancy clamps and positioning beacon 3 is completed. During the underwater monitoring process, the rope is tied to the deep-water pipe cable 4 to prevent the buoyancy module 1 from being loosened from being tied to the deep-water pipe cable 4 or the positioning beacon 3, causing the entire buoyancy clamp to be lost underwater. Among them, the buoyancy module 1 is arranged in a shuttle-shaped structure, and the outer diameter of the middle part of the buoyancy module 1 is large, and the outer diameters of the two ends are small. The purpose of adopting the shuttle-shaped design is to facilitate the entire buoyancy clamp to pass through the laying and recovery channel of the pipe cable conveniently, so as to prevent it from getting stuck at the entrance and exit of the laying channel of the pipe cable.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, during the deep-water seabed operation process, the submarine operation equipment 7 needs to tie the positioning beacon 3 to the deep-water pipe cable 4 at different water depths to determine the position and displacement of the deep-water pipe cable 4 along the way, so as to prevent the deep-water pipe cable 4 from being damaged due to large motion response or walking displacement. During the laying process of the deep-water pipe cable 4, it is generally necessary to install multiple buoyancy clamps and positioning beacons 3 on site in sequence during offshore construction according to the laying length and predetermined installation position of the deep-water pipe cable 4. After the installation of multiple buoyancy clamps and positioning beacons 3 is completed, the geographical coordinates of the deep-water pipe cable 4 at different lengths along the way can be determined through the hydroacoustic signals fed back by the multiple positioning beacons 3, so as to construct the real-time curvature state and overall configuration of the deep-water pipe cable 4, timely discover abnormal situations with large displacement or motion response, and ensure the safety of deep-water operations.

[0042] The embodiments of this specific implementation method are all preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent changes made based on the structure, shape, and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon, characterized in that: include: The buoyancy module (1) is composed of a first module and a second module which are joined together, the first module is provided with a positioning protrusion (11), the second module is provided with a positioning groove adapted to the positioning protrusion (11), the first module and the second module are both provided with a umbilical cable clamping groove (12), the two umbilical cable clamping grooves (12) are butt-jointed to form a umbilical cable channel (13), the first module and the second module are both provided with a beacon installation groove (14), the two beacon installation grooves (14) are butt-jointed to form a beacon installation channel (15); The binding hoop (2) is fixed to the outer side walls of the first module and the second module. The outer side walls of the first module and the second module are provided with a groove in a circumferential direction. The binding hoop (2) is embedded in the groove and locked.

2. The buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that: A semi-annular umbilical cable elastic gasket (16) is arranged in the umbilical cable clamping groove (12), and a semi-annular beacon elastic gasket (17) is arranged in the beacon installation groove (14). Both the umbilical cable elastic gasket (16) and the beacon elastic gasket (17) are made of rubber material.

3. The buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon according to claim 2, characterized in that: The umbilical cable clamping groove (12) is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, and the umbilical cable elastic gasket (16) is installed in the groove; the beacon installation groove (14) is provided with a groove in its circumferential direction, and the beacon elastic gasket (17) is installed in the groove.

4. The buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoyancy module (1) is provided with embedded parts, and the embedded parts are used for the installation of the shackle (5).

5. The buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body material of the buoyancy module (1) is a micro-bead resin composite buoyancy material for deep water use, and the outer surface is sprayed with a polyurea protective coating.

6. The buoyancy fixture for deepwater cable positioning beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoyancy module (1) is arranged in a shuttle-shaped structure, the middle portion of the buoyancy module (1) has a large outer diameter, and the two ends have small outer diameters.

7. A method for installing a buoyancy fixture for a deepwater cable positioning beacon, characterized in that: Used for installing the buoyancy clamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the installation method is as follows: The buoyancy module (1) is fastened with a rope, one end of the rope is connected to the buoyancy module (1), and the other end is fastened to the side of the ship; Install the buoyancy module (1), assemble the first module and the second module and clamp the deepwater pipe cable (4), tighten the binding hoop (2) after the deepwater pipe cable (4) passes through the pipe cable channel (13), and do not completely lock the binding hoop (2) at this time, so that a gap is still retained between the first module and the second module; Install the positioning beacon (3), insert the positioning beacon (3) into the beacon installation channel (15), and then continue to tighten the binding hoop (2) until the deep-water cable (4) and the positioning beacon (3) are tightly attached to the first module and the second module and firmly fixed; The lashing rope installation position is transferred, the rope fastened to the ship's side is untied, and the rope is fastened to the deep-water pipe cable (4).

8. The buoyancy fixture installation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the step of tying the buoyancy module (1) with a rope, both the first module and the second module are provided with embedded parts, the embedded parts are connected with shackles (5), and one end of the rope is tied to the shackle (5).

9. The buoyancy fixture installation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the step of installing the buoyancy module (1), one of the first module and the second module is first installed on the deep-water duct (4), and during installation, the duct clamping groove (12) is pressed toward the deep-water duct (4), and then the other of the first module and the second module is aligned and installed, and finally the binding hoop (2) is installed.

10. The buoyancy fixture installation method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The binding hoop (2) is made of a stainless steel strip or a titanium alloy strip. Bolts are provided at both ends of the strip of the binding hoop (2). The binding hoop (2) is tightened by screwing the bolts.

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