Underwater cable-laying apparatus, method of laying and jack-up dual-hull offshore platform

Abstract

The application discloses an underwater cable conveying device, a conveying method and a jack-up double-floating offshore platform. The underwater cable conveying device comprises a rack and a cable tow chain, a protection device, a driving device, a tow chain fixed pulley set, a tow chain movable pulley set and a mounting rack arranged on the rack. The tow chain movable pulley set is arranged on the mounting rack and corresponds to the tow chain fixed pulley set in an up-down manner. One end of the cable tow chain is sequentially and alternately wound around each pulley of the tow chain movable pulley set and the tow chain fixed pulley set and is connected with the rack. The other end of the cable tow chain extends vertically downward and is connected with a lower floating body. The protection device is used for controlling the driving device to release the cable tow chain for protection when a towing force generated by the cable tow chain due to seawater impact is greater than a braking force of a braking mechanism of the driving device and recovering the released cable tow chain. The underwater cable conveying device has high safety and reliability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to offshore platforms, in particular to an underwater cable conveying device, a conveying method and a jack-up double-buoy offshore platform. BACKGROUND

[0002] The jack-up double-buoy offshore platform is an important equipment for the development of marine resources, such as a drilling platform for oil and gas exploitation, a construction platform for offshore wind power equipment installation or a living platform, etc. The jack-up double-buoy platform generally comprises an upper buoy and a lower buoy, the upper buoy and the lower buoy are connected through pile legs and lifting mechanisms, the lower buoy is retracted into the upper buoy when floating, the lower buoy is lowered and seated on the seabed when working, the upper buoy is lifted to a suitable height above the water surface by the pile legs, the control system is arranged in the upper buoy, and the cable connected between the power device in the lower buoy and the control system needs to be lowered or retracted through the corresponding conveying device along with the lifting of the lower buoy. However, the number of cables connected between the power device in the lower buoy and the control system is large, the outer diameter is large, and when the lower buoy is seated on the seabed for work, the cable between the upper buoy and the lower buoy also needs to withstand the impact of seawater. Using the existing cable winch and other cable conveying devices, the cable is prone to swing, over-tension and breakage, etc., the safety and reliability are low, and the conveying demand of the underwater cable cannot be met. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide an underwater cable conveying device, a conveying method and a jack-up double-buoy offshore platform, which can release the cable drag chain when the cable drag chain is subjected to a larger impact force for protection and retract the released cable drag chain for protection, avoid the problems of cable swing, over-tension and breakage, etc., and have high safety and reliability.

[0004] In order to solve at least one of the above technical problems, the technical solutions of the present application are as follows:

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present application, an underwater cable conveying device is provided for being arranged in the upper floating body of a self-elevating double-floating offshore platform, comprising: a frame and a cable drag chain, a protection device, a driving device, a drag chain fixed pulley block, a drag chain movable pulley block and a mounting frame arranged on the frame; wherein the drag chain movable pulley block is installed on the mounting frame and arranged correspondingly to the drag chain fixed pulley block above and below, one end of the cable drag chain alternately passes around the drag chain movable pulley block and each pulley on the drag chain fixed pulley block in turn and is connected to the frame, and the other end of the cable drag chain extends vertically downward to connect with the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform The lower buoyant body of the double-floating offshore platform is connected, and the driving device is used to drive the mounting frame and the drag chain movable pulley group to rise and fall together so that the cable drag chain can be released or recovered as the lower buoyant body rises and falls; the braking mechanism of the driving device is used to brake the driving device when the lower buoyant body is seated on the seabed, and the protection device is used to control the driving device to release the cable drag chain for protection when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, and to control the driving device to retract the released cable drag chain after the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism.

[0006] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the protection device includes: a first detector, the first detector is used to detect the drag force on the cable drag chain and send the detected information to the driving device; the second detector is used to detect the rotation amount of a pulley in the fixed pulley group of the drag chain and send the detected information to the driving device; wherein, when the first detector detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device releases the cable drag chain for protection, and at the same time, the driving device obtains the length of the cable drag chain protection release based on the detection information of the second detector, and after the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device retracts the released cable drag chain based on the length of the cable drag chain protection release.

[0007] In a possible implementation of the first aspect mentioned above, the driving device is located below the corresponding mounting frame, the drag chain fixed pulley group is located above the corresponding drag chain movable pulley group, the driving device includes: a driving motor, a wire rope, a wire rope movable pulley group, a wire rope fixed pulley group, a wire rope drum, an electrical control box and a braking mechanism; wherein the braking mechanism is arranged at the output end of the driving motor, the output end of the driving motor is connected to the wire rope drum, the wire rope movable pulley group is installed below the mounting frame, the wire rope fixed pulley group is installed on the frame and is located below the corresponding wire rope movable pulley group, one end of the wire rope is wound around the wire rope drum, and the other end of the wire rope is alternately passed around each pulley on the wire rope movable pulley group and the wire rope fixed pulley group and is connected to the frame, and the driving motor is electrically connected to the electrical control box.

[0008] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the underwater cable conveying device further comprises a guiding device configured to guide a vertically downward extending part of the cable chain connected to the lower floating body.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the guiding device comprises a connecting frame connected to the rack, a fence and a roller assembly arranged on the connecting frame, the fence has a limiting passage for the cable chain to pass through, the limiting passage penetrates through the fence in the vertical direction, the roller assembly comprises two rollers symmetrically arranged in the horizontal direction, the two rollers are located below the limiting passage, and the cable chain passes through between the two rollers.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the cable chain is connected to the lower floating body through a connecting device, the connecting device comprises a connecting seat and a supporting wheel and a pressing mechanism arranged on the connecting seat, the cable chain is connected to the connecting seat, the connecting seat is installed on the lower floating body, the supporting wheel is configured to support and guide the cable, and the pressing mechanism is configured to press the cable.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the pressing mechanism comprises an upper pressing block, a lower pressing block and a supporting block, the upper pressing block is located above the supporting block, the lower pressing block is located below the supporting block, and the upper pressing block and the lower pressing block are configured to press the cable on the supporting block, respectively.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the underwater cable conveying device further comprises an alarm device arranged on the rack, the alarm device is configured to alarm when the cable chain is released and recovered, and the alarm device is close to the driving device, the alarm device alarms when the cable chain is released and recovered by detecting the working state of the driving device.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present application, an underwater cable conveying method is provided, which applies the underwater cable conveying device of the first aspect to convey the underwater cable of a self-elevating double floating body offshore platform, and the conveying method comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1, after receiving information of the lifting action of the lower floating body of the self-elevating double floating body offshore platform, the driving device drives the mounting frame and the chain dynamic pulley block to lift together, the chain fixed pulley block, the chain dynamic pulley block and the cable chain cooperate to release or recover the cable chain with the lifting of the lower floating body.

[0015] S2, when the lower floating body is seated on the seabed, the brake mechanism on the driving device brakes, when the drag force generated by the impact of the cable chain on the seawater is greater than the braking force of the brake mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to release the cable chain for protection, and when the drag force is less than the braking force of the brake mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to recover the released cable chain.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the protection device includes a first detector and a second detector;

[0017] In step S2, the first detector detects the drag force on the cable drag chain and sends the detected information to the driving device; the second detector detects the rotation amount of a pulley in the fixed pulley group of the drag chain and sends the detected information to the driving device; wherein, when the first detector detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device releases the cable drag chain for protection, and at the same time, the driving device obtains the length of the cable drag chain released for protection based on the detection information of the second detector, and when the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device retracts the released cable drag chain based on the length of the cable drag chain released for protection.

[0018] According to a third aspect of the present application, a self-elevating double-floating offshore platform is provided, comprising the underwater cable transmission device of the first aspect.

[0019] The above technical solution of the present application has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0020] According to the underwater cable conveying device of the present application, the drag chain movable pulley group is installed on the mounting frame and is arranged correspondingly to the drag chain fixed pulley group above and below. One end of the cable drag chain alternately passes around the drag chain movable pulley group and each pulley on the drag chain fixed pulley group and is connected to the frame. The other end of the cable drag chain extends vertically downward and is connected to the lower floating body of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform. The mounting frame is connected to the driving device, and the driving device drives the mounting frame and the drag chain movable pulley group to rise and fall together, so that the cable drag chain is released or recovered as the lower floating body rises and falls; when the lower floating body is located on the seabed, the braking mechanism of the driving device brakes the driving device to provide tensioning force for the cable drag chain, and the protection device is used to control the driving device to release the cable drag chain for protection when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, and to control the driving device to retract the released cable drag chain after the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism. Therefore, the braking mechanism of the driving device can brake the driving device to provide tension for the cable drag chain. The protection device can release the cable drag chain for protection when the cable drag chain is subjected to a large impact force, and retract the released cable drag chain to avoid problems such as cable swinging, excessive tension and breakage. It has high safety and reliability, and can better meet the underwater cable transportation needs of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform.

[0021] In addition, in the technical solution of the present application, anything not specifically stated can be implemented by adopting conventional means in this field. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an underwater cable conveying device in an embodiment of the present application in a cable drag chain released state;

[0024] Figure 2 A side view of an underwater cable conveying device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 A top view of a driving device in an underwater cable transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of an underwater cable conveying device in a cable drag chain recovery state according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a guide according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a connecting device according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of an underwater cable transportation method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Description of the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings:

[0031] Frame 100; alarm device 110; inclined ladder 120; transfer platform 130;

[0032] Cable drag chain 200;

[0033] Protection device 300; first detector 310; second detector 320;

[0034] Driving device 400; braking mechanism 410; driving motor 420; wire rope 430; wire rope movable pulley set 440; wire rope fixed pulley set 450; wire rope drum 460; electric control box 470; reduction box 480;

[0035] Drag chain fixed pulley set 500;

[0036] Drag chain movable pulley set 600;

[0037] Mounting frame 700;

[0038] Guide device 800; connecting frame 810; fence 820; limiting channel 821; roller assembly 830; roller 831; mounting shaft 832; baffle 833; side plate 840;

[0039] Connecting device 900; connecting seat 910; supporting wheel 920; pressing mechanism 930; upper pressing block 931; lower pressing block 932; supporting block 933;

[0040] Ship bulkhead 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments, and are only used to explain the present application, and do not limit the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", "two ends", "two sides", "bottom", "top" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the elements referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "superior", "inferior", "primary", "secondary" and the like are only for the purpose of description, and can simply be used to distinguish different components more clearly, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0043] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] Reference Figures 1 to 6The figure schematically illustrates an underwater cable conveying device according to the present application, which is configured to be installed in the upper buoy of a self-elevating twin-floating offshore platform for underwater cable conveying. The upper buoy can be a hull structure. The underwater cable conveying device of the present application may include: a frame 100, a cable drag chain 200, a protective device 300, a drive device 400, a drag chain fixed pulley assembly 500, a drag chain movable pulley assembly 600, and a mounting frame 700.

[0045] Among them, the frame 100 can be installed on the cabin wall 10 of the upper floating body, the drag chain movable pulley group 600 is installed on the mounting frame 700 and is arranged correspondingly to the drag chain fixed pulley group 500 up and down, the mounting frame 700 is connected to the driving device 400, one end of the cable drag chain 200 alternately passes around the various pulleys on the drag chain movable pulley group 600 and the drag chain fixed pulley group 500 and is connected to the frame 100, the other end of the cable drag chain 200 extends vertically downward and is connected to the lower floating body of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform, the cable passes through the cable drag chain 200, and the driving device 400 is used to drive the mounting frame 700 and the drag chain movable pulley group 600 to rise and fall together so that the cable drag chain 200 can be released or recovered as the lower floating body rises and falls. A braking mechanism 410 is provided on the driving device 400, and the protection device 300 can detect the drag force applied to the cable drag chain 200 and the length of the cable drag chain 200 released or recovered. The pulleys in the drag chain movable pulley group 600 and the drag chain fixed pulley group 500 are usually multiple to form a multi-rate pulley group mechanism. The number, arrangement and size of the pulleys in the drag chain movable pulley group 600 and the drag chain fixed pulley group 500 are determined according to specific conditions such as the total length of the cable towline.

[0046] When the lower floating body is located on the seabed, the braking mechanism 410 brakes the driving device 400 to provide tension for the cable drag chain 200. The protection device 300 is used to control the driving device 400 to release the cable drag chain 200 for protection when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain 200 is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism 410, and to control the driving device 400 to retract the released cable drag chain 200 after the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain 200 is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism 410.

[0047] That is to say, when the lower buoy of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform needs to be raised or lowered, the control system of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform sends the information of the lower buoyancy action (such as rising signal, descending signal, running speed, etc.) to the driving device 400 of the underwater cable conveying device, and then the driving device 400 drives the mounting frame 700 and the drag chain movable pulley group 600 to rise and fall together, so that the cable drag chain 200 is released or recovered as the lower buoy rises and falls; the cable drag chain 200 can sink under the action of its own gravity and the drag force of the lower buoy, and the driving device 400 provides the cable drag chain 200 with cable reeling power and cable releasing resistance. When the lower floating body is seated on the seabed, the braking mechanism 410 on the driving device 400 brakes, thereby providing tension to the cable drag chain 200, so that the cable drag chain 200 remains tensioned, avoiding problems such as cable swinging; when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain 200 is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism 410, the protection device 300 controls the driving device 400 to release a certain length of the cable drag chain 200 for protection, and when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain 200 is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism 410, the protection device 300 controls the driving device 400 to retract the released cable drag chain 200, thereby avoiding problems such as excessive tension and breakage.

[0048] Therefore, in the underwater cable conveying device of the present application, after the lower buoy is seated on the seabed, the braking mechanism 410 of the driving device 400 can brake the driving device 400 to provide tensioning force for the cable drag chain 200, so that the cable drag chain 200 remains tensioned, and the protection device 300 can release the cable drag chain 200 for protection when the cable drag chain 200 is subjected to a large impact force and retract the released cable drag chain 200 for protection, thereby avoiding problems such as cable swinging, excessive tensioning and breakage. The device has high safety and reliability, and can better meet the underwater cable conveying needs of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform.

[0049] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 、 4 As shown, the protection device 300 includes a first detector 310 and a second detector 320. The first detector 310 is used to detect the drag force on the cable drag chain 200 and transmit the detected information to the drive device 400. The second detector 320 is used to detect the rotation of a pulley in the fixed pulley assembly 500 of the drag chain and transmit the detected information to the drive device 400. The first detector 310 and the second detector 320 can be located near the portion of the cable drag chain 200 that extends vertically downward and connects to the lower float. The first detector 310 can be a pressure sensor, and the second detector 320 can be an absolute encoder. The absolute encoder is coaxially connected to a pulley in the fixed pulley assembly 500 of the drag chain. The brake mechanism 410 can be a hysteresis brake.

[0050] Specifically, when the cable chain 200 is impacted by a large ocean current and the pressure sensor detects that the drag force on the cable chain 200 is greater than the braking torque set by the hysteresis brake, the coupling of the hysteresis brake may slip, and the drive device 400 releases a certain length of the cable chain 200 for protection. At the same time, the drive device 400 obtains the length of the cable chain 200 for protection based on the detection information of the absolute encoder. For example, the length of the cable chain 200 for protection is obtained by calculating the difference between the total length of the cable chain 200 released and the required length of the lower floating body to descend. When the pressure sensor detects that the drag force on the cable chain 200 is less than the braking torque set by the hysteresis brake, the drive device 400 retracts the released cable chain 200 based on the obtained length of the cable chain 200 for protection, and the hysteresis brake is applied to re-tension the cable chain 200, avoiding problems such as over-tensioning and breakage. In this way, the cable chain 200 and the cable are protected, with higher safety and reliability.

[0051] In some embodiments, reference Figures 1 to 4As shown, the drive device 400 is located below the mounting frame 700, and the drag chain fixed pulley assembly 500 is located above the drag chain movable pulley assembly 600. The drag chain fixed pulley assembly 500 can be located near the top of the frame 100. The drive device 400 can be two sets, and the two sets of drive devices 400 are symmetrically arranged below the mounting frame 700. The drive device 400 includes a drive motor 420, a wire rope 430, a wire rope movable pulley assembly 440, a wire rope fixed pulley assembly 450, a wire rope drum 460, an electric control box 470, and a brake mechanism 410. Among them, the braking mechanism 410 is arranged at the output end of the driving motor 420, the output end of the driving motor 420 is connected to the wire rope drum 460, the wire rope movable pulley group 440 is installed on the mounting frame 700 and is located below the mounting frame 700, the wire rope fixed pulley group 450 is installed on the frame 100 and is located below the corresponding wire rope movable pulley group 440, the wire rope fixed pulley group 450 can be set at a position close to the bottom of the frame 100, one end of the wire rope 430 is wound around the wire rope drum 460, and the other end of the wire rope 430 alternately passes around each pulley on the wire rope movable pulley group 440 and the wire rope fixed pulley group 450 and is connected to the frame 100, the wire rope 430 can be connected to the frame 100 through a wedge joint, and the driving motor 420 is electrically connected to the electrical control box 470. The drive motor 420 can adopt a variable frequency motor, and the electric control box 470 is provided with a controller such as a programmable logic controller (PLC). The pulleys in the movable wire rope pulley group 440 and the fixed wire rope pulley group 450 are usually multiple to form a multi-rate pulley group mechanism. The number, arrangement and size of the pulleys in the movable wire rope pulley group 440 and the fixed wire rope pulley group 450 are determined according to the specific conditions such as the total length of the cable towline. The output end of the drive motor 420 and the wire rope drum 460 can also be connected through a reduction box 480 to better control the speed, etc.

[0052] When the electric control box 470 receives the information of the lower floating body lifting action (such as rising signal, descending signal, running speed, etc.), it controls the drive motor 420 to start, and the drive motor 420, the wire rope 430, the wire rope movable pulley group 440, the wire rope fixed pulley group 450 and the wire rope drum 460 cooperate to drive the mounting frame 700 and the drag chain movable pulley group 600 to rise and fall together, so that the cable drag chain 200 and the lower floating body keep synchronous and rising and falling at the same speed. In addition, the electric control box 470 can obtain the dragging force received by the cable drag chain 200 according to the depth information of the lower floating body (i.e., the length information of the cable drag chain 200 being lowered), and then controls the drive motor 420 to provide suitable output torque and holding torque. The output torque of the drive motor 420 is generally linearly proportional to the depth of the lower floating body. The deeper the lower floating body is immersed in the water, the greater the output torque of the drive motor 420 is.

[0053] Specifically, when the lower floating body is lowered, the cable drag chain 200 can sink under the action of its own gravity and the dragging force of the lower floating body. The electrical control box 470 receives the lowering signal of the lower floating body and controls the drive motor 420 to reverse. The electrical control box 470 calculates the force acting on the cable drag chain 200 based on the length information of the lowered cable drag chain 200, controls the drive motor 420 to provide a real-time changing holding torque (i.e., cable releasing resistance), and the wire rope drum 460 releases the wire rope 430, so that the cable drag chain 200 descends synchronously with the lower floating body at the same speed, and the wire rope movable pulley group 440, the mounting frame 700, the drag chain movable pulley group 600 and the mounting frame 700 are dragged up by the cable drag chain 200.

[0054] When the lower floating body rises, the electrical control box 470 receives the recovery signal of the lower floating body and controls the drive motor 420 to rotate forward. The electrical control box 470 calculates the force acting on the cable drag chain 200 based on the length information of the cable drag chain 200 recovered, and controls the drive motor 420 to give a real-time changing output torque (i.e., the cable reeling resistance). The wire rope drum 460 recycles the wire rope 430, so that the cable drag chain 200 rises synchronously with the lower floating body at the same speed. The wire rope movable pulley group 440, the mounting frame 700, the drag chain movable pulley group 600 and the mounting frame 700 are dragged down by the wire rope 430 until the cable drag chain 200 is stored in the frame 100 and the lower floating body is recovered into the main hull of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform.

[0055] After the lower buoy sinks to the seabed and is positioned, the drive motor 420 stops running and the brake mechanism 410 is powered off and braked, so that the cable drag chain 200 remains in a tensioned state. This not only balances the weight of the hanging section of the cable drag chain 200 and the impact of the ocean current, but also maintains a certain tension in the cable drag chain 200. When the drag force generated by the impact of the seawater on the cable drag chain 200 is greater than the braking force of the brake mechanism 410, the drive device 400 releases a certain length of the cable drag chain 200 for protection. At the same time, the controller in the electrical control box 470 calculates the difference between the total length of the cable drag chain 200 released and the required length for the lower buoy to descend based on the detection information received from the second detector 320 (such as an absolute encoder), and obtains the length of the cable drag chain 200 released for protection. Then, the controller controls the drive motor 420 to start, retracts the cable drag chain 200 that was released for protection, and re-tensions the cable drag chain 200 to avoid problems such as excessive tension and breakage.

[0056] In some embodiments, reference Figure 5As shown, the underwater cable conveying device of the present application further includes a guide device 800, which is used to guide the portion of the cable chain 200 that extends vertically downward and connects to the lower buoy. Multiple guide devices 800 can be arranged in sequence along the vertical direction. Thus, the guide devices 800 guide the downwardly extending portion of the cable chain 200, preventing the cable chain 200 from colliding with the frame 100 and improving the safety of the equipment.

[0057] Furthermore, each guide device 800 includes a connecting frame 810, a fence 820 mounted on the connecting frame 810, and a roller assembly 830. The connecting frame 810 is connected to the frame 100. The fence 820 is formed with a limiting channel 821 for the cable drag chain 200 to pass through. The limiting channel 821 vertically extends through the enclosure 820. The roller assembly 830 includes two horizontally symmetrically arranged rollers 831. The rollers 831 are rotatable and located below the limiting channels 821. The cable drag chain 200 passes between the two rollers 831. Each roller 831 can be mounted on a mounting shaft 832, which is mounted on the connecting frame 810. Thus, the cable chain 200 passes through the limiting channel 821 and between the two rollers 831, which can not only guide the cable chain 200 and prevent it from swinging, but also the rollers 831 can reduce the friction force on the cable chain 200. The chain enclosure 820 can also limit the horizontal movable angle of the cable chain 200, reducing the force directly acting on the rollers 831 by the cable chain 200, making it safer and more reliable. In addition, a baffle 833 for fixing the mounting shaft 832 can be provided on the connecting frame 810, and a side plate 840 can be provided on the end of the connecting frame 810 away from the frame 100. The side plate 840 is used to cover the end of the connecting frame 810, etc. The side plate 840 can be connected to the connecting frame 810 by fasteners such as bolts.

[0058] In some embodiments, reference Figure 6 As shown, the cable drag chain 200 is connected to the lower floating body via a connecting device 900. The connecting device 900 includes a connecting seat 910 and a support wheel 920 and a clamping mechanism 930 provided on the connecting seat 910. The cable drag chain 200 is connected to the connecting seat 910, and the connecting seat 910 is installed on the lower floating body. For example, the connecting seat 910 is welded to the lower floating body. The support wheel 920 is used to support and steer the cable, and the clamping mechanism 930 is used to clamp the cable. In this way, the cable drag chain 200 and the cable are better connected to the lower floating body, which is more stable and reliable. In addition, a corresponding connecting mechanism can also be provided on the rack 100 to connect to the cable drag chain 200, which will not be described in detail here.

[0059] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism 930 includes an upper clamping block 931, a lower clamping block 932, and a support block 933. The upper clamping block 931 is located above the corresponding support block 933, and the lower clamping block 932 is located below the corresponding support block 933. The upper clamping block 931 and the lower clamping block 932 are used to respectively clamp the cable against the support block 933. The upper clamping block 931, the lower clamping block 932, and the support block 933 can be arranged horizontally in one, two, or more positions, respectively. The end surfaces of the upper clamping block 931 and the lower clamping block 932 facing the support block 933 can also be provided with anti-slip textures. This makes operation convenient and quick, and can better secure the cable.

[0060] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 、 4 As shown, the underwater cable conveying device of the present application further includes an alarm device 110, which is disposed on the frame 100 and is used to sound an alarm when the cable drag chain 200 is released and recovered. The alarm device 110 can be located near the drive device 400. The alarm device 110 can detect the operating status of the drive device 400 to sound an alarm when the cable drag chain 200 is released and recovered, such as an audible and visual alarm. Thus, when the underwater cable conveying device is in operation (i.e., when the cable drag chain is released and recovered), the alarm device 110 can emit an audible and visual alarm, serving as a warning, thereby enhancing safety and reliability.

[0061] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 、 4 As shown, the rack 100 may also be provided with a plurality of inclined ladders 120, which are arranged in sequence up and down, and two adjacent inclined ladders 120 are connected by a transfer platform 130. This facilitates installation and maintenance of the corresponding devices on the rack 100.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present application, a self-elevating twin-floating offshore platform is provided, comprising the aforementioned underwater cable conveying device. The self-elevating twin-floating offshore platform further comprises an upper buoy, a lower buoy, pile legs, a lifting system, a control system, and the like. These can utilize the corresponding devices of a self-elevating twin-floating offshore platform in the prior art and are not further described here.

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present application, a method for underwater cable transportation is provided, which uses the above-mentioned underwater cable transportation device to transport underwater cables of a self-elevating double-floating offshore platform. Figure 7 As shown, the underwater cable transmission method of the present application includes the following steps:

[0064] S1. After receiving information about the lower buoyancy of the self-elevating twin-floating offshore platform (e.g., rising signal, descending signal, operating speed, etc.), the driving device drives the mounting frame and the drag chain movable pulley block to rise and fall together. The drag chain fixed pulley block, the drag chain movable pulley block, and the cable drag chain cooperate to release or retract the cable drag chain as the lower buoyancy rises and falls.

[0065] S2. After the lower floating body is seated on the seabed, the braking mechanism on the driving device brakes, thereby providing tension for the cable drag chain. When the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to release a certain length of the cable drag chain for protection. When the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to retract the released cable drag chain.

[0066] Therefore, the underwater cable transportation method of the present application is simple, fast and efficient to operate. After the lower floating body is seated on the seabed, the braking mechanism of the driving device brakes to provide tension for the cable drag chain, so that the cable drag chain remains tensioned. In addition, the protection device releases the cable drag chain for protection when the cable drag chain is subjected to a large impact force, and retracts the released cable drag chain for protection, thereby avoiding problems such as cable swinging, excessive tension and breakage, and has high safety and reliability.

[0067] In some embodiments, the protection device includes a first detector and a second detector. In step S2, the first detector detects the drag force on the cable drag chain and sends the detected information to the drive device; the second detector detects the rotation amount of one pulley in the fixed pulley assembly of the drag chain and sends the detected information to the drive device; wherein, when the cable drag chain is impacted by a large ocean current, when the first detector (such as a pressure sensor) detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism (such as a hysteresis brake), the drive device releases a certain length of the cable drag chain for protection, and at the same time, the drive device obtains the length of the cable drag chain for protection release based on the detection information of the second detector (such as an absolute encoder), for example, by calculating the difference between the total length of the cable drag chain released and the length required for the lower buoyancy body to descend, to obtain the length of the cable drag chain for protection release, and when the first detector detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the drive device retracts the released cable drag chain based on the length of the cable drag chain for protection release, and the braking mechanism brakes the cable drag chain so that the cable drag chain is re-tensioned to avoid problems such as excessive tension and breakage, thereby achieving protection of the cable drag chain and the cable, and improving safety and reliability. In addition, other details can be referred to the corresponding description of the above-mentioned underwater cable conveying device, which will not be repeated here.

[0068] Based on the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, in the absence of explicit negation or conflict, the technical features of one embodiment may be beneficially combined with one or more other embodiments.

[0069] The above descriptions are merely some embodiments of the present application and are intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present application, not to limit it. It should be understood that those skilled in the art may make improvements or substitutions based on the above description without departing from the inventive concept of the present application, and all such improvements and substitutions shall fall within the scope of protection of the appended claims of the present application. In such cases, all details may be replaced with equivalent elements, and the materials, shapes, and dimensions may be arbitrary.

Claims

1. An underwater cable conveying device, characterized in that: For self-elevating double-floating offshore platforms, including: A rack and a cable drag chain, a protective device, a driving device, a drag chain fixed pulley block, a drag chain movable pulley block and a mounting frame arranged on the rack; The movable pulley block of the drag chain is installed on the mounting frame and is arranged correspondingly to the fixed pulley block of the drag chain above and below. One end of the cable drag chain alternately passes around the movable pulley block of the drag chain and each pulley on the fixed pulley block of the drag chain and is connected to the frame. The other end of the cable drag chain extends vertically downward and is connected to the lower buoyant body of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform. The driving device is used to drive the mounting frame and the movable pulley block of the drag chain to rise and fall together so that the cable drag chain can be released or recovered as the lower buoyant body rises and falls. The braking mechanism of the driving device is used to brake the driving device when the lower floating body is located on the seabed. The protection device is used to control the driving device to release the cable drag chain for protection when the drag force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, and to control the driving device to retract the released cable drag chain after the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism. The protection device comprises: a first detector, the first detector being used to detect a drag force on the cable drag chain and to send the detected information to the driving device; a second detector, the second detector being used to detect the rotation amount of one pulley in the drag chain fixed pulley assembly and to send the detected information to the driving device; In which, when the first detector detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device releases the cable drag chain for protection. At the same time, the driving device obtains the length of the cable drag chain for protection release based on the detection information of the second detector, and after the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device retracts the released cable drag chain based on the length of the cable drag chain for protection release.

2. The underwater cable conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device is located below the mounting frame, the fixed pulley assembly of the drag chain is located above the movable pulley assembly of the drag chain, and the driving device includes: A driving motor, a steel wire rope, a movable steel wire rope pulley block, a fixed steel wire rope pulley block, a steel wire rope drum, an electric control box and the braking mechanism; In which, the braking mechanism is arranged at the output end of the driving motor, the output end of the driving motor is connected to the wire rope drum, the wire rope movable pulley group is installed below the mounting frame, the wire rope fixed pulley group is installed on the frame and is located below the corresponding wire rope movable pulley group, one end of the wire rope is wound around the wire rope drum, and the other end of the wire rope is alternately passed around the wire rope movable pulley group and each pulley on the wire rope fixed pulley group and is connected to the frame, and the driving motor is electrically connected to the electric control box.

3. The underwater cable conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A guide device is used to guide the portion of the cable drag chain that extends vertically downward and is connected to the lower floating body.

4. The underwater cable transmission device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide device includes a connecting frame and an enclosure and a roller assembly arranged on the connecting frame. The connecting frame is connected to the frame. A limiting channel for the cable drag chain to pass through is formed on the enclosure. The limiting channel passes through the enclosure in the vertical direction. The roller assembly includes two rollers symmetrically arranged in the horizontal direction. The two rollers are located below the corresponding limiting channels, and the cable drag chain passes between the two rollers.

5. The underwater cable conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable drag chain is connected to the lower floating body through a connecting device, the connecting device includes a connecting seat and a support wheel and a pressing mechanism provided on the connecting seat. The cable drag chain is connected to the connecting seat, and the connecting seat is installed on the lower floating body. The support wheel is used to support and steer the cable, and the pressing mechanism is used to press the cable; The clamping mechanism includes an upper clamping block, a lower clamping block and a support block. The upper clamping block is located above the support block, and the lower clamping block is located below the support block. The upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are used to clamp the cable onto the support block respectively.

6. The underwater cable conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: An alarm device is provided on the rack and is used to sound an alarm when the cable drag chain is released and recovered; The alarm device is close to the driving device, and the alarm device detects the working state of the driving device to sound an alarm when the cable drag chain is released and recovered.

7. A method for underwater cable transportation, characterized in that: An underwater cable conveying device is used to convey underwater cables of a self-elevating double-floating offshore platform. The underwater cable conveying device includes a frame and a cable drag chain, a protection device, a driving device, a drag chain fixed pulley block, a drag chain movable pulley block, and a mounting frame arranged on the frame. The conveying method includes the following steps: S1. After receiving information about the lower buoyancy of the self-elevating double-floating offshore platform, the driving device drives the mounting frame and the drag chain movable pulley assembly to rise and fall together. The drag chain fixed pulley assembly, the drag chain movable pulley assembly, and the cable drag chain cooperate with each other, so that the cable drag chain is released or recovered as the lower buoyancy rises and falls. S2. After the lower buoy is seated on the seabed, the braking mechanism on the driving device brakes. When the dragging force generated by the impact of seawater on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to release the cable drag chain for protection. When the dragging force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the protection device controls the driving device to retract the released cable drag chain. The protection device includes a first detector and a second detector; In S2, the first detector detects the drag force on the cable drag chain and sends the detected information to the driving device; The second detector detects the rotation amount of one pulley in the fixed pulley assembly of the drag chain and sends the detected information to the driving device; Among them, when the first detector detects that the drag force on the cable drag chain is greater than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device releases the cable drag chain for protection. At the same time, the driving device obtains the length of the cable drag chain protection release based on the detection information of the second detector, and when the drag force is less than the braking force of the braking mechanism, the driving device retracts the released cable drag chain based on the length of the cable drag chain protection release.

8. A self-elevating double-floating offshore platform, characterized in that: The underwater cable transmission device comprises the underwater cable transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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