Underwater channel sealing structure

Abstract

The underwater channel sealing structure comprises an upper flange, a lower flange and a butterfly-shaped sealing ring, the butterfly-shaped sealing ring comprises an inner sealing lip, an outer sealing lip and a web plate, and the inner sealing lip is arranged on the inner side of the outer sealing lip and connected with the outer sealing lip through the web plate; the butt joint face of the upper flange is provided with first installation grooves which are in one-to-one correspondence and communicated with the channels in the upper flange, and the butt joint face of the lower flange is provided with second installation grooves which are in one-to-one correspondence and communicated with the channels in the lower flange. When the upper flange and the lower flange are in the butt joint state, the inner sealing lip and the outer sealing lip on the butterfly-shaped sealing ring are connected with the corresponding first mounting groove and second mounting groove in an inserted mode, the butterfly-shaped sealing ring comprises the outer sealing lip and the inner sealing lip, a double-layer sealing barrier can be formed after the butterfly-shaped sealing ring is connected with the mounting grooves in an inserted mode, the sealing effect is improved, and the service life of the butterfly-shaped sealing ring is prolonged. And due to the adoption of double-screen sealing guarantee, the sealing effect of other channels can be guaranteed after any channel fails.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of marine engineering, and in particular to an underwater channel sealing structure. Background Art

[0002] In marine engineering, the existing underwater connection system is mostly used for the connection between underwater equipment pipelines, and most of them are used for single-channel or single-hole flow channels, and dual-channel or more channels suitable for gas-liquid connection are rare. Nowadays, the trend of integration of underwater production systems is obvious, and the cost of setting up single-channel connection is high and the efficiency is low. Moreover, most of the existing sealing structures are designed for underwater single channels. When an integrated connection of at least two channels is used, there is a lack of matching sealing structures, resulting in poor sealing effect. Therefore, an underwater channel sealing structure is urgently needed to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, namely, to solve the problem that the existing underwater production system has an obvious trend of integration, the cost of setting up a single-channel connection is high and the efficiency is low, and most of the existing sealing structures are designed for a single underwater channel. When an integrated connection of at least two channels is adopted, there is a lack of matching sealing structures, resulting in a poor sealing effect.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides an underwater channel sealing structure, including an upper flange, a lower flange and a butterfly sealing ring, the butterfly sealing ring including an inner sealing lip, an outer sealing lip and a web, the inner sealing lip is arranged on the inner side of the outer sealing lip and is interconnected with the outer sealing lip through the web, the upper flange and the lower flange are each provided with at least two mutually parallel channels for conveying materials, a first mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the upper flange, and a second mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the lower flange, when the upper flange and the lower flange are in a docking state, the inner sealing lip and the outer sealing lip on the butterfly sealing ring are mutually plugged with the corresponding first mounting groove and second mounting groove to achieve a double-layer sealing of the channel docking through surface-to-surface fitting.

[0005] In a specific embodiment of the underwater channel sealing structure, a retaining protrusion extends outward from the middle portion of the outer wall of the outer sealing lip, and a groove extending to the inside of the web is formed on the side wall of the retaining protrusion facing away from the outer sealing lip.

[0006] In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned underwater channel sealing structure, the outer wall surface of the outer sealing lip includes two outer sealing surfaces which are symmetrically distributed up and down with respect to the groove, and the outer sealing surface is a spherical surface. The outer wall surface of the inner sealing lip includes two inner sealing surfaces which are symmetrically distributed up and down with respect to the web, and the inner sealing surface is a spherical surface. The spherical radius of the outer sealing surface is greater than the spherical radius of the inner sealing surface.

[0007] In a specific implementation of the above underwater channel sealing structure, the radial thickness of the outer sealing lip is smaller than the radial thickness of the inner sealing lip, and the axial length of the outer sealing lip is greater than the axial length of the inner sealing lip.

[0008] In a specific implementation of the underwater channel sealing structure, an annular groove is provided on the inner annular surface of the inner sealing lip.

[0009] In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned underwater channel sealing structure, the structures of the first mounting groove and the second mounting groove are the same, the first mounting groove includes an outer slot and an inner slot with the same center, the inner slot is connected to the corresponding channel, the end of the outer sealing lip is inserted into the corresponding outer slot during docking to achieve sealing through the outer sealing surface and the side wall surface of the outer slot, and the end of the inner sealing lip is inserted into the corresponding inner slot during docking to achieve sealing through the inner sealing surface and the side wall surface of the inner slot.

[0010] In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned underwater channel sealing structure, the side wall surface in the outer slot used to fit with the outer sealing surface is a first conical surface, and the side wall surface in the inner slot used to fit with the inner sealing lip is a second conical surface, and the taper of the first conical surface is smaller than the taper of the second conical surface.

[0011] In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned underwater channel sealing structure, a first positioning boss and a first positioning groove are arranged on the docking surface of the upper flange, and a second positioning groove cooperating with the first positioning boss and a second positioning boss cooperating with the first positioning groove are arranged on the docking surface of the lower flange, and when the upper flange and the lower flange are in a docking state, the first positioning boss is inserted into the second positioning groove, and the second positioning boss is inserted into the first positioning groove.

[0012] In a specific embodiment of the underwater channel sealing structure, an inner boss extends outwardly from one end of the upper flange, and the outer end face of the inner boss is a docking surface. An annular outer boss extends outward from the edge of the docking surface of the lower flange. When the upper flange is docked with the lower flange, the inner boss is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss. The heights of the first positioning boss and the second positioning boss are equal to and greater than the height of the outer boss.

[0013] In a specific embodiment of the underwater channel sealing structure, when the inner boss is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss after docking, there is a gap between the docking surface on the inner boss and the docking surface inside the outer boss, and the gap is equal to the thickness of the retaining protrusion.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The butterfly seal ring designed in the present invention includes an outer sealing lip and an inner sealing lip, which can form a double-layer sealing barrier after being plugged into the installation groove, thereby improving the sealing effect. Moreover, due to the use of double-screen sealing protection, after any channel fails, the structure of the butterfly seal ring can ensure the sealing effect of other channels.

[0015] 2. By arranging the first positioning boss and the second positioning groove and the second positioning boss and the first positioning groove which cooperate with each other on the upper flange and the lower flange, during the docking process, the first positioning boss and the second positioning boss are first inserted into the corresponding positioning grooves to achieve rough centering, and then during the docking process, the outer sealing lip and the inner sealing lip of the butterfly sealing ring are inserted into the corresponding mounting groove to achieve secondary automatic calibration and fine docking, thereby ensuring the centering accuracy when using multiple channels, thereby ensuring the sealing effect in the case of multi-channel docking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the underwater channel sealing structure provided by the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Structural diagram of the middle upper flange; Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the upper flange; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower flange; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a butterfly seal ring; Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the rough alignment of the upper flange and the lower flange; Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram in which the upper flange and the lower flange are butt-jointed and in a sealed state.

[0017] List of reference numerals: 1. Upper flange; 11. First positioning boss; 12. First positioning groove; 13. First mounting groove; 131. External slot; 1311. First conical surface; 132. Internal slot; 1321. Second conical surface; 14. Internal boss; 2. Lower flange; 21. Second positioning boss; 22. Second positioning groove; 23. Second mounting groove; 24. External boss; 3. Butterfly seal ring; 31. Internal sealing lip; 311. Internal sealing surface; 32. External sealing lip; 321. External sealing surface; 33. Retaining protrusion; 34. Grooving; 35. Web; 36. Annular groove; 4. Channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are 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 making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships 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 system or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to define components, only for the convenience of distinguishing the above components, and unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meanings and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0020] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "setting", and "connection" 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 an indirect connection 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.

[0021] The present invention relates to the field of marine engineering technology, and in particular to an underwater channel sealing structure. The purpose is to solve the problem that the existing underwater production system has an obvious trend of integration, the cost of setting a single channel connection is high and the efficiency is low, and most of the existing sealing structures are designed for underwater single channels. When at least two integrated channels are connected, there is a lack of matching sealing structures, resulting in poor sealing effects. To this end, the underwater channel sealing structure provided by the present invention includes an upper flange, a lower flange and a butterfly sealing ring, the butterfly sealing ring includes an inner sealing lip, an outer sealing lip and a web, the inner sealing lip is arranged on the inner side of the outer sealing lip and is connected to the outer sealing lip through the web, the upper flange and the lower flange are each provided with at least two mutually parallel channels for conveying materials, a first mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the upper flange, and a second mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the lower flange, when the upper flange and the lower flange are in a docking state, the inner sealing lip and the outer sealing lip on the butterfly sealing ring are both plugged into the corresponding first mounting groove and the second mounting groove to achieve a double-layer sealing of the channel docking through surface-to-surface fitting, the butterfly sealing ring designed by the present invention includes an outer sealing lip and an inner sealing lip, which can form a double-layer sealing barrier after being plugged into the mounting groove, thereby improving the sealing effect, and due to the use of double-screen sealing protection, after the sealing of any channel fails, the structure of the butterfly sealing ring can ensure the sealing effect of the other channel.

[0022] The underwater channel sealing structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] See also Figure 1-7 The present invention provides an underwater channel 4 sealing structure, comprising an upper flange 1, a lower flange 2 and a butterfly sealing ring 3, the butterfly sealing ring 3 comprising an inner sealing lip 31, an outer sealing lip 32 and a web 35, the inner sealing lip 31 is arranged on the inner side of the outer sealing lip 32 and is connected to the outer sealing lip 32 through the web 35, a gap is formed between the outer sealing lip 32 and the inner sealing lip 31 through the connection of the web 35, at least two mutually parallel channels 4 for conveying materials (such as gas or liquid) are provided on the upper flange 1 and the lower flange 2, a first mounting groove 13 corresponding to and connected to the channel 4 thereon is provided on the docking surface of the upper flange 1, and a second mounting groove 23 corresponding to and connected to the channel 4 thereon is provided on the docking surface of the lower flange 2, when the upper flange 1 and the lower flange 2 are in a docking state, the inner sealing lip 31 and the outer sealing lip 32 on the butterfly sealing ring 3 are plugged into the corresponding first mounting groove 13 and second mounting groove 23 to achieve double-layer sealing of the channel 4 docking through surface-to-surface bonding.

[0024] Specifically, the first mounting groove 13 and the second mounting groove 23 have the same structure. An inner boss 14 extends outward from one end of the upper flange 1, and the outer end surface of the inner boss 14 is a docking surface. An annular outer boss 24 extends outward from the edge of the docking surface of the lower flange 2. When the upper flange 1 and the lower flange 2 are docked, the inner boss 14 is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss 24.

[0025] Regarding the number of channels, for example, Figure 2 As shown, the number of channels is two.

[0026] In the above embodiments, preferably, refer to Figure 5 The outer wall surface of the outer sealing lip 32 includes two outer sealing surfaces 321 symmetrically distributed up and down with the groove 34 as the reference, and the outer sealing surface 321 is a spherical surface. The outer wall surface of the inner sealing lip 31 includes two inner sealing surfaces 311 symmetrically distributed up and down with the web 35 as the reference, and the inner sealing surface 311 is a spherical surface, and the spherical radius of the outer sealing surface is greater than the spherical radius of the inner sealing surface. During sealing, when the pressure in the channel is greater than the external seawater pressure, the outer sealing surface of the outer sealing lip is designed to have a larger spherical radius, while the inner sealing surface of the inner sealing lip is designed to have a smaller spherical radius. This design is intended to optimize the sealing contact area and pressure distribution. When applying an appropriate locking force, since the inner sealing surface of the inner sealing lip has a smaller spherical radius, its contact area is relatively small. Therefore, under the same locking force, the contact stress at this position will be greater, thereby improving the sealing effect. At the same time, due to the double sealing relationship, the larger spherical radius of the outer sealing lip enables the sealing contact surface to fit tightly, thereby generating sufficient contact stress at the contact point to achieve effective sealing.

[0027] In one embodiment, see Figure 5 The inner ring surface of the inner sealing lip 31 is provided with an annular groove 36. It is convenient to cooperate with an underwater robot to replace the butterfly seal ring 3 using the underwater robot, making the replacement operation more convenient. In the above embodiments, preferably, refer to Figure 3 The first mounting groove 13 includes an outer slot 131 and an inner slot 132 which are concentric. The inner slot 132 is connected to the corresponding channel 4. The end of the outer sealing lip 32 is inserted into the corresponding outer slot 131 during docking so that the outer sealing surface 321 fits with the side wall of the outer slot 131 to achieve sealing. The end of the inner sealing lip 31 is inserted into the corresponding inner slot 132 during docking so that the inner sealing surface 311 fits with the side wall of the inner slot 132 to achieve sealing.

[0028] Specifically, the side wall surface in the outer slot 131 for fitting with the outer sealing surface 321 is the first conical surface 1311, and the side wall surface in the inner slot 132 for fitting with the inner sealing lip 31 is the second conical surface 1321. In order to be consistent with the geometric structure of the butterfly seal ring, the taper of the first conical surface 1311 is smaller than that of the second conical surface 1321. In the above embodiment, preferably, the radial thickness of the outer sealing lip 32 is smaller than the radial thickness of the inner sealing lip 31. The thickness of the inner sealing lip 31 increases, that is, the strength of the inner sealing lip 31 is improved, thereby improving the ability to resist the internal pressure of the channel 4, which helps to improve the sealing effect.

[0029] In the above embodiment, preferably, the axial length of the outer sealing lip 32 is greater than the axial length of the inner sealing lip 31. The longer axial length of the outer sealing lip 32 will not only make the contact point between the outer sealing lip and the outer slot lower than the contact point between the inner sealing lip and the inner slot, but also make the sealing contact pressure at the low point more uniform, and make the contact area between the outer sealing lip 32 and the first conical surface of the outer slot larger, so as to disperse the load of the inner sealing lip 31. At the same time, the contact point of the outer sealing lip is lower than the inner sealing lip, which can optimize the force line and improve the overall force of the butterfly seal ring.

[0030] In one embodiment, see Figure 5 A retaining protrusion 33 is extended outward from the middle of the outer wall surface of the outer sealing lip 32, and a groove 34 extending to the inside of the web 35 is provided on the side wall opposite to the retaining protrusion 33. The groove 34 is located in the middle of the thickness direction of the web 35 to ensure that the structure of the outer sealing lip 32 in the upper part of the groove 34 and the outer sealing lip 32 in the lower part are symmetrical. In the present application, by designing the groove 34, the external seawater can enter the groove 34 in the sealed state, so that the outer sealing lip 32 has a tendency to open, thereby achieving a self-tightening function and enhancing the sealing effect. Due to the use of double channels, the retaining protrusion can play an installation positioning function when the butterfly seal ring is installed.

[0031] In the above embodiment, when the inner boss 14 is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss 24 after the docking is completed, there is a gap between the docking surface on the inner boss 14 and the docking surface on the inner side of the outer boss 24, and the gap is greater than the thickness of the retaining protrusion 33. This avoids squeezing the retaining protrusion 33 after the docking is completed, that is, avoids squeezing the slot 34 to close and prevent seawater from entering.

[0032] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6The upper flange 1 is provided with a first positioning boss 11 and a first positioning groove 12 on its mating surface, and the lower flange 2 is provided with a second positioning groove 22 matched with the first positioning boss 11 and a second positioning boss 21 matched with the first positioning groove 12 on its mating surface. When the upper flange 1 and the lower flange 2 are in a mating state, the first positioning boss 11 is inserted into the second positioning groove 22, and the second positioning boss 21 is inserted into the first positioning groove 12. The heights of the first positioning boss 11 and the second positioning boss 21 are equal and greater than the height of the outer boss 24.

[0033] During the docking process, the first positioning boss 11 and the second positioning boss 21 are first inserted into the corresponding positioning grooves to achieve rough centering, and then the docking process continues, and the outer sealing lip 32 and the inner sealing lip 31 of the butterfly sealing ring 3 are inserted into the corresponding installation groove to achieve secondary automatic calibration and fine docking, thereby ensuring the centering accuracy when using multiple channels 4, thereby ensuring the sealing effect when multiple channels 4 are docked.

[0034] Under the action of deep water external pressure and working internal pressure, in order to ensure the dual-channel sealing effect, this application designs a butterfly seal ring. Since the radial thickness of the inner and outer sealing lips is different, the radial dimension of the inner sealing lip is thicker to resist stronger pressure. The groove on the outer sealing lip is to quote the external pressure of seawater to provide a certain pre-tightening force. Therefore, the sealing structure designed in this application requires less locking force. The upper and lower flanges of the dual-channel connection are provided with matching positioning bosses and positioning grooves, and the double barrier seal of the butterfly seal ring has an auxiliary positioning function, which can save a certain amount of installation time and cost.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater channel sealing structure, characterized in that: It includes an upper flange, a lower flange and a butterfly sealing ring, the butterfly sealing ring includes an inner sealing lip, an outer sealing lip and a web, the inner sealing lip is arranged on the inner side of the outer sealing lip and is connected to the outer sealing lip through the web, the upper flange and the lower flange are each provided with at least two mutually parallel channels for conveying materials, a first mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the upper flange, and a second mounting groove corresponding to and connected to the channel thereon is provided on the docking surface of the lower flange, when the upper flange and the lower flange are in a docking state, the inner sealing lip and the outer sealing lip on the butterfly sealing ring are both plugged into the corresponding first mounting groove and the second mounting groove to achieve a double-layer sealing of the channel docking through surface-to-surface fitting.

2. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A retaining protrusion is extended outward from the middle part of the outer wall surface of the outer sealing lip, and a groove extending to the inside of the web is formed on the side wall of the retaining protrusion facing away from the outer sealing lip.

3. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer wall surface of the outer sealing lip includes two outer sealing surfaces which are symmetrically distributed up and down with respect to the groove, and the outer sealing surface is a spherical surface. The outer wall surface of the inner sealing lip includes two inner sealing surfaces which are symmetrically distributed up and down with respect to the web, and the inner sealing surface is a spherical surface. The spherical radius of the outer sealing surface is greater than the spherical radius of the inner sealing surface.

4. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radial thickness of the outer sealing lip is smaller than the radial thickness of the inner sealing lip, and the axial length of the outer sealing lip is greater than the axial length of the inner sealing lip.

5. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: An annular groove is arranged on the inner annular surface of the inner sealing lip.

6. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structures of the first mounting groove and the second mounting groove are the same. The first mounting groove includes an outer slot and an inner slot with the same center. The inner slot is connected to the corresponding channel. The end of the outer sealing lip is inserted into the corresponding outer slot during docking to achieve sealing through the outer sealing surface and the side wall surface of the outer slot. The end of the inner sealing lip is inserted into the corresponding inner slot during docking to achieve sealing through the inner sealing surface and the side wall surface of the inner slot.

7. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side wall surface in the outer slot for fitting with the outer sealing surface is a first conical surface, and the side wall surface in the inner slot for fitting with the inner sealing lip is a second conical surface. The taper of the first conical surface is smaller than that of the second conical surface.

8. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first positioning boss and a first positioning groove are arranged on the docking surface of the upper flange, and a second positioning groove cooperating with the first positioning boss and a second positioning boss cooperating with the first positioning groove are arranged on the docking surface of the lower flange. When the upper flange and the lower flange are in a docking state, the first positioning boss is inserted into the second positioning groove, and the second positioning boss is inserted into the first positioning groove.

9. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: An inner boss extends outwardly from one end of the upper flange, and the outer end face of the inner boss is a docking surface. An annular outer boss extends outwardly from the edge of the docking surface of the lower flange. When the upper flange is docked with the lower flange, the inner boss is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss. The heights of the first positioning boss and the second positioning boss are equal to and greater than the height of the outer boss.

10. The underwater channel sealing structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the inner boss is inserted into the inner side of the outer boss after the docking is completed, there is a gap between the docking surface on the inner boss and the docking surface on the inner side of the outer boss, and the gap is equal to the thickness of the retaining protrusion.

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