Ship drag reduction device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ship sailing, in particular to a ship resistance reduction device which is provided with an air bag, an inflation unit and a pressure monitoring unit, compressed air can be conveyed into an air lubrication cavity, the air bag is made to bulge, and therefore the effect of reducing resistance in the ship sailing process is achieved. In addition, the stability of compressed air in the air lubrication cavity can be kept, the demand quantity of the compressed air is reduced, fuel consumption for generating the compressed air is further reduced, and cost is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ship navigation, and in particular to a ship drag reduction device. Background Art

[0002] At present, ships use the method of spraying compressed air on the bottom of the ship to form an air film layer between the bottom of the ship and the water. The principle that the resistance between air and seawater is smaller than the resistance between the bottom of the ship and seawater is used to reduce the resistance of the ship in seawater.

[0003] Since the density of air is smaller than that of water, the movement of air underwater is greatly affected by buoyancy and the viscosity of the surrounding water. The air film layer provided by the existing air layer drag reduction technology is a relatively ideal state, and generally requires the ship to sail in a flat floating state. However, in the actual navigation process, ships will inevitably have motion postures such as rolling and pitching. The appearance of these motion postures will cause the air at the bottom of the ship to escape with the buoyancy, thereby destroying the original complete air film layer, and greatly reducing the drag reduction effect. In order to form a relatively stable air film layer between the flat bottom of the ship and the seawater, a large amount of compressed air needs to be injected into the bottom of the ship. The compressed air is generated by an air compressor, which consumes a lot of electricity. At present, the electricity on board mainly comes from the ship generator. The fuel required to generate compressed air is even greater than the fuel saved by using compressed air to reduce resistance, and it cannot bring benefits to ship operations. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a ship drag reduction device for solving the problem in the prior art that in order to form a relatively stable air film layer, a large amount of compressed air needs to be injected into the bottom of the ship, consuming a large amount of fuel, and the fuel saved by reducing resistance cannot bring benefits to the ship operation.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the present invention provides a ship drag reduction device, which includes an airbag, an inflation unit, a pressure monitoring unit and a control unit. A plurality of air lubrication units are divided in the flat area of ​​the outer bottom plate of the ship, and each of the air lubrication units is surrounded by an airbag. The airbag is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer bottom plate of the ship to form an air lubrication cavity between the outer bottom plate of the ship and the airbag. The inflation unit is used to deliver compressed air into the air lubrication cavity, and the pressure monitoring unit is used to monitor the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity. The inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are both electrically connected to the control unit.

[0006] Optionally, a fixing component is provided on the airbag, and the airbag is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer bottom plate of the ship through the fixing component;

[0007] The fixing assembly includes a clamping strip and a fixing bolt. The clamping strip is pressed on the edge of the airbag so that the airbag is located between the clamping strip and the outer bottom plate of the ship. A threaded hole is provided on the outer bottom plate of the ship. The clamping strip and the airbag are provided with through holes corresponding to the threaded holes. The fixing bolt can pass through the through holes and be threadedly connected to the threaded holes.

[0008] Optionally, the inflation component includes an air compressor, a compressed air pipeline, an inflation control valve and a nozzle, the air compressor, the compressed air pipeline, the inflation control valve and the nozzle are provided in plurality, the plurality of nozzles are respectively provided in each of the air lubrication cavities, each of the air compressors corresponds to a plurality of nozzles, the air compressor is connected to each of the nozzles through the compressed air pipeline, and one inflation control valve is respectively provided on the compressed air pipeline corresponding to each nozzle;

[0009] The air compressor and the inflation control valve are both electrically connected to the control unit.

[0010] Optionally, the air compressor is arranged close to the nozzle, and the compressed air pipeline is laid avoiding the watertight compartment at the bottom of the ship.

[0011] Optionally, the pressure monitoring unit uses an air pressure sensor, and a plurality of the air pressure sensors are provided. The plurality of air pressure sensors are respectively arranged inside each of the air lubrication cavities, and each of the air pressure sensors is electrically connected to the control unit.

[0012] Optionally, the control unit includes a control host and a control panel, the control host is used to send or receive control instructions, the control panel is used to perform human-computer interaction with the crew, the control host is electrically connected to the control panel, and the inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are also electrically connected to the control host.

[0013] Optionally, the drag reduction device further comprises an exhaust unit, which is also electrically connected to the control unit, and is used to exhaust the gas in the air lubrication cavity;

[0014] The exhaust unit includes an exhaust pipeline and an exhaust control valve arranged on the exhaust pipeline. There are multiple exhaust pipelines, each of which corresponds to an exhaust control valve and an air lubrication cavity. One end of the exhaust pipeline is connected to the air lubrication cavity, and the other end is connected to the outside air.

[0015] Optionally, the airbag is a rubber airbag.

[0016] Optionally, the airbag is streamlined as a whole, and the height of the airbag protruding from the outer bottom plate of the ship is 50mm-100mm.

[0017] Optionally, the air lubrication unit is a square unit or a diamond unit with a side length of 3m to 8m.

[0018] Optionally, the airbags are arranged on the outer bottom plate of the ship according to the inflow angle at the front and the outflow angle at the rear of the ship and are streamlined as a whole.

[0019] In a ship drag reduction device of the present invention, by providing an airbag, an inflation unit and a pressure monitoring unit, compressed air can be delivered to the air lubrication cavity to inflate the airbag, thereby reducing the drag during the navigation of the ship. In addition, the stability of the compressed air in the air lubrication cavity can be maintained, saving the demand for compressed air, thereby reducing the fuel consumption for generating compressed air and saving costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle structure of a ship drag reduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the compression strip and the airbag in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a fast, slim, linear arrangement of airbags in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the low-speed hypertrophy linear arrangement of airbags in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 4 To describe a ship drag reduction device of the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features, that is, include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. When a feature "includes or contains" one or some of the features it covers, unless otherwise specifically described, this indicates that other features are not excluded and may further include other features.

[0025] Unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", "connect", "fix", "couple" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. A person skilled in the art should be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] In addition, in the description of this embodiment, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact through another feature between them. That is, in the description of this embodiment, the first feature being "above", "above", and "above" the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below", or "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0027] In the description of the present embodiment, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0028] like Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a ship drag reduction device, which includes an airbag 1, an inflation unit, a pressure monitoring unit and a control unit 5. A plurality of air lubrication units are divided in the flat area of ​​the ship's outer bottom plate 2, and each air lubrication unit is surrounded by an airbag 1. The airbag 1 is sealed and fixedly connected to the ship's outer bottom plate 2 to form an air lubrication cavity 21 between the ship's outer bottom plate 2 and the airbag 1. The inflation unit is used to deliver compressed air into the air lubrication cavity 21. The pressure monitoring unit is used to monitor the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity 21. The inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are both electrically connected to the control unit 5.

[0029] During the navigation of the ship, the control unit 5 controls the inflation unit to deliver compressed air to the air lubrication cavity 21. As the compressed air is delivered, the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity 21 increases. When the pressure monitoring unit detects that the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity 21 reaches the set range, the pressure monitoring unit will feed back a signal to the control unit 5, and the control unit 5 will control the inflation unit to stop delivering compressed air. As time goes by, the air in the air lubrication cavity 21 may leak partially. When the pressure monitoring unit detects that the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity 21 is lower than the set range, the pressure monitoring unit will feed back a signal to the control unit 5, and the control unit 5 will control the inflation unit to open, and deliver compressed air to the air lubrication cavity 21 again until the set range is reached, and this cycle repeats. Among them, the set range is obtained based on the pressure value range of each air lubrication cavity 21 accumulated from the previous ship model test at different drafts and different speeds and the navigation test. By setting the airbag 1, the inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit, compressed air can be delivered to the air lubrication cavity 21 to make the airbag 1 swell, thereby reducing the resistance during the navigation of the ship. In addition, the stability of the compressed air in the air lubrication cavity 21 can be maintained, which saves the demand for compressed air, thereby reducing the fuel consumption for generating compressed air and saving costs.

[0030] Furthermore, a fixing component is provided on the airbag 1, and the airbag 1 is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship through the fixing component.

[0031] Optionally, the fixing assembly includes a clamping strip 31 and a fixing bolt 32. The clamping strip 31 is pressed against the edge of the airbag 1 so that the airbag 1 is located between the clamping strip 31 and the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship. The outer bottom plate 2 of the ship is provided with a threaded hole, and the clamping strip 31 and the airbag 1 are provided with a through hole corresponding to the threaded hole, and the fixing bolt 32 can pass through the through hole and be threadedly connected with the threaded hole.

[0032] The edge of the airbag 1 is arranged along the edge of the air lubrication unit, and the pressing strip 31 is pressed against the edge of the airbag 1 by means of the fixing bolts 32 , so that the airbag 1 can be fixed and the sealing of the airbag 1 can be ensured.

[0033] Of course, other common fixing components can also be used to fix and seal the airbag 1. For example, by providing a pressing groove on the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship, the airbag 1 can also be fixed and the sealing of the airbag 1 can be ensured by using the cooperation of the pressing strip 31 and the pressing groove.

[0034] Optionally, the airbag 1 is a rubber airbag, which has low cost and mature technology. In addition, in order to improve the drag reduction effect, the airbag 1 is streamlined as a whole, and the height of the airbag 1 protruding from the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship is 50mm-100mm.

[0035] Optionally, the air lubrication unit may be a square unit or a diamond unit with a side length of 3m to 8m, determined comprehensively based on the ship speed and the resistance reduction effect to be achieved.

[0036] Furthermore, the inflation component includes an air compressor 41, a compressed air pipeline 42, an inflation control valve 43 and a nozzle 44. There are multiple air compressors 41, compressed air pipelines 42, inflation control valves 43 and nozzles 44. Multiple nozzles 44 are respectively arranged in each air lubrication cavity 21. Each air compressor 41 corresponds to multiple nozzles 44, and the air compressor 41 is connected to each nozzle 44 through a compressed air pipeline 42. An inflation control valve 43 is respectively arranged on the compressed air pipeline 42 corresponding to each nozzle 44. The air compressor 41 and the inflation control valve 43 are both electrically connected to the control unit 5.

[0037] When inflation is required, the air compressor 41 and the inflation control valve 43 are turned on through the control unit 5, and the compressed air generated by the air compressor 41 is delivered to the corresponding nozzle 44 through each compressed air pipeline 42, and the compressed air is input into the corresponding air lubrication cavity 21 through the nozzle 44 to inflate the airbag 1. Multiple air compressors 41 are provided to ensure the supply of compressed air. At the same time, each air compressor 41 corresponds to multiple nozzles 44. On the premise of satisfying the compressed air supply, the number of air compressors 41 is reduced, thereby reducing power consumption and equipment costs.

[0038] Optionally, the air compressor 41 is arranged on the deck near the nozzle 44 to facilitate the connection between the air compressor 41 and the nozzle 44 and reduce the length of the compressed air pipeline 42. The compressed air pipeline 42 starts from the outlet of the air compressor 41, passes through the ship wall plate and is connected to the nozzle 44. It should be noted that the laying of the compressed air pipeline 42 needs to avoid the watertight bulkhead of the bottom of the ship, that is, it cannot pass through the watertight compartment of the bottom of the ship to prevent the sealing of the watertight compartment of the bottom of the ship from being damaged. Therefore, each air compressor 41 can be connected to multiple nozzles 44 in the same watertight area.

[0039] Optionally, the nozzle 44 is fixedly arranged on the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship. One nozzle 44 is arranged in each air lubrication cavity 21, or two nozzles 44 may be arranged.

[0040] Furthermore, the pressure monitoring unit uses an air pressure sensor 6 , and a plurality of air pressure sensors 6 are provided, and the plurality of air pressure sensors 6 are respectively provided inside each air lubrication cavity 21 . Each air pressure sensor 6 is electrically connected to the control unit 5 .

[0041] By providing the air pressure sensor 6, the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity 21 can be monitored in real time and fed back to the control unit 5, with a simple structure and rapid response.

[0042] Optionally, the air pressure sensor 6 is disposed on the outer bottom plate 2 of the vessel near the nozzle 44 .

[0043] Furthermore, the control unit 5 includes a control host and a control panel, and the control host is electrically connected to the control panel. The inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are also electrically connected to the control host. The control host is used to send or receive control instructions. The control panel is used to perform human-machine interaction with the crew.

[0044] Optionally, the control host is a control system computer host arranged in the superstructure cabin, and the control panel is arranged in the ship's driving room and the engine room centralized control room. The air pressure sensor 6 and the inflation control valve 43 are connected to the control host through a cable.

[0045] Furthermore, the drag reduction device also includes an exhaust unit, which is also electrically connected to the control unit 5. The exhaust unit is used to exhaust the gas in the air lubrication cavity 21. When the air lubrication function is not needed or the equipment is damaged and cannot be inflated, the airbag 1 can be pressed against the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship by setting the exhaust unit, so that the airbag 1 fits the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing resistance.

[0046] Optionally, the exhaust unit includes an exhaust pipeline 71 and an exhaust control valve 72 disposed on the exhaust pipeline 71. A plurality of exhaust pipelines 71 are provided, and each exhaust pipeline 71 corresponds to an air lubrication cavity 21. One end of the exhaust pipeline 71 is connected to the air lubrication cavity 21, and the other end is connected to the outside air. The exhaust control valve 72 is electrically connected to the control unit 5.

[0047] When the gas in the air lubrication cavity 21 needs to be discharged, the exhaust control valve 72 is opened by the control unit 5, and the gas in the air lubrication cavity 21 can be discharged through the exhaust pipeline 71, and the structure is relatively simple.

[0048] Furthermore, the airbag 1 is arranged on the outer bottom plate 2 of the ship according to the inflow angle at the front and the outflow angle at the rear of the ship and is streamlined as a whole. For a ship with a faster speed, the inflow angle at the front and the outflow angle at the rear are relatively small. For a ship with a slower speed, the inflow angle at the front and the outflow angle at the rear are relatively large. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The arrangement of the airbag 2 is divided into two types, one is a fast thin line type, and the other is a slow fat line type, so as to be suitable for ships with different speeds and reduce resistance without affecting the speed of the ship.

[0049] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A ship drag reduction device, characterized in that: The drag reduction device includes an airbag, an inflation unit, a pressure monitoring unit and a control unit. A plurality of air lubrication units are divided in the flat area of ​​the outer bottom plate of the ship. Each of the air lubrication units is surrounded by an airbag. The airbag is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer bottom plate of the ship to form an air lubrication cavity between the outer bottom plate of the ship and the airbag. The inflation unit is used to deliver compressed air into the air lubrication cavity. The pressure monitoring unit is used to monitor the air pressure in the air lubrication cavity. The inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are both electrically connected to the control unit.

2. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airbag is provided with a fixing assembly, and the airbag is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer bottom plate of the ship through the fixing assembly; The fixing assembly includes a clamping strip and a fixing bolt. The clamping strip is pressed on the edge of the airbag so that the airbag is located between the clamping strip and the outer bottom plate of the ship. A threaded hole is provided on the outer bottom plate of the ship. The clamping strip and the airbag are provided with through holes corresponding to the threaded holes. The fixing bolt can pass through the through holes and be threadedly connected to the threaded holes.

3. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inflation assembly includes an air compressor, a compressed air pipeline, an inflation control valve and a nozzle. The air compressor, the compressed air pipeline, the inflation control valve and the nozzle are all provided in plurality. The plurality of nozzles are respectively provided in each of the air lubrication cavities. Each of the air compressors corresponds to a plurality of nozzles. The air compressor is connected to each of the nozzles through the compressed air pipeline, and one inflation control valve is respectively provided on the compressed air pipeline corresponding to each nozzle. The air compressor and the inflation control valve are both electrically connected to the control unit.

4. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air compressor is arranged close to the nozzle, and the compressed air pipeline is laid avoiding the watertight compartment at the bottom of the ship.

5. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure monitoring unit adopts an air pressure sensor. There are multiple air pressure sensors, which are respectively arranged inside each of the air lubrication cavities. Each of the air pressure sensors is electrically connected to the control unit.

6. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit includes a control host and a control panel, the control host is used to send or receive control instructions, the control panel is used to perform human-computer interaction with the crew, the control host is electrically connected to the control panel, and the inflation unit and the pressure monitoring unit are also electrically connected to the control host.

7. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drag reduction device further includes an exhaust unit, which is also electrically connected to the control unit and is used to exhaust the gas in the air lubrication cavity; The exhaust unit includes an exhaust pipeline and an exhaust control valve arranged on the exhaust pipeline. There are multiple exhaust pipelines, each of which corresponds to an exhaust control valve and an air lubrication cavity. One end of the exhaust pipeline is connected to the air lubrication cavity, and the other end is connected to the outside air.

8. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airbag is a rubber airbag.

9. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airbag is streamlined as a whole, and the height of the airbag protruding from the outer bottom plate of the ship is 50mm-100mm.

10. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air lubrication unit is a square unit or a diamond unit with a side length of 3m to 8m.

11. The ship drag reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airbags are arranged on the outer bottom plate of the ship according to the inflow angle at the front of the ship and the outflow angle at the rear of the ship and are streamlined as a whole.

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