Sea chest ice crushing, suction pressurizing and backwashing structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a sea chest ice breaking, suction pressurization and backwashing structure, aims to solve the problems of freezing blockage and insufficient cooling water supply of a ship seawater tank in a low-temperature region, and comprises a seawater tank, a conveying pipe, a cutting element and a hydraulic driving module. A seawater inlet is formed in the bottom of the seawater tank, and the cutting element is rotationally arranged in the seawater tank; the power output end of the hydraulic driving module is in transmission connection with the cutting element, and the water source input end is connected with the output end of the conveying pipe and faces the seawater inlet. During use, the conveying pipe is connected with a marine diesel engine cooling water pipe, cooling water serves as a power source to be input into the hydraulic driving module, and the cutting element is driven to rotate; the cutting element not only cuts ice entering the seawater tank, but also generates negative pressure to suck seawater; and meanwhile, cooling water discharged by the hydraulic driving module is used for backwashing the seawater inlet. The structure does not need extra electric energy, realizes integration of ice crushing, water absorption and anti-blocking, ensures stable liquid supply of a low-temperature sea area ship main engine cooling system, and improves sailing safety and energy saving performance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ship sea water tank, and particularly relates to a sea chest ice crushing, suction pressurizing and backwashing structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a ship navigation system, a sea water tank as a core sea water collection and storage device undertakes the important function of supplying cooling water for key equipment such as a ship main engine, a generator and a cooling system, and its stable operation directly determines the reliability and navigation safety of the ship power system. Especially in the scenario of long-time continuous navigation, the sea water tank needs to continuously draw sea water from the external sea area, and through the internal flow channel and the filtering structure, the sea water is preliminarily purified and temporarily stored, and then the sea water meeting the flow and cleanliness requirements is delivered to each cooling demand equipment through a delivery pump set to form a cooling circulation closed loop of the ship power system, which is a key link to protect the core equipment such as the ship main engine from overheating damage and maintain normal operating parameters. However, when the ship navigates to a low-temperature area (environmental temperature is lower than 0℃), the operation of the sea water tank faces severe challenges. Influenced by the low-temperature environment, the sea water in the external sea area is prone to freezing, forming block ice, ice fragments or ice crystal mixtures. These ice-containing sea water will cause significant interference to the normal work of the sea water tank in the process of entering the sea water tank, and then threaten the stability of the ship power system. At present, the industry mainly adopts two types of technical solutions to solve the ice prevention and removal problem of the sea water tank of the ship in the low-temperature area, but both have obvious technical defects and are difficult to meet the actual navigation requirements. Firstly, most sea water tanks of ships only rely on gravity separation baffle to achieve ice blocking function. The baffle is usually arranged on the inner side of the water inlet of the sea water tank, and uses the physical property that the density of ice is smaller than that of sea water. Through the grid structure or inclination angle of the baffle, the ice in the ice-containing sea water entering the sea water tank is retained outside the baffle under the action of gravity and buoyancy, and the un-frozen sea water flows into the inside of the sea water tank through the gap of the baffle. However, under the continuous action of the low-temperature environment, the amount of ice in the external sea area will continue to increase, and a large amount of ice will accumulate outside the baffle, gradually blocking the water inlet channel of the baffle. When the blocking degree reaches a certain level, the external sea water cannot normally enter the sea water tank, causing the cooling water storage capacity in the sea water tank to continuously decrease, and the cooling system of the ship main engine and other equipment cannot work normally due to lack of sufficient cooling water supply, eventually causing the main engine to overheat and stop, seriously affecting the navigation safety of the ship, and even possibly causing the ship to lose power in the harsh sea area, facing the risk of grounding, collision and the like. Secondly, some ships have installed electric heating devices inside seawater tanks or inlet channels to improve the problem of icing at low temperatures, attempting to achieve anti-freezing and de-icing through electric heating. However, this technical solution has a problem: the electric heating devices consume a great deal of power. During navigation, ships mainly rely on generators for electricity. The continuous operation of high-power electric heating devices will significantly increase the load on the generators, not only increasing the ship's fuel consumption and operating costs, but also potentially causing generator failure due to prolonged high-load operation, affecting the stability of the ship's overall electrical system. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seabed gate.

[0004] A structure for breaking ice, sucking up and pressurizing, and backwashing at a seawater gate, designed for this purpose, includes a seawater tank, a delivery pipe, a cutting element, and a hydraulic drive module. The seawater tank is hollow inside and has a seawater inlet at the bottom; The cutting element is disposed inside the seawater tank and is rotatably positioned relative to the seawater tank. The power output end of the hydraulic drive module is connected to the cutting element via a transmission connection. The water source input end of the hydraulic drive module is connected to the output end of the delivery pipe; The water source output end of the hydraulic drive module is positioned facing the seawater inlet.

[0005] Preferably, the hydraulic drive module includes a first hydraulic actuator fixedly mounted on the seawater tank, the power output end of the first hydraulic actuator being connected to the cutting element; the water source input end of the first hydraulic actuator is provided with a first connecting pipe connected to the delivery pipe; The first hydraulic actuator has a first flushing pipe at its water input end; the output end of the first flushing pipe is positioned facing the seawater inlet.

[0006] Preferably, the first connecting pipe is equipped with a first valve.

[0007] Preferably, two cutting elements are provided and the hydraulic drive module further includes a second hydraulic drive. The power output terminal of the first hydraulic actuator is connected to one of the cutting elements; the power output terminal of the second hydraulic actuator is connected to the other cutting element. The second hydraulic actuator is equipped with a second connecting pipe at its water source input end, which is connected to the delivery pipe. The second hydraulic actuator is provided with a second flushing pipe at its water input end; the output end of the second flushing pipe is positioned facing the seawater inlet.

[0008] Preferably, the second connecting pipe is equipped with a second valve.

[0009] Preferably, the seawater tank is connected to a vent pipe, and the vent pipe is equipped with a third valve.

[0010] Preferably, the conveying pipe is connected to a straight discharge pipe, and the straight discharge pipe is equipped with a fourth valve.

[0011] Preferably, the seawater inlet is equipped with a sea-passing grille.

[0012] Preferably, both the first hydraulic actuator and the second hydraulic actuator consist of a hydraulic volute and a hydraulic rotor rotatably disposed inside the hydraulic volute. The hydraulic volute has a water source input end and a water source output end. The hydraulic rotor is drivenly connected to the cutting element.

[0013] Preferably, the rotation directions of the first hydraulic actuator and the second hydraulic actuator are opposite to each other.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, this invention, through its integrated design of "ice cutting, negative pressure water absorption, and backwashing to prevent clogging," offers the following specific advantages: Highly efficient ice crushing, completely solving the root cause of ice blockage: By installing a rotating cutting element inside the seawater tank, the rotation of the cutting element directly cuts the blocky ice and ice fragments entering the seawater tank, breaking large ice volumes into fine ice crystals or ice-water mixtures. Compared to the limitations of existing gravity separation baffles, which cannot handle large amounts of accumulated ice, and electric heating, which can only melt a small amount of ice fragments, this structure can destroy the ice structure at its source, preventing ice from accumulating and blocking the seawater inlet or inside, ensuring that the seawater flow channel is always unobstructed, and continuously supplying cooling water to the ship's main engine cooling system. Negative pressure-assisted water intake enhances seawater collection efficiency: During rotation, the cutting element not only breaks up ice but also generates a negative pressure effect. This negative pressure actively enhances the seawater tank's ability to draw in external seawater. Even in low-temperature sea areas with reduced seawater flow and high ice content, it ensures stable and efficient seawater entry into the tank, preventing cooling water shortages due to insufficient seawater intake and further guaranteeing the continuous operation of the ship's propulsion system. Hydraulic backwashing provides dual anti-clogging for enhanced reliability: This structure utilizes a hydraulically driven module to construct a closed-loop hydraulic system. The module uses water from the delivery pipe as its power source to drive the cutting elements, while its water output outlet drains water towards the seawater inlet, creating a directional backwashing flow. This backwashing flow effectively flushes away any remaining ice fragments and impurities at the seawater inlet, preventing re-clogging due to localized accumulation and significantly improving the reliability and stability of the seawater tank operation in low-temperature environments. Low energy consumption and energy efficiency, suitable for ship operation needs: Compared to existing electric heating devices that consume large amounts of electricity, increase the load on ship generators and fuel costs, this structure uses water as a power source and achieves energy recycling through a hydraulically driven module, eliminating the need for additional electricity or other energy sources. Its energy-saving characteristics are better suited to the energy consumption needs of ships during long-term voyages, improving anti-icing and de-icing effects while reducing ship operating costs and system failure risks, thus possessing greater practical value and promising prospects for widespread adoption. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0017] See Figure 1 A subsea gate ice-breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing structure includes a seawater tank 10, a delivery pipe 20, a cutting element 30, and a hydraulic drive module 40. The seawater tank 10 is hollow inside and has a seawater inlet 110 at the bottom. The cutting element 30 is disposed inside the seawater tank 10 and is rotatably arranged relative to the seawater tank 10. The power output end of the hydraulic drive module 40 is connected to the cutting element 30. The water source input end of the hydraulic drive module 40 is connected to the output end of the delivery pipe 20. The water source output end of the hydraulic drive module 40 is oriented towards the seawater inlet 110.

[0018] This structure uses the cooling water from the marine diesel engine's cooling water pipes as its core power source. Through the synergy of hydraulic drive and mechanical transmission, it achieves integrated operation of ice breaking, water suction, and backwashing. The specific process is as follows: First, the delivery pipe 20 is connected to the cooling water pipe of the marine diesel engine, so that the cooling water (with a certain pressure and flow rate) generated during the operation of the diesel engine is used as the power medium and delivered to the water source input end of the hydraulic drive module 40 through the delivery pipe 20. After receiving the cooling water, the hydraulic drive module 40 converts the water pressure into mechanical power, and drives the cutting element 30 to rotate around a fixed axis inside the seawater tank 10 through its power output end and transmission connection. During the rotation of the cutting element 30, two core functions are simultaneously achieved: on the one hand, its rotating blade directly acts on the ice-containing seawater entering from the seawater inlet 110 at the bottom of the seawater tank 10, physically cutting the blocky ice and broken ice, breaking large ice volumes into small ice crystals or ice-water mixtures that can flow with the seawater; on the other hand, the high-speed rotation of the cutting element 30 will create a local negative pressure inside the seawater tank 10, which will enhance the pressure difference between the seawater tank 10 and the external sea area, actively drawing external seawater into the seawater tank 10 to complete the seawater collection. Simultaneously, after completing the power conversion, the hydraulic drive module 40 discharges the energy-utilized cooling water from its water source output end, which is positioned towards the seawater inlet 110 of the seawater tank 10. The discharged cooling water forms a directional backwashing flow, continuously flushing the seawater inlet 110 and surrounding area, promptly removing any residual ice fragments and impurities that may adhere to the inlet, preventing blockage, and ensuring a continuous and stable inflow of seawater. Finally, the seawater collected in the seawater tank 10 can be transported to the ship's main engine and other equipment as needed to supply cooling liquid to the cooling system, forming a complete working cycle. See Figure 1 The hydraulic drive module 40 includes a first hydraulic actuator 410 fixedly mounted on the seawater tank 10. The power output end of the first hydraulic actuator 410 is connected to the cutting element 30. The water input end of the first hydraulic actuator 410 is provided with a first connecting pipe 430 connected to the conveying pipe 20. The water input end of the first hydraulic actuator 410 is provided with a first flushing pipe 411. The output end of the first flushing pipe 411 is set towards the seawater inlet 110. The first hydraulic actuator 410 is fixed to the seawater tank 10 and serves as the core power conversion component: it receives cooling water from the conveying pipe 20 (connected to the diesel engine cooling water pipe) through the first connecting pipe 430, converts the water flow pressure into mechanical power, and then drives the cutting element 30 to rotate through the power output end, providing power for ice crushing and negative pressure water suction; at the same time, the first flushing pipe 411, with its output end facing the seawater inlet 110, can directionally discharge the converted cooling water to form a backwash water flow, flushing away residual ice and impurities at the inlet and preventing blockage.

[0019] See Figure 1 The first connecting pipe 430 is equipped with a first valve 431. The core function of the first valve 431 is to control the opening and closing of the first connecting pipe 430: during daily use, the valve opening and closing status can be adjusted according to actual needs to ensure a stable supply of cooling water to the first hydraulic actuator 410; when maintenance and repair of components such as the hydraulic drive module 40 and the cutting element 30 are required, closing the valve can cut off the water flow of the first connecting pipe 430, preventing the continuous input of cooling water from affecting the maintenance operation, and providing safe and convenient conditions for maintenance work.

[0020] In this invention, two cutting elements 30 are provided, and the hydraulic drive module 40 further includes a second hydraulic actuator 420; the power output end of the first hydraulic actuator 410 is connected to one of the cutting elements 30; the power output end of the second hydraulic actuator 420 is connected to the other cutting element 30; the water input end of the second hydraulic actuator 420 is provided with a second connecting pipe 440 connected to the conveying pipe 20; the water input end of the second hydraulic actuator 420 is provided with a second flushing pipe 421; the output end of the second flushing pipe 421 is oriented towards the seawater inlet 110. The second hydraulic actuator 420 is connected to the conveying pipe 20 through the second connecting pipe 440, and can receive cooling water power to drive the other cutting element 30 to rotate. The synchronous operation of the two cutting elements can enhance the ice-breaking efficiency and make it easier to break a large amount of ice; at the same time, the output end of the second flushing pipe 421 of the second hydraulic actuator 420 is oriented towards the seawater inlet 110, which can help flush out residual ice and debris at the inlet. In conjunction with the flushing function of the first hydraulic actuator, it further reduces the risk of blockage at the seawater inlet.

[0021] Furthermore, the rotation directions of the first hydraulic actuator 410 and the second hydraulic actuator 420 are opposite to each other. The first hydraulic actuator 410 and the second hydraulic actuator 420 rotate in opposite directions, driving the corresponding cutting element 30 to form a reverse rotational engagement; the reverse-rotating cutting element can generate bidirectional shearing force on the ice, greatly improving the ice-breaking efficiency.

[0022] In this invention, two cutting elements 30 are arranged in a staggered manner to prevent rotational interference between the two cutting elements 30. The specific arrangement positions are set according to different requirements. Furthermore, in this invention, each cutting element 30 consists of a cutting blade and a cutting shaft, the cutting shaft being connected to either a first hydraulic actuator 410 or a second hydraulic actuator 420.

[0023] See Figure 1 The second connecting pipe 440 is equipped with a second valve 441. Depending on the working environment, the second valve 441 can be used to control the opening and closing of the second connecting pipe 440 to change the flow direction of the cooling water.

[0024] See Figure 1 The seawater tank 10 is connected to a vent pipe 50, and a third valve 510 is installed on the vent pipe 50. The vent pipe is used to expel gases drawn into the seawater tank and gases that may be generated when ice melts.

[0025] See Figure 1The conveying pipe 20 is connected to a straight discharge pipe 60, and the straight discharge pipe 60 is equipped with a fourth valve 610. When the ship is in an environment where de-icing is not required, in order to prevent the seawater temperature in the seawater tank from becoming too high and thus hindering the cooling of the main engine, the cooling water is directly discharged to the outside of the ship through the straight discharge pipe 60 to ensure normal operation.

[0026] See Figure 1 The seawater inlet 110 is equipped with a seawater grating 120. The seawater grating 120 at the seawater inlet 110 can first filter the seawater entering the seawater tank, intercepting large debris and aquatic organisms in the sea area, preventing them from clogging the seawater inlet or entering the tank to jam the cutting elements and damage the hydraulic drive module, thus ensuring smooth seawater flow and safe operation of the internal structure. In this invention, the first hydraulic actuator 410 and the second hydraulic actuator 420 adopt existing products such as hydraulic turbine fans, hydraulic drive motors, and hydraulic turbine pumps; they are mainly composed of a hydraulic volute and a hydraulic rotor rotatably disposed inside the hydraulic volute, wherein the hydraulic volute has a water source input end and a water source output end; the hydraulic rotor is connected to the cutting element 30 in a transmission connection.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0028] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seabed gate, characterized in that: It includes a seawater tank (10), a delivery pipe (20), a cutting element (30), and a hydraulic drive module (40); The seawater tank (10) is hollow inside and has a seawater inlet (110) at the bottom. The cutting element (30) is disposed inside the seawater tank (10) and the cutting element (30) is rotatably disposed relative to the seawater tank (10); The power output end of the hydraulic drive module (40) is connected to the cutting element (30) in a transmission connection; The water source input end of the hydraulic drive module (40) is connected to the output end of the delivery pipe (20); The water source output end of the hydraulic drive module (40) is positioned facing the seawater inlet (110).

2. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydraulic drive module (40) includes a first hydraulic drive (410) fixedly mounted on the seawater tank (10), the power output end of the first hydraulic drive (410) being connected to the cutting element (30) in a transmission manner; the water source input end of the first hydraulic drive (410) is provided with a first connecting pipe (430) connected to the conveying pipe (20); The first hydraulic actuator (410) is provided with a first flushing pipe (411) at its water input end; the output end of the first flushing pipe (411) is positioned toward the seawater inlet (110).

3. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seabed gate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first connecting pipe (430) is equipped with a first valve (431).

4. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cutting element (30) is provided in two parts and the hydraulic drive module (40) further includes a second hydraulic drive (420). The power output end of the first hydraulic actuator (410) is connected to one of the cutting elements (30); the power output end of the second hydraulic actuator (420) is connected to the other cutting element (30). The second hydraulic actuator (420) is provided with a second connecting pipe (440) at its water source input end, which is connected to the delivery pipe (20); The second hydraulic actuator (420) is provided with a second flushing pipe (421) at its water input end; the output end of the second flushing pipe (421) is positioned toward the seawater inlet (110).

5. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second connecting pipe (440) is equipped with a second valve (441).

6. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seawater tank (10) is connected to a vent pipe (50), and a third valve (510) is installed on the vent pipe (50).

7. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The delivery pipe (20) is connected to a straight pipe (60), and the straight pipe (60) is equipped with a fourth valve (610).

8. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a submarine gate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seawater inlet (110) is equipped with a sea-passing grille (120).

9. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seagate according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both the first hydraulic actuator (410) and the second hydraulic actuator (420) are composed of a hydraulic volute and a hydraulic rotor rotatably disposed inside the hydraulic volute. The hydraulic volute has a water source input end and a water source output end. The hydraulic rotor is connected to the cutting element (30) in a transmission manner.

10. The structure for ice breaking, suction pressurization, and backwashing at a seabed gate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotation directions of the first hydraulic actuator (410) and the second hydraulic actuator (420) are opposite to each other.

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