An ice-breaking system and method

Abstract

This invention discloses an icebreaking system and method, belonging to the field of icebreaking technology. The icebreaking system includes a flexible tube and a vehicle. The flexible tube has a proximal end and a distal end; the proximal end connects to an icebreaker, and the distal end connects to the vehicle. Several high-pressure reservoirs are arranged in series within the flexible tube, and each reservoir has a release channel that penetrates the flexible tube and is used to contact the ice layer and release a high-pressure medium. This invention also discloses an icebreaking method using the above-mentioned icebreaking system. This invention uses a vehicle to tow a flexible tube containing high-pressure reservoirs, laying it beneath the ice layer to form a multi-point continuous icebreaking array. The release channel directly contacts the bottom of the ice layer to spray a high-pressure medium, offering advantages such as a large icebreaking range, high efficiency, high energy utilization, and operational safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ice-breaking technology, and in particular to an ice-breaking system and method. Background Technology

[0002] The opening of polar shipping routes and resource development mainly rely on icebreaking operations. Conventional icebreaking methods primarily include mechanical compression icebreaking by icebreakers and chemical explosive icebreaking. However, both methods have significant shortcomings. Mechanical compression icebreaking efficiency drops significantly when facing ice layers thicker than 2 meters. Chemical explosives are prone to misdetonation in extremely cold environments of -50°C, and their explosive energy is diffused haphazardly, resulting in low energy utilization. Furthermore, their explosive products and shock waves can easily pollute and damage the polar ecosystem.

[0003] To reduce pollution from chemical explosives and improve the environmental friendliness of icebreaking operations, new icebreaking technologies have emerged in recent years. For example, patent publication number CN109969364A discloses an underwater high-pressure air gun icebreaking system, including an air gun icebreaking device and a submersible. The air gun icebreaking device consists of a high-pressure container, an energy storage chamber, and a triggering solenoid valve. The high-pressure container is connected to the energy storage chamber, and the triggering solenoid valve is installed on the energy storage chamber. The air gun icebreaking device is installed on the submersible. Gas is injected into the high-pressure container and then introduced into the energy storage chamber. After the submersible reaches a predetermined underwater position, the triggering solenoid valve controls the instantaneous release of the gas to complete the icebreaking. This prior art has at least the following problems: (1) The vehicle itself has limited endurance and load capacity, so the number of trigger solenoid valves it can carry is also limited, resulting in a limited ice-breaking range per operation. The vehicle needs to enter different locations and break ice one by one, and the high-pressure container needs to be frequently filled with gas, resulting in low ice-breaking efficiency.

[0004] (2) In order to prevent the vehicle from being hit by broken ice, the trigger solenoid valve must be kept at a certain safe distance from the ice layer before releasing the gas, so as to ensure that the vehicle has enough time to escape. However, the gas is easily affected by water flow disturbance after being ejected in the water, resulting in a significant decrease in the ice-breaking effect.

[0005] In summary, existing technologies suffer from limitations in breaking ice in very thin ice layers, including small single-pass ice-breaking area, low ice-breaking efficiency, and poor ice-breaking effect. Therefore, improving the ice-breaking range, efficiency, and effect has become a pressing technical problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an ice-breaking system to solve the problems mentioned in the background art and overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an icebreaking system comprising a flexible tube and a vehicle; the flexible tube has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being connected to an icebreaker and the distal end being connected to the vehicle; a plurality of high-pressure reservoirs are arranged in series inside the flexible tube, each high-pressure reservoir being provided with a release channel, the release channel penetrating the flexible tube, and the release channel being used to adhere to the ice layer and release the high-pressure medium.

[0008] Preferably, the high-pressure medium is liquid carbon dioxide, a one-way filling valve is provided on the high-pressure reservoir, and a resistance heating element is provided inside the high-pressure reservoir. The liquid carbon dioxide undergoes a phase change reaction when heated by the resistance heating element, producing high-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide.

[0009] In any of the above schemes, it is preferred to install a constant pressure rupture disc in the release channel. The constant pressure rupture disc is used to rupture when the medium pressure in the high-pressure reservoir reaches a predetermined value, so as to open the release channel.

[0010] In any of the above embodiments, it is preferred that one end of the release channel is connected to the high-pressure reservoir, and the other end of the release channel is provided with a rubber gasket, which has a trumpet-shaped structure.

[0011] In any of the above embodiments, the flexible tube includes an inner layer and an outer layer, with the outer layer sleeved over the inner layer. A first annular cavity and a second annular cavity are formed between the inner and outer layers. A release channel passes through the first annular cavity, and the second annular cavity is located away from the release channel. The first annular cavity is filled with a closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad, and the second annular cavity is embedded with a tungsten alloy flexible cable. A bus is provided in the second annular cavity, and the bus is connected to a resistance heating element through a branch line.

[0012] In any of the above solutions, it is preferred that a U-shaped buffer is provided on the outer layer of the tube, with the open end of the U-shaped buffer facing away from the release channel.

[0013] In any of the above embodiments, it is preferred that the U-shaped buffer is in the shape of a semi-circular tube, and that through holes are opened at both ends of the U-shaped buffer, with the axis of the through holes perpendicular to the center line of the semi-circular tube.

[0014] In any of the above embodiments, it is preferred to further include a flexible braided component, with adjacent high-pressure reservoirs connected by a flexible braided seal.

[0015] In any of the above embodiments, it is preferred that the inner layer of the pipe is made of polyurethane anti-corrosion material, the inner wall of the outer layer of the pipe is composed of multiple layers of cross-wound aramid fiber, and the outer wall of the outer layer of the pipe is composed of a polytetrafluoroethylene vulcanized layer.

[0016] In any of the above schemes, the preferred option is that the distal end is an empty tube without a high-pressure reservoir.

[0017] The present invention also discloses an ice-breaking method, utilizing any of the above-mentioned ice-breaking systems, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Lower the vehicle and flexible tube into the water under the ice. The vehicle pulls the flexible tube underwater to complete the laying, and the end of the release channel is kept at a preset distance from the bottom of the ice.

[0018] Step S2: Detonate the resistor heating element to cause a phase change in the liquid carbon dioxide in the high-pressure reservoir, generating high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is then ejected from the release channel to complete the ice breaking process.

[0019] Step S3: Retrieve the flexible tube and keep the vehicle in motion.

[0020] Preferably, the following steps are also included: Step S11: Scan the ice bottom using the multibeam sonar on the aircraft at the set sampling rate, and transmit the ice thickness information H(x,y) back to the PLC control system on the ship in real time via the bus inside the flexible tube, where H represents the ice thickness, x represents the position coordinate along the channel direction, and y represents the position coordinate perpendicular to the channel direction.

[0021] Step S12: The PLC control system of the icebreaker receives the ice thickness matrix H(x,y) and performs gridded discretization processing; For thick ice areas with an ice layer thickness greater than 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a micro-differential parallel command with a delay parameter, causing each high-pressure reservoir to release energy at the same time, generating multi-source shock waves. Through the spatial superposition of multi-source shock waves inside the ice layer, local standing wave resonance is induced, thereby achieving ice breaking.

[0022] For conventional ice zones with ice thickness less than or equal to 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a chain-like traveling wave command, causing each high-pressure storage tank to release energy sequentially according to a preset delay sequence, generating continuous shock waves with a specific time difference, so as to guide the cracks inside the ice layer to extend linearly along the channel direction to achieve ice breaking.

[0023] In any of the above schemes, the preferred option is that the differential parallel instruction for the delay parameter is... The infinitesimal parallel instruction, the chained ripple instruction is Chain-like traveling wave commands, This indicates the delay time between adjacent trigger units.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. The ice-breaking system of the present invention consists of several high-pressure reservoirs connected in series inside a flexible tube. Each high-pressure reservoir is equipped with a release channel. The flexible tube is laid in one go under the ice layer by being pulled by a vehicle, forming a multi-point, continuous ice-breaking array. A single operation can cover a large area of ​​ice layer, with a large ice-breaking range and high efficiency.

[0025] 2. Because the vehicle is connected to the far end of the flexible tube, it can stay away from the ice layer that needs to be broken, preventing ice fragments from falling and hitting the vehicle, making ice breaking safer. The vehicle pulls the far end of the flexible tube to make it fit tightly against the lower surface of the ice layer, and the release channel can directly fit against the lower surface of the ice layer, so that the high-pressure medium is sprayed out from the release channel and directly acts on the bottom of the ice layer, avoiding the energy dissipation problem caused by the diffusion of the high-pressure medium in the water, resulting in high energy utilization and significantly improved ice breaking effect. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater structure of an ice-breaking system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a partial sectional view of a front view of an ice-breaking system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a left sectional view of an ice-breaking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Among them: 1-flexible tube; 2-vehicle; 3-high pressure reservoir; 4-release channel; 5-one-way filling valve; 6-resistance heating element; 7-bus; 8-branch line; 9-pressure rupture disc; 10-rubber gasket; 11-inner layer of tube; 12-outer layer of tube; 13-second annular cavity; 14-closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad; 15-tungsten alloy flexible cable; 16-U-shaped buffer; 17-through hole; 18-flexible braided component; 19-icebreaker; 20-control console; 21-winner; 22-ice layer. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an icebreaking system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible tube 1 and a vehicle 2. The flexible tube 1 has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is used to connect with the icebreaker and the distal end is used to connect with the vehicle 2. A plurality of high-pressure reservoirs 3 are arranged in series inside the flexible tube 1. Each high-pressure reservoir 3 is provided with a release channel 4. The release channel 4 penetrates the flexible tube 1 and is used to adhere to the ice layer 22 and release the high-pressure medium.

[0030] As an optional embodiment, the flexible tube 1 is specifically a flexible cylindrical hollow tubular structure, which can be selectively configured or omitted according to actual application requirements. The vehicle 2 is specifically a vehicle capable of adjusting its attitude underwater. Optionally, the vehicle 2 is equipped with a multibeam sonar for scanning the ice layer 22 structure. The vehicle 2 is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) or a guided torpedo.

[0031] As an alternative implementation, the high-pressure medium may be liquid carbon dioxide, high-pressure gas, or other fluid media capable of generating high pressure.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, when liquid carbon dioxide is used as the high-pressure medium, specifically, the liquid carbon dioxide undergoes a phase change reaction after heating to produce gaseous carbon dioxide. This high-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide is released outward through a preset release channel. The release channel is equipped with a certain pressure-breaking disc, which automatically ruptures when the medium pressure reaches a set threshold, thereby achieving instantaneous release of the high-pressure gas. This enables pollution-free and environmentally friendly icebreaking, combining environmental friendliness and adaptability to harsh environments, making it particularly suitable for Arctic icebreaking operations.

[0033] When high-pressure gas is selected as the high-pressure medium, a one-way control valve can be installed in the release channel to control the high-pressure gas to be released at preset time intervals or specific sequences.

[0034] When other fluid media are selected for high pressure, the control method in the release channel can be flexibly selected according to the actual working conditions, such as setting a one-way control valve or a constant pressure rupture disc, so as to achieve effective control of the release pressure and release timing.

[0035] As an optional specific implementation, the length of each high-pressure reservoir 3 is set to 1.5 to 2.0 meters, and the number of high-pressure reservoirs 3 can be set according to requirements. The high-pressure reservoir 3 is made of Kevlar fiber-reinforced low-temperature and high-pressure resistant rubber material. A flexible braided seal is provided between two adjacent high-pressure reservoirs 3, and the flexible braided seal is bonded to the ends of the two reservoirs 3 respectively, achieving physical isolation between adjacent high-pressure reservoirs 3. The high-pressure reservoirs 3 are nested inside the flexible tube 1. Through this nesting structure, the independent operation of each high-pressure reservoir 3 during ice-breaking operations is ensured, while the entire flexible tube 1 maintains the required flexibility.

[0036] The ice-breaking system in this embodiment uses several high-pressure reservoirs 3 connected in series inside the flexible tube 1. Each high-pressure reservoir 3 is equipped with a release channel 4. The flexible tube 1 is pulled by the vehicle 2 to complete the laying under the ice layer 22 in one go, forming a multi-point, continuous ice-breaking array. A single operation can cover a large area of ​​ice layer 22, with a large ice-breaking range and high efficiency.

[0037] Since the vehicle 2 is connected to the far end of the flexible tube 1, it can stay away from the ice layer 22 that needs to be broken, preventing ice fragments from falling and hitting the vehicle 2. There is no need to set up an escape mechanism for the vehicle 2, making ice breaking safer. The vehicle 2 pulls the far end of the flexible tube 1 to make it stick to the lower surface of the ice layer 22, so that the high-pressure medium is sprayed out from the release channel 4 and directly acts on the bottom of the ice layer 22. This avoids the energy dissipation problem caused by the diffusion of the high-pressure medium in the water, resulting in high energy utilization and significantly improved ice breaking effect.

[0038] By arranging multiple high-pressure reservoirs 3 connected in series within the inner cavity of the flexible pipe 1, physical isolation between the reservoirs 3 is achieved, while maintaining good bending flexibility throughout the kilometer-long flexible pipe 1. This effectively solves the engineering problem of long pipelines being unable to be smoothly wound and retrieved on the mother ship winch 21. Unlike existing technologies where long-distance pipelines suffer from large fluid transmission delays, slow response speeds, or rigid cut-off structures that prevent smooth winching and retrieval, this embodiment achieves good compatibility between the independent phase change and pressure build-up of the high-pressure reservoirs 3 at the microscopic level and the bending and winching retrieval of the entire flexible pipe 1 system at the macroscopic level, achieving the effect of long-distance rapid deployment and continuous operation.

[0039] As an optional embodiment, the high-pressure medium is liquid carbon dioxide, a one-way filling valve 5 is provided on the high-pressure reservoir 3, a resistance heating element 6 is provided inside the high-pressure reservoir 3, and a bus 7 is provided inside the second annular cavity 13. The bus 7 is connected to the resistance heating element 6 through a branch line 8.

[0040] It also includes a PLC control system and a signal bus 7. The PLC control system is located in the control console 20 on the icebreaker 19. The PLC control system is connected to the resistance heating element 6 via bus 7 and branch line 8. The PLC control system is also connected to the vehicle 2 via the signal bus 7. The signal bus 7 is used to transmit signals of the ice layer 22 information collected by the vehicle 2 and to control the switching of the electric heating element via bus 7 and branch line 8. Bus 7 is a waterproof bus. Bus 7 and signal bus 7 are embedded in the aramid fiber load-bearing layer of the flexible tube 1. Branch line 8 is led out from each flexible braided seal of bus 7. Bus 7 is specifically a bus 7 cable, and branch line 8 is specifically a branch line 8 cable. Branch line 8 penetrates the high-pressure reservoir 3 through a waterproof connector and connects to the internal resistance heating element 6. The resistance heating element 6 is specifically a flexible thin-film resistance heating element 6, used to receive the timing trigger pulses from the main control console.

[0041] This invention abandons traditional chemical explosion or mechanical compression methods, and instead employs the ice-breaking principle of physical phase change fracturing using liquid carbon dioxide. It utilizes the approximately 600-fold volume expansion characteristic of liquid carbon dioxide after vaporization to generate high-pressure stress, thereby achieving directional and controllable stress fracturing of the ice bottom to break the ice. Through a one-way filling valve 5, direct filling of liquid carbon dioxide can be completed on the deck waterline without opening the high-pressure storage tank 3, significantly shortening the engineering recovery cycle.

[0042] Each independent high-pressure reservoir 3 is sealed and filled with liquid carbon dioxide at a room temperature gauge pressure of 6 to 8 MPa, and a high-power 2000W flexible thin-film resistance heating element 6 is built into the bottom of the high-pressure reservoir 3.

[0043] As an optional embodiment, a constant pressure rupture disc 9 is provided in the release channel 4. The constant pressure rupture disc 9 is used to rupture when the medium pressure in the high pressure reservoir 3 reaches a predetermined value, so as to open the release channel 4.

[0044] The release channel 4 is connected to the high-pressure reservoir 3. A stainless steel constant-pressure rupture disc 9 is installed inside the release channel 4, with a rupture pressure set at 25 MPa. The constant-pressure rupture disc 9 is fixedly installed inside the release channel 4 by the elastic clamping force of a rubber gasket 10. When the carbon dioxide inside the high-pressure reservoir 3 is heated and vaporizes, its internal pressure rises to over 25 MPa, breaking the constant-pressure rupture disc 9, and the high-pressure gas is then ejected directionally along the release channel 4.

[0045] As an optional embodiment, one end of the release channel 4 is connected to the high-pressure reservoir 3, and the other end of the release channel 4 is provided with a rubber gasket 10, which has a trumpet-shaped structure.

[0046] As an optional specific implementation, an annular, horn-shaped, cold-resistant rubber gasket 10 is integrally vulcanized around the outlet of the release channel 4. The horn-shaped opening faces the ice layer 22, and the horn-shaped rubber gasket 10 has a flexible skirt, possessing cold-resistant and flexible properties. When the flexible tube 1 assembly floats up by its own buoyancy and adheres to the bottom of the ice layer 22, the rubber gasket 10 directly presses against the bottom surface of the sea ice, undergoes elastic deformation under compression, and tightly adheres to the irregular uneven surface of the ice bottom, thereby forming a partially sealed micro-chamber with anti-leakage function between the release channel 4 and the ice surface.

[0047] By integrally vulcanizing a trumpet-shaped flexible skirt around the directional release channel 4, a tight fit is achieved between the flexible tube 1 and the bottom of the underwater ice layer 22 under the buoyancy compression. This effectively reduces the problem of high-pressure fluid radial leakage into the seawater in traditional underwater energy release devices, forcing high-pressure energy to penetrate into the ice layer 22 through an air wedge effect, significantly improving the energy utilization efficiency of phase change icebreaking. Unlike existing technologies where high-pressure air guns or underwater blasting directly release energy in the water, resulting in a large amount of energy dissipating in all directions, this embodiment relies on the buoyancy compression skirt to achieve a mechanical fit, forcing the high-pressure fluid to directionally break through the weak areas of the sea ice bottom, achieving targeted and efficient icebreaking.

[0048] As an optional embodiment, the flexible tube 1 includes an inner layer 11 and an outer layer 12. The outer layer 12 is sleeved on the outside of the inner layer 11. A first annular cavity and a second annular cavity 13 are formed between the inner layer 11 and the outer layer 12. The release channel 4 passes through the first annular cavity, and the second annular cavity 13 is away from the release channel 4. The first annular cavity is filled with a closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad 14, and the second annular cavity 13 is embedded with a tungsten alloy flexible cable 15.

[0049] Both the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity 13 are semi-circular in shape. The first annular cavity and the second annular cavity 13 are combined to form a circular cavity, which is located between the inner layer 11 and the outer layer 12 of the tube. The first annular cavity is located above the second annular cavity 13. The flexible tube 1 adopts an asymmetrical cross-sectional structure with the upper part floating and the lower part heavy. Specifically, a second annular inner cavity is provided inside the tube wall of the lower half of the cross-section of the flexible tube 1. High-density tungsten alloy flexible cables 15 are embedded in the second annular inner cavity parallel to the central axis of the flexible tube 1. There are multiple tungsten alloy flexible cables, preferably four. This structural design aims to significantly increase the weight at the bottom of the tube while fully preserving the overall bending flexibility of the flexible tube 1, ensuring that it can be smoothly wound, retrieved, and deployed by the ship's winch 21. Inside the tube wall of the upper half of the cross-section of the flexible tube 1, a first annular inner cavity is provided. A layer of low-density closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad 14 is laminated in the first annular inner cavity along the annular direction. The above structure ensures that the center of gravity of the flexible tube 1 is always located directly below its center of buoyancy, generating a restoring torque during towing and laying to maintain the release channel 4 at the top of the flexible tube 1 perpendicular to the ice layer 22.

[0050] By filling the upper part of the flexible tube 1 with a closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad 14 and embedding a flexible counterweight tungsten alloy flexible cable 15 at the bottom, a gravity eccentric structure is achieved, enabling the flexible tube 1 to self-reset under underwater towing and flow field disturbance environments. This effectively solves the problem that the flexible tube 1 is prone to axial rollover in underwater environments, causing the nozzle of the release channel 4 to deviate from the preset ice bottom position. The flexible tube 1 adopts a gravity eccentric self-orienting structure, which is different from the technical defects of traditional pipelines that are blindly laid out without orientation. This embodiment utilizes the asymmetric mass distribution and buoyancy distribution to generate a hydrostatic restoring couple, achieving absolute self-stability of the flexible tube 1's attitude and ensuring that the release channel 4 is precisely attached to the bottom of the ice layer 22 in complex polar flow fields.

[0051] As an optional embodiment, a U-shaped buffer is provided on the outer layer 12 of the tube, with the open end of the U-shaped buffer facing away from the release channel 4.

[0052] As an optional embodiment, the U-shaped buffer is in the shape of a semi-circular tube, and through holes 17 are respectively opened at both ends of the U-shaped buffer, with the axis of the through holes 17 perpendicular to the center line of the semi-circular tube.

[0053] As an optional specific implementation, the U-shaped buffer is specifically an inverted U-shaped rubber strip, made of rubber material and in a long strip shape. To prevent the enormous downward reaction force generated by the instantaneous eruption of high-pressure gas in the release channel 4 from causing breakage of the flexible tube 1, this U-shaped buffer compensates for the recoil force. Specifically, a thickened rubber strip is attached to the outermost bottom surface of the entire flexible tube 1 along the axial direction of the flexible tube 1. The cross-section of this rubber strip is inverted U-shaped, with its opening facing downwards. Multiple small circular holes are continuously formed on the left and right sidewalls of this inverted U-shaped rubber strip as throttling holes, thereby constructing a seawater buffer chamber with an opening facing downwards.

[0054] When the flexible tube 1 experiences a sudden recoil force and undergoes a violent downward subsidence, the seawater within the inverted U-shaped rubber belt cavity is instantly and forcefully squeezed, forcing it to be ejected at high speed through the throttling orifices on both sides. This throttling process utilizes the viscous resistance of the seawater and the added mass force to generate passive fluid damping, thereby efficiently converting the downward mechanical impact kinetic energy of the flexible tube 1 into heat energy and seawater kinetic energy. This achieves purely mechanical balancing and unloading of the transient recoil force, ensuring the spatial attitude stability of the flexible tube 1 during the shock wave impact.

[0055] By installing an inverted U-shaped rubber strip and an array of throttling orifices on the outer wall of the pipe bottom, the viscous resistance and fluid-added mass force generated by the forced compression of incompressible seawater in the inverted U-shaped channel during the phase change jet are converted into the potential energy of the seawater and the dissipated heat energy of the downward impact of the pipe body. This effectively prevents the flexible pipe 1 from breaking due to extremely high transient water hammer overload. Unlike traditional solutions that rely on movable compensating valves, consume internal working gas, or directly rely on the structure to withstand the recoil force, this solution uses the fluid dissipation mechanism generated by the inverted U-shaped structure and the array of throttling orifices for mechanical balancing and unloading, ensuring the structural integrity and attitude stability of the flexible pipe 1 under strong impact loads.

[0056] As an optional embodiment, a flexible braided element 18 is also included, which connects two adjacent high-pressure reservoirs 3 via a flexible braided seal.

[0057] As an optional embodiment, the inner layer 11 is made of polyurethane anti-corrosion material, the inner wall of the outer layer 12 is composed of multiple layers of cross-wound aramid fiber, and the outer wall of the outer layer 12 is composed of a polytetrafluoroethylene vulcanized layer.

[0058] The flexible tube 1 of the above structure has a bending radius that meets the requirements of the ship winch 21 for winding and recovery, and its minimum bending radius R is not less than 1.5 meters.

[0059] As an optional embodiment, the distal end is an empty tube and has no high-pressure reservoir 3.

[0060] The section of the flexible tube 1 adjacent to the vehicle 2 is an empty tube section without a high-pressure reservoir 3. This empty tube section forms a certain safe distance from the vehicle 2, thereby effectively preventing ice fragments generated during ice breaking from impacting or damaging the vehicle 2.

[0061] The present invention also discloses an ice-breaking method, utilizing the ice-breaking system of any of the above embodiments, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Lower the vehicle and flexible tube into the sub-ice water. The vehicle pulls the flexible tube underwater to complete its laying, ensuring that the end of the release channel maintains a preset distance relative to the ice layer below. Specifically, the end of the release channel is the end furthest from the flexible tube. The preset distance can be 0, 1-10 cm, or any other distance, set according to requirements.

[0062] The icebreaker uses its onboard crane to lower the vehicle and flexible pipe into the water beneath the ice from its side, and then activates a winch to release the cable. The vehicle then pulls the flexible pipe across the ice at a constant speed.

[0063] During towing, the flexible tube experiences a turning torque due to water flow disturbance. At this time, the tungsten alloy counterweight cable at the bottom of the flexible tube and the closed-cell polyurethane foam buoyancy pad experience relative misalignment of gravity and buoyancy, forming a hydrostatic restoring couple or restoring torque. This restoring torque continuously resists flow field disturbances, maintaining all release channels at the top of the flexible tube perpendicular to the ice bottom surface.

[0064] Once the predetermined laying length is reached, the icebreaker and underwater vehicle hover synchronously. At this point, the overall equivalent density of the flexible pipe in seawater is 940 to 960 kg / m³. 3 The icebreaker's winch releases its propulsion, causing the flexible tube to rise naturally along its entire length under the net upward buoyancy, adhering to the sea ice bottom. The flared rubber gasket around the release channel at the top of the flexible tube deforms under the continuous positive pressure provided by the buoyancy, squeezing into the undulations and grooves of the sea ice bottom, pressing the nozzle against the ice surface.

[0065] Step S2: Detonate the resistor heating element to cause a phase change in the liquid carbon dioxide in the high-pressure reservoir, generating high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is then ejected from the release channel to complete the ice breaking process.

[0066] The upward-ejected high-pressure carbon dioxide gas is confined by a top rubber gasket to minimize gas leakage. The 25 MPa high-pressure fluid is forced into gas, which is then injected into the microcracks in the ice's underlying layer, where the tensile strength is only 0.5 to 1.5 MPa. Simultaneously, the expanding gas cavity displaces localized water, applying a macroscopic arching moment to the ice layer exceeding its ultimate bending load, inducing brittle fracture of the ice layer from bottom to top.

[0067] After the resistance heating element is energized, it heats up to 100°C within 1 second, causing the liquid carbon dioxide inside the sealed bladder to rapidly absorb heat and vaporize. When the gauge pressure inside the high-pressure reservoir reaches 25 MPa, the pressure-regulating rupture disc in the release channel breaks. The high-pressure gas is ejected upwards at a speed of approximately 300 m / s, achieving ice breaking. Simultaneously, as the jet reaction force drives the flexible tube to generate a downward transient acceleration, the buffer chamber in the U-shaped buffer at the bottom of the flexible tube violently squeezes the seawater inside downwards. Since seawater is incompressible, the squeezed seawater is ejected from the array of through-holes in the sidewall. This process utilizes the extremely high viscosity resistance of the fluid to buffer the mechanical kinetic energy of the downward recoil of the flexible tube, thereby suppressing its displacement and preventing it from breaking.

[0068] Step S3: Retrieve the flexible tube and keep the vehicle in motion.

[0069] The specific follow-up state refers to the following: the underwater vehicle is suspended in the water with zero or under-buoyancy, and during the recovery of the flexible tube, the vehicle can generate follow-up displacement along the traction direction of the flexible tube. The icebreaker uses its bow to push away ice fragments at low speed to clear obstacles. At the same time, the winch is started, and the recovery pull is mainly borne by the aramid fiber load-bearing layer of the flexible tube. The underwater vehicle cuts off the main force and enters the follow-up state, and the entire flexible tube is smoothly wound back to the mother ship's deck roller. At the deck end, maintenance personnel replace the constant pressure rupture disc, install the new constant pressure rupture disc in the annular horn-shaped rubber gasket, and use a high-pressure filling gun to directly charge the inner tank with 6 to 8 MPa of liquid carbon dioxide in the reverse direction through the quick-connect one-way filling valve. After the entire inner tank is filled, the flexible tube immediately returns to a fully loaded standby state and is put into the next leg of operation.

[0070] As an optional embodiment, the following step is further included between step S1 and step S2: Step S11: Scan the ice bottom using the multibeam sonar on the aircraft at the set sampling rate, and transmit the ice thickness information H(x,y) back to the PLC control system on the ship in real time via the bus inside the flexible tube.

[0071] Where H represents the ice thickness, x represents the position coordinate along the channel direction, and y represents the position coordinate perpendicular to the channel direction; H(x, y) represents the ice thickness information at a certain plane position.

[0072] Step S12: The PLC control system of the icebreaker receives the ice thickness matrix H(x,y) and performs gridded discretization processing; For thick ice areas with an ice layer thickness greater than 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a micro-differential parallel command with a delay parameter, causing each high-pressure reservoir to release energy at the same time, generating multi-source shock waves. Through the spatial superposition of multi-source shock waves inside the ice layer, local standing wave resonance is induced, thereby achieving ice breaking.

[0073] For conventional ice zones with ice thickness less than or equal to 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a chain-like traveling wave command, causing each high-pressure storage tank to release energy sequentially according to a preset delay sequence, generating continuous shock waves with a specific time difference, so as to guide the cracks inside the ice layer to extend linearly along the channel direction to achieve ice breaking.

[0074] The infinitesimal parallel instruction for the delay parameter is The infinitesimal parallel instruction, the chained ripple instruction is Chain-like traveling wave commands, Indicates the delay time between adjacent trigger units. The unit is milliseconds.

[0075] For thick ice regions with an ice layer thickness greater than 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a delay parameter. The micro-difference parallel instruction is used to output the PLC control system for conventional ice areas with ice thickness less than or equal to 1.5m in a discrete grid. Chain-like traveling wave commands, This indicates the delay time between adjacent triggering units. Adjacent triggering units specifically refer to two adjacent high-voltage reservoirs.

[0076] Mesh discretization refers to converting a continuous geometric space or continuous signal into a structure composed of a finite number of discrete units (grids, point sets, pixels / voxels) for analysis, simulation, or visualization using computer or numerical methods. Using a multi-beam sonar on the back of the aircraft to scan the ice bottom at a set sampling rate, the ice thickness information H(x,y) is transmitted back to the PLC control system in real time via a signal bus embedded in a flexible tube. The PLC control system receives the ice thickness matrix H(x,y) and performs mesh discretization. For the thick ice region (H > 1.5m) in the discrete grid, the PLC outputs a delay parameter... The differential parallel command enables adjacent high-pressure reservoirs to release energy simultaneously. Through the spatial superposition of multi-source phase-change shock waves within the ice layer, local standing wave resonance is induced, thereby destroying the overall thick ice. For conventional ice areas (H≤1.5m), the output... The chain-like traveling wave command is used to generate continuous phase transition shock waves with a specific time difference, guiding the cracks inside the ice body to extend linearly along the navigation channel. The command is transmitted to the inside of the flexible tube via a bus, precisely activating the resistance heating elements in the corresponding independent high-pressure reservoir according to the aforementioned timing sequence.

[0077] By using a PLC control system to calculate the ice thickness matrix from sonar feedback, adaptive control timing triggering was achieved: micro-differential parallel triggering was performed to induce standing wave resonance in thick ice areas, and chain traveling wave triggering was performed to guide linear crack propagation in conventional thin ice areas. This broke the limitation of blindly and evenly distributing energy in traditional explosive ice breaking and achieved adaptive targeted ice breaking based on ice conditions.

[0078] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An ice-breaking system, characterized in that, It includes a flexible tube and a vehicle; the flexible tube has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end is used to connect with an icebreaker, and the distal end is connected with the vehicle. Several high-pressure reservoirs are arranged in series inside the flexible tube, and each high-pressure reservoir is provided with a release channel. The release channel passes through the flexible tube and is used to adhere to the ice layer and release the high-pressure medium.

2. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The high-pressure medium is liquid carbon dioxide. A one-way filling valve is provided on the high-pressure reservoir. A resistance heating element is provided inside the high-pressure reservoir. The liquid carbon dioxide undergoes a phase change when heated by the resistance heating element, producing high-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide.

3. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, A constant pressure rupture disc is provided in the release channel. The constant pressure rupture disc is used to rupture when the medium pressure in the high pressure reservoir reaches a predetermined value, so as to open the release channel.

4. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the release channel is connected to the high-pressure reservoir, and the other end of the release channel is provided with a rubber gasket, which has a trumpet-shaped structure.

5. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The flexible tube includes an inner layer and an outer layer. The outer layer is sleeved outside the inner layer. A first annular cavity and a second annular cavity are formed between the inner layer and the outer layer. The release channel passes through the first annular cavity. The second annular cavity is away from the release channel. The first annular cavity is filled with a closed-cell foamed polyurethane buoyancy pad. The second annular cavity is embedded with a tungsten alloy flexible cable. A bus is provided in the second annular cavity. The bus is connected to the resistance heating element through a branch line.

6. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, A U-shaped buffer is provided on the outer layer of the tube, and the open end of the U-shaped buffer is oriented away from the release channel.

7. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The U-shaped buffer is semi-circular in shape, and through holes are opened at both ends of the U-shaped buffer. The axis of the through holes is perpendicular to the center line of the semi-circular tube.

8. The ice-breaking system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a flexible braided component, which connects two adjacent high-pressure reservoirs via the flexible braided seal.

9. An ice-breaking system as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The inner layer of the tube is made of polyurethane anti-corrosion material, the inner wall of the outer layer of the tube is composed of multiple layers of cross-wound aramid fiber, and the outer wall of the outer layer of the tube is composed of a polytetrafluoroethylene vulcanized layer.

10. An ice-breaking system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The distal end is an empty tube and does not contain the high-pressure reservoir.

11. An ice-breaking method, characterized in that, The ice-breaking system as described in claims 1-10 includes the following steps: Step S1: Lower the vehicle and flexible pipe into the water under the ice. The vehicle pulls the flexible pipe to complete the underwater laying, and the end of the release channel is kept at a preset distance from the bottom of the ice. Step S2: Detonate the resistive heating element to cause a phase change in the liquid carbon dioxide in the high-pressure reservoir, generating high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is then ejected from the release channel to complete the ice breaking process. Step S3: Retrieve the flexible tube and keep the vehicle in a servo-like state.

12. The ice-breaking method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: Step S11: Scan the ice bottom using the multibeam sonar on the vehicle at a set sampling rate, and transmit the ice thickness information H(x,y) back to the PLC control system on the ship in real time via the bus in the flexible tube, where H represents the ice thickness, x represents the position coordinate along the channel direction, and y represents the position coordinate perpendicular to the channel direction. Step S12: The PLC control system of the icebreaker receives the ice thickness matrix H(x,y) and performs gridded discretization processing; For thick ice areas with an ice layer thickness greater than 1.5m in the discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a micro-differential parallel command with a delay parameter, so that each of the high-pressure storage tanks releases energy at the same time, generating multi-source shock waves. Through the spatial superposition of multi-source shock waves inside the ice layer, local standing wave resonance is induced, thereby achieving ice breaking. For conventional ice areas with an ice thickness of less than or equal to 1.5m in a discrete grid, the PLC control system outputs a chain-like traveling wave command, causing each high-pressure storage tank to release energy sequentially according to a preset delay sequence, generating continuous shock waves with a specific time difference, so as to guide the cracks inside the ice layer to extend linearly along the waterway direction to achieve ice breaking.

13. The ice-breaking method as described in claim 12, characterized in that... The differential parallel instruction for the delay parameter is: The differential parallel instruction, the chained ripple instruction is Chain-like traveling wave commands, This indicates the delay time between adjacent trigger units.

Images