Ship applied to offshore anchor system tension verification

Abstract

The utility model discloses a ship applied to marine anchor system tension verification, which comprises a main ship body, and the main ship body is provided with a head winch system capable of providing tension from a stern to a prow for the main ship body and a propelling system capable of providing thrust from the stern to the prow for the main ship body; the head winch system comprises a head winch, and the head winch is fixedly arranged at the head of the main ship body; the main ship body is further provided with a chain stopping system used for being connected with a to-be-verified anchor system. The chain stopping system comprises chain stopping equipment with a tension display function; and the chain stopping equipment is fixedly arranged at the tail of the main hull. The device is more convenient to use, lower in investment cost and better in economical efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of ships, in particular to a ship used for verifying the tension of offshore anchoring. Background Art

[0002] Offshore wind turbines are categorized as fixed offshore wind turbines and floating wind turbines. The difference between fixed and floating offshore wind turbines lies in their foundations. Fixed offshore wind turbine foundations are primarily suitable for use in water depths of 0 to 50 meters near the coast, and include monopile foundations, jacket foundations, tripod foundations, and gravity foundations. Floating wind turbine foundations are generally used in waters with depths of 50 meters or more, and include column foundations, tension leg foundations, and semi-submersible foundations. Generally speaking, unlike fixed shallow-water offshore wind turbines, which are installed on the offshore foundation at sea using a dedicated wind turbine installation platform or crane vessel, floating wind turbines are already installed on the foundation at the onshore base.

[0003] Compared with fixed wind turbines, floating wind turbines are free from the limitation of water depth to a certain extent, making it easier to find better wind farms in wider seas. In terms of scale, offshore floating wind turbines are easier to increase the scale of wind farms and are more economical.

[0004] The installation and positioning of floating wind turbines involves effectively securing them within offshore wind farms, ensuring safe wind power generation operations. Mooring and positioning systems are crucial for ensuring the proper power generation and even the survival of floating wind turbines. Currently, common mooring systems for floating wind turbines include catenary mooring and vertical tension leg mooring.

[0005] Catenary mooring is commonly used for column-mounted, semi-submersible, and barge-mounted offshore floating wind turbines. The mooring line is typically a steel chain structure. Steel chain is the most widely used mooring material due to its low manufacturing cost, simple process, and high strength. The pretension of the mooring line is primarily determined by the unsupported length of the anchor chain, and the restoring force of the anchor chain is primarily achieved through the changes in the unsupported length of the anchor chain. However, this mooring method requires a long flat section on the seabed, occupying a larger area on the seabed, and its weight increases dramatically with increasing water depth.

[0006] A catenary mooring system secures the floating wind turbine foundation using the weight and curved shape of a steel chain. The lower section of the chain rests on the seafloor, anchored to the seabed by support anchors to prevent platform movement. While this system offers low installation costs and excellent economic efficiency, it does require anchor tension verification to ensure reliable grip.

[0007] For offshore floating wind turbines using tension-leg mooring, vertical tension-leg mooring is often used, with this type of mooring line often made of synthetic materials. A tension mooring system involves securing the floating turbine foundation to the anchor using steel chains or high-strength fibers to ensure the stability of the floating platform. The tension-leg platform balances the upward excess buoyancy of the floating turbine foundation with vertical mooring tension, similar to a "tightening" mechanism. This provides improved vertical platform motion performance, but the installation process is complex. While tension mooring systems require no anchor tension verification, they are also expensive to install and offer limited economic benefits.

[0008] Take the Haiyou Guanlan, my country's first deep-sea floating wind turbine, for example. It's installed in an offshore oil field 136 kilometers offshore and at a water depth of 120 meters. The Haiyou Guanlan uses a three-way anchoring system, with three anchor systems in each direction, consisting of nine 152mm studless anchor chains and nine suction anchors.

[0009] To ensure the reliability of high-holding anchors, offshore anchor systems require tensile testing. Conventional methods rely on the towing system of an anchor handling towing supply vessel (AHTS).

[0010] Anchor Handling and Supply (AHTS) vessels are primarily used for anchor handling, towing, and supplying, hence the name. These vessels, equipped with their own mooring winch, can provide towing, anchor handling, and supply services for drilling platforms. In addition to their transport capabilities, these vessels are most notably equipped with anchor handling and towing systems.

[0011] In the prior art, when a three-purpose workboat is used to perform anchor tension verification operations, the positioning anchor that needs to be tension verified is mainly connected through the towing winch on the main deck, and the tension of the positioning anchor is verified by the thrust of the rear thruster of the three-purpose workboat. The tension of the positioning anchor will be displayed on the towing winch with a tension display.

[0012] The proof load for high-hold anchors in floating wind turbine mooring systems is enormous, typically exceeding 600t. As the power generation of offshore floating wind turbines and the water depth of wind farms increase in the future, this proof load is expected to increase further, potentially exceeding 1000t. Currently, the largest bollard pull on an AHTS (AHTS) in the world is 477t. (Bollard pull is the tension measured when a vessel, fully loaded and operating at rated power, is towed away from a pier or fixed point by a 100-meter towline. Also known as dock pull, it is measured in tons.) Because AHTSs are required to perform a wide variety of operations, anchor handling is only a subset of their intended uses. Due to the economic constraints of a single AHTS (higher bollard pull requires a more powerful main engine), the bollard pull of an AHTS cannot be increased indefinitely. Therefore, currently, for smaller floating wind turbines, two AHTSs are required in parallel (connected to the same towing lock) to complete testing operations. However, using two AHTS vessels to verify anchor tension at sea significantly increases costs and complicates the process. Simultaneously using a towing lock for tension verification, due to the parallelogram law of combined forces, the anchor tension from the towing lock is less than the sum of the bollard pulls from the two AHTS vessels. However, adding more AHTS vessels means higher costs and a more complex process. Therefore, using two or more AHTS vessels increases the complexity and cost of the process.

[0013] For other offshore platforms, their foundations are similar to those of offshore floating wind turbines. They also need to be anchored and positioned in deep-water operating areas, and offshore anchor tension verification operations are also required.

[0014] Existing technology has the following drawbacks: Even for smaller floating wind turbines, two AHTS vessels must be connected in parallel to complete the test. However, verifying the offshore anchor tension using two AHTS vessels incurs higher costs and a more complex work process. Adding more AHTS vessels also incurs higher costs and a more complex work process. Currently, there is no reliable method for verifying the offshore anchor tension for larger floating wind turbine foundations or offshore platform foundations. Utility Model Content

[0015] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art and provide a ship for verifying the tension of offshore anchoring.

[0016] The utility model solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0017] A vessel used for verifying the tension of offshore anchoring comprises a main hull, the main hull being provided with a bow winch system capable of providing the main hull with a pulling force from the stern toward the bow, and a propulsion system capable of providing the main hull with a thrust from the stern toward the bow; the bow winch system comprises a bow winch fixedly mounted at the bow of the main hull; the main hull is also provided with a chain stopper system for connecting to the anchoring to be verified; the chain stopper system comprises a chain stopper device with a tension display; the chain stopper device is fixedly mounted at the middle or rear middle portion of the main hull.

[0018] Furthermore, the bow winch system also includes a reaction force anchor and a reaction force anchor chain; the reaction force anchor is connected to the bow winch through the reaction force anchor chain.

[0019] Furthermore, a bow roller is provided at the bow of the main hull for providing rolling support for the reaction force anchor chain.

[0020] Furthermore, the number of the head winches is 1 or more.

[0021] Furthermore, the chain stopping device is a chain stopper, or a towing winch.

[0022] Furthermore, the propulsion system includes a tail thruster, which is arranged at the tail of the main hull.

[0023] Furthermore, the number of the tail thrusters is 1 or more.

[0024] Furthermore, the propulsion system also includes a bow thruster; the bow thruster is arranged at the bow of the main hull.

[0025] Furthermore, the propulsion system also includes a telescopic thruster; the telescopic thruster is arranged at the bow of the main hull.

[0026] Furthermore, a tail drum is provided at the tail of the main hull for providing rolling support for the anchor chain between the chain stopper device and the anchor system to be verified.

[0027] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that it increases the ability to verify anchor tension through the tension of the bow winch. Compared with existing technologies, the present invention places lower demands on the propulsion system, as it only needs to meet the displacement requirements within a small distance. Compared with propellers, the investment cost and operating cost of generating unit tension through winches are much lower, resulting in higher economic efficiency. The vessel of the present invention is more convenient to use, has a lower investment cost, is more economical, and can solve the problem of offshore anchor tension verification for large floating wind turbine foundations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

[0029] Figure 2It is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] A preferred embodiment is given below, and the present invention is described more clearly and completely in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a vessel used for offshore anchor tension verification comprises a main hull 10.

[0032] The main hull 10 is provided with a bow winch system capable of providing the main hull with a pulling force from the stern toward the bow.

[0033] The bow winch system includes a bow winch 21, which is fixed to the bow of the main hull. The number of the bow winch 21 is one or more.

[0034] The bow winch system further includes a reaction force anchor 22 and a reaction force anchor chain 23 ; the reaction force anchor 22 is connected to the bow winch 21 via the reaction force anchor chain 23 .

[0035] The bow of the main hull 10 is equipped with a bow roller 24, which provides rolling support for the reaction anchor chain. This roller is also equipped with a shark clamp and a stop pin. The roller reduces wear and friction between the reaction anchor chain and the main hull. The shark clamp's primary function is to hold the reaction anchor chain tightly, preventing it from slipping.

[0036] The main hull is provided with a propulsion system capable of providing the main hull with thrust from the stern toward the bow.

[0037] The propulsion system includes a tail propeller 31, which is arranged at the tail of the main hull; the number of the tail propeller 31 is one or more.

[0038] The propulsion system further includes a bow thruster 32 , which is disposed at the bow of the main hull.

[0039] The propulsion system further comprises a telescopic thruster 33; the telescopic thruster 33 is arranged at the bow of the main hull.

[0040] In one embodiment, the propulsion system includes a bow thruster provided at the bow of the main hull; however, the propulsion system does not include a telescopic thruster.

[0041] In another embodiment, the propulsion system includes a telescopic thruster, which is provided at the bow of the main hull; but the propulsion system does not include a bow thruster.

[0042] The main hull 10 is also provided with a chain stopper system for connecting to the anchor 50 to be verified. The chain stopper system includes a chain stopper device 41 with a tension indicator; the chain stopper device 41 is fixedly installed in the middle or rear part of the main hull.

[0043] The chain stopping device 41 is a chain stopper, or a towing winch.

[0044] The stern of the main hull 10 is equipped with a tail drum 42, which provides rolling support for the anchor chain 51 between the chain stopper 41 and the anchor 50 to be verified. The drum is also equipped with a shark clamp and a stop pin. The drum reduces wear and friction between the anchor chain and the main hull. The shark clamp's primary function is to hold the anchor chain tightly, preventing it from slipping.

[0045] The ship of the utility model comprises a main hull, and a bow winch system, a propulsion system and a chain stopping system arranged on the main hull.

[0046] By tightening the bow winch, the reaction anchor provides a pulling force from the stern to the bow of the vessel. The stern thruster then generates thrust from the stern to the bow. The bow winch system and the propulsion system combine to form a combined force. The anchor to be verified is connected to a chain stopper with a tension indicator, which displays the tension on the anchor to be verified. These devices work together to verify the tension of the anchor to be verified.

[0047] For smaller anchors (e.g. less than 850t) that require tension verification, this can be accomplished by tightening the bow winch or the stern thruster, or both, and using the chain stop system.

[0048] For larger anchors (e.g. greater than 850t) that require tensile testing, the bow winch system, propulsion system and chain stop system work together to complete the tensile testing.

[0049] Compared with the existing technology (relying solely on the bollard pull of the tail thruster), it is impossible to significantly increase the propeller power. Currently, the ship with the largest bollard pull in the world is 477t, requiring a total propulsion power of approximately 26,000kW. If only the thruster is used to generate a bollard pull of 1,000t, at least 55,000kW of propulsion power is required, which is very uneconomical.

[0050] This new system utilizes the pulling force of the bow winch to enhance its ability to verify anchor tension. Compared to existing technologies, this system places lower demands on the propulsion system, as it only needs to meet displacement requirements within a small distance. Compared to propellers, the investment and operating costs per unit of pulling force generated by a winch are significantly lower, making it more economical.

[0051] The ship of the utility model is more convenient to use, has a lower investment cost, is more economical, and can solve the problem of offshore anchor tension verification of large floating wind turbine foundations.

[0052] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these are merely illustrative and that the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vessel used for offshore anchor tension verification, comprising a main hull, characterized in that: The main hull is provided with a bow winch system capable of providing pulling force from the stern toward the bow of the main hull and a propulsion system capable of providing thrust from the stern toward the bow of the main hull; the bow winch system includes a bow winch, which is fixed at the bow of the main hull; the main hull is also provided with a chain stop system for connecting to the anchor to be verified; the chain stop system includes a chain stop device with a tension display; the chain stop device is fixed at the middle or middle rear of the main hull.

2. The vessel for verifying anchor tension at sea according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bow winch system also includes a reaction anchor and a reaction anchor chain; the reaction anchor is connected to the bow winch through the reaction anchor chain.

3. The vessel used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bow of the main hull is provided with a bow roller for providing rolling support for the reaction force anchor chain.

4. The vessel for use in offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of head winches is 1 or more.

5. The ship used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chain stopping device is a chain stopper or a towing winch.

6. The ship used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propulsion system includes a tail thruster, which is arranged at the tail of the main hull.

7. The vessel used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of tail thrusters is one or more.

8. The ship used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propulsion system also includes a bow thruster; the bow thruster is located at the bow of the main hull.

9. The ship used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propulsion system also includes a telescopic thruster; the telescopic thruster is located at the bow of the main hull.

10. The ship used for offshore anchor tension verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: A tail roller is provided at the stern of the main hull for providing rolling support for the anchor chain between the chain stopper and the anchor system to be verified.

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