Underwater overhead water taking head structure
By using an underwater overhead water intake structure, which connects concrete piles and precast empty boxes, the construction challenges of deep-water water intake under complex geological conditions have been solved, achieving a simple and efficient water intake effect.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TIANJIN SURVEY & DESIGN INST FOR WATER TRANSPORT ENG CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, underwater water intake structures are difficult to construct under complex geological conditions, involve large engineering workloads, long construction periods, and pose safety risks, especially in deep water environments where stable and efficient water intake is difficult to achieve.
The structure adopts an underwater overhead water intake head, which is supported by multiple horizontal beams using a horizontally set water intake pipe. The horizontal beams are supported by two foundation piles. The precast empty box is connected to the foundation piles through anchoring rings. The foundation piles are concrete cast-in-place piles, which, combined with the cast-in-place underwater concrete structure, form a stable overall structure.
It enables simple and efficient water intake under complex geological conditions, is suitable for deep-water environments, reduces the input of construction machinery and personnel, lowers project costs, and is easy to maintain during operation.
Smart Images
Figure CN224119632U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of water intake engineering technology, and specifically relates to an underwater overhead water intake head structure. Background Technology
[0002] As a clean energy source, LNG is experiencing rising market demand globally. LNG receiving terminals are typically located near the coast, utilizing seawater temperature to heat and vaporize LNG, thereby improving vaporization efficiency and reducing energy consumption. Seawater intake is a gravity-flow method, with water entering through an underwater intake structure and being transported to the receiving terminal via pipelines.
[0003] Water intake heads typically employ a box-type structure. During construction, a reinforced concrete box is first prefabricated in a prefabrication yard, then floated to the intake location for precise placement, and finally connected to the pre-laid intake main to form the water intake system. This type of intake head is suitable for water bodies with relatively good foundation conditions. If the geological conditions of the intake head are complex, a cofferdam needs to be constructed, resulting in a large workload, long construction period, and certain safety risks.
[0004] Taking the intake structure of an LNG plant as an example, the geological conditions of the surrounding sea area are complex, with a surface layer of silty soft soil and a lower layer of steep rock. Furthermore, the water depth at the intake structure exceeds 10 meters, and construction is significantly affected by the marine environment, requiring consideration of numerous factors. Therefore, determining a suitable intake structure and its construction method is crucial to ensuring the project meets predetermined water intake standards, structural durability, and safety. Moreover, it directly impacts the feasibility of the construction process and the assurance of construction quality and schedule. Utility Model Content
[0005] This utility model provides an underwater overhead water intake head structure that is applicable to deep-water water intake projects, can be applied to complex geological conditions, and is easy to construct, in order to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art is as follows: an underwater overhead water intake structure, including a horizontally arranged water inlet pipe, the water inlet pipe is supported by multiple crossbeams, each crossbeam is supported by two foundation piles, the crossbeams are provided with a prefabricated empty box, the bottom of the prefabricated empty box is provided with a pile insertion hole, an annular rubber waterstop is pre-embedded in the pile insertion hole, the front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box are provided with support grooves that match the water inlet pipe, and pre-embedded bolts are provided on both sides of the support grooves. The water inlet pipe is connected to the front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box by an anchoring ring, and the two sides of the anchoring ring are fixed by two pre-embedded bolts respectively. The prefabricated empty box is supported by the foundation piles, the top of the foundation piles passes through the pile insertion hole and enters the interior of the prefabricated empty box, the annular rubber waterstop wraps around the outside of the top of the foundation pile, and a cast-in-place underwater concrete structure is provided inside the prefabricated empty box, the top of the foundation piles and the lower part of the water inlet pipe are embedded in the cast-in-place underwater concrete structure.
[0007] The foundation piles are cast-in-place concrete piles.
[0008] A water inlet is provided above the water inlet pipe and connected to it. The water inlet is connected to the water inlet pipe through a vertical interface.
[0009] The inlet pipe is equipped with a blind flange on the sea side and a reducing pipe joint on the other end.
[0010] The water inlet and the vertical interface are connected by a flange.
[0011] The water inlet is equipped with a debris barrier.
[0012] The prefabricated empty box adopts a rectangular empty box structure.
[0013] The advantages and positive effects of this utility model are as follows: It adopts cast-in-place pile foundations, which are not limited by changes in strata, can penetrate various complex soil layers or soil layers with large variations in hardness, adapt to various geological conditions, and are stable under stress, making it suitable for water intake projects in deep-water environments. The water intake structure and its supporting beam structure are simple, with the beams consisting of both prefabricated and cast-in-place components. The prefabricated empty boxes are prefabricated in a land-based factory, ensuring quality. The prefabricated components are lightweight, facilitating lifting and transportation, and eliminating the need for large lifting and installation equipment. On-site installation is simple, requiring less construction machinery and personnel, resulting in a short construction period, high efficiency, and reduced project costs. During operation, the water intake can be disassembled according to water supply needs, making maintenance convenient and efficient with minimal impact on normal water supply.
[0014] In summary, this utility model has a simple structure, can be prefabricated on land, spliced and fixed underwater, and is easy to install and construct. It can be placed underwater and is suitable for waters with greater depth. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A side sectional view;
[0017] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the prefabricated empty box of this utility model.
[0018] In the diagram: 1. Foundation pile, 2. Horizontal beam, 3. Water inlet pipe, 4. Vertical joint, 5. Water inlet, 6. Variable diameter pipe joint, 7. Sealing blind flange, 8. Anchor ring, 9. Embedded bolt, 10. Precast empty box, 11. Cast-in-place underwater concrete structure, 12. Annular rubber waterstop, 13. Support groove; 14. Pile hole. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To further understand the invention content, features, and effects of this utility model, the following embodiments are provided, and detailed descriptions are given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:
[0020] Please see Figures 1-3 An underwater overhead water intake structure includes a horizontally arranged water inlet pipe 3, which is supported by multiple crossbeams 2, each crossbeam 2 being supported by two foundation piles 1.
[0021] The crossbeam 2 is provided with a prefabricated empty box 10. The bottom of the prefabricated empty box 10 is provided with a pile hole 14. An annular rubber waterstop 12 is pre-embedded in the pile hole 14. The front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box 10 are provided with support grooves 13 that match the water inlet pipe 3. Pre-embedded bolts 9 are provided on both sides of the support groove 13. The water inlet pipe 3 is connected to the front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box 10 by anchoring rings 8. The anchoring rings 8 are fixed by two pre-embedded bolts 9 on each side.
[0022] The precast empty box 10 is supported by the foundation pile 1. The top of the foundation pile 1 passes through the pile insertion hole 14 and enters the interior of the precast empty box 10. The annular rubber waterstop 12 surrounds the outside of the top of the foundation pile 1 to prevent underwater concrete leakage during pouring.
[0023] A cast-in-place underwater concrete structure 11 is provided inside the precast empty box 10. The top of the foundation pile 1 and the lower part of the water inlet pipe 3 are embedded in the cast-in-place underwater concrete structure 11, and the three are fixed into a whole.
[0024] The more preferred solution in this embodiment is as follows:
[0025] The foundation pile 1 is a cast-in-place concrete pile, which is suitable for various geological conditions, is not limited by changes in strata, and can penetrate various hard interlayers, embedded rocks and enter various hard bearing layers; the construction quality is easy to control.
[0026] A water inlet 5 is provided above the water inlet pipe 3 and connected to it. The water inlet 5 is connected to the water inlet pipe 3 through a vertical interface 4. The installation height of the water inlet should ensure that water can be drawn normally under the design minimum water level conditions.
[0027] The inlet pipe 3 is equipped with a blind flange 7 on the sea side and a reducing pipe joint 6 on the other end for connecting to the water intake pipe.
[0028] The water inlet 5 and the vertical interface 4 are connected by a flange, which makes installation and disassembly convenient and easy to maintain.
[0029] The prefabricated empty box 10 adopts a rectangular empty box structure, which is simple to manufacture and easy to install.
[0030] The installation and construction method for the above-mentioned underwater overhead water intake structure adopts the following steps:
[0031] 1) In accordance with the design quantities, prefabricate the inlet pipe 3, blind flange 7, reducing pipe joint 6, inlet 5, and prefabricated empty box 10 in the land-based factory. The prefabricated empty box 10 adopts a steel-concrete structure. In order to reduce underwater operations, the blind flange and reducing pipe joint can be welded to the prefabricated inlet pipe during factory prefabrication.
[0032] 2) Construct foundation pile 1 on site. The top elevation of the pile is the design bottom elevation of the crossbeam plus the set height to extend into the precast empty box. A support structure is set at the design bottom elevation of the crossbeam on the outer side of the pile top.
[0033] In this embodiment, the cast-in-place piles are constructed according to the actual layout of the pile positions designed for the water intake structure, and the pile top elevation extends a certain length into the precast empty box.
[0034] 3) Transport the prefabricated components from step 1) to the sinking area.
[0035] 4) The prefabricated empty box 10 is lifted by a crane ship, lowered onto the support structure and fixed. The top of the foundation pile 1 passes through the pile insertion hole 14 at the bottom of the prefabricated empty box 10 and enters the prefabricated empty box 10.
[0036] 5) The inlet pipe 3 is hoisted by a crane ship, and the inlet pipe 3 is placed on the support groove 13 of the prefabricated empty box 10 and fixed with the anchoring ring 8.
[0037] 6) Pour underwater concrete into the precast empty box 10 to make the foundation pile 1 and the crossbeam 2 form a whole.
[0038] 7) Connect the inlet 5 to the inlet pipe 3 and connect the water intake pipe to the reducer 6.
[0039] A more detailed explanation is as follows:
[0040] The aforementioned crossbeam 2 adopts a two-part structure: one part is a precast empty box made of reinforced concrete, and the other part is a cast-in-place underwater concrete structure. To reduce the lifting weight on the water, a precast empty box 10 is fabricated on land. The empty box is equipped with a semi-circular support groove 13 to facilitate the placement of the water inlet pipe 3. The bottom of the empty box is provided with a pile hole 14 for easy connection with the foundation pile 1. Pre-embedded bolts 9 are installed in the front and rear side walls of the empty box for fixing the anchoring rings 8. After the precast empty box is fixed on the foundation pile 1, underwater concrete is poured into its interior a second time.
[0041] The above-mentioned water intake structure has a horizontally arranged water inlet pipe 3 at the bottom and multiple water inlets 5 at the top. Two are shown in the figure. The water inlets are connected to the lower water inlet pipe 3 through a vertical connector 4. The sea side of the water inlet pipe 3 is sealed with a blind flange 7, and the other end is connected to the water intake pipe through a reducing pipe connector 6.
[0042] The aforementioned inlet 5 is a cylindrical steel structure; its number, diameter, and height can be determined based on the water intake volume. Inlet 5 is connected to the vertical connector 4 via a flange, facilitating disassembly and maintenance of the intake during operation. A debris screen is installed at the inlet to intercept floating debris in the water.
[0043] The main body of the aforementioned vertical connector 4 is made of steel pipe and is welded vertically to the water inlet pipe 3. The diameter of the vertical connector 4 is the same as that of the water inlet 5, and the height is determined according to the water level to ensure that the water inlet 5 can draw water normally under the design minimum water level conditions.
[0044] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An underwater overhead water intake structure, comprising a horizontally arranged water inlet pipe, characterized in that, The water inlet pipe is supported by multiple crossbeams, and each crossbeam is supported by two foundation piles. The crossbeam is equipped with a prefabricated empty box. The bottom of the prefabricated empty box has insertion holes, and annular rubber waterstops are pre-embedded in these holes. Support grooves matching the water inlet pipe are provided on the front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box. Pre-embedded bolts are provided on both sides of each support groove. The water inlet pipe is connected to the front and rear side walls of the prefabricated empty box using anchoring rings. Two pre-embedded bolts are used to fix each side of the anchoring ring. The precast hollow box is supported by the foundation piles, and the top of the foundation piles passes through the pile insertion hole into the interior of the precast hollow box. The annular rubber waterstop wraps around the outside of the top of the foundation pile. A cast-in-place underwater concrete structure is provided inside the precast empty box, and the top of the foundation pile and the lower part of the water inlet pipe are embedded in the cast-in-place underwater concrete structure.
2. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The foundation piles are cast-in-place concrete piles.
3. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A water inlet is provided above the water inlet pipe and connected to it. The water inlet is connected to the water inlet pipe through a vertical interface.
4. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inlet pipe is equipped with a blind flange on the sea side and a reducing pipe joint on the other end.
5. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The water inlet and the vertical interface are connected by a flange.
6. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The water inlet is equipped with a debris barrier.
7. The underwater overhead water intake head structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The prefabricated empty box adopts a rectangular empty box structure.