Adaptive deep water dredging system

Abstract

The present application relates to an adaptive deep water dredging system, comprising a water surface operation platform arranged on the water surface, an underwater dredging platform arranged on the water bottom and a sensing device, the water surface operation platform comprising a ship body and a control module; the underwater dredging platform comprising a dredging base and an underwater dredging pump and a reamer device arranged on the dredging base; the underwater dredging platform is suspended on the ship body through a liftable sling; the control module is internally provided with an adaptive algorithm processor, which receives data of the sensing device in real time and outputs control instructions; the sensing device detects the working posture of the underwater dredging platform and transmits it to the control module; the control module controls the working posture of the underwater dredging platform by adjusting the operating parameters of the reamer device and the lifting of the sling. The adaptive deep water dredging system of the present application adopts adaptive control technology, which can make the underwater dredging equipment always maintain the best dredging posture, and realize the efficient dredging of the water bottom sediment under the condition of large water depth vertical operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a dredging and desilting system, and more specifically to an adaptive deep-water dredging system suitable for deep-water dredging. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the commonly used dredging equipment in dredging projects includes cutter suction dredgers, trailing suction hopper dredgers, and pneumatic pump-operated ecological dredging vessels. Cutter suction dredgers and trailing suction hopper dredgers have high dredging efficiency, but their operating depth is limited, making them unsuitable for deep-water dredging projects. Pneumatic pump-operated ecological dredging vessels are widely used in eco-friendly dredging projects, capable of dredging operations at depths of hundreds of meters. Their dredging operations are not limited by water depth, making them ideal for deep-water dredging projects.

[0003] However, currently, when using pneumatic pump-powered dredging vessels for dredging operations, the pump's own weight or a hydraulic arm is used to press the suction port into the bottom silt. The workboat then tows the pneumatic pump and its inlet forward to pump out the silt. This method of operation involves significant resistance in both pressing into the silt layer and towing. While it is highly effective for removing bottom silt, flowing mud, and floating mud, it is less effective for dredging and expanding projects where the bottom sediment is mainly sand and gravel. The depth of each dredging operation is limited, resulting in low productivity and poor overall performance.

[0004] For dredging and expansion projects where the bottom sediment is mainly sand and gravel, the vertical excavation and suction of sand and gravel is suitable due to their higher specific gravity and loose, drainable properties compared to silt. This utilizes the high specific gravity and loose, drainable nature of sand and gravel, causing the surrounding sand and gravel to naturally collapse towards the suction center under their own weight and water pressure, thus generating high dredging efficiency. However, underwater dredging equipment directly excavates and suctions sediment from below. This means that the underwater dredging equipment cannot rely on the bottom sediment to support its own weight and therefore cannot maintain a normal dredging posture.

[0005] Furthermore, for deep-water dredging operations, due to the greater water depth, slings are typically used to connect underwater dredging equipment, such as pneumatic pumps, to the surface work platform. When vertically dredging and pumping gravel, a vertical cutterhead is usually installed on the dredging equipment to improve dredging efficiency. The rotation of the vertical cutterhead generates a horizontal torque on the underwater dredging equipment, causing it to rotate within the horizontal plane. Since slings are flexible connections, they cannot support the rotational torque of the underwater dredging equipment, resulting in horizontal rotation of the equipment at the bottom and hindering normal dredging operations. Simultaneously, if the water body being dredged is flowing, the underwater dredging equipment will also deflect vertically under the combined effects of lateral water flow impact, bottom sediment resistance, its own weight, and sling tension, further impeding the normal progress of the dredging operation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an adaptive deep-water dredging system that can automatically balance the horizontal rotational force and the vertical deflection force of underwater dredging equipment for deep-water dredging projects that mainly involve removing gravel from the bottom of the water.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: The adaptive deep-water dredging system includes a surface operation platform, an underwater dredging platform, and sensing devices. The surface operation platform includes a hull and a control module. The underwater dredging platform includes a dredging base and an underwater dredging pump and cutterhead mounted on the dredging base. The underwater dredging platform is suspended from the hull by liftable slings. The control module has a built-in adaptive algorithm processor that receives data from the sensing device in real time and outputs control commands. The sensing device detects the working attitude of the underwater dredging platform and transmits it to the control module; The control module controls the working posture of the underwater dredging platform by adjusting the operating parameters of the cutter head and the raising and lowering of the slings.

[0008] Furthermore, the reamer device includes a drive mechanism, a vertically oriented reamer shaft directly connected to the drive mechanism, and reamers connected to the reamer shaft; the number of reamer devices is even, and they are symmetrically and evenly distributed with respect to the vertical axis of the underwater dredging platform.

[0009] Furthermore, each pair of cutter heads, which are symmetrical about the vertical axis of the underwater dredging platform, has cutter shafts rotating in opposite directions during normal dredging operations, and the cutter head drive mechanism maintains constant torque output during normal dredging operations.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotational speed and direction of the reamer shaft of the reamer device are adjustable.

[0011] Furthermore, the sling comprises at least three chains, with each chain having its sling points evenly distributed at the top edge of the underwater dredging platform; each chain is individually driven by a separate winch mounted on the hull.

[0012] Furthermore, the sensing device includes: a horizontal attitude sensor capable of sensing the horizontal attitude of the underwater dredging platform; an orientation angle sensor capable of sensing the directional attitude of the underwater dredging platform; and a mud concentration sensor connected to the mud discharge pipe of the underwater dredging pump to detect the mud discharge concentration.

[0013] Furthermore, the horizontal attitude sensor consists of at least three depth sensors located at the corners of the underwater dredging platform; the orientation angle sensor is a horizontal gyroscope located on the underwater dredging platform.

[0014] Furthermore, the horizontal attitude sensor is a vertical gyroscope mounted on an underwater dredging platform.

[0015] Furthermore, the adaptive algorithm processor performs the following operations: The dredging system dynamically adjusts the cutter rotation speed and cable lowering speed based on mud concentration sensor data to maintain optimal mud discharge concentration. The rotation direction and speed of the reamer are dynamically adjusted based on the data from the orientation angle sensor. The torque generated by the rotation of the reamer is used to balance the rotational torque generated by the environmental forces that drive the underwater dredging platform away from its initial orientation, so that the underwater dredging platform always maintains its initial orientation throughout the entire dredging operation. Based on data from the horizontal attitude sensor, the raising and lowering of each sling at the top edge of the underwater dredging platform is individually controlled to ensure that the underwater dredging platform maintains a horizontal attitude throughout the entire dredging operation.

[0016] Furthermore, the underwater dredging platform is also equipped with nozzles to spray high-pressure water jets to disperse the mud and sand on the bottom.

[0017] This invention relates to an adaptive deep-water dredging system that uses slings to connect underwater dredging equipment. The operating water depth depends on the length of the slings, thus making it suitable for deep-water operating environments. By employing adaptive control technology, it can ensure that the underwater dredging equipment maintains the optimal dredging posture in vertical dredging operations where the equipment lacks an effective support surface, thereby achieving efficient dredging of sediment at the bottom of the water under deep-water vertical operating conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is the front view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the underwater dredging platform of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a front view of the underwater dredging platform of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a top view of the underwater dredging platform of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the underwater dredging platform in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The adaptive deep-water dredging system of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Example 1, see appendix Figure 1-5 An adaptive deep-water dredging system includes a surface working platform 100 positioned on the water surface and an underwater dredging platform 200 positioned on the seabed. The surface working platform 100 includes a hull 110 and a control module 120 mounted on the hull 110. The surface working platform 100 is also equipped with winches 111, with at least three winches, preferably four; in this embodiment, four winches are used. The underwater dredging platform 200 has four lifting points at its four corners, with four slings 112 suspended from these four points. Each sling 112 is driven by a separate winch 111, and the four slings 112 suspend the underwater dredging platform 200 from the surface working platform 100 via the four winches 111. This ensures that when the underwater dredging platform 200 tilts due to the impact of lateral water flow or other lateral external forces, the platform can be driven back to a vertical position by pulling the sling on the tilted side.

[0026] The underwater dredging platform 200 includes a dredging base 210 with a square frame structure, an underwater dredging pump 220 set on the axis of the dredging base 210, and four cutterhead devices evenly arranged around the suction port of the underwater dredging pump 220.

[0027] The cutterhead assembly includes a drive mechanism 231, a vertically oriented cutter shaft 232 directly connected to the drive mechanism, and cutters 233 connected to the cutter shaft. Two pairs of cutterhead assemblies are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the dredging base 210's axis of rotation. During normal dredging operations, the cutter shafts rotate in opposite directions, and the drive mechanism 231 maintains a constant torque output during normal dredging operations. This ensures that the two pairs of cutters have equal but opposite torque, achieving zero overall external torque output from the cutterhead assembly during dredging operations. This prevents the underwater dredging platform from twisting during dredging operations.

[0028] At the bottom of the underwater dredging base 210, four nozzles 251 are evenly distributed around the suction port of the underwater dredging pump 220 to spray high-pressure water to disperse the mud and sand on the bottom.

[0029] The sensing device includes: a horizontal attitude sensor 241 capable of sensing the horizontal attitude of the underwater dredging platform 200; an orientation angle sensor 242 capable of sensing the directional attitude of the underwater dredging platform 200; and a mud concentration sensor connected to the mud discharge pipe of the underwater dredging pump to detect the mud discharge concentration.

[0030] The horizontal attitude sensor 241 consists of four depth sensors located at the top corners of the underwater dredging base 210; the orientation angle sensor 242 consists of two horizontal gyroscopes located at the top of the dredging base 210; the mud concentration sensor is arranged in the discharge pipe near the mud discharge port of the underwater dredging pump to minimize the time difference between the data collected by the mud concentration sensor and the real-time mud concentration at the mud inlet of the underwater dredging pump, thereby improving the sensitivity of the control module 120 in regulating the dredging operation.

[0031] The control module 120 has a built-in adaptive algorithm processor, which can receive data collected and transmitted by various sensors in real time, analyze and process the data, and output corresponding control commands. The control commands output by the control module 120 control the working posture of the underwater dredging platform 200 by adjusting the operating parameters of the cutter head device and the lifting and lowering of the sling 112.

[0032] Specifically, the adaptive algorithm processor built into the control module 120 performs the following operations to ensure that the underwater dredging platform maintains optimal dredging efficiency throughout the entire dredging operation. The specific control process of the control module 120 is as follows: Based on mud concentration sensor data, the cutter rotation speed and sling lowering speed of the cutter head device are dynamically adjusted to control the speed at which bottom sediment enters the suction port of the underwater dredging pump, thereby ensuring that the dredging system always maintains the optimal mud discharge concentration.

[0033] Based on data from the orientation angle sensor 242, the rotation direction and speed of the cutter heads in the reamer device are dynamically adjusted. The torque generated by the rotation of the cutter heads is used to balance the rotational torque caused by environmental forces that drive the underwater dredging platform away from its initial orientation. This ensures that the underwater dredging platform 200 maintains its initial orientation throughout the dredging operation, preventing the underwater dredging equipment from rotating and becoming entangled, thus hindering normal dredging operations. Under normal dredging conditions, the two pairs of cutter heads distributed symmetrically on both sides of the dredging base 210's axis have cutter shafts with opposite rotation directions. The cutter head drive mechanism 231 maintains a constant torque output under the control of the control module 120, ensuring that the two pairs of cutter heads have equal but opposite torque forces. This achieves zero overall external torque output from the cutter head during dredging operations, thereby ensuring that the underwater dredging platform does not twist during the dredging process. When an external environmental force causes the underwater dredging platform to rotate, such as the impact of non-uniform water flow or the impact of a hard object underwater, the direction data fed back to the control module 120 by the direction angle sensor 242 deviates from the preset data. The control module 120 analyzes and processes the data to generate real-time control commands. The control commands adjust the output speed or direction of each cutter shaft to generate torque that resists the rotation of the underwater dredging platform, thereby ensuring that the underwater dredging platform always maintains its initial dredging orientation.

[0034] Based on data from the horizontal attitude sensor 241, the raising and lowering of each sling at the top edge of the underwater dredging platform 200 is individually controlled to ensure that the underwater dredging platform 200 maintains a horizontal attitude throughout the entire dredging operation, guaranteeing that the dredging equipment maintains the optimal dredging posture. When the underwater dredging platform 200 tilts and flips vertically under the action of external environmental forces such as lateral water flow, the data fed back to the control module 120 by the horizontal attitude sensor 241 deviates from the preset data. The control module 120 analyzes and processes this data to generate real-time control commands. The control commands pull the slings on the downward tilting side upward and / or lower the slings on the upward tilting side, thereby pulling the underwater dredging platform back to a vertical posture.

[0035] Example 2, see appendix Figure 6 The adaptive deep-water dredging system uses two vertical gyroscopes mounted on the top of the dredging base 210 as horizontal attitude sensors 241. The remaining structure and operation are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0036] Although the invention has been described in detail using specific methods, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made without departing from the intent and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive deep-water dredging system, comprising a surface working platform (100) arranged on the water surface, an underwater dredging platform (200) placed on the water bottom, and a sensing device, wherein the surface working platform (100) includes a hull (110) and a control module (120); the underwater dredging platform (200) includes a dredging base (210) and an underwater dredging pump (220) and a cutterhead device disposed on the dredging base; the underwater dredging platform (200) is suspended from the hull (110) by a liftable sling (112); characterized in that: The control module (120) has a built-in adaptive algorithm processor that receives data from the sensing device in real time and outputs control commands. The sensing device detects the working attitude of the underwater dredging platform (200) and transmits it to the control module (120). The control module (120) controls the working posture of the underwater dredging platform (200) by adjusting the operating parameters of the cutter head and the lifting of the sling (112).

2. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reamer device includes a drive mechanism (231), a vertically oriented reamer shaft (232) directly connected to the drive mechanism, and a reamer (233) connected to the reamer shaft. The number of cutterheads is even, and they are symmetrically and evenly distributed with respect to the vertical axis of the underwater dredging platform (200).

3. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each pair of cutter heads, which are symmetrical about the vertical axis of the underwater dredging platform (200), has cutter shafts rotating in opposite directions during normal dredging operations, and the cutter head drive mechanism (231) maintains constant torque output during normal dredging operations.

4. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotational speed and direction of the reamer shaft (232) of the reamer device are adjustable.

5. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sling (112) comprises at least three chains, with each chain having a sling point evenly distributed at the top edge of the underwater dredging platform (200); Each of the lifting chains is driven individually by a separate winch (111) arranged on the hull (110).

6. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensing device includes: A horizontal attitude sensor (241) capable of sensing the horizontal attitude of an underwater dredging platform (200). An orientation angle sensor (242) capable of sensing the orientation and attitude of an underwater dredging platform (200); A mud concentration sensor connected to the mud discharge pipe of an underwater dredging pump to detect the concentration of discharged mud.

7. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The horizontal attitude sensor (241) consists of at least three depth sensors located at the corners of the underwater dredging platform (200); the orientation angle sensor (242) is a horizontal gyroscope located on the underwater dredging platform (200).

8. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The horizontal attitude sensor (241) is a vertical gyroscope installed on the underwater dredging platform (200).

9. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The adaptive algorithm processor performs the following operations: The dredging system dynamically adjusts the cutter rotation speed and cable lowering speed based on mud concentration sensor data to maintain optimal mud discharge concentration. The rotation direction and speed of the reamer are dynamically adjusted based on the data from the orientation angle sensor (242). The torque generated by the rotation of the reamer is used to balance the rotation torque generated by the environmental external force that drives the underwater dredging platform to deviate from the initial direction, so that the underwater dredging platform (200) always maintains the initial direction throughout the entire dredging operation. Based on the data from the horizontal attitude sensor (241), the lifting and lowering of each sling at the top edge of the underwater dredging platform (200) is individually controlled so that the underwater dredging platform (200) maintains a horizontal attitude throughout the entire dredging operation.

10. The adaptive deep-water dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The underwater dredging platform (200) is also equipped with nozzles (251) for spraying high-pressure water jets to disperse the mud and sand at the bottom of the water.

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