Protective housing assembly

Abstract

A modular protective housing member 100 (Figure 3A) which defines a bore 102 (Figure 3A) for receiving a utility line 16 (Figure 2), the protective housing member comprising: an outwardly projecting flange 104 (Figure 3A) at a first end of the protective housing member; an inwardly projecting flange 108 at a second end of the protective housing member, the inwardly projecting flange extends around the outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing member (see Figure 4A) such that the outwardly projecting flange of the adjacent member is retained in a cavity of the protective housing member to hold the protective housing member to the adjacent protective housing member in an interlocking fashion; wherein at least part of an outer surface of the protective housing member comprises one or more projecting fins 118 for reducing vortices in fluid flow past the protective housing member. The fins may follow a helical path. A stiffening member 116 may be included.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a protective housing assembly. In particular the disclosure is concerned with a protective housing assembly which defines a bore for receiving a utility line for an offshore wind turbine. Background Utility lines may contain cables for exporting electricity from offshore wind turbines, and control wires or fibre optic communication cores for control of the turbines. Protection of subsea utility lines from damage is thus a key consideration for offshore wind farms. Figure 1 shows a wind turbine structure 10 located on a monopile 12 which extends into a seabed 14. A utility line 16 extends from a generator 18 in a turbine housing 20. The cable 16 extends down the length of the monopile 12 and out through an orifice 22 in the wall of the monopile 12, extending along the seabed 14 to shore. The utility line 16 has a tendency to bend under its own weight and as a result of the force induced upon it by the movement of water in which it is submerged. Housings are often provided along a length of the utility line 16 from the monopile 12 to the seabed 14 to protect the utility line from damage. The housings comprise hard articulated arrangements so they may flex along their length. However, often the bending forces on the housing are so high that the housing is over stressed and induces forces on the utility line. Additionally, or alternatively, the housing may be bent into such a shape that the utility line is supporting the weight of the housing as well as its own weight, thereby over loading the utility line and risking damage. As will be appreciated, fixing or replacing subsea utility lines is difficult and expensive. Hence components for a housing, and the housing they form, which inherently resist “over bend” compared to examples of the related art, are highly desirable. Such a structure would thus be configured to support its own weight as well as supporting and protecting the utility line. In addition, protective housing assemblies are also subject to stresses induced from the movement of surrounding water. If high stresses induced on the protective housing assembly can lead to poor performance. As such, providing a protective housing assembly that mitigates for some induced stresses would be beneficial. Summary According to the present disclosure there is provided apparatus and method as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows. In one example, there is provided a modular protective housing member which defines a bore for receiving a utility line, the protective housing member comprising: an outwardly projecting flange at a first end of the protective housing member; an inwardly projecting flange at a second end of the protective housing member, the inwardly projecting flange defining an opening to a cavity within the protective housing member; wherein, in use, the inwardly projecting flange is configured to extend around the outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing member such that the outwardly projecting flange of the adjacent member is retained in the cavity of the protective housing member to hold the protective housing member to the adjacent protective housing member; wherein at least part of an outer surface of the protective housing member comprises one or more fins for reducing vortices in fluid flow past the protective housing member. The modular protective housing enables protection for a utility line in an underwater environment. The coupling between adjacent modular housing members limits the bend that may be experienced by the utility line. In addition, it has been found that surprisingly, the combination of the modular protective housing together with the fins means that the housing reduce the stresses on the modular protective housing and the utility line. The fins reduce vortices that are in the fluid flow adjacent to the modular protective housing. In this definition, “reduce vortices” includes the elimination of vortices. Vorticies in fluid flow adjacent to the modular protective housing can create vibrations / unwanted forces in the modular protective housing in use, so their reduction is beneficial. In one example, the modular housing comprises a continuous wall that defines a radial surface of the cavity. In one example, the one or more fins following at least part of a helical path on the outer surface of the modular protective housing. The helical path is a good solution for ensuring that fins from adjacent modular housing members combine together in a continuous path. That is to say that the fins from adjacent members combine together in a continuous shape. Further the helical nature of the fins is adept at reducing vortices in fluid flowing adjacent to the housing member. In one example, the one or more fins comprises a plurality of fins spaced around a part of the outside surface of the modular protective housing. In one example, the bore is defined by an inner surface of the modular protective housing, wherein the inner surface comprises: an outwardly projecting flange receiving section configured to receive an outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing; and a utility line receiving section configured to receive the utility line, wherein the inner surface of the utility line receiving section has one or more recesses. Providing additional recesses on the utility line receiving section means that the modular protective housing members may be retrofitted on cables on which an initial clamp comprising one or more shoulders has already been provided. In one example, there is provided a modular protective housing assembly comprising: the modular protective housing member; and a stiffening member having a first side configured to engage an end surface of the adjacent modular protective housing member retained in the cavity of the protective housing member and a second side configured to engage a shoulder of the cavity. The stiffening member limits relative angle that adjacent protective housing members that are coupled together may be rotated relative to one another. The stiffening member also limits stresses on adjacent protective housing members. In one example, the stiffening member is ring shaped. In one example, the second side of the stiffening member is bonded to the shoulder of the cavity. Bonding the second side of the stiffening member means that it takes less equipment to install. For example, the housing members may be installed by divers on a seabed and so reducing the amount of equipment that a diver needs to install it would be beneficial. Even if the modular protective housing assembly is assembled on land, then bonding the stiffening member to the shoulder of the cavity would also leader to a quicker and more cost-efficient process. In one example, the stiffening member comprises an aperture for receiving said utility line, wherein the internal diameter of the aperture is less than the internal diameter of the bore, therefore locally supporting the utility line. In this example, support would still be provided to the utility line, but there would also be space in the internal diameter of the bore for water to flow, thereby providing a possible cooling source to the utility line, which can be particularly beneficial for electricity utility lines or the like that require cooling. In one example, the stiffening member comprises one or more pedestals extending from the first side. In one example, the one or more pedestals are arcuate pedestals on the first side of the stiffening member. In one example there is provided a system comprising a plurality of modular protective housing assemblies as described above. Hence there may be provided a stiffening member for a protective housing assembly which defines a bore for receiving a utility line, a protective housing which comprises the stiffening member, and a method of assembling a protective housing having the stiffening member, with segments comprising body members which can pivot relative to one another, but which are prevented from pivoting beyond a predetermined angle. Hence the housing is inherently unable to form a curve having a radius below a predetermined value, thus ensuring the utility line carries less bending load than configurations ofthe related art, and ensuring the housing supports most, or all, of its own weight. Brief Description ofthe Drawings Examples ofthe present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an offshore wind turbine structure, as previously described; Figure 2 shows a view of a utility line which is surrounded by protective housing members; Figure 3A shows a perspective view of an example of a protective housing module; Figure 3B shows a side view of an example of a protective housing module; Figure 3C shows an end view of an example of a protective housing module; Figure 3D shows an exploded view of an example of a protective housing module; Figure 3E shows an exploded view of an example of a protective housing module; Figure 4A shows an example of a plurality of protective housing modules coupled together in a first configuration; Figure 4B shows an example of a plurality of protective housing modules coupled together in a second configuration; Figure 4C shows a perspective view of an example of a plurality of protective housing modules coupled together in the first configuration; Figure 5A shows a cross-section of a plurality of housing assemblies that are coupled together; Figure 5B shows a cross-section of a plurality of housing assemblies that are coupled together with a utility line passing therethrough; Figure 5C shows a side view of a plurality of housing assemblies that are coupled together; Figure 6A shows a side view of a stiffening member; Figure 6B shows a perspective view of the stiffening member; and Figure 7 shows a plan view of a further example of stiffening member; Figure 7B shows a plan view of a further example of stiffening member; Figure 7C shows a plan view of a further example of stiffening member; and Figure 8 shows a schematic example of a cross-sectional profile of the fin. Detailed Description Figure 2 shows a region of a monopile 12, as shown in Figure 1, in which the orifice 22 is located. The utility line 16 is shown with a protective housing assembly system. Shown in Figure 2 is a mount 30 which anchors the utility line 16 and housing into the orifice 22. The mount 30 is not part of the device of the present disclosure and will not be described further. The system may comprise a plurality of substantially similar modular protective housing members 100 coupled together. In other words, the housing system may comprise a first body member, and a second body member arranged adjacent to one another, wherein the first body member and the second body member are coupled together. The modular protective housing member 100 is shown in more details in figures 3A to 3E. For example, figure 3A shows a perspective view of the protective housing member 100. The modular protective housing members 100 comprise a bore 102 (or opening) through which the utility line is receivable. That is to say that in use the utility line 16 passes through the bore of the protective housing member 100. The bore 102 may have a be substantially circular profile to match a typical circular profile of a utility line. In one example, the bore 102 is a central aperture within the protective housing member 100. As shown in Figures 3A to 3E, the modular protective member 100 is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 104. The outwardly projecting flange 104 is located at (or towards) a first end of the protective housing member 100. The outwardly projecting flange 104 may be considered to be a radially outwardly projecting flange 104. In other words, there is a region at the first end of the modular protective housing 100 (outwardly projecting flange 104) that has a higher average diameter compared with an adjacent region of the modular protective housing 100. The adjacent region 106 of a relatively smaller average diameter is shown in figure 3A. The outwardly projecting flange 104 may have a substantially circular profile. In some examples, the outwardly projecting flange 104 is formed of a plurality of straight edges that form a substantially circular profile, as shown in Figures 3A to 3E. Figure 3B shows another view of the modular protective housing member 100 in which the inwardly projecting flange 108 and cavity 110 are shown in more detail. The inwardly projecting flange 108 is provided on the other side of the modular protective member 100 compares with the outwardly projecting flange 104. In other words, the inwardly projecting flange 108 is located at a second end of the modular protective housing member 100. The inwardly projecting flange 108 defines an opening 112 into a cavity 110 within the modular protective housing member 100. The modular protective housing member 100 includes a wall 112 (e.g., a continuous wall) that extends around the outside of the cavity 110 from a radial perspective. The modular protective housing member 100 also includes in internal shoulder 114. The internal shoulder 114 is at an end of the cavity 110 of the modular protective housing member 100 and defines a surface of the cavity 110. That is to say that the cavity surface comprises an internal shoulder 114 (or region). That is to say, the modular protective housing member 100 has a central region with an outwardly projecting flange 104 at a first end and an inwardly projecting flange 108 at a second end. In use, adjacent modular protective housing members 100 may be removably coupled together. The outwardly extending flange 104 may be received within the cavity 110 of an adjacent outwardly extending flange 104. That is to say that an inner dimension of the cavity 110 may be sized such that it is larger than the outer diameter of the outwardly extending flange 104. In this arrangement, the inwardly projecting flange 108 of the adjacent member 100 effectively engulfs or extends around the outwardly projecting flange 104 to hold it in place. As shown in Figure 3D, the modular protective housing member 100 has a first outer diameter about a first region 132, a second outer diameter about a second region 134 and a third outer diameter about a third region 136. The outer diameters mentioned above do not necessarily imply that these regions are circular in shape, but they do have an average circular shape (e.g., they may be formed ofa number of straight edges which combine together to form a substantially circular shaped element such as a decagon, or a shape having more edges). In addition, there might be a slight variation of change in diameter across the whole of the first, second and / or third region. That is to say that the first region, second region and / or third region may not necessarily have a uniform outer diameter. However, the outer diameter does not vary by more than 10% across a region. The third region is the outwardly projecting flange 104 of the modular housing 100. The second region 134 is the recess adjacent to the outwardly projecting flange and effectively acts as a seat or receiving portion for the inwardly projecting flange 108 of an adjacent modular housing 100. The first region 132 is the part of the housing which surrounds the cavity 110 and the inwardly projecting flange 108. The second region is located in between the first region and the third region. Further, the first diameter is greater than the third diameter. The first diameter of the first region 132 does not include the thickness of the fins 118, which are described in more detail below. The modular protective housing member 100 includes one or more fins 118 on an outer surface 120. The one or more fins may be arranged on the outer surface of the wall 112 which surrounds the cavity 110. The fins 118 are designed to reduce vortices in fluid flow around the modular protective housing members 100. In other words, the fins are shaped in such a way such that vorticiesare reduced in fluid flowing adjacent to the member 100. This would be the case for fluid flowing in any direction adjacent to the housing member 100. In one example the fins 118 are substantially part helical shaped around periphery of the modular protective housing 100. That is, the fins 118 may not extend all around a circumference of the outer surface 120, but rather only extend part of the way around the outer surface 120. The fins 118 are shaped such that as adjacent members 100 are coupled together, they form a continuous structure. In the examples shown in Figure 3A, 3B and 3C, the fins 118 have a substantially helical shape such that when a plurality of modular members 100 are coupled together, they form a complete helix around the outside of the members 100. In other words, the fins 118 from multiple members 100 combine to form a helical structure. The fins 118 may had a thickness of approximately 8mm to 22mm. In some examples, the width of the fins 118 tapers from the base to the tip. That is, the width of the base of the fin 118 is larger than the width of the tip. In one example, the fins 118 are only present on an outer surface 120 of the first region 132. In some examples the fins 118 may extend slightly beyond the end of the inwardly projecting flange 108. The housing assembly may comprise the modular protective housing member 100 along with a stiffening member 116. When assembled, the stiffening member 116 may be located between, and in contact with, the end of the outwardly projecting flange 104 of one modular protective housing member 100 and an internal shoulder 114 of an adjacent modular protective housing member 100. In other words, the stiffening member 116 may be located within the cavity 110 of the modular protective housing member 100. The stiffening member 116 comprises a first side for engagement with a first member, and a second side for engagement with a second member. In some examples, pedestals extend from the first side of the stiffening member in a first direction away from the second side. The stiffening member 116 may be substantially ring shaped and include an opening 120 configured to receive the utility line 16. The size of the opening 120 may match the size of the bore 102 through the protective housing member 100. In this example, the utility line 16 would have a significant amount of support. In some examples, the size of the bore opening 120 may be smaller than the bore 102 through the protective housing member 100. That is to say that in use, the utility line 16 would only contact the stiffening member 116 and may be spaced apart from the bore 102 of the protective housing member 100. In this case, water would be able to circle around parts of the utility line 16 thereby allowing it to cool. This can be beneficial for some utility lines 16, such as electrical lines, which require cooling. In these examples, the protective housing members (and stiffening member if included) distributes bending loads along the utility line 16 to prevent damage to the utility line 16. Figure 3E shows a cross-section of one example of the modular protective housing 100. In this example, the bore 102 is defined by an inner surface 138 of the modular protective housing 100. The inner surface 138 has an outwardly projecting flange receiving section 140 configured to receive an outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing 100. The inner surface 138 also has a utility line receiving section 142 configured to receive the utility line 16. Note that in practice, the utility line would also extend through the outwardly projecting flange receiving section. In examples, the utility line receiving section has a smaller average internal diameter when compared with the average internal diameter of the outwardly projecting flange receiving section. In some examples, the inner surface 138 of the utility line receiving section has one or more recesses 144. The recesses 144 are effectively regions in which there is a larger internal diameter. These recesses 144 are provided such that the modular protective housing 100 can be retrofitted to a utility line 16 on which a clamp comprising one or more shoulder sections has been installed. This shape of modular protective housing member 100 means that it is easy to install on location and avoids the requirement for previously installed clamps to be removed. Figures 4A, 4B and 4C show a plurality of modular housing members 100 that are coupled together. As shown in these figures, the fins from each modular protective housing member 100 combine together to form a substantially continuous structure, such as a helix. The helix shape means that fluid flow in the vicinity of the modular housing members 100 is disrupted and the formation of vortices is reduced. Reducing vortices in the fluid flow means that less force is imparted on the modular protective housing 100 and hence the utility line 16. As described above, reducing vortices in the specification includes the elimination of vortices. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the stiffening member 116 comprises a first side 122 for engagement with the first housing member 100, and a second side 124 for engagement with the second housing member 100. The stiffening member 116 may be ring shaped. The stiffening member 116 defines a central aperture 120 having a first diameter, and an outer circumference 126 having a second diameter, the second diameter being greater than the first diameter. The first side 122 is separated from the second side by wall 126 (or main body). Put another way, the stiffening member 116 may be provided as a ring shaped disc. Pedestals 128 (that is to say, castellations, ribs, walls, pillars or teeth members) may extend from the first side 122 of the stiffening member 116 in a first direction away from the second side 124. In some examples, pedestals 128 may also extend from the second side 124 of the stiffening member 116 in a second direction away from the first side 122. The pedestals 128 may be provided as radially extending teeth members. The pedestals 128 may extend all of the way from the aperture 120 to the outer circumference 126 of the stiffening member 116. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the pedestals 128 may be evenly spaced around the side of the stiffening member 116 from which they extend. As shown in Figures 5A to 5C, the modular protective housing members may be inter-locked together to produce an assembly as shown in Figure 4A, which is operable to flex along its length as shown in Figure 4B. A section of the assembly is shown in Figure 5A comprising a first housing member 200 and a second housing member 300 arranged adjacent to one another. Figure 5A and 5B shows examples of two protective housing members 100 coupled together. For ease of description, they are referred to as a first housing member 200 and a second housing member 300. The first housing member 200 and second housing member 300 are examples of the protective housing member 100 described above. In other words, they are identical to one another. Shown in Figure 6B, in this example the stiffening member 116 may be provided as a ring segment configured to form a complete ring around the utility line 16, in use. In the example shown in Figured 6A and 6B, the stiffening member 116 may include more than one segments that are configured to combine together to form a complete ring. For example, in Figures 6A and 6B, two half segments are configured to abut one another at a join 130 (which in the figures is shown as a slight gap, but in the final configuration would be abutting). In the example of Figures 6A and 6B, the stiffening member 116 is provided as a half ring segment, thus is used in conjunction with a further half ring segment to form a complete ring. Hence one or more stiffening member segments 116 may be provided between the first housing member 100 and second housing member 200. In this example, the second side 124 of the stiffening member is substantially planar, where planar is taken to mean substantially smooth and / or flat. That is to say, the second side 124 of the stiffening member 116 is not provided with any pedestals, and hence is relatively smooth compared to the first side 122. In some examples, the second side 124 of the stiffening member is bonded to the shoulder 114 of the cavity 110. Bonding the second side 124 of the stiffening member to the shoulder 114 of the cavity 110 means that it requires less equipment to install. For example, the modular housing members 100 may be installed by divers on a seabed and so reducing the amount of equipment that a diver needs to install it would be beneficial. Even if the modular protective housing assembly is assembled on land, then bonding the stiffening member to the shoulder of the cavity would also leader to a quicker and more cost-efficient manufacturing process. Figures 7A, 7B and 7C all show examples of stiffening members 116 wherein the one or more pedestals 128 are arcuate pedestals on the first side of the stiffening member 116. In some examples, the pedestals 128 are provided as walls which extend in an arc (e.g. a circle) around the first side 122 of the stiffening member 116. That is to say the pedestals 128 may extend as a continuous circular (i.e. ring shaped) wall around the first side 122 and, the circles / rings formed by the walls being co-axial and concentric with the stiffening member 116. A single continuous circular wall may be provided, or multiple continuous circular walls may be provided, as shown in Figure 7A. In examples in which multiple continuous circular walls are provided, they may be co-axial and / or concentric with one another, and hence form circles of different diameters. In examples in which multiple co-axial and / or concentric walls are provided, the walls are spaced apart from one another. In a further alternative example, the pedestals 128 are provided as arcuate walls which extend in an arc around the first side 122. That is to say, the stiffening member 116 is provided as a ring shape, the pedestals 128 may be provided as an array of spaced apart arcuate walls which extend around the first side 122 on a common Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD). A single array of arcuate walls may be provided. In an alternative example, as shown in Figure 7B, two or more co-axial and / or concentric arrays of arcuate walls, arranged on co-axial and / or concentric pitch circle diameters, may be provided. Hence the arcuate walls are spaced apart from one another around their respective pitch circle diameter. In examples in which multiple co-axial and / or concentric arrays are provided, the arrays (i.e. the pitch circle diameters) are spaced apart from one another, as shown in Figure 7C. Figure 8 shows an example of a cross section of a fin 118. In some examples, the fin 118 profile has a wider base than tip. The width of the base 146 may be approximately double the width of the tip 148. In one example, the width of the tip is approximately 10mm and the width of the base is approximately 20mm. The length, L, of the fin may be approximately 50mm to 60mm. In some examples, there are two sharp corners at the tip. The dashed section in figure 8 indicates parts of the fin 118 in the background. Although not shown in the figures, adjacent sections of modular protective housing members 100 may be aligned by the presence of a coupling. For example, initially a first modular protective housing may be rotatable relative to a second modular protective housing such that the fins 118 can be aligned to form a consistent structure. Once the fins 118 have been aligned, then the first modular protective housing may be linked with the second modular protective housing from a rotational perspective. For example, they may include a tab and slot arrangement that rotationally locks the first modular protective housing relative to the second modular protective housing. This allows a user to easily align the fins 118 of the first member relative to the fins 118 of the second member so as to form a consistent fin structure. Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A modular protective housing member which defines a bore for receiving a utility line, the protective housing member comprising:an outwardly projecting flange at a first end of the protective housing member;an inwardly projecting flange at a second end of the protective housing member,the inwardly projecting flange defining an opening to a cavity within the protective housing member;wherein, in use, the inwardly projecting flange is configured to extend around the outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing member such that the outwardly projecting flange of the adjacent member is retained in the cavity of the protective housing member to hold the protective housing member to the adjacent protective housing member;wherein at least part of an outer surface of the protective housing member comprises one or more fins for reducing vortices in fluid flow past the protective housing member.

2. The modular protective housing member according to claim 1, wherein themodular housing comprises a continuous wall that defines a radial surface of the cavity.

3. The modular protective housing member according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the one or more fins follow at least part of a helical path on the outer surface of the modular protective housing.

4. The modular protective housing member according to claim 3, wherein the one or more fins comprising a plurality of fins spaced around a part of the outside surface of the modular protective housing.

5. The modular protective housing according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bore is defined by an inner surface of the modular protective housing, wherein the inner surface comprises:an outwardly projecting flange receiving section configured to receive an outwardly projecting flange of an adjacent modular protective housing; anda utility line receiving section configured to receive the utility line, wherein the inner surface of the utility line receiving section has one or more recesses.

6. A modular protective housing assembly comprising:the modular protective housing member according to any one of the preceding claims; anda stiffening member having a first side configured to engage an end surface of the adjacent modular protective housing member retained in the cavity of the protective housing member and a second side configured to engage a shoulder of the cavity.

7. The modular protective housing assembly according to claim 6, wherein the stiffening member is ring shaped.

8. The modular protective housing assembly according to any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the second side of the stiffening member is bonded to the shoulder of the cavity.

9. The modular protective housing assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the stiffening member comprises an aperture for receiving said utility line, wherein the internal diameter of the aperture is less than the internal diameter of the bore, therefore locally supporting the utility line.

10. The modular protective housing assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the stiffening member comprises one or more pedestals extending from the first side.

11. The modular protective housing assembly according to claim 10, wherein the one or more pedestals are arcuate pedestals on the first side of the stiffening member.

12. A system comprising a plurality of modular protective housing assemblies according to any one of claims 6 to 11.

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