Floating structure

Abstract

A floating structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an engine room, and an internal passage that is below an upper deck outside the engine room. The engine room includes a storage section that stores an engine which is a heat engine, a steam generation device, or a power generation device, and a control section that is isolated from the storage section and is for a worker to control and / or monitor the engine. The internal passage includes a control section entrance and is connected to the control section via the control section entrance, or is connected to the control section via a relay section isolated from the control section entrance and the storage section.

Description

Floating structures

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a floating structure.

[0002] Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a floating structure having an internal passageway connected to an engine room.

[0003] JP 2023-87281 A

[0004] The engine room of a floating structure may include an accommodation area for the engine and a control area where workers control the engine. Of these, the accommodation area emits a lot of noise from the engine, so passing through the accommodation area may be stressful for some workers.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a floating structure that allows workers to enter and exit the control compartment of the engine room without stress.

[0006] A floating structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an engine room and an internal passageway located outside the engine room below the upper deck, the engine room including an accommodation compartment that houses an engine, which is a heat engine, a steam generator, or a power generation unit, and a control compartment that is isolated from the accommodation compartment and in which operators control and / or monitor the engine, the internal passageway including a control compartment opening and connecting to the control compartment via the control compartment opening, or connecting to the control compartment via the control compartment opening and a relay compartment that is isolated from the accommodation compartment.

[0007] According to a floating structure according to one aspect of the present disclosure, workers can enter and exit the control compartment in the engine room without stress.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a side view of a floating body structure. Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the floating body structure. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a floating body structure according to Modification 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a floating body structure according to Modification 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a floating body structure according to Modification 3. Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a floating body structure according to Modification 4.

[0009] (Overall Configuration of Floating Structure) A floating structure 100 according to an embodiment will be described below. First, the overall configuration of the floating structure 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of the floating structure 100. The floating structure 100 according to this embodiment is a liquefied gas carrier that transports liquefied gas. However, the floating structure 100 may also be a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO), a floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production and offloading unit (FPO), a floating storage and offloading unit (FSO), or the like.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1 , the floating structure 100 includes a cargo tank 10, an engine room 20, an accommodation area 30, and an internal passageway 40. These components will be described below in order. In the following, the propulsion direction of the floating structure 100 (the right side of the paper in FIG. 1 ) will be referred to as the "front," the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the floating structure 100 (the left side of the paper in FIG. 1 ) will be referred to as the "rear," and the right (the front side of the paper in FIG. 1 ) and left (the back side of the paper in FIG. 1 ) of the passengers on the floating structure 100 when they are facing forward will be referred to as the "right" and "left," respectively. In addition, the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1 ) will be referred to as the "width direction."

[0011] <Cargo Tank> The cargo tank 10 is a tank that stores the liquefied gas transported by the floating structure 100. The liquefied gas stored in the cargo tank 10 is, for example, liquefied hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, etc. The cargo tank 10 is located in a cargo area 12, which is an area that includes the central portion of the hull 11 in the fore-and-aft direction. However, the location of the cargo tank 10 is not limited. Furthermore, depending on the type of the floating structure 100, the floating structure 100 may not be equipped with a cargo tank 10.

[0012] <Engine Room> The engine room 20 is a room that houses the engine 21. In this embodiment, the engine 21 is a propulsion engine that propels the hull 11. The configuration of the engine 21 is not limited, and the engine 21 may be a steam generator that generates steam used to drive a steam turbine connected to the propeller 22, or a heat engine such as a gas engine fueled by liquefied gas, a diesel engine fueled by heavy oil, or a dual-fuel engine fueled by both liquefied gas and heavy oil. Furthermore, the engine 21 may be a power generation device that generates electricity by turning a generator using either an oil-fired engine, a gas engine, or a dual-fuel engine, or a power generation device that generates electricity using a fuel cell. In this embodiment, the engine room 20 is located in the stern area 13, which is an area aft of the cargo area 12 of the hull 11. However, the location of the engine room 20 is not limited.

[0013] Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the floating structure 100 at the height of an internal passage 40, which will be described later. In Figure 2, the vicinity of the center in the fore-and-aft direction of the floating structure 100 is omitted (the same applies to Figures 3 to 6). As shown in Figure 2, the engine room 20 includes an accommodation compartment 23 and a control compartment 24. Of these, the accommodation compartment 23 is a compartment that accommodates the engine 21. Because the noise emitted from the engine 21 within the accommodation compartment 23 is very loud, passing through the accommodation compartment 23 may be stressful for some workers.

[0014] On the other hand, the control section 24 is a section where an operator controls and / or monitors the engine 21. In the control section 24, for example, an operation panel for operating the engine 21 is installed. In addition, in this embodiment, the control section 24 is located at the front end portion near the center in the width direction of the engine room 20. However, the location of the control section 24 is not limited to the above. Furthermore, the control section 24 is isolated from the storage section 23. Specifically, the control section 24 is defined by a wall or the like and separated from the storage section 23. Noise generated by the engine 21 is blocked by the wall or the like and is unlikely to be transmitted into the control section 24. Note that the control section 24 may be configured so that an operator can move between the control section 24 and the storage section 23 through an entrance or exit provided with a door.

[0015] <Accommodation Area> The accommodation area 30 is an area where crew members, including workers, live or work. In addition to spaces where crew members live, the accommodation area 30 also includes an office area for operating cargo equipment, an equipment room, a warehouse, stairs, a corridor, a conference room, a reception room, and the like. In this embodiment, the accommodation area 30 is located in the bow area 14, which is an area forward of the cargo area 12 of the hull 11. However, the location of the accommodation area 30 is not limited. In this embodiment, the accommodation area 30 includes an upper section 31 located above the upper deck 15 and a lower section 32 located below the upper deck 15. The upper section 31 and the lower section 32 are connected via stairs or the like, and workers can move between the upper section 31 and the lower section 32 via stairs or the like.

[0016] <Internal Passage> The internal passage 40 is a passage through which workers can pass, and is located below the upper deck 15 of the hull 11. As shown in FIG. 1 , the internal passage 40 of this embodiment extends from the bow area 14 to the stern area 13 through the cargo area 12, and connects the lower section 32 of the accommodation area 30 with the engine room 20. Therefore, by passing through the internal passage 40, workers can move from the accommodation area 30 to the engine room 20 and from the engine room 20 to the accommodation area 30 without going outside the ship. Details of the internal passage 40 will be described below.

[0017] (Details of the Internal Passage) Next, details of the internal passage 40 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the internal passage 40 of this embodiment includes a starboard passage 50, a port passage 60, and a connecting passage 70. These passages will be described in order below.

[0018] <Starboard Passage> The starboard passage 50 is located below the upper deck 15 and extends along the starboard side of the hull 11. Specifically, the starboard passage 50 is located at the right end portion of the hull 11 and extends in the fore-and-aft direction. In this embodiment, the starboard passage 50 includes a straight section 51, a front expansion section 52, and an aft expansion section 53. The straight section 51 is located in the center of the starboard passage 50 in the fore-and-aft direction and has a constant width dimension. The front expansion section 52 is located at the front end portion of the starboard passage 50 and has a width dimension larger than that of the straight section 51 that increases as it approaches the accommodation space 30. The aft expansion section 53 is located at the aft end portion of the starboard passage 50 and has a width dimension larger than that of the straight section 51 that increases as it approaches the engine room 20. However, the shape of the starboard passage 50 is not limited to the above.

[0019] The starboard passageway 50 has an accommodation area entrance 54 at its forward end, and is connected to the lower section 32 of the accommodation area 30 via this accommodation area entrance 54. That is, workers can move back and forth between the accommodation area 30 and the starboard passageway 50 via the accommodation area entrance 54. The accommodation area entrance 54 is provided with an accommodation area entrance door 55 that opens and closes the accommodation area entrance 54. Furthermore, the starboard passageway 50 has an accommodating compartment entrance 56 at its aft end, and is connected to the accommodating compartment 23 of the engine room 20 via this accommodating compartment entrance 56. That is, workers can move back and forth between the accommodating compartment 23 and the starboard passageway 50 via the accommodating compartment entrance 56. The accommodating compartment entrance 56 is provided with an accommodating compartment entrance door 57 that opens and closes the accommodating compartment entrance 56.

[0020] <Port Passage> The port passage 60 is located below the upper deck 15 and is a passage that extends along the port side of the hull 11. Specifically, the port passage 60 is located at the left end portion of the hull 11 and extends in the fore-and-aft direction. In this embodiment, the port passage 60 includes a straight section 61, a front expansion section 62, and a rear expansion section 63. The straight section 61 is located in the center portion of the port passage 60 in the fore-and-aft direction and has a constant width dimension. The front expansion section 62 is located at the front end portion of the port passage 60 and has a width dimension that is larger than the straight section 61 and that increases as it approaches the accommodation space 30. The rear expansion section 63 is located at the rear end portion of the port passage 60 and has a width dimension that is larger than the straight section 61 and that increases as it approaches the engine room 20. However, the shape of the port passage 60 is not limited to the above.

[0021] The port passageway 60 has an accommodation area entrance 64 at its forward end, and is connected to the lower section 32 of the accommodation area 30 via this accommodation area entrance 64. That is, workers can move back and forth between the accommodation area 30 and the port passageway 60 via the accommodation area entrance 64. The accommodation area entrance 64 is provided with an accommodation area entrance door 65 that opens and closes the accommodation area entrance 64. Furthermore, the port passageway 60 has an accommodating compartment entrance 66 at its aft end, and is connected to the accommodating compartment 23 of the engine room 20 via this accommodating compartment entrance 66. That is, workers can move back and forth between the accommodating compartment 23 and the port passageway 60 via the accommodating compartment entrance 66. The accommodating compartment entrance 66 is provided with an accommodating compartment entrance door 67 that opens and closes the accommodating compartment entrance 66.

[0022] <Connecting Passage> The connecting passage 70 is a passage that connects the starboard passage 50 and the port passage 60. The connecting passage 70 extends along the width direction. The right end of the connecting passage 70 is connected to the starboard passage 50, and the left end is connected to the port passage 60. Therefore, workers can move back and forth between the starboard passage 50 and the port passage 60 via the connecting passage 70. Note that the connecting passage 70 is located on the accommodation space 30 side when viewed from the engine room 20; in other words, it is located forward of the engine room 20 and adjacent to the engine room 20.

[0023] The connecting passage 70 of this embodiment has a partition wall 71. The partition wall 71 is a wall that separates the connecting passage 70 into left and right compartments. A partition door 72 is provided on the partition wall 71. A worker can move between the compartment on the right side of the partition wall 71 and the compartment on the left side of the connecting passage 70 through this partition door 72. The partition wall 71 may be, for example, a fire wall or a fire shutter. Furthermore, the partition wall 71 may be configured to separate the connecting passage 70 only in an emergency, rather than separating the connecting passage 70 at all times.

[0024] As such, since the connecting passage 70 of this embodiment has a partition wall 71, even if a fire breaks out in the starboard passage 50, for example, the flames and smoke associated with the fire can be prevented from reaching the port passage 60, and even if a fire breaks out in the port passage 60, the flames and smoke associated with the fire can be prevented from reaching the starboard passage 50.

[0025] Furthermore, the connecting passage 70 of this embodiment has a control compartment entrance 73 and is connected to the control compartment 24 via this control compartment entrance 73. Therefore, workers can move back and forth between the connecting passage 70 and the control compartment 24 via the control compartment entrance 73. This allows workers to enter and exit the control compartment 24 from the internal passage 40 without passing through the accommodation compartment 23, and therefore they can enter and exit the control compartment 24 of the engine room 20 without feeling stressed by noise emitted from the engine 21. In addition, since workers do not pass through the accommodation compartment 23, they can safely enter and exit the control compartment 24 of the engine room 20. Furthermore, since workers do not pass through the accommodation compartment 23, they can quickly access the control compartment 24. Note that the control compartment entrance 73 is provided with a control compartment entrance door 74 that opens and closes the control compartment entrance 73.

[0026] The internal passage 40 may be configured to be accessible from the upper deck 15 using stairs or the like. Furthermore, the floor of the internal passage 40 and the floor of the control compartment 24 may be at different heights. In this case, the internal passage 40 may have stairs leading from the floor to the control compartment entrance 73, and the control compartment 24 may have stairs leading from the floor to the control compartment entrance 73.

[0027] <Regarding the Doors> As described above, the internal passage 40 of this embodiment has the accommodation area entrance doors 55, 65, the storage area entrance doors 57, 67, the partition door 72, and the control area entrance door 74. The accommodation area entrance doors 55, 65, the storage area entrance doors 57, 67, the partition door 72, and the control area entrance door 74 are collectively referred to as the "internal passage doors." In this embodiment, all of the internal passage doors are configured to be lockable. Therefore, for example, even if pirates invade the floating structure 100, passengers can escape to the engine room 20 and lock the internal passage doors to prevent harm from the pirates. However, only some of the internal passage doors may be configured to be lockable.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, the rightmost door among the internal passage doors is located to the left of the straight section 51 of the starboard passage 50. Furthermore, the leftmost door among the internal passage doors is located to the right of the straight section 61 of the port passage 60. By arranging the internal passage doors in this manner, even if the hull 11 tilts, water will not enter the engine room 20 or the accommodation space 30 through the internal passage doors as long as the tilt angle is within a predetermined angle. Therefore, the internal passage doors can be inexpensive non-watertight doors, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the floating structure 100. Note that the internal passage 40 may have doors other than those included in the above-mentioned internal passage doors. Even in this case, the manufacturing cost of the floating structure 100 can be reduced by positioning the rightmost door of the internal passage 40 to the left of the straight section 51 of the starboard passage 50 and the leftmost door to the right of the straight section 61 of the port passage 60.

[0029] (Variation 1) Although the floating structure 100 has been described above, the configuration of the floating structure 100 is not limited to the above. For example, in FIG. 2 , the connecting passage 70 is connected to the control compartment 24 via the control compartment entrance 73. However, as shown in FIG. 3 , the connecting passage 70 may be connected to the control compartment 24 via the control compartment entrance 73 and the relay compartment 25. The relay compartment 25 here is a compartment that is isolated from the accommodation compartment 23 and connected to the control compartment 24. The relay compartment 25 may be, for example, a switchboard compartment in which a switchboard is installed. Even with the configuration shown in FIG. 3 , workers can enter and exit the control compartment 24 from the internal passage 40 without passing through the accommodation compartment 23. This allows workers to enter and exit the control compartment 24 in the engine room 20 without feeling stressed by noise emitted from the engine 21. The relay compartment 25 may be configured so that workers can move between the accommodation compartment 23 and the relay compartment 25 via an entrance or exit with a door.

[0030] 4 , the control compartment entrance 73 may include a right control compartment entrance 75 located to the right of the partition wall 71 and a left control compartment entrance 76 located to the left of the partition wall 71. With this configuration, even if a fire breaks out in the internal passage 40, for example, workers can enter and exit the control compartment 24 without passing through an area that is relatively heavily affected by the fire. Note that the right control compartment entrance 75 may be provided with a lockable right control compartment entrance door 77 that opens and closes the right control compartment entrance 75, and the left control compartment entrance 76 may be provided with a lockable left control compartment entrance door 78 that opens and closes the left control compartment entrance 76.

[0031] (Variation 3) Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, if the control compartment 24 is located at the left end of the engine room 20, the control compartment entrance 73 may be located in the port passage 60. In this case, the connecting passage 70 can be omitted from the internal passage 40. Although not shown, if the control compartment 24 is located at the right end, the control compartment entrance 73 may be located in the starboard passage 50.

[0032] (Variation 4) Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6 , the internal passageway 40 may have a connecting passageway 80 adjacent to the accommodation space 30, in addition to the connecting passageway 70 adjacent to the engine room 20. The connecting passageway 80 adjacent to the accommodation space 30 connects to the starboard passageway 50 and the port passageway 60, thereby connecting the starboard passageway 50 and the port passageway 60. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6 , the connecting passageway 80 may have an accommodation space entrance 81 and be connected to the lower section 32 of the accommodation space 30 via this accommodation space entrance 81. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 improves the degree of freedom of access from the internal passageway 40 to the accommodation space 30. Note that the accommodation space entrance 81 may be provided with a lockable accommodation space entrance door 82 that opens and closes the accommodation space entrance 81.

[0033] (Summary) The first item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure comprising an engine room and an internal passageway outside the engine room and below the upper deck, the engine room including an accommodation compartment that accommodates an engine which is a heat engine, a steam generator, or a power generation unit, and a control compartment that is isolated from the accommodation compartment and in which operators control and / or monitor the engine, the internal passageway including a control compartment entrance and connecting to the control compartment via the control compartment entrance, or connecting to the control compartment via the control compartment entrance and a relay compartment that is isolated from the accommodation compartment.

[0034] With this configuration, workers can enter and exit the control area without stress, without passing through the storage area.

[0035] The second item disclosed in this specification is the floating structure described in the first item, wherein the internal passageways include a starboard passageway extending along the starboard side, a port passageway extending along the port side, and a connecting passageway connecting the starboard passageway and the port passageway and connecting the starboard passageway and the port passageway, and the control compartment port is located in the connecting passageway.

[0036] This configuration makes it easier to arrange the control section entrance in accordance with the position of the control section.

[0037] The third item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure described in the second item, further comprising an accommodation area including a lower section located below the upper deck, the internal passageway connecting to the lower section of the accommodation area, and the connecting passageway being on the accommodation area side as viewed from the engine room.

[0038] This configuration allows workers to move between the accommodation area and the control area without going outside the ship.

[0039] A fourth item disclosed in this specification is the floating structure according to the first or second item, wherein the connecting passage has a partition wall that separates the connecting passage into left and right compartments.

[0040] With this configuration, even if a fire breaks out in the internal passage, the spread of flames and smoke caused by the fire can be suppressed.

[0041] The fifth item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure described in the fourth item, wherein the control compartment entrance has a right control compartment entrance located to the right of the partition wall and a left control compartment entrance located to the left of the partition wall.

[0042] With this configuration, even if a fire breaks out in the internal passage, workers can enter and exit the control section without passing through sections that are more likely to be affected by the fire.

[0043] A sixth item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure described in any one of the first to fifth items, wherein the internal passage includes a lockable control compartment entrance door that opens and closes the control compartment entrance.

[0044] With this configuration, even if pirates invade the floating structure, passengers can escape to the engine room and lock the internal passage door, thereby preventing harm from the pirates.

[0045] The seventh item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure described in any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the internal passage has a starboard passage that extends along the starboard side and includes a straight section with a constant width dimension, and the rightmost door of the internal passage is located to the left of the straight section of the starboard passage.

[0046] With this configuration, water is less likely to enter the engine room or living quarters through the doors in the internal passage, so each door can be made into an inexpensive non-watertight door, which reduces the manufacturing costs of the floating structure.

[0047] The eighth item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure described in any one of the first to seventh items, wherein the internal passage has a port-side passage that extends along the port side and includes a straight section with a constant width dimension, and the leftmost door of the internal passage is located to the right of the straight section of the port-side passage.

[0048] With this configuration, water is less likely to enter the engine room or living quarters through the doors in the internal passage, so each door can be made into an inexpensive non-watertight door, which reduces the manufacturing costs of the floating structure.

[0049] The ninth item disclosed in this specification is a floating structure comprising an accommodation area including a lower section located below the upper deck, and an internal passageway outside the accommodation area and located below the upper deck, wherein the internal passageway includes a starboard passageway extending along the starboard side, a port passageway extending along the port side, and a connecting passageway connecting to the starboard passageway and the port passageway and connecting the starboard passageway and the port passageway, and wherein the connecting passageway has an accommodation area entrance and is connected to the lower section of the accommodation area via the accommodation area entrance.

[0050] This configuration improves the degree of freedom in accessing residential areas.

[0051] 15 Upper deck 20 Engine room 21 Engine 23 Accommodation area 24 Control area 25 Relay area 30 Accommodation area 32 Lower section 40 Internal passage 50 Starboard passage 54 Accommodation area entrance 60 Port passage 70 Connecting passage 71 Partition wall 73 Control area entrance 74 Control area entrance door 75 Right control area entrance 76 Left control area entrance 80 Connecting passage 81 Accommodation area entrance 100 Floating structure

Claims

1. An engine room and an internal passage below the upper deck and outside the engine room are provided. The engine room includes a housing section for housing an engine such as a thermal engine, a steam generator, or a power generation device, and a control section separated from the housing section where an operator controls and / or monitors the engine. The internal passage includes a control section opening, and is connected to the control section through the control section opening or is connected to the control section through a relay section separated from the control section opening and the housing section. A floating structure.

2. The internal passage includes a starboard passage extending along the starboard side, a port passage extending along the port side, and a connecting passage connecting the starboard passage and the port passage and connecting the starboard passage and the port passage. The control section opening is in the connecting passage. The floating structure according to claim 1.

3. Further provided is a living area including a lower layer below the upper deck. The internal passage is connected to the lower layer of the living area. The connecting passage is on the living area side when viewed from the engine room. The floating structure according to claim 2.

4. The connecting passage has a partition wall that divides the connecting passage into left and right sections. The floating structure according to claim 2.

5. The control section opening has a right control section opening to the right of the partition wall and a left control section opening to the left of the partition wall. The floating structure according to claim 4.

6. The internal passage includes a lockable control section opening door for opening and closing the control section opening. The floating structure according to claim 1.

7. The internal passage has a starboard passage extending along the starboard side and including a straight section with a constant width dimension. The rightmost door among the doors of the internal passage is to the left of the straight section of the starboard passage. The floating structure according to claim 1.

8. The internal passage has a port passage extending along the port side and including a straight section with a constant width dimension. The leftmost door among the doors of the internal passage is to the right of the straight section of the port passage. The floating structure according to claim 1.

9. A living area including a lower portion below the upper deck, and an internal passageway located below the upper deck outside the living area, the internal passageway including a starboard passageway extending along the starboard side, a port passageway extending along the port side, and a connecting passageway connecting to the starboard passageway and the port passageway and linking the starboard passageway and the port passageway, the connecting passageway having a living area opening and connecting to the lower portion of the living area through the living area opening, a floating structure.