Chain tension control device for mooring of offshore structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chain tension control device for the mooring of an offshore structure, the device being characterized by comprising: a body installed in an offshore structure and supporting a part of a fairlead chain, forming a mooring line, via a wheel that rotates forward and backward around a rotary shaft; an arm which is connected to the body in a diagonal direction, supports a different part of the fairlead chain connected to the body, and in which a pair of blocking members are arranged at one point and another point between one end and the other end of the arm, so as to have a space there-between in the front-rear direction; and a guide roller disposed between side plates at either side of the arm to support the bottom the fairlead chain passing through the arm.

Description

Chain tensioning device for mooring marine structures

[0001] The present invention relates to a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, which enables smooth tension control of the mooring of a marine structure in normal times by controlling the movement of a fairlead chain in both directions, and also enables smooth disconnection of the fairlead chain in an emergency situation, and prevents sagging and twisting of the chain, thereby enabling smooth movement of the chain, and enables easy maintenance of the wheel by allowing the separation of the wheel in contact with the chain, and reduces the operating cost of the marine structure mooring system by allowing the separated wheel to be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of chain tension control devices for mooring a marine structure.

[0002] Marine structures, such as offshore wind turbines, are affected by waves and currents because they are located at sea.

[0003] Therefore, since the movement of marine structures is influenced by waves and currents, if the movement is excessive, it can lead to the loss of marine structures and damage such as collapse.

[0004] Accordingly, various types of 'mooring devices' or 'mooring systems', such as those disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0126022, are used to secure marine structures to a point at sea.

[0005] At this time, the chain extending from the marine structure on the water to the underwater, more specifically, the fairlead chain, is usually connected to a 'fairlead chain stopper', and can be pulled in one direction in the connected state and become taut as it flows, thereby allowing the mooring tension of the marine structure to be adjusted, and thus the mooring of the marine structure can be stably performed.

[0006] However, the fairlead chain stopper applied to the existing offshore structure mooring system could only control the flow of the fairlead chain in one direction, for example, only pulling the fairlead chain from underwater to the surface, so not only was it cumbersome to adjust the mooring tension of the offshore structure, but especially in an emergency situation such as a typhoon when the evacuation of the offshore structure was required, it was not easy to disconnect the fairlead chain without the support of a large fleet, making it difficult to respond quickly.

[0007] In addition, since the fairlead chain stopper applied to the conventional marine structure mooring system has a wheel fixed to the body, the wheel cannot be separated without dismantling the wheel fixing part, so not only is wheel maintenance difficult, but there is also a problem that the operating cost of the marine structure mooring system increases because, for example, a wheel must be installed on each of the multiple fairlead chain stoppers installed in the three directions of the marine structure.

[0008] In addition, the fairlead chain stopper applied to the conventional marine structure mooring system had a problem in that the chain sagged and twisted when the chain moved during the tension adjustment process, making it difficult to move the chain.

[0009] For the above reasons, the field is attempting to develop a chain tension control device for mooring marine structures that can smoothly adjust the mooring tension of marine structures in normal times by controlling the movement of the fairlead chain in both directions, while also enabling the smooth disconnection of the fairlead chain in an emergency situation, and prevents sagging and twisting of the chain to ensure smooth movement of the chain, and allows the separation of the wheel in contact with the chain to facilitate wheel maintenance, and also reduces the cost of operating the marine structure mooring system by allowing the separated wheel to be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of chain tension control devices for mooring marine structures. However, satisfactory results have not been obtained to date.

[0010]

[0011] [Prior Art Literature]

[0012] [Patent Document]

[0013] (Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0126022

[0014] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and provides a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, which enables smooth adjustment of mooring tension of a marine structure in normal times by controlling the movement of a fairlead chain in both directions, and also enables smooth disconnection of the fairlead chain in an emergency situation, and prevents sagging and twisting of the chain, thereby enabling smooth movement of the chain, and allows the separation of a wheel in contact with the chain, thereby facilitating maintenance of the wheel, and reduces the operating cost of a marine structure mooring system by allowing the separated wheel to be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of chain tension control devices for mooring a marine structure.

[0015] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention,

[0016] The present invention proposes a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, comprising: a body installed on a marine structure and supporting a part of a fairlead chain forming a mooring line through a wheel that rotates forward and backward about a rotation axis; an arm that is diagonally connected to the body and supports another part of the fairlead chain extending from the body, and has a pair of blocking members arranged at a point between one end and the other end and at another point with a forward and backward interval; and a guide roller that is arranged between both side plates of the arm and supports a lower end of the fairlead chain passing through the arm; wherein, depending on whether the blocking members move, contact or release with the fairlead chain is made, bidirectional movement of the fairlead chain is controlled, and sagging of the fairlead chain is prevented between the inlet and the outlet of the body by the support of the guide roller.

[0017] The chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention has a pair of blocking members arranged on an arm, and the two-way movement of a fairlead chain passing through the arm can be controlled depending on the behavior of the blocking members. Therefore, by moving and pulling the fairlead chain in one direction in normal times, the mooring tension of the marine structure can be increased, so that the mooring state of the marine structure can be stably maintained, and in an emergency situation, by moving and releasing the fairlead chain in the other direction, the connection with the fairlead chain can be released, so that the evacuation of the marine structure can be quickly accomplished.

[0018] The chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention has a guide roller arranged on an arm, and since the guide roller supports the lower end of a fairlead chain passing through the arm, sagging of the fairlead chain and twisting due to sagging of the fairlead chain can be prevented, so that the movement of the fairlead chain within the arm can be smooth.

[0019] According to the present invention, a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure is provided in a body, in which one and the other rotation axes of a wheel are inserted into one and the other of slot holes formed on both sides of the body, and the entrance of the slot hole is opened and closed by the unidirectional rotation of an operating member driven by a driving means, so that when the entrance of the slot hole is open, one end and the other end of the rotation axle of the wheel can be withdrawn from the slot hole, so that the wheel can be separated from the body, and thus not only can maintenance of the wheel be facilitated, but in particular, since a separated wheel can be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of chain tension control devices for mooring a marine structure, the cost for preparing the wheel can be reduced, and thus the cost for operating a marine structure mooring system can be reduced.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing mooring of a marine structure using a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 is an exemplary drawing showing a connection portion of a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention and a marine structure.

[0023] Fig. 4 is an exemplary diagram showing the flow interruption of a fairlead chain in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0024] Fig. 5 is another example showing the flow interruption of a fairlead chain in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the arrangement of guide rollers in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0026] Fig. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing support of a fairlead chain through a guide roller in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a guide roller in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0028] Fig. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing separation of a wheel in a chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention.

[0029] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the attached drawings.

[0030]

[0031] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the chain tension control device (A) for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention includes a body (100); an arm (200); and a guide roller (300).

[0032] The body (100) of the present invention is installed on a marine structure (10) and supports a part of a fairlead chain (21) forming a mooring line (20) through a wheel (110) that rotates in a positive and negative direction around a rotation axis (111).

[0033] At this time, the body (100) may include a slot hole (121) formed in each of the two side plates (120).

[0034] Accordingly, the body (100) and the wheel (110) can be coupled by inserting one end and the other end of the rotation axis (111) of the wheel (110) into the slot hole (121).

[0035] In addition, the body (100) may include an operating member (122) that is rotatably positioned at the entrance of each slot hole (121) and opens and closes the entrance of the slot hole (121) depending on the direction of rotation; and a driving means (123) that pushes or pulls one end of the operating member (122) to rotate it in one direction.

[0036] Accordingly, the rotation axis (111) of the wheel (110) can be inserted into the slot hole (121) by opening the entrance of the slot hole (121) by one-way rotation of the operating piece (122) driven by the driving means (123), and the rotation axis (111) of the wheel (110) can be prevented from being separated from the slot hole (121) by closing the entrance of the slot hole (121) by another-way rotation of the operating piece (122) driven by the driving means (123).

[0037] Here, the driving means (123) may be of any conventional structure and method as long as it enables rotation of the operating member (122), and an example thereof may be a cylinder (not shown in the drawing) in which a load (not shown in the drawing) is moved in and out by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure.

[0038] Meanwhile, the body (100) is hinged to a support shaft (12a) that is vertically connected to a support member (12) disposed on one of the bollards (11) of the marine structure (10), and rotates positively and negatively within a certain angular range around the support shaft (12a), thereby responding to the left-right flow of the fairlead chain (21), that is, by being able to flow in the left-right direction together with the fairlead chain (21), the support of the fairlead chain (21) by the body (100) can be stably achieved.

[0039] The arm (200) of the present invention is connected diagonally to the body (100) and supports another part of the fairlead chain (21) extending from the body (100).

[0040] At this time, the arm (200) includes a pair of blocking members (210) that are arranged at intervals between one end and the other end, so that the movement of the fairlead chain (21) passing between one end and the other end of the arm (200) can be controlled as the blocking members (210) move.

[0041] That is, when one of the blocking members (210) moves upward and releases contact with the fairlead chain (21), movement of the fairlead chain (21) in the direction in which the corresponding blocking member (210) is located can occur, and when one of the blocking members (210) moves downward and comes into contact with the fairlead chain (21), movement of the fairlead chain (21) in the direction in which the corresponding blocking member (210) is located is blocked.

[0042] And the arm (200) includes a pair of cylinders (220) connected to one and the other of the blocking members (210), respectively, in which the entry and exit of the load (221) is made by hydraulic or pneumatic action; so that the movement of the blocking member (210) can be made by the entry and exit of the load of the cylinders.

[0043] The guide roller (300) of the present invention is placed between the two side plates (230) of the arm (200) to support the lower end of the fairlead chain (21) passing through the arm (200).

[0044] At this time, a plurality of guide rollers (300) may be provided and placed at a certain interval between one end of the arm (200) and the other end.

[0045] Accordingly, since the fairlead chain (21) passing through the arm (200) is supported by each of the plurality of guide rollers (300), not only is the sagging of the fairlead chain (21) prevented between one end of the arm (200) and the other end, but also the twisting of the fairlead chain (21) due to the sagging of the fairlead chain (21) can be prevented, thereby enabling smooth movement of the fairlead chain (21).

[0046] Additionally, the guide roller (300) may include a protective layer (310) surrounding the outer surface.

[0047] Accordingly, not only can damage to the guide roller (300) be prevented by the protective layer (310), but damage to the fairlead chain (21) in contact therewith can also be prevented.

[0048] Here, the protective layer (310) is made of rubber, so that the shock applied from the outside can be mitigated due to the characteristics of the material, thereby preventing damage to the guide roller (300) and the fairlead chain (21).

[0049]

[0050] The mooring of a marine structure (10) using a chain tension control device (A) for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention is described in detail as follows.

[0051] The body (100) of the present invention is installed in a marine structure (10).

[0052] At this time, the body (100) is hinged to a support shaft (12a) that is vertically connected to a support member (12) arranged on one of the bollards (11) of the marine structure (10) as illustrated in FIG. 3, and can rotate positively and negatively within a certain angular range around the support shaft (12a), so that it can respond to the left-right flow of the fairlead chain (21), that is, it can flow in the left-right direction together with the fairlead chain (21), so that the support of the fairlead chain (21) by the body (100) can be stably performed.

[0053] And the body (100) includes a wheel (110) that rotates forward and backward about a rotation axis (111), so that by hanging a fairlead chain (21) forming a mooring line (20) on the wheel (110), the fairlead chain (21) can move forward and backward by the forward and reverse rotation of the wheel (110), and by pulling one end of the fairlead chain (21) exposed to the water surface, the tension of the fairlead chain (21) can be adjusted, more specifically, the tension can be increased, thereby stably mooring the marine structure (10).

[0054] Here, as shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of mooring lines (20) are provided and connected to a plurality of points of the marine structure (10), for example, connected in three directions, so that the mooring of the marine structure (10) can be stably achieved by the support of each mooring line (20).

[0055] However, if the fairlead chain (21) is unintentionally detached from the body (100), mooring of the marine structure (10) may become impossible.

[0056] However, in the present invention, the fairlead chain (21) is connected to the wheel (110) via an arm (200) connected to the body (100), and in particular, the arm (200) includes a pair of blocking members (210) arranged at a point and another point between one end and the other end with a gap therebetween, so that as the blocking members (210) move, the bidirectional movement of the fairlead chain (21) can be controlled as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0057] For example, as one of the blocking members (210) positioned relatively closer to the body (100) moves upward, the contact between the blocking member (210) and the fairlead chain (21) is released, so that the fairlead chain (21) can only move toward the body (100), and as the other blocking member (210) positioned relatively farther from the body (100) moves upward, the contact between the blocking member (210) and the fairlead chain (21) is released, so that the fairlead chain (21) can only move toward the opposite direction of the body (100).

[0058] Therefore, in cases where tension control of the fairlead chain (21) is required, the blocking member (210) located relatively farther from the body (100) is moved downwards to come into contact with the fairlead chain (21), thereby preventing unintended detachment of the fairlead chain (21) from the body (100), and thereby stably mooring the marine structure (10).

[0059] At this time, the movement of the blocking member (210) can be achieved by the cylinder (220).

[0060] That is, the arm (200) of the present invention may include a pair of cylinders (220) connected to one and the other of the blocking members (210), respectively, and in which the entry and exit of the rod (221) is made by hydraulic or pneumatic action; so that the movement of the blocking member (210) can be made according to the entry and exit of the rod (221) of the cylinder (220), thereby reducing the inconvenience associated with the movement of the blocking member (210).

[0061] Meanwhile, the chain tension control device (A) for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention can prevent sagging and twisting of the fairlead chain (21) when the fairlead chain (21) moves in the arm (200).

[0062] That is, the present invention includes a guide roller (300) that is disposed between both side plates (120) of an arm (200) as shown in FIG. 6 and supports the lower end of a fairlead chain (21) passing through the arm (200). Not only can sagging of the fairlead chain (21) be prevented by the lower end support of the fairlead chain (21) by the guide roller (300), but twisting due to sagging of the fairlead chain (21) can also be prevented, so that the fairlead chain (21) can progress stably within the arm (200).

[0063] At this time, a plurality of guide rollers (300) may be provided and arranged with a certain interval between one end of the arm (200) and the other end. As shown in FIG. 7, since the fairlead chain (21) passing through the arm (200) is supported by each of the plurality of guide rollers (300), the sagging and twisting of the fairlead chain (21) can be prevented more smoothly.

[0064] In addition, the guide roller (300) may include a protective layer (310) surrounding the outer surface as shown in FIG. 8, so that not only can damage to the guide roller (300) be prevented by the protective layer (310), but also damage to the fairlead chain (21) in contact therewith can be prevented.

[0065] Here, the protective layer (310) may be made of rubber, and since the material's characteristics can mitigate impact applied from the outside, damage to the guide roller (300) and the chain can be prevented.

[0066] In addition, the chain tension control device (A) for mooring a marine structure according to the present invention can separate the wheel (110) from the body (100).

[0067] That is, the body (100) of the present invention may include a slot hole (121) formed in each of the two side plates (120), and one end and the other end of the rotation axis (111) of the wheel (110) may be inserted into each of the slot holes (121), so that the wheel (110) can be withdrawn while the slot hole (121) is open as shown in FIG. 9, and thus the wheel (110) can be separated, thereby facilitating maintenance of the wheel (110). In addition, since the separated wheel (110) can be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of mooring chain tension adjusting devices (A) for marine structures, the cost of preparing the wheel (110) can be reduced.

[0068] However, if the rotation axis (111) of the wheel (110) is unintentionally disengaged from the slit hole, the progress of the fairlead chain (21) due to the rotation of the wheel (110) may be impossible.

[0069] However, the body (100) of the present invention may include an operating member (122) that is rotatably arranged at the entrance of each slot hole (121) to open and close the entrance of the slot hole (121) according to the rotation direction; and a driving means (123) that pushes or pulls one end of the operating member (122) to rotate it in one direction; so that the entrance of the slot hole (121) can be closed by the rotation of the operating member (122) in one direction by the driving means (123), thereby preventing the rotational axis (111) of the wheel (110) from being unintentionally separated from the slot hole (121).

[0070]

[0071] The present invention as described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and thus may be modified within a scope that does not depart from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications are within the scope of protection of the present invention defined by the following claims.

[0072]

[0073] [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Marine structures 11: Bollards

[0075] 12: Support member 12a: Support shaft

[0076] 20: Mooring line 21: Fairlead chain

[0077] 100: Body 110: Wheel

[0078] 111: Rotation axis 120: Side plate

[0079] 121: Slot hole 122: Operation section

[0080] 123: Drive means 200: Arm

[0081] 210: Blocking member 220: Cylinder

[0082] 221: Rod 230: Side plate

[0083] 300: Guide roller 310: Protective layer

[0084] A: Chain tension adjuster

[0085] The present invention not only enables smooth adjustment of mooring tension of marine structures in normal times but also smooth disconnection of fairlead chain in emergency situations, prevents sagging and twisting of the chain to enable smooth movement of the chain, facilitates wheel maintenance, and reduces the cost of operating a marine structure mooring system, so it has industrial applicability related to the production of a chain tension adjustment device for mooring marine structures.

Claims

1. A body that is installed on a marine structure and supports a portion of a fairlead chain forming a mooring line through a wheel that rotates in a positive direction around a rotation axis; An arm that is connected diagonally to the body and supports another part of the fairlead chain extending from the body, with a pair of blocking members arranged at a distance forward and backward between one end and the other end and at one point and the other end; and A guide roller is disposed between both side plates of the arm and supports the lower end of the fairlead chain passing through the arm; The bidirectional movement of the fairlead chain is controlled by the contact or release with the fairlead chain depending on the behavior of the above blocking member. A chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, characterized in that sagging of the fairlead chain between the inlet and outlet of the body is prevented by the support of the guide roller.

2. In paragraph 1, A chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, characterized in that the body is hinge-connected to a support axis that is vertically connected to a support member arranged on one of the bollards of the marine structure and rotates around the support axis.

3. In paragraph 1, A chain tension control device for mooring marine structures, characterized in that the above-mentioned arm is hinge-connected to the above-mentioned body and rotates forward and backward within a certain angular range around an axis extending in a horizontal direction.

4. In paragraph 1, A chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, characterized in that the above-mentioned arm includes a pair of cylinders, each of which is connected to one and the other of the above-mentioned blocking members, and in which the entry and exit of the load is made by hydraulic or pneumatic action.

5. In paragraph 1, A chain tension control device for mooring a marine structure, characterized in that the above guide rollers are provided in multiple numbers and arranged with a constant interval between one end of the arm and the other end.

6. In paragraph 1, A chain tension control device for mooring marine structures, characterized in that the above guide roller includes a protective layer covering the outer surface.

7. In paragraph 1, The body includes a slot hole formed in each of the two side plates; an operating member rotatably positioned at the entrance of each of the slot holes to open and close the entrance of the slot hole according to the rotation direction; and a driving means for pushing one end of the operating member or rotating it in one direction. A chain tension adjusting device for mooring a marine structure, characterized in that one end of the above wheel and the other end of the above rotational axis are inserted into each of the above holes.

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