Barge Carrier Sloping Cargo Deck Partial Submersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing barge carriers using the floating dock principle require significant time and energy to adjust draught for loading and offloading, leading to inefficiencies in fuel consumption, resistance, and waste due to the need to alter draught for each port operation, even when only one barge is being handled.
Innovation Solution
A barge carrier with a partially floodable design and a sloping cargo deck that allows for partial submersion to float barges off the deck, reducing the need for extensive ballast water adjustments and enabling efficient loading and offloading by trimming the vessel to optimize cargo deck orientation for horizontal floating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the draught of the barge carrier is increased by flooding ballast tanks to allow barges to float off the cargo deck, then the barges can be removed from the mother vessel, but the time and energy required for pumping huge amounts of water increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the ballast tank system into multiple independent compartments (first ballast tank compartment, second ballast tank compartment, third ballast tank compartment) that can be flooded independently. This segmentation allows only the necessary portion of the vessel to be flooded for barge offloading, rather than flooding the entire vessel, thereby reducing the time and energy required for ballast operations while maintaining operational capability.
2Ease of operation
If the draught of the barge carrier is increased by flooding ballast tanks to allow barges to float off the cargo deck, then the barges can be removed from the mother vessel, but the energy used for pumping huge amounts of water is considerable
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast tank system is segmented into multiple independent compartments that can be flooded selectively. This reduces the total volume of water that needs to be pumped during ballast operations, thereby significantly reducing the energy consumption associated with ballast pumping while maintaining the ability to offload barges effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of flooding the entire vessel to enable barge offloading, the invention applies partial action by flooding only specific ballast tank compartments (typically the aft and mid sections) that are sufficient to lower the cargo deck to the required level for barge flotation. This partial flooding reduces both the water volume to be pumped and the associated energy consumption.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the barge carrier is designed with a horizontal cargo deck for proper barge floating, then barges remain in place during offloading, but the transom must be positioned at or above waterline level to avoid increases in resistance, requiring significant draught alteration
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast tank system is divided into multiple independent compartments (forward, mid, and aft sections) that can be flooded independently. This segmentation provides fine-grained control over the vessel's trim and draught, allowing the cargo deck to be kept horizontal for barge stability while the transom position is optimized for resistance. The independent compartments enable precise draught adjustment without requiring complex global flooding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs dynamic ballast control where the flooding of different ballast tank compartments can be adjusted in real-time to achieve the desired combination of horizontal cargo deck and optimal transom position. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the vessel to maintain both barge stability and hydrodynamic efficiency without requiring excessive draught alteration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces energy consumption and time for ballast tank operations, improves vessel stability, and minimizes the need for extensive draught adjustments, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing waste in port-to-port cargo handling.
Implementation Method 1
The barge carrier of the GB- document is flooded i.e. partially submerged to lower the entire ship so that the barges aboard remain floating on the water above the barge or cargo deck. The flooding is performed by filling ballast tanks so that the draught of the ship may be adjusted as desired.
Implementation Method 2
the marine vessel being one of trimmable by bow, trimmable by stern or heelable between its loading/offloading trim and its sailing trim for leveling at least one cargo deck for the loading/offloading trim
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cargo carrying marine vessel having a cargo deck for carrying at least one independently floating object (10) and means for partially submerging the vessel to flood the cargo deck for floating the at least one floating object (10) above the cargo deck, the cargo deck (44, 54) having a downward and inward slope when the marine vessel is in sailing trim. The present invention relates also to a method of loading and offloading the cargo carrying marine vessel.