Buoyancy-Controlled Carrier Chain for Submerged Structure Maintenance
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for attaching testing, cleaning, and repair devices to submerged support structures, such as offshore wind turbines, face challenges in corrosion and marine growth, requiring regular inspection and removal of vegetation, and lack efficient assembly methods.
Innovation Solution
A carrier system featuring a carriage carrier chain with buoyant and non-buoyant cavities, cable winches, and electromagnets for easy positioning and attachment to support structures, allowing for controlled vertical adjustment and precise placement of devices for inspection, cleaning, or repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the carrier system uses traditional heavy structures for underwater support, then structural strength is improved, but assembly complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies buoyancy as a counterweight to gravitational force by incorporating air-filled cavities in the carrier chain links. This allows the system to achieve positive buoyancy for easy surface assembly and manual handling, while dive weights can be attached to achieve negative buoyancy when underwater operation is required. This resolves the contradiction by allowing lightweight construction for easy assembly while providing strength when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier system is divided into modular chain links that can be independently assembled and connected. Each link contains integrated cavities for buoyancy control, allowing the system to be assembled piece-by-piece on the water surface without requiring heavy lifting equipment. The modular design simplifies assembly while maintaining overall structural strength through the chain configuration.
2Ease of operation
If the carrier system is designed to be easily assembled on water surface, then ease of operation is improved, but positioning precision underwater deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamically adjustable buoyancy through floodable cavities that can be filled or emptied of water. This allows the carrier to transition from a positive buoyancy state (for easy surface assembly and handling) to a negative buoyancy state (for precise underwater positioning). The dynamic adjustment of buoyancy enables both easy operation during assembly and precise positioning during underwater deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical positioning systems with a buoyancy-based positioning system. By controlling the buoyancy of individual chain links through floodable cavities, the system achieves precise vertical positioning underwater without complex mechanical actuators or positioning mechanisms, simplifying the overall system while improving positioning capability.
3Device complexity
If the carrier system uses fixed buoyancy design, then structural simplicity is improved, but adaptability in water positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier system employs dynamically controllable buoyancy through floodable cavities that can be filled or emptied based on operational requirements. This allows the same simple structural design to adapt to different positioning needs - positive buoyancy for surface assembly, neutral buoyancy for stable underwater positioning, and negative buoyancy for depth adjustment. The dynamic buoyancy control provides versatility without adding structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the buoyancy parameter of the carrier system by controlling the water content in the cavities. This parameter change allows the same physical structure to achieve different positioning states and adapt to various operational scenarios, from surface assembly to deep water deployment, maintaining structural simplicity while maximizing adaptability.
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
Facilitates simplified and precise assembly and operation of devices around and below water surfaces, enabling effective inspection, cleaning, and repair of submerged structures while minimizing wave interference and ensuring reliable device positioning.
Implementation Method 1
at least some of the chain elements have cavities that can be flooded and drained in such a way that the carriage carrier chain has positive buoyancy in drained cavities in water, in particular sea water, and negative buoyancy in flooded cavities
Implementation Method 2
each of the cable winches can be fastened to the supporting structure at least indirectly by means of electromagnets
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A support system (1) for attaching at least one testing device and/or cleaning device and/or repair device to a support structure below and/or above the water surface of a body of water comprises: a sled carrier chain (5) that can be arranged circumferentially around the support structure and has several interconnectable chain elements (3), and several cable winches (11) arranged circumferentially around the support structure and attached to at least some of the chain elements (3). At least some of the chain elements (3) are designed with such floodable and drainable cavities (9) that the sled carrier chain (5) has positive buoyancy when the cavities (9) are drained and negative buoyancy when the cavities (9) are flooded. The invention further relates to a method for attaching such a support system to a support structure.