Floating Work Platform Lifting System for Underwater Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for lifting and working on underwater platforms are inefficient due to limitations in speed and flexibility, particularly in windy, deep, and tidal environments, making it difficult to clear obstacles like sea mines effectively.
Innovation Solution
A buoyant working platform with a lifting system featuring hydraulically operated spider-leg-like support members that can be precisely positioned above the seabed, allowing for quick and stable lifting and lowering of the platform, independent of wave and tidal movements, using telescopic legs and a computer-controlled system for precise movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional lifting systems with four lifting stilts are used, then the platform can be lifted out of the water, but the lifting speed is limited to 1 m per minute and flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting system is divided into multiple independent support members (spider legs) that can be controlled separately. Each support member consists of a lifting arm and supporting leg that can be independently positioned and operated, allowing parallel lifting actions that increase overall lifting speed while maintaining system manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting system transitions from static, fixed-position stilts to dynamic, articulating spider legs with multiple degrees of freedom. The lifting arms can pivot about first pivot points and supporting legs can pivot about second pivot points, enabling adaptive positioning and faster, more flexible lifting operations
2Productivity
If divers are used to identify and clear objects on the seabed, then the method is technically uncomplicated, but productivity is severely limited by wind speed, water depth, wave height and tidal currents
Solution Approach 1:
The buoyant working platform provides natural buoyancy to counteract the weight of the platform and equipment, eliminating the need for complex ballast systems. This simplifies the overall system while enabling rapid deployment and recovery operations that significantly increase productivity compared to diver-based methods
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual diver operations with a mechanized lifting system that uses hydraulic cylinders to control the positioning and lifting of the platform. This substitution eliminates the limitations of human diving while maintaining operational simplicity through centralized hydraulic control
3Stability of the object's composition
If the supporting legs are lowered perpendicularly to the seabed, then the platform can be stabilized, but the distance between legs must be large to prevent tripping, reducing flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The support members transition from rigid, fixed-geometry legs to dynamic spider legs with articulating joints. The lifting arms pivot about first pivot points and supporting legs pivot about second pivot points, allowing the legs to adapt their configuration to various seabed conditions while maintaining stability and enabling closer spacing
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the support structure by allowing the lifting arms and supporting legs to pivot at controlled angles. This enables the same support members to maintain stability across different seabed conditions while allowing closer spacing between support points, increasing positioning flexibility
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
The system enables faster and more flexible operation, allowing the platform to be lifted out of the water in under 2-3 minutes and operate safely in waves up to 1.5 meters high, with enhanced stability and the ability to work in water depths of up to 20 meters, significantly increasing underwater productivity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one hydraulic cylinder (18) is arranged on the lifting arm (10) in order to pivot the lifting arm (10) about the first pivot point (24)
Implementation Method 2
another hydraulic cylinder is arranged on the lift arm in order to move the support leg about the second pivot point on the lift arm
Implementation Method 3
A buoyant working platform with a lifting system for lifting the working platform out of the water or lowering the working platform onto the water
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a floating work platform (2), in particular a work vessel, with a lifting system for raising the work platform (2) out of the water (4) or lowering the work platform (2) onto the water (4), wherein the lifting system comprises at least four hydraulically operated support elements (8). The support elements (8) are multi-part and each has a hydraulically operated lifting arm (10) and a support leg (12), wherein the lifting arm (10) is pivotably arranged on the work platform (2) at a first pivot point (24) and pivotably arranged on the support leg (12) at a second pivot point (25). For this purpose, at least one hydraulic cylinder is arranged on the lifting arm (10) to pivot the lifting arm (10) about the first pivot point (24). The invention further relates to a corresponding method for raising or lowering such a floating work platform (2).