Jack-Up Vessel Pinion Load Distribution Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Jack-up vessels experience unequal load distribution over pinions during intended use or adverse environmental conditions, leading to increased wear and potential overload on certain pinions.
Innovation Solution
A control system is implemented in the jack-up vessel to sense load distributions and adjust actuator operations to achieve a pre-determined unequal load distribution before intended use or predicted environmental conditions, ensuring equal load distribution during operations without releasing brakes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional jacking assemblies with multiple pinions are used to support the buoyant hull, then the load capacity is sufficient, but the load distribution over the pinions becomes unequal during operations and adverse environmental conditions, leading to increased wear and potential overload on certain pinions
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs preliminary action by adjusting the load distribution among pinions before adverse conditions occur. The system pre-positions the buoyant hull at a predetermined vertical position where the load is naturally distributed more evenly across all pinions, preventing overload on individual pinions before it happens during operations or storm conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously monitors the vertical position of the buoyant hull and the load distribution across pinions using sensors. Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts the vertical position of the buoyant hull to maintain optimal load distribution, ensuring that no single pinion becomes overloaded during operations or adverse environmental conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the buoyant hull is positioned at various vertical positions to accommodate different operations, then operational versatility is improved, but load distribution over pinions becomes unpredictable and potentially unequal
Solution Approach 1:
The control system identifies predetermined vertical positions where the buoyant hull should be positioned for different operations. At each predetermined position, the load distribution among pinions is pre-calculated and optimized to be as equal as possible. This allows the system to maintain reliable load distribution while accommodating various operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the vertical position parameter of the buoyant hull to optimize load distribution for different operations. By adjusting this single parameter (vertical position) to predetermined values, the system achieves both operational versatility and reliable load distribution without requiring complex real-time calculations during operations.
3Reliability
If pinions are designed to handle maximum load individually, then reliability under unequal load distribution is maintained, but the overall system requires higher load capacity components increasing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The control system pre-positions the buoyant hull at vertical positions where load is evenly distributed across all pinions. This preliminary positioning action ensures that no single pinion needs to handle maximum load, allowing the use of pinions with lower individual load capacity specifications while maintaining overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the vertical position parameter of the buoyant hull, the system transforms the load distribution pattern among pinions. This parameter adjustment ensures that the maximum load on any single pinion remains below the threshold that would require oversized, high-capacity components, thereby reducing device complexity and cost.
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 maintains equal load distribution across pinions during operations, reducing wear and allowing for the use of pinions with lower maximum load/power capacity, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and extending equipment lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
each pinion engaging a rack of a leg chord and being configured for transferring load between the hull and the leg chord
Implementation Method 2
actuators for actuating the pinions of the pinion group, each actuator being configured for actuating a respective pinion
Data Source
AI summary
A jack-up vessel has a buoyant hull, a plurality of jack-up legs including leg chords having racks, and jacking assemblies to relatively move the associated leg chord relatively to the buoyant hull vertically. The jacking assemblies include actuators and a pinion group, including a plurality of pinions arranged vertically above each other. Jacking assemblies include a sensor system for sensing the load distribution associated with a pinion group. The jack-up vessel includes a control system configured for receiving information about an intended use and/or future environmental conditions and determining a pre-operation load distribution over the pinions in the pinion group, in which pre-operation load distribution the loads within this pinion group are unequally distributed, such that during the intended use and/or during the future environmental conditions the loads within this pinion group are equally distributed.