Mooring Latch for Offshore Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional offshore installation processes are time-consuming, costly, and often require specialized equipment and skilled technicians, as well as subsea activities, to attach structures to the ocean floor, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A mooring latch system that allows for the structural attachment of offshore structures to each other using a passive and active portion, where the passive portion is anchored to the ocean floor and the active portion is latched using a mooring line, enabling compression or tension loading and swiveling, without the need for specialized tools or subsea actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional offshore installation processes are used to attach structures to the ocean floor, then the structures can be permanently attached, but the process becomes time-consuming and costly requiring specialized equipment and skilled technicians
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is divided into two main segments: a passive foundation portion anchored to the ocean floor and an active latching portion that can be opened and closed. This segmentation allows the foundation to be installed once permanently while the latching mechanism can be operated multiple times from the surface, resolving the contradiction between permanent attachment and installation time.
Solution Approach 2:
A mooring line acts as an intermediary mechanism that transmits force from surface vessels to the submerged latching portion. This allows operators on surface vessels to control the latching mechanism without needing to deploy divers or ROVs, significantly reducing installation time and eliminating the need for specialized subsea equipment.
2Reliability
If traditional offshore installation processes are used, then structures can be attached to the ocean floor, but specialized equipment and skilled technicians are required
Solution Approach 1:
The complex actuation mechanism is extracted from the subsea environment and placed on surface vessels. The latching portion contains only simple mechanical components that can be operated by a mooring line, removing the need for complex subsea actuators, hydraulic systems, or electrical components that would require specialized installation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The latching mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the mooring line system. The same mooring line used to position and tension the structure also serves to open and close the latching mechanism, eliminating the need for separate actuation systems and reducing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If grout is used to fill gaps between structure parts, then permanent attachment is achieved, but the operation cannot be reversed and requires specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The latching mechanism transitions from a static permanent attachment (like grout) to a dynamic reversible system. The latching portion can be opened and closed multiple times along the mooring line, allowing the structure to be repositioned, adjusted, or removed if needed, while still providing secure attachment when closed.
4Adaptability or versatility
If bolting flanges together is used, then reversible attachment is achieved, but divers or underwater vehicles are required to undertake the operation
Solution Approach 1:
The mooring line serves as an intermediary that allows surface-based operation of the latching mechanism. Instead of requiring divers or ROVs to manually operate bolts or latches underwater, the mooring line transmits the operational force from the surface, enabling reversible attachment without subsea human intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A mooring latch includes a passive foundation portion and a latching portion. The latching portion includes a mechanism, a conical surface shaped to mate with a conical surface of the passive portion, a connector for connection to a mooring structure and permitting rotation about a horizontal axis. The mechanism has a latched configuration that mates the conical surfaces and permits rotations about a shared vertical axis of the conical surfaces. A mooring line threaded through the passive and latching portions and equipped with one or more stops may be used to guide the latching portion to or from the passive portion and to actuate latching or unlatching or the mooring latch.