Subsea Equipment Motion Restraining System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea equipment handling vessels face challenges in preventing collisions between the vessel and subsea equipment during lowering and retrieval operations.
Innovation Solution
A subsea equipment motion restraining and guidance system featuring a top end engagement member on a main trolley and rail engaging members on an auxiliary trolley, which engage with the subsea equipment to securely manage its motion and prevent collisions, utilizing a combination of hydraulic locking and damping mechanisms to control the equipment's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple hoist system is used to lower and retrieve subsea equipment, then the device complexity is reduced, but collision risk between the vessel and subsea equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motion restraining system is divided into multiple independent components: a main trolley for vertical movement, an auxiliary trolley for lateral positioning, engagement members for securing the equipment, and guide structures for constraining motion paths. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function, improving collision avoidance while maintaining manageable system complexity.
2Reliability
If the subsea equipment is firmly engaged to prevent collisions, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional engagement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
Engagement members serve as intermediary elements between the trolleys and the subsea equipment. These members physically connect to the equipment and transfer forces, providing firm engagement to prevent collisions while isolating the complexity of the restraining mechanism from the equipment itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement system is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The main and auxiliary trolleys can move along their respective guide structures, allowing the engagement points to adjust their positions dynamically during equipment deployment and retrieval operations, adapting to changing spatial requirements.
3Reliability
If the main trolley and auxiliary trolley are added to restrain equipment motion, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trolley system is designed to move along predefined guide structures that constrain motion to specific paths. By establishing these guided pathways, the system achieves stable, predictable motion without requiring complex active control mechanisms, reducing the overall weight while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vessel (2) for handling subsea equipment comprising a subsea equipment hoist system including a winch and a hoist cable (3) for lowering and retrieving subsea equipment (5) in a hoist area of the vessel, a subsea equipment motion restraining and guidance system for restraining subsea equipment motion relative to the vessel in the hoist area. The subsea equipment motion restraining and guidance system includes a main trolley (7), an auxiliary trolley (8) and a vertical trolley guide structure (9) mounted on the hull of the vessel that allows for vertical travel of the trolleys and further a top end engagement member (10), which is movably supported by said main trolley and which is adapted to engage on a top end of the subsea equipment, and one or more rail engaging members (3a) mounted on said auxiliary trolley, each adapted to engage on a vertical rail (11) mounted on said subsea equipment as said subsea equipment passes vertically by said auxiliary trolley.