CN1031355A

CN1031355A - The convertible articulated mechanical coupling and the base thereof that are used for offshore platform tension force anchoring location

Info

Publication number: CN1031355A
Application number: CN88104895A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿波罗尼奥·迪·麦欧
Original assignee: Aoip S P A (it) Corso Venezia 16-Milan Italy
Current assignee: Aoip S P A (it) Corso Venezia 16-Milan Italy; Agip SpA
Priority date: 1987-08-07
Filing date: 1988-08-06
Publication date: 1989-03-01
Also published as: JPS6452994A; AU2026188A; IT8784148A0; IT1214271B; DK441188D0; BR8804173A; CA1324917C; MX169598B; DK441188A; EP0302546A1; NO883443L; AU600155B2; NO883443D0

Abstract

A kind of convertible movable joint mechanical attachment mooring positioning device that is used for offshore platform, it comprises a first and a second portion, and first is a hollow housing, and it is opened up and has one group of double wedge 2; Second portion forms a cylinder 1, has one group of groove 12 in it, double wedge 2 and groove 12 mutual actions.

Description

The convertible articulated mechanical coupling and the base thereof that are used for offshore platform tension force anchoring location

The present invention relates to a kind of convertible articulated mechanical coupling and base thereof, be used for the mooring positioning device of tension leg offshore platform is connected on the basis that is located at the seabed with mechanical means.

As everyone knows, this platform is to use one group of tension force anchoring arrangement to navigate to the seabed, has wherein used a kind of convertible mechanical coupling, and it can be connected with the base of having a mind to be contained on the basis, thereby the basis at platform and place, seabed is coupled together.

Original various convertible mechanical coupling that is used for the tension leg type offshore platform is connected to the seabed requires its assembly to handle with mechanical means or hydraulic method, so that unitor can be connected with the respective seat on the basis or throw off.

Carry out this manipulation just needs to use accessory equipment or need between platform and unitor hydraulic tubing be installed in the seabed, thereby certainly will increase expenditure, prolong the operating time, possibility causes handling the danger of error owing to above-mentioned unitor maneuvering device or its element malfunction in addition.

Purpose of the present invention is exactly in order to eliminate above-mentioned shortcoming, proposes a kind ofly simply registration device to be descended, rises and rotation just can be automatically and the unitor of the base uniqueness that is connected and throws off accordingly.

In addition, the unitor that the present invention proposes only is made up of a small amount of part, has that structure is very simple, low cost of manufacture, operation reliably and surely connects and advantage such as disengagement.

Because unitor has adopted following structure, above-mentioned purpose is achieved: unitor is a hollow housing, its top is opened wide, the tooth that one group of evagination is arranged on its outside face, they arrange that rising sun shape is radially overhanging, at housing bottom one cylindrical shape annex is housed, unitor is more easily injected in the base also correctly in base, locate.

In unitor housing inboard, the annular flexible part is installed, in this flexible element inboard a ring is installed then; This ring rests on the end face of rod bottom place's frustum of a cone shape or the thick portion of ball-shaped.

Above-mentioned rod protrudes upward by the open top of unitor hollow housing, and the rod top is welded to the bottom of offshore platform registration device, perhaps with other method rod and mooring positioning device is fused.

Above-mentioned annulus and the part that links to each other with it, promptly flexible element, unitor housing and corresponding annex can rotate with respect to rod around vertical axis.

Being installed in the base of the unitor on the basis, is a cylinder, has some grooves within it on the side; And between these grooves, having one group of inlet grooves at least, its quantity equals the quantity of double wedge; Between inlet grooves, have the groove that shut on one group of its top, be used for blocking double wedge.

As long as unitor is injected base fully, mention unitor then, unitor and corresponding base are blocked and couple together.

When unitor injected, double wedge slided into the inlet grooves on the base cylinder medial surface, and inclined notches formed makes the housing of unitor rotate around vertical axis; When unitor was upgraded, because the influence that the rotation that produces when injecting causes, double wedge slided in the groove of shutting on the top, and is stuck in the top of groove.

As long as unitor is descended in base fully, it is outwards shunk back in base, unitor and base are thrown off.

When unitor descended, double wedge moved along inclined groove, thereby unitor is further rotated around vertical axis; When then unitor being promoted, because the influence that the rotation that produces when descending causes, double wedge changes inlet grooves over to, thereby unitor can be extracted out from base.

When unitor was stuck in the base, the power of being come by the mooring positioning device transmission passed to above-mentioned base by double wedge, unitor body, flexible element, annulus and rod; Because the deformability of flexible element, the registration device of offshore platform can and be swung slightly with respect to the vertical axis inclination.

Can understand the embodiment of other characteristics of the present invention and various recommendations by following introduction; Introduction is carried out in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, has only introduced a kind of recommended embodiment, and this only is exemplary, and concrete the introduction acts on without limits to the scope of the invention, can do technical or structural change in other words within the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is the cutaway drawing that design-calculated inserted and be stuck in the unitor in the corresponding base according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the vertical sectional view of the design-calculated unitor base according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the cutaway drawing of the design-calculated unitor according to the present invention, and wherein unitor has all injected in the corresponding base, and rod and registration device tilt to some extent with respect to vertical direction.

Referring to each figure, unitor is made up of following each several part; The hollow housing 1 that the top is opened wide has the tooth 2 of one group of evagination on its outer surface, and it is radially overhanging that they are arranged to rising sun shape, and other has an annex 3 that is installed in housing bottom.

The last bench section of above-mentioned annex 3 equals the bench section of going to the bottom of the ducted body 1 of unitor, the bench section of annex 3 just reduces downwards gradually, the bench section just remains unchanged after reducing to a certain diameter, becomes cylindrical shape, at the annex lower bottom part one cone or hemisphere may be housed.

Rod 4 protrudes upward by the open top of unitor hollow housing 1, and its top is welded to the bottom of offshore platform registration device 5, perhaps with other method rod 4 and registration device 5 is fused.

Place, the bottom of the rod 4 in the ducted body 1 of unitor has one thick 6, preferably become on this top of thick 6 frustum of a cone shape or sphere (to small part coning or spherical).

Rod 4 by thick 6 bottom, rests on the spherical seat 7 that is installed within the annex 3.

On thick 6 upper surface (preferably becoming frustum of a cone shape or sphere) annulus 8 is housed, this annulus can rotate with respect to rod around vertical axis.

The flexible element 9 of annular is housed between the inside face of the outside face of annulus 8 and ducted body 1, and it is to make with elastomeric material and metal, perhaps makes with other suitable material; When elastic deformations take place in flexible element 9, the lower end of rod 4 and registration device 5 just can tilt (as shown in Figure 3) with respect to vertical direction.

The base that is fixed on the basis in seabed is a cylinder 11, and its top has one to enter cone 10.Have

groove

12,13,14 and 15 in the inboard of cylinder 11; When the unitor ducted body inserts base or when base is extracted, just slip in

groove

12,13,14 and 15 of the double wedge 2 on it.

Under the above-mentioned groove area of cylinder 11 inboards, centering cone 17 is installed; The open-topped diameter of this cone equals the internal diameter of cylinder 11, and the diameter of this cone base opening is a bit larger tham the diameter of the cylindrical part of annex 3; Centering ring 18 is housed in the bottom of centering cone 17.

Offer inlet grooves 12 near the upper end of cylinder 11, its quantity equals the quantity of double wedge 2.On top, the sidewall of each inlet grooves 12 is a bevelled with respect to vertical direction, shrinks gradually downwards; In the bottom, wall 12a disperses downwards, and wall 12b is vertically downward.

Upper end near cylinder 11 offers the groove that shut on the top between inlet grooves 12.The wall 12b of the sidewall 13a(of the groove 13 that shut on each top it and inlet grooves 12 is adjacent) be bevelled, upwards shrink gradually; And the sidewall 13b of the groove 13 that shut on each top is vertically downward; Above-mentioned groove 13 is shut the groove top by a surface, and double wedge 2 can enter groove and rest on this surface.

Cylinder 11 inboards, inlet grooves 12 and top shut groove 13 below offer downside inlet grooves 14.

The quantity of downside inlet grooves 14 equals the quantity of double wedge, and each groove 14 has a sidewall 14a; Sidewall 14a begins at the vertical plane surface place at the narrowest section place of upside inlet grooves 12, and continue downward-sloping, close gradually towards the second sidewall 14b; The second sidewall 14b becomes vertical configuration, is under the sloped sidewall of the groove of shutting on the top 13.

Following side outlet groove 15 is opened in groove 13 belows of shutting in cylinder 11 inboards, inlet grooves 12 and top, and is between the downside inlet grooves 14.

Each down side outlet groove 15 a sidewall 15a is arranged, the lower end place of the groove 13 that it is shut on the top begins, and continue downward-sloping, close gradually towards the second sidewall 15b; The second sidewall 15a becomes vertical configuration, is under the bevelled of upside inlet grooves 12, the downward sidewall that shrinks.

When unitor being inserted in the cylinder 11, unitor just blocks in corresponding base, and the double wedge 2 of the ducted body 1 of unitor has entered in the inlet grooves 12 therebetween; Slip into downside inlet grooves 14 up to double wedge, the insertion process of unitor just terminates.

In the process that unitor descends, because the effect of the angle of sides of inlet grooves 12 and downside inlet grooves 14, the ducted body 1 of unitor and flexible element 9 and annulus 8 just rotate around vertical axis.

In the process that unitor descends, columnar annex 3 enters centering ring 18 under the guiding of centering cone 17; When unitor all inserted base, the ducted body 1 of unitor just rested on (referring to Fig. 3) on the centering cone 17.

After unitor injects base fully, it is upgraded, the double wedge 2 of the ducted body 1 of unitor enters in the groove of shutting on the top 13, and double wedge 2 stops at the top end of groove, and this moment, double wedge just in time rested on the surface 16 of cylinder 11.

After double wedge rested on the surface 16, the body of unitor 1 just can not made vertical direction, horizontal direction moves or rotate.

When unitor was upgraded, because the effect of the gradient of the sidewall 13a of the groove that shut on the top, the body 1 of unitor, flexible body 9 and annulus 8 just rotated around vertical axis.

When unitor and base are thrown off, only need make unitor decline cylinder 11 in once more, so the double wedge 2 of the body 1 of unitor is deviate from the groove of shutting on the top 13, and enter downside and go out port recess 15.Unitor dropped to the end in base after, unitor upgraded again, and double wedge 2 slips among the inlet grooves 12, thereby unitor can be deviate from from base.

Unitor and base are coupled together or throw off and unitor descended and the process that promotes in because the effect of the gradient of the sidewall 15a of side outlet groove and inlet grooves sidewall 12a down, the body 1 of unitor, flexible element 9 and annulus 8 rotate around vertical axis.

Unitor also can not adorned annulus 8, and makes flexible element 9 directly be contained in the thick part 6 of rod 8; As adopt this structure, be connected and throw off operation by what said sequence still can carry out unitor and base; But when unitor rises in base or descends, rod 4 and registration device 5 also will rotate.

The shape of the groove shown in Fig. 2 makes only to need unitor descended and just can be connected unitor with base or throw off with promoting, and do not need to control the rotation amount of the body of unitor, and these all depend on the geometric configuration of groove; But, as long as offer the inlet grooves that the double wedge of unitor uses and go out port recess, offer after double wedge enters the groove of shutting on the top double wedge and unitor body and just can not make the groove that shut on top vertical, horizontal motion, then groove can also adopt other geometric configuration.

Claims

1, a kind of convertible mechanical coupling and base thereof, wherein base is located on the basis, be used for the mooring positioning device of tension leg type offshore platform is fixed on the above-mentioned basis, unitor can be connected on the above-mentioned base mooring positioning device and maybe can take off from base; It is characterized in that unitor is the hollow housing of a top end opening, the tooth of one group of evagination is arranged on its outside face, it is radially overhanging that they are arranged to rising sun shape, at housing bottom one inverted cone shape annex is housed; Open top by hollow housing protrudes upward a rod, the bottom of this rod top and offshore platform registration device fuses, there is a thick portion at the other end place in hollow housing of rod, and it is spherical preferably to become the frustum of a cone to form part at this place, bottom; Between the inside face of the upper surface at above-mentioned thick position and hollow housing a flexible element is arranged, this flexible element directly or indirectly installs on the above-mentioned surface; The base of unitor is a cylinder, the surface offers one group of groove at least within it, there is quantity to equal the inlet grooves of raised teeth number and the groove that shut on the top in this group groove, a kind of groove in back is used for blocking double wedge, its quantity also equals raised teeth number, the sidewall of inlet grooves is a bevelled with respect to vertical direction, and shrinks to transfer to then gradually downwards and disperse; The sidewall of the groove that shut on the top is bevelled and upwards shrinks gradually, also can be vertical, and a kind of groove in back is shut in their top ends.

2, a kind of convertible mechanical coupling and the base thereof that requires according to claim 1, it is characterized in that: the initial horizontal section of annex that is contained in the housing bottom of unitor equals the bench section of the housing bottom of unitor, the initial horizontal section shrinks downwards gradually, after being retracted to certain diameter, just no longer shrink, become cylindrical shape, the bottom of annex is located coning or semisphere; Within the cylinder of base, under the groove, a centering cone is housed, the open-topped diameter of this centering cone equals the internal diameter of unitor housing, and the diameter of its bottom opening is a bit larger tham the diameter of the cylindrical portion of above-mentioned annex.

3, a kind of convertible mechanical coupling and the base thereof that requires according to claim 1, it is characterized in that: a flexible element is housed, the upper surface of this flexible element is attached to the inside face of the housing of unitor, and its lower surface is attached on the annulus on the upper surface of thick portion of rod (upper surface of thick portion preferably is truncated cone shape or sphere); Annulus can rotate around vertical axis with respect to rod.

4, a kind of convertible mechanical coupling and the base thereof that requires according to claim 1 is characterized in that: at first the sidewall of each inlet grooves all is to tilt to shrink gradually with downward, and a sidewall transfers to tilting and expansion then, and another sidewall transfers to vertically; The sidewall that the vertical sidewall of that of the groove that shut on each top and inlet grooves is adjacent then is to tilt and make progress to shrink gradually, and its another sidewall is vertically downward; Also offer second group of groove in the cylinder inboard, their position is below first group, second group of groove is made up of a kind of downside inlet grooves (its quantity equals raised teeth number) and a kind of side outlet groove down, wherein each downside inlet grooves sidewall from the upside inlet grooves bottom near the plane begin, and continue downwards to tilt and move closer to second sidewall of groove, second sidewall is under the groove sloped sidewall vertical and that shut on the top; Near the plane beginning lower end of the groove that a sidewall of each downside inlet grooves is shut from the top, and continue downwards to tilt, move closer to second sidewall of groove, this second sidewall is vertical, and below the bevelled of upside inlet grooves, the downward sidewall of expanding.