EA017190B1 - Submarine rescue system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to technique of recovery of crew members of sunk submarines and can be used for carrying out underwater engineering and diving operations in intracontinental water basins, in remote regions of the world ocean and in the harsh hydrometeorological conditions of Arctic seas. The rescue system comprises a carrier ship (1) and a rescue bell (2) with a coaming deck (13) and a lowering and lifting device, wherein the carrier ship (1) is also provided with a flexible transport pipeline (3) which is mounted thereon, is longitudinally movable and one end of which is connected to the rescue bell (2), the other free end being attached to the body of the carrier ship (1); furthermore, a coaming deck (5) and a hatch (6) are made on the free end of the flexible transport pipeline and reciprocal coaming decks (7, 10) with hatches (8, 11) are made on the carrier ship (1) in the fore and stern section thereof.

Description

The invention relates to techniques for rescuing crews of sunken submarines and can be used for underwater technical and diving operations in inland water basins, in remote areas of the World Ocean, as well as in severe hydrometeorological conditions of the Arctic seas.

In modern technology, rescue bells and autonomous rescue vehicles are used to rescue the crews of sunken submarines (see the Underwater Technologies and the Ocean World journal, 2006, No. 1, pp. 48-55). The principle of their action is the same and consists in the formation, by connecting the coaming pad of the bell or the coaming pad of the autonomous rescue vehicle with the coaming pad of the emergency submarine lying on the ground, a sealed air cavity around the rescue hatch of the emergency submarine. Thanks to this cavity, it becomes possible to open the cover of the rescue hatch of the submarine and transfer its crew to the rescue bell or to the compartment of the autonomous rescue apparatus.

For the delivery of rescue bells and autonomous rescue vehicles to the area where the emergency submarine is located, surface ships or submarines are used (see Marine Collection, No. 3, 1990, pp. 67-70), which at the same time serve as a means to ensure the operation of rescue bells and autonomous rescue vehicles, and a means of receiving a rescued crew.

The practice of rescue operations for submariners has shown both the effectiveness of the use of rescue bells and autonomous rescue vehicles, and their inadequate capabilities. The reason: extremely stringent conditions for rescue operations and the specific environment of activity, which, dictating special requirements for the structural properties of rescue equipment, also create a lot of restrictions on their use. We are talking about the physical conditions of the underwater space - large hydrostatic pressure, complete darkness, zero gravity, currents. These already harsh conditions will certainly add to the excitement of the water surface, strong winds, and in the northern latitudes also low temperatures of water and air, icing of gear and equipment, floating ice or a solid ice field, which not only can significantly interfere with rescue operations, but also completely (at some point in time) to make them impossible. A significant drawback of rescue operations using rescue bells and autonomous rescue vehicles is the length of the preparatory measures and the complexity of the basic work. The use of a rescue bell requires accurate placement of the carrier vessel over the sunken submarine. In conditions of great (4 or more points) excitement, this operation with the required accuracy is practically impossible. The capabilities of autonomous rescue vehicles are significantly limited by small energy reserves and weak propulsion capacities. In some cases, these circumstances may even preclude their landing on the coaming site of the emergency submarine, since the movement of the autonomous rescue vehicle toward the emergency submarine, its maneuvering during additional search and positioning when choosing the moment of landing on the coaming site of the submarine hatch can take a lot of time and require a little more energy for this than an autonomous rescue vehicle can have on board. If the roll of the emergency submarine is more than 45 ° or the speed exceeds 2.5 knots, neither the rescue bell nor the autonomous rescue apparatus are able to dock with the coaming platform of the emergency submarine, since the capacity of their own maneuvering systems is not enough to tilt to the required the corner of the body, as well as the coaming pad rigidly connected with it, nor withstand the force of the current. Neither a rescue bell nor an autonomous rescue apparatus can remove its entire crew from an emergency submarine in one landing, because they do not have sufficient space for this because of a number of technical limitations (for example, displacement, weight, geometric parameters).

As a result, neither rescue bells nor autonomous rescue vehicles allow you to quickly begin rescue operations, create a continuity of the process, and do not provide the ability to remove the entire crew at the same time for one connection to the sunken submarine.

There is also a method of saving the crew of a submarine lying on the ground, according to the patent of the Russian Federation KN 2274583 C2. This method consists in the fact that the rescue submarine stops in the immediate vicinity of the emergency and, between the coaming platform of the rescue submarine and the coaming platform of the emergency submarine, a flexible pipeline is installed using a robotic manipulator, through which the crew of the emergency submarine are transferred to the rescue submarine .

The method contains an idea to solve the issue of the continuity of rescue operations and the transfer of the crew from the emergency submarine to the rescue submarine in full force. However, the proposed constructive solution to this idea has a number of disadvantages that make it impossible to consider it effective both for rescue operations and within the properties and characteristics of the equipment used for underwater operations. For example, the need to bring the rescue submarine closer to the emergency submarine lying on the ground at the minimum necessary distance (judging from Fig. 1 of the patent is 2-5 m) is practically unfeasible. Fight

- 1 017190 submarines in submerged position at low speeds do not have the maneuverability necessary to carry out such a rapprochement, and therefore they cannot be used as salvage clearly. If the submarine is equipped with a bow thruster system and thus the question of the possibility of its rapprochement with the emergency submarine is resolved, then the question of the safety of such a rapprochement will sharply arise, since in the submerged position at low speeds at which it will be necessary to draw the rapprochement, as a body in zero gravity and subjected to various disturbing factors (flow force, inertia of its mass, thrusters, mass inequality and buoyancy) cannot be found os in strict equilibrium state and its inertial oscillations in the transverse, longitudinal and vertical directions may result in bulk to save on a submarine and it is possible to damage the dangerous nature. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that in the underwater position the approach will occur with the complete visual invisibility of the emergency submarine, and at the moment when the television system lights allow it to be seen (from 2 to 10 m, depending on the transparency of the water), the thrusters of the rescue submarine they can disturb the bottom silt so much that visibility becomes zero and the rapprochement operation will either take too much time or end in a collision with a rescue submarine.

A significant drawback of the method is the installation of the pipeline using the robotic manipulator shown in FIG. 3 descriptions of the invention. To keep the pipeline from sinking with its mass of about 50 tons and with the minimum required length of the pipeline of 60 m, a buoyancy volume of approximately 50 m ^{3 is} required. The creation of such buoyancy will lead to the appearance of a structure weighing about 100 tons, which should have either a pipeline (so as not to drown when launching), or a robotic arm (to keep the pipeline from being submerged in an underwater position). As a result, the total mass of the pipeline and the robotic arm will reach 200 tons and will become, as the practice of using underwater rescue vehicles shows, a system not only difficult to manage, but also difficult both for transportation and commissioning, which will not make it possible to reduce duration of preparatory operations and to achieve the efficiency of rescue operations.

The pipeline design cannot have the required working capacity, since fiberglass shells at external pressure (as attempts to use them in rocket science and underwater shipbuilding show) do not have sufficient strength and stability. Flexible inserts with a short length will not be able to provide bending of the pipeline, since from the conditions of ensuring strength they will turn out to be too rigid. With an increase in the length of the flexible inserts, they will be able to provide bending of the pipeline, but at the same time lose their shape, since as a result of the appearance of elasticity they will be compressed by external pressure to a flat state.

A significant drawback of rescue operations using rescue bells, autonomous rescue vehicles and the Method of rescue of the crew of a submarine lying on the ground, according to the patent of the Russian Federation VI 2274583 C2, is the duration of the preparatory measures and the complexity of the basic work. To successfully rescue the personnel of the emergency submarine, the rescue vehicle must arrive in the accident area as soon as possible, start the rescue operation immediately and carry out it in the shortest possible time, since the main criterion for assessing the duration of rescue operations here is the time that people are allowed to stay in the compartments of the emergency submarine boats (for example, under conditions of increasing air pressure in the compartment, the rate of water intake and its level in the compartment, deterioration of the composition of the gas environment, changes in radiation situation).

Of the known systems for rescue crews of sunken submarines, the closest in technical essence to the claimed invention is a complex consisting of a rescue bell and a carrier vessel for this bell (L. Kozyukov. Creation and development of rescue ships of the Navy - Shipbuilding, No. 5, 1997).

The objective of the invention is to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of the processes for saving people from a sunken submarine.

This goal was achieved by the fact that in the known rescue complex, which includes a ship carrier and a rescue bell with a coaming pad and a launching and lifting device, a flexible transport pipeline with longitudinal movement is installed on the ship carrier, one end of which is connected to the rescue bell, and the other end, free, mounted on the hull of the carrier vessel, while on the free end of the flexible transport pipeline a coaming pad and hatch are made, and on the hull of the carrier vessel in the bow and stern it parts are also made reciprocal coaming-platform with hatches.

In addition, the flexible transport pipeline is made in the form of metal shells connected to each other by means of flanges with great freedom of movement relative to each other, and flexible elements made in the form of corrugated pipes of elastic material are installed between the flanges of the shells.

In addition, a gripper with hydraulic cylinders is mounted on the bell, to the rods of which

- 2 017 190 rykh hooks are attached with the possibility of reciprocating movement.

In addition, the coaming pad of the bell is installed on it with the possibility of longitudinal movement and tilt of its longitudinal axis relative to the axis of the bell by means of hydraulic cylinders connected to it and to the bell body.

In addition, hydraulic cylinders are mounted between the sides of the flexible transport pipe to improve the management of the flexible transport pipe.

In addition, a conveyor is mounted in a flexible transport pipeline in the form of a cable driven by the drums of winches and a trolley attached to the cable.

The transport pipeline is designed for the uninterrupted supply of all types of energy to the place of rescue operations at the hull of the sunken submarine without any restrictions both in their required number and in required capacity, which will make the rescue operation continuous and reduce its time to a minimum.

for the immediate delivery of tools, consumables or any parts (tools for cutting, welding, drilling necessary to eliminate spells, blockages), which will make it possible to create high technical support for rescue operations and their technological continuity;

to create the possibility of the transition of the crew of the emergency submarine to a rescue vessel without any restrictions on their number and the time required for this;

for the possibility of creating conditions for the withdrawal of people from adjacent compartments of the emergency submarine, the situation in which differs from the situation of the compartment to which the transport pipeline was connected, due to the possibility to create conditions in the bell and pipeline equal to the conditions in any compartment, and using the ability to deliver to the emergency the place of any tool to carry out rescue operations of any nature;

to ensure better working conditions for divers, by eliminating the need for them to rise to the surface with a large pressure drop leading to decompression sickness, since conditions equal to the conditions of their place of work can be created in the transport pipeline, and they can go to pressure chambers without changing pressure.

The connection of the rescue bell to the carrier vessel with a dry and permanent transport channel eliminates a number of auxiliary and repeated operations (for example, disconnecting the bell from the coaming site of the emergency submarine and raising the bell with part of its crew to the carrier ship, re-launching the bell to the emergency submarine , his repeated connection to the coaming site and landing on the coaming site, the repeated opening and closing of hatches).

The inventive rescue complex allows you to make the process of withdrawing people from the compartments of the emergency submarine efficient, continuous, reliable and efficient, allowing you to remove the crew completely in one connection, since the crew goes directly to the rescue submarine, the volume of which exceeds the volume of rescue bells or autonomous rescue vehicles .

The inventive device of the rescue complex is illustrated by drawings.

In FIG. 1 shows a General view of the proposed rescue complex.

In FIG. 2 - node I of FIG. 1 is a design of a device for transferring people from the stern of a sturdy hull of a rescue vessel to a flexible transport pipeline.

In FIG. 3 shows the assembly II of FIG. 1 is a design of a device for transferring people from a flexible transport pipeline to the bow of a sturdy hull of a rescue vessel with the working position of the transport pipeline (when the pipeline is lowered to the emergency submarine).

In FIG. 4 - rescue bell and design diagram of the transport pipeline;

In FIG. Figures 5 and 6 show a diagram of an underwater rescue complex in operational condition.

The underwater rescue complex of FIG. 1 includes a carrier vessel (for example, a submarine) 1, a rescue bell (hereinafter the bell) 2 and a transport pipeline 3. The bell 2 is fastened to one end of the transport pipeline 3, the transport pipeline is mounted on the strong hull 4 of the submarine 1 with the ability to move in the longitudinal direction with a drive (not shown in the drawing). To ensure access of people from the solid building 4 to the transport pipe 3 for, for example, preparatory work on the other, free end of the transport pipe 3 (see Fig. 2), a coaming pad 5 and a hatch 6 are mounted, and on the aft part of the strong case 4 - response coaming platform 7, sunroof 8 and valve shutter 9. To ensure the connection of the transport pipe 3 with a sturdy hull 4 when it is moved to its working position (descent to the emergency submarine) in the bow of the sturdy hull (see Fig. 3), by analogy with k LRG housing part is mounted reciprocal coaming-platform 10, the hatch 11 and the shutter 12 kremalerny.

On the lower part of bell 2 (see Fig. 4) a coaming pad 13 is installed with the ability to move along the axis of bell 2 and change the angle of its axis relative to the axis of the bell. For the confident and controlled pressing of the coaming pad 13 of the bell 2 to the coaming pad 14 of the emergency submarine 15, hydraulic cylinders 16 are mounted around the perimeter of the bell.

- 3 017190 cess of docking bell 2 with coaming platform 14 of an emergency submarine 15 along the perimeter of the bell, hydraulic cylinders 17 are installed, to the rods of which hooks 18 are attached.

Flexible transport pipe 3 is made in the form of a series of annular shells 19 of different diameters, connected to each other by means of flanges 20 mounted relative to each other with large gaps in order to give flexibility to the pipe 3. To ensure the tightness of the flange joints of the shells 19 and to maintain the flexibility of the transport pipeline, corrugated rings 21 of elastic material are installed.

For the convenience of moving people along the flexible transport pipeline 3, a conveyor is mounted in it, made according to any of the known and rational for the case of the cable 22, driven by the drum winch 23, and the cart 24 attached to the cable 22. Coaming platform 14 is connected with the hatch 25 of the emergency submarine 15. To control the flexibility of the transport pipeline 3 between the part of its shells mounted hydraulic cylinders 26.

The complex works as follows (see Fig. 5).

The rescue submarine 1, approaching the emergency submarine 15, releases the transport pipeline 3 and directs it to the area of its coaming site 14. Rescuers in the transport pipeline, using a steering system mounted on a bell (not shown), guide bell 2 to the coaming pad 14 of the emergency submarine 15 and, pulling out the hooks 18 (see Fig. 4), use them to catch the bell over the flange of the coaming pad 14. The coaming pad 13 of the bell 2 under the action of hydraulic cylinders 16 is led to komin gf-site 14 emergency submarine and tightly pressed to it. From the enclosed volume, which was formed by connecting the coaming pad 13 of bell 2 and the coaming pad 14 of the emergency submarine 15, water is pumped out and the hatch 25 of the emergency submarine 15 becomes accessible for working with it in a dry space and normal atmospheric pressure.

The technology for removing people from the compartments of an emergency submarine is selected depending on the conditions prevailing in the compartments. If the compartments are airtight and the air inside them has normal pressure, the same as in the transport pipeline, then the hatch cover of the emergency submarine is opened immediately and people from its compartments go to the bell, and then through the transport pipeline to the ship carrier. If the conditions in the compartments are more complex, then similar conditions are created in the bell and in the transport pipeline, and people from the compartment are transferred to the transport pipeline in the same conditions as in the compartment, and then, if necessary, into the decompression chambers of the rescue vessel.

Equipping the carrier vessel with a dry and permanent flexible transport pipe installed with the ability to move along the vessel’s hull and tightly securing it, connected to the rescue bell, allows the process of people withdrawal from the compartments of the emergency submarine to be continuous, the withdrawal time is minimal or any as necessary , and remove the crew completely in one connection.

Claims (6)

CLAIM 1. An underwater rescue complex, including a carrier vessel (1) and a rescue bell (2) with a coaming pad (13) and a launching device, characterized in that a flexible transport pipeline (3) is installed on the carrier vessel (1) with the possibility of longitudinal movement, one end of which is connected to the rescue bell (2), and the other end, free, is fixed on the strong hull (4) of the carrier vessel (1), while on the free end of the flexible transport pipeline (3) there is a coaming platform ( 5) and the hatch (6), and on the hull of the carrier vessel (1) in forward and aft parts of it were made reciprocal coaming areas (7 and 10) with hatches (8 and 11). 2. Underwater rescue complex according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible transport pipeline (3) is made in the form of metal shells (19) connected to each other using flanges (20) with great freedom of movement relative to each other, and between the flanges (20) shells (19) installed flexible elements made in the form of corrugated rings (21) from an elastic material. 3. Underwater rescue complex according to claim 1, characterized in that a gripping device with hydraulic cylinders (17) is mounted on the bell (2), to the rods of which hooks (18) are attached with the possibility of reciprocating movement. 4. Underwater rescue complex according to claim 1, characterized in that the coaming platform (13) of the bell (2) is mounted on it with the possibility of longitudinal movement and tilt of its longitudinal axis relative to the axis of the bell (2) by means of hydraulic cylinders (16) connected with it and with the bell body (2). 5. Underwater rescue complex according to claim 1, characterized in that between the shells (19) of the flexible transport pipe (3), hydraulic cylinders (26) are mounted to increase the efficiency of control of the flexible transport pipe (3). 6. Underwater rescue complex according to claim 5, characterized in that a conveyor is mounted in a flexible transport pipe (3), made in the form of a cable (22), driven by winch drums (23), and a trolley (24) attached to the cable (22).