EP3214226B1 - Method and device for acoustic insulation - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a soundproofing device for piling under water, comprising at least one fixable on the seabed line having a plurality of holes, and at least one compressor, with which compressed air in the line can be introduced so that it can escape from the holes. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for reducing the transmission of sound in a liquid, comprising the following steps: applying a line to the seabed, which surrounds the sound source in an annular shape and is provided with holes and introducing compressed air into the conduit so that they pass through the holes exit.

Such devices and methods can be used for sound insulation when introducing cylindrical piles in the seabed. Such piles can be used to anchor monopile, tripod, tripile or jacket constructions on which structures such as wind gauges, wind turbines, offshore oil rigs or substations can be established.

These foundations can be largely prefabricated on land so that they can be easily and quickly installed on site in often difficult weather conditions. The disadvantage, however, is that heavy ramming equipment is needed for the construction, which is a large sound level of, for example, more than 130 dB into the environment. Such sound levels can be harmful to the marine fauna.

From the DE 10 2004 043 128 A1 It is therefore known to direct compressed air through a pipe system surrounding the pile, which can escape through holes in the pipes. However, since the line has a large buoyancy due to the filling with air, these measures can only be carried out consuming. For example, the conduit may be attached by divers to the seabed to prevent it from floating during operation. After completion of the construction work, the line must either be abandoned or removed from the seabed by the use of divers again. Alternatively, the line can be weighted with external weights, but this complicates the handling.

From the CA 2174149 A1 a hose reel for an air hose is known, which makes it possible to quickly open and unwind the air hose of a machine tool under pressure in different directions from the mounting position.

The JP 2000-302199 A discloses a hose reel for a pneumatic tool which allows to start work immediately after the hose reel has been moved to a working location and connected to an air supply source. Furthermore, the tube is quickly exchangeable by being connected to a connector on an outer circumferential surface of the winding drum

The WO 91/07546 A1 shows a floating oil barrier, which has an air-absorbing buoyancy element and a curtain suspended on the buoyancy element.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a device and a method for piling under water specify which combines a good soundproofing effect with little equipment, so that the soundproofing measures can be performed quickly and easily.

The object is achieved by a soundproofing device according to claim 1, a ship according to claim 6 and a method according to claim 7.

According to the invention, air bubbles are allowed to rise from a conduit for sound insulation during the pile work in a manner known per se, which surrounds the pile in an approximately annular manner. Due to the density inhomogeneity between the rising air bubbles and the surrounding seawater and due to the compressibility of the air bubbles, the energy of the sound waves can be at least partially dissipated, so that outside the bubble curtain a lower sound intensity prevails. To achieve a sound reduction in all directions, the line can be applied so that it surrounds the ram completely annular. If a reduction is required only in certain directions, of course, the line can be designed only in these directions or the ring to the ram not completely closed.

The compressed air emerging from the line is provided by at least one compressor, which is usually mounted on the water surface on a ship or a jack-up barge. The compressed ambient air is then supplied to the conduit via a supply hose and exits the conduit via a plurality of bores which are introduced along the longitudinal extent of the conduit.

Since the line is thus constantly filled with air during operation of the device, buoyancy forces act on the line. However, it is for the function of the soundproofing device required that the pipe remains lying on the seabed. Otherwise, the sound emanating from the pile driving between the pipe and the seabed can pass unhindered and thus propagate with full intensity.

According to the invention it is now proposed to introduce a weighting body in the line. In this way, the total weight of the line is increased so far that it remains without further anchors or external additional weights on the seabed. Since the weighting body is mounted inside the line, the outer shape of the line remains unchanged, so that they can continue in a simple manner off and / or introduced without external weights hindering the process. Anchoring by divers can also be done in addition, but is usually not required. At least the number of anchors can be reduced or the distance of the anchoring points can be increased, since the line remains due to their high weight on the seabed.

The weighting body may include a metal or alloy in some embodiments of the invention. In other embodiments of the invention, the weighting body may contain or consist of a mineral material, for example concrete. The or the weighting bodies can be introduced directly into the production of the line, for example by extrusion. For example, weighting bodies can be glued, screwed or riveted at certain intervals in the line. In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of weighting bodies may be connected to one another by a wire rope or a chain, which prevent slippage along the longitudinal extent of the line. In one embodiment of the invention, at least one sufficiently dimensioned chain with a plurality of chain links can be used as the sole weighting body.

Such a weighting body can be easily introduced into the line. Due to the mobility of the chain links of the weighting body does not affect the winding and unrolling of the line or only slightly.

In some embodiments of the invention, the conduit may comprise at least one longitudinal portion having a tube with a wall, the wall containing at least one layer of wire mesh. In some embodiments of the invention, multiple layers of wire mesh may be present in the wall. In some embodiments of the invention, the number of layers of the wire mesh may be between 1 and 8, between 2 and 7, or between 3 and 5. The wire mesh in the wall of the hose increases its tensile strength, so that a mechanical damage or an intolerable cross-sectional or length change during unwinding of the hose is avoided. Furthermore, the wire mesh can limit the elasticity of the tube, so that it retains its desired cross section even at high pressure. Thus, the device can be operated with greater reliability and be safely out and introduced.

In some embodiments of the invention, the wire mesh and / or the chain or the at least one weighting body may contain or consist of a stainless steel. For the purposes of the present description, a stainless steel is to be understood as meaning an alloyed steel which is corrosion-resistant or at least resistant to corrosion. For example, steels with the material numbers 1.4401, 1.4571 or 1.4462 can be used. The use of these stainless steels extends the life of the proposed device if seawater gets in contact with the weighting body and / or the wire mesh through the air outlet openings or damage to the wall.

According to the invention, the soundproofing device further comprises at least one winding device with at least one drum on which the line can be wound up. In some embodiments of the invention, the drum may have a drive, such as an electric or hydraulic drive. The drum may be configured to receive more than about 900 meters, more than about 1000 meters, or more than about 1100 meters of conduction. With the proposed winding device, the line can be unrolled like an anchor chain from board a working ship and laid on the seabed. If the ship drives a circle around the ramming point, all spatial directions of the sound propagation can be covered.

In some embodiments of the invention, to receive the conduit after completion of the work, it may be sufficient to roll the conduit onto the drum while the vessel is propelling substantially idle or with low engine power. As a result, the ship is guided by the line as on an anchor chain and follows the course of the line backwards, while the line is wound onto the drum. In particular, in this form of insertion and removal of the line, a line with increased tensile strength, as the proposed embodiment with at least one wire mesh in the wall proven. Also, the weighting body can serve to absorb tensile forces, if this contains or consists of a chain or a wire rope.

In some embodiments of the invention a plurality of lines can be applied simultaneously, each of which surround the sound source in an annular manner. As a result, a plurality of approximately concentrically arranged bubble veils are formed. Since a single veil of bubbles from a single line causes a reduction of the sound by about 12 dB to about 20 dB, a number of bubble veils can result in a correspondingly greater reduction. If several Lines are applied simultaneously, this improved sound insulation can be installed with a single ride of the ship to the ramming. In some embodiments of the invention, the number of concurrently applied lines may be from about 2 to about 6.

In some embodiments of the invention, multiple lines may be deployed simultaneously by unwinding each line from an associated winding device which unwinds the lines at different speeds. If the winding devices each have drums with the same diameter, the rotational speed can be chosen differently for this purpose. According to the invention, it has been recognized that the lines come to rest on the seabed at a distance from each other. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the speed may be selected to be substantially concentric with the conduits laid with a radius that is from about 10 meters to about 30 meters greater than the radius of the inner conduit.

According to the invention, the drum of the winding device has an internal air feed, so that the line can be acted upon during unwinding and / or during collection with compressed air. As a result, the line is additionally mechanically stabilized so that it does not experience unacceptably small bending radii, which could damage the line. Furthermore, the penetration of seawater and sand is avoided, which could lead to clogging of individual holes in the wall of the pipe.

Figur 1

ein Ausführungsbeispiel einer erfindungsgemäß vorgeschlagenen Leitung.

Figur 2

zeigt ein Verbindungselement für zwei Leitungsteile gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung.

Figur 3

zeigt eine Wickelvorrichtung gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung.

Figur 4

zeigt den Querschnitt durch eine Leitung.

Figur 5

illustriert das Funktionsprinzip der vorgeschlagenen Schallschutzvorrichtung.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to figures without limiting the general inventive concept. Showing:

FIG. 1

An embodiment of a proposed inventive line.

FIG. 2

shows a connecting element for two pipe parts according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3

shows a winding device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4

shows the cross section through a pipe.

FIG. 5

illustrates the principle of operation of the proposed soundproofing device.

FIG. 1 shows a hose 11, which is used as a line 10 in a soundproofing device 1 according to the invention. In this case, the tube 11 may form at least one longitudinal section in the conduit 10. In other embodiments of the invention, the conduit 10 may be formed entirely by the proposed tube.

The tube 11 has a wall 111 which, based on FIG. 4 is explained in more detail. The wall 111 bounds the inside diameter 116 of the tube 11. The wall 111 may be made of a rubber or a polymer. For example, the wall 111 may contain or consist of polyvinyl chloride or EPDM. In order to improve the tensile strength and the compressive strength of the hose 11, the wall 111 may include at least one wire mesh 112, 113 or 114. In FIG. 4 an embodiment with three approximately concentrically arranged layers of wire mesh is shown. These can be inserted into the wall 111 during extrusion or vulcanization of the tube 12. In other embodiments of the invention, the number of wire meshes 112, 113, and 114 may be greater or less and may be between about 1 and about 7. In In some embodiments of the invention, a wire mesh can also be omitted.

The wall 111 has a plurality of bores 105, one of which in cross section of FIG. 4 is shown. The bores 105 may have a diameter of about 0.5 to about 5 mm. The holes 105 may be arranged at a distance of about 100 cm to about 10 cm in the wall 111.

On the inside 115 of the wall 111 is at least one weighting body, which compensates for the buoyancy of the tube 111 so far that it remains lying on the seabed, even if the remaining clear width 116 of the tube 11 is filled with compressed air. As based on FIG. 1 is explained, as a weighting body 101 in the illustrated embodiment, a chain with a plurality of chain links 102 is used. In such an embodiment, the tube 11 or the conduit 10 remains flexible, so that it can be easily rolled up and down and so can be designed in a particularly simple manner on the seabed and removed there again. Even if the chain 101 fills a majority of the clearance 116, the compressed air can still flow between the links 102 through the conduit 10. Furthermore, the chain 101 as well as the wire mesh 112, 113 and 114, the tensile strength of the line 11 further increase, so that damage during insertion and removal of the line 10 can be avoided.

The wire mesh 112, 113 and 114 and the chain 101 or other weighting body may in some embodiments of the invention be made of corrosion-resistant or corrosion-resistant steel. As a result, the life of the line 10 is extended, if in the operation of the device by damage or through the holes 105 seawater enters the line.

FIG. 2 shows a connecting element 40, with which different longitudinal sections of a hose 11 can be assembled into a single line 10. The connecting element 40 has a sleeve 41. The sleeve 41 consists of a cylindrical base body, on the outside of a plurality of ribs 45 is arranged. The outer diameter of the cylindrical base body 41 corresponds approximately to the clear width 116 of the tube 11. In this way, the tube 11 can receive the cylindrical base body 41, wherein the ribs 45 come to rest on the inner wall 115.

After two hoses have been pushed onto the main body 41 from both sides, the joint can be inserted into a clamp 43 designed as a half shell. The clamp 43 is subsequently closed by means of bores 44 with a screw connection 47.

Optionally, the clip 43 may have recesses or ribs 46 which are shaped or arranged complementary to the ribs 45. In this way, a positive connection of the hose 11 is achieved with the cylindrical base body 41, so that high tensile forces in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the tube 11 can be transmitted without the tube 11 slips out of the connecting element 40.

FIG. 5 shows an example of application of the present invention proposed soundproofing method or the soundproofing device. FIG. 5 shows the tower of a wind turbine 3, which is anchored by means of a tripod 30 on the seabed 2. The water depth at the installation site of the wind turbine 3 may be, for example, about 10 m to about 45 m or about 25 to about 40 m.

The tripod 30 has at its feet mounting sleeves 31. The mounting sleeves 31 are provided to a Rammpfahl 32 record. If the tripod 30 is securely connected to the Rammpfählen 32 and the driven piles 33 are securely anchored in the seabed 2, the wind turbine 3 is reliable on the seabed 2. For this purpose, the driven piles 32 have a diameter of about 2 m to about 5 m and a length from about 20 m to about 40 m.

The ramming piles 32 are driven with a ram, not shown, with sound emissions 21 arise with high intensity, which propagate as structure-borne noise in seawater.

In order to reduce an impairment of the marine fauna by the acoustic emission 21, the invention proposes to apply a line 10 annularly around the ramming point or to the entire tripod 30 with all ramming. For this purpose, the line 10 is according to the invention rolled out by a winding device 15, which is mounted on a ship 11 and based on FIG. 3 will be described in more detail. After the ship 11 has once circumnavigated the site and thereby rolled out the line 10, this is due to its own weight on the seabed 2. To reduce the ingress of sea water in the inside width 116 of the line 10 and / or mechanically around the line 10 To stabilize the line 10 can be applied during the dispensing with compressed air from a compressor 18 already. Due to the weighting body inside the pipe 10 this still sinks by its own weight on the seabed and remains there.

Before commencement of the pile driving the line 10 is acted upon by at least one compressor 18 and a line 181 with compressed air. The pressurized air 180 exits the conduit 10 through the openings 105 and rises in the form of bubbles to the surface of the sea. The high-intensity sound emission 21 becomes as it passes through this Bubble curtain 180 attenuated so that outside the area bounded by the line 10 a lower sound intensity 22 is perceptible.

After completion of the work, the line 10 with the help of the winding device 15 can be caught up again on board the ship 11 and is subsequently available for the next use. To catch up the line 10, the ship 11 can drive without power or with low engine power, while the line 10 is obtained with the winding device 15. This causes the ship 11 follows the course of the line 10 as in catching up an anchor chain and buckling loads of the line 10 or the wrapping of the tripod 30 is avoided with the line 10.

Based on FIG. 3 the function of the winding device 15 will be described. The winding device 15 has a frame 151. The frame 151 may have the outer dimensions of a conventional container, for example the dimensions of a freight container according to ISO 668. In this way, the winding device 15 can be transported and stored space-saving.

If the frame 151 has the standard dimensions of a freight container, it can also have the connecting elements 153 of such a container, so that a plurality of winding devices 15 such as containers can be stacked on top of each other or mixed stacks of winding devices 15 and containers can be formed. This allows a space-saving and cost-effective transportation on the ship 11th

In the frame 151, a drum 152 is rotatably mounted. The drum 152 can be designed to accommodate more than 500 m, more than 900 m, more than 1000 m or more than 1100 m of the tube 11. Since the tube 11 is made of a flexible rubber or plastic and due to the inside arranged weighting body has a smooth outer side, the tube 11 can be stored on the drum 151 particularly space-saving.

For introducing the hose 11, the drum 152 can be set in rotation with a hydraulic drive, not shown, so that the hose 11 is unwound, while the ship 19 surrounds the area provided for the soundproofing area. If the drive of the drum 152 is dimensioned sufficiently strong, to catch up the hose 11, the ship 19 can be pulled back on the hose 11, wherein the tube 11 winds on the drum 152.

Furthermore, in FIG. 3 a compressed air connection 154 recognizable. At the terminal 154, the line of a compressor 18 can be connected, which acts on the line 11 with compressed air. Due to the inside of the drum lying in the compressed air connection of the hose 11, the hose 11 can already be acted upon during the unwinding with compressed air.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the figures. The above description is therefore not to be considered as limiting, but as illustrative.

Claims (11)

1. Sound insulation device (1) for underwater pile driving work, having at least one line (10), which can be fixed on the seabed (2) and has a plurality of bores (105), and at least one winding device (15) with a drum (152), on which the line (10) can be wound, characterized in that there is a compressed-air connection for the line (10) being arranged inside the drum (152) of the winding device (15).
2. Sound insulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compressed-air connection located inside the drum (152) is configured to apply compressed air to the line during unwinding and/or during pulling-in.
3. Sound insulation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pressure of the compressed air can be selected in such a way that the penetration of seawater into the line (10) is prevented during unwinding.
4. Sound insulation device according to any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a hydraulic drive, by means of which the drum (152) can be driven.
5. Sound insulation device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that more than 500 m or more than 900 m, more than 1000 m or more than 1100 m of the line (10) can be wound on the drum (152).
6. Ship (19) or jack-up barge with at least one sound insulation device according to any of claims 1 to 5.
7. Method for reducing the transmission of sound in a liquid, comprising the following steps:

   - laying at least one line (10) on the seabed (2), which annularly encloses the sound source and is provided with bores (105),

   - introducing compressed air (180) into the at least one line (10) so that it exits through the bores (105),

   characterized in that

   - the line is unwound from the drum (152) of a winding device (15), which has a compressed-air connection for the line (10) that is arranged inside the drum (152) of the winding device (15).
8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that compressed air is applied to the line (10) during unwinding and/or during pulling-in via the compressed-air connection located inside the drum (152).
9. Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that more than 900 m, more than 1000 m, or more than 1100 m of the line (10) are unwound from the drum (152).
10. Method according to any of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the pressure of the compressed air is selected in such a way that the penetration of seawater into the line (10) is avoided during unwinding.
11. Method according to any of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that at least two lines (10) are laid out simultaneously, each line being unwound from an associated drum (152) and the two drum (152) having a different rotational speed.

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