FR2563802A1 - Floating industrial installation, in particular for heavy industry - Google Patents

Abstract

The installation comprises at least one floating element 1, 2 such as a barge or a self-propelled vessel, industrial equipment 8, 9, 10 mounted on said floating element, storage volumes 19, 20 in said floating element for the basic materials and/or the finished products and anchorage members 32 capable of immobilising said floating element close to a zone of production of basic materials or of use of the finished products.

Description

 The present invention relates to an industrial installation, in particular for heavy industry.

 We know the random and evolving nature of consumption, and consequently of production needs, of basic products in a given place. These are, for example, building materials such as cement or plaster, steel products, or even agri-food products such as flour, semolina, sugar, vegetable oils, or fishery products.

 All these products have the common characteristic of requiring considerable investment in their production.

 However, one cannot know a few years in advance, that is to say in fact when making the decision for these investments, what the needs will be when the manufacturing unit is built and where these needs will be.

 Fixed industrial installations frozen in their production capacity are therefore no longer adapted to these random conditions.

 The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks by providing an embodiment of heavy industrial installations giving them both the mobility and the adaptability necessary to maintain at all times and in all circumstances the characteristics closest to a production at optimal cost, quality and sale price.

 To this end, the subject of the invention is an industrial installation, in particular for heavy industry, characterized in that it comprises at least one floating element such as a barge or a self-propelled ship, industrial equipment mounted on said floating element, storage volumes in said floating element for raw materials and / or finished products, and anchoring members capable of immobilizing said floating element near a zone for producing raw materials or using finished products.

 Such a design offers many advantages.

 First of all, the capacity of the installation can be easily modified, developed or reduced, by adding or removing certain floating elements. Furthermore, if the local operating conditions of the installation become abnormal, for example by depletion or evolution of the raw material deposit or by saturation of the market for the finished product within the planned export radius, the installation can be transferred and immobilized on another site which has become more favorable.

 Conversely, the installation can be extended to a complex for the production of derivative products using and adding value to the products of the main installation without being limited by the surface area and the cost of neighboring available land.

 In addition, the installation can be easily separated into two parts, one of the two parts being able to be anchored near a raw material production area and have the equipment necessary for the manufacture of an intermediate product and the another part can be anchored near a use area for finished products and include the equipment necessary to make this finished product from the intermediate product. This could be particularly interesting in the case where the transport costs of the intermediate product are lower than those of the finished products.

 Finally, such a floating industrial installation constitutes its own port service both for its supply and for the shipment of finished products.

 In a particular embodiment, the floating elements are modular elements allowing manufacture at a lower cost.

 In this case, the storage volumes advantageously consist of cylindrical cells with juxtaposed vertical axes forming the structure of these modular elements.

 The spaces between the juxtaposed cylinders can then be arranged in tanks for liquid products such as fresh water, fuel or ballast seawater.

 The storage cells preferably have a bottom in the form of a spherical cap giving them the desired resistance to external pressure.

 In addition, these spherical cap-shaped bottoms provide spaces in which conveyors for the stored products can be arranged.

 In a particular embodiment of the invention, the modular elements are arranged substantially in an arc, the two ends of which are anchored in the shore.

 The assembly then behaves under horizontal stresses like a recessed or articulated arc on abutments formed in the shore.

 This arrangement notably facilitates the movement of vehicles transporting the raw materials from one end to the other of the installation.

 In this case, the modular elements can be connected two by two by articulations with vertical axes.

 In another embodiment, the installation may include at least two floating elements connected by a link allowing vertical movement, this qt1i allows ballasting independent of the two elements.

 This connection may for example be a deformable parallelogram connection provided with a damping member on one of its diagonals.

 The installation according to the invention may also comprise two assemblies each comprising at least one floating element, these assemblies being arranged substantially perpendicular to one another.

 This provision is particularly favorable for the docking of ships providing service to the installation since it can constitute, in combination with the shore, an artificial port.

 The anchoring members can be constituted for example by piles anchored in the ground t on which the floating elements are mounted so as to slide vertically.

 In this case, damping members are preferably provided between the piles and the floating elements.

 The piles can for example be engaged in conduits formed in the structure of the floating elements.

 With regard to the arrangement of the equipment on the floating elements, the industrial equipment proper can be mounted in superstructures, while the fluid distribution conduits and / or the devices for horizontal handling of the intermediate and finished products can be arranged on a intermediate bridge between the superstructures and the floating elements.

 In the case where at least one of the floating elements is a self-propelled ship, it can advantageously be provided that the energy is supplied to industrial equipment from the machines of this ship, which are suitably adapted.

 In the particular case where the installation according to the invention is a cement plant, at least one of the floating elements can carry clinker manufacturing equipment and at least one of the floating elements can carry clinker grinding equipment and additions , as well as conditioning of the cement obtained.

 The clinker and cement manufacturing equipment can be grouped in order to ensure continuous cement production, but, in another embodiment, the elements carrying the clinker manufacturing equipment are arranged near limestone and clay quarries while the elements carrying the grinding and conditioning equipment are arranged near a cement-using area. We know that the maritime transport of clinker is easier and less expensive than the transport of cement.

 In addition, additions (slag, gypsum, pozzolans) can in some cases be produced locally in the country using the cement.

We will now describe, by way of nonlimiting examples, some embodiments of cement works produced according to the invention. To the attached schematic drawings
Figure 1 is a top view of a first cement plant according to the invention.

 Figure 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of Figure 1.

 Figure 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Figure 1.

 Figure 4 is a top view of a second embodiment of the invention in which the superstructure equipment has been omitted.

 FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of an element of FIG. 4.

 FIG. 6 is a section view on a larger scale along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

 Figure 7 is a top view of a third embodiment of the invention.

 FIG. 8 represents a variant of the method of assembling the elements of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a fourth embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 10 is a sectional view along line XX of FIG. 9 and,
FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a mode of connection between two floating elements of the invention.

 Figures 1 to 3 show a cement plant installed on two petroleum or mineral ships 1 and 2 of the order of 100,000 tonnes or more reconditioned for this purpose.

 The vessel 1 is immobilized substantially parallel to a coast in the immediate vicinity of a limestone quarry 3 and the vessel 2 is immobilized perpendicular to the vessel 1 on the side opposite the coast.

 The two vessels are equipped with platforms 4, on which the equipment necessary for the manufacture of cement is mounted in superstructures while the holds are transformed so as to serve as storage volumes for raw materials, intermediate products and products finished.

 The vessel 1 supports all the equipment allowing the manufacture of the clinker.

 A crushing plant 5 is placed on the ground and is connected by conveyors 6 crossing an oscillating gangway 7 to grinding and drying equipment 8 mounted on the platform 4 of the ship 1.

 This platform also supports the equipment for homogenizing the ground products, the anti-pollution electrostatic filters 9 intended to fix the suspended particles and the heat exchanger 10 constituted for example by a streamlined Humbolt tower.

 All the aforementioned equipment is installed substantially in the same half of the platform 4A, the other half being essentially occupied by two rotary ovens of known type 11 and their heating installation 12.

 The gangway 13 and the chimney 14 of the machines of the ship 1 have been preserved and the chimney 15 of the heating installation 12 is placed on the platform 4A substantially at the level of the ship 2 in order to limit the torsional forces on the hull of ship 1 caused by the horizontal stresses applied to the stack 15.

 Rolling gantries 16 are also arranged on the platform 4A in order to allow the loading or unloading of ships 17.

 The machines 18 of the ship 1 are associated with means of all suitable types making it possible to selectively connect them to the propeller of the ship in order to allow the autonomous movement of the latter or to alternators making it possible to supply the electric current necessary for the installations.

 The holds of the ship 1 are adapted to receive in 19, the fuel necessary for the operation of the machines 18, in 20 the pulverulent coal used in the heating installation 12 and in 21 the clinker resulting from the cooking of the raw materials.

 Other clinker storage volumes 22 are provided in the holds of the ship 2 which also include storage volumes 23 for gypsum and 24 for slag used for the manufacture of cement.

 The platform 4B of the ship 2 carries service buildings 25, a clinker crushing installation 26, and a bagging and palletizing unit 27 for the finished cement.

 This cement can be stored either in bulk in storage volumes 28, or in palletized bags in volumes 29.

 A platform for helicopter 30 as well as handling gantries 31 are also provided on platform 4B.

 As in the case of ship 1, the gangway and the machines are of course kept in order to preserve the autonomy of ship 2.

 Ships 1 and 2 are immobilized on piles or duc d'Albe 32 to which platforms 4A and 4B are connected by shock absorbers 33. These piles 32 are anchored in the ground 34 as shown in 35 and their connection to ships 1 and 2 by means of shock absorbers allows vertical movements of these vessels while damping these movements. These movements can be either overall movements caused for example by the tides or by a more or less significant loading of the ships, or differential movements in pitch within certain allowed limits. In order not to exceed these limits, lateral ballast tanks 36 are provided, the loading of sea water of which is regulated to substantially ensure the horizontality of the platforms 4A and 4B. For the same purpose, the loading of the volumes of storage can also be controlled, for example by computer, to keep the variations in attitude of the platform within limits fixed a priori.

 FIG. 11 represents a connection mode between ships 1 and 2 which allows relative vertical movements as a function of the loading of each of these ships while preventing sudden oscillations.

 This connection is ensured by connecting rods 38 forming deformable parallelograms which allow the relative movement of the ships 1 and 2. A shock absorber 39 is arranged along a diagonal of the parallelogram thus provided in order to prevent sudden deformations of the parallelogram.

 Finally, it will be noted that the platform-4A of the ship 1 is connected by a gangway 39 to buildings 40 installed on the shore where the staff of the cement plant can be provided.

 In the variant of FIG. 4, the clinker manufacturing unit is now installed on a set 50 of modular elements 51 arranged perpendicular to the coast.

Each of these elements 51 is shown in detail in the figures
5 and 6.

 By way of example, an element 51 is essentially made up of eighteen cylindrical or polygonal section storage cells with vertical axis 52 juxtaposed in six rows of three cells. The bottom of each cell has the shape of a spherical cap 53 and an intermediate bridge 54 closes at the top the cells of the same modular element.

Each element is completed by an upper deck 55, a side fairing 56 and a lower fairing 57.

 The cells 52 are used for the storage of the raw materials and the clinker while the spaces 58 with vertical axes situated between the cells 52 are preferably used for the storage of liquid materials such as fresh water, ballast water or fuel oil.

Some of the spaces between the side fairing 56 and the cells 52 include tubular conduits 59 allowing the passage of the anchor piles.

 The horizontal spaces 60 formed between the spherical caps 53 and the fairing 57 are used for the passage of horizontal conveyors 61 supplied from the cells 52 by screw conveyors 62 or troughs 63.

 As a variant, these conveyors can be arranged in galleries suspended under the lower fairing 57.

 The fluid transport conduits 64 and the conveyors 65 used for loading the cells 52 are arranged in the space provided between the intermediate bridge 54 and the upper bridge 55.

 Finally, the bridge 55 receives the various equipment described with reference in particular to FIG. 1, such as the oven 66 or the grinding unit 67. A circulation area 68 is also provided on the bridge 55.

 In the installation of FIG. 4, the cement grinding and conditioning units are, as before, placed on a ship 69 such as an oil tanker or an ore carrier.

 This ship 69 is immobilized perpendicular to the assembly 50 at its end opposite the shore so as to form an artificial port 70.

 In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the ship 69 also includes a circulation area 71 connected to the circulation area 68 of the assembly 50. This circulation area 68 is itself connected to the shore by a bridge 72.

 Of course, the vessel 69 could be replaced by another assembly produced from modular elements 51.

 FIG. 7 represents another mode of implantation of modular elements 51 giving great possibilities of docking.

 The elements 51 are then arranged substantially in an arc, the two ends of which are located near the coast to which they are connected by bridges 80 which provide with the circulation areas 68 of the different elements a continuous roadway.

 A first modular element 81 can receive the drying and pre-homogenization equipment while the next element 82 receives the clinker manufacturing ovens. Following the element 82, an element 83 is used for the grinding of the clinker and the manufacture of the cement and an element 84 for the conditioning of this cement. Finally, elements 85 receive units for manufacturing cement and plaster derivatives.

 The elements 51 can be connected two by two, as shown in FIG. 7, by articulations 86 with a vertical axis arranged at the two corners of each element 51 situated on the concave side of the assembly or, as a variant, as shown in FIG. 8, each element 51 is provided with front spouts 87 of triangular section and the articulation with vertical axis is formed at 88 at the tip of two adjacent front spouts.

 In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, the clinker manufacturing equipment is installed on a barge 90 immobilized perpendicular to the shore with the help of dukes of Alba 91 with respect to which it can slide vertically.

 A floating element 92 disposed behind the barge 90 receives the energy production installations and the necessary coal or fuel stocks.

 It will be noted that in this embodiment, the chimney 93 is placed on the ground, which makes it possible to simplify the problems associated with the stabilization of the barge 90.

 As regards the cement grinding and conditioning units, these are arranged as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 on a ship 93, for example an ore carrier, which, in the present case, is arranged at a torque of units 90 and 92.

 An installation according to the invention can therefore, because of its port and energy autonomy, be located in a place giving absolute priority to the quality of the deposits exploited and the proximity of the materials used for production.

 Furthermore, the partial immersion of the installation allows equipment to be kept at practically constant temperature. Equipment and products can be cooled by heat exchange circuits with a practically limitless body of water.

 Pollution problems are also easy to solve because neutral waste can be removed by a simple spill and the disadvantages of air pollution, although reduced due to electrostatic precipitators, can be limited by choosing an appropriate site.

 It should also be noted that the installations according to the invention affect the aesthetics of the site only during the limited period of exploitation of the quarries.

 Finally, in the embodiment where the floating elements are arranged in an arc of a circle, this arc can be extended to a practically complete circle which can rest on a tlot of reduced dimensions of which it increases the useful surface.

 Of course, various variants and modifications can be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention.

 In particular, heavy industries other than cement factories can be installed in accordance with the invention.

Claims (19)

 1. Industrial installation, in particular for heavy industry, characterized in that it comprises at least one floating element (1,2,51) such as a barge or a self-propelled ship, industrial equipment (8,9,10. ..) mounted on said floating element, storage volumes (19,20, ..., 52) in said floating element for raw materials and / or finished products, and anchoring members (32) capable of immobilizing said floating element near a zone for the production of raw materials or the use of finished products.  2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said floating elements are modular elements (51).  3. Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that said storage volumes consist of cells (52) with juxtaposed vertical axes forming the structure of said modular elements.  4. Installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the spaces (58) formed between said juxtaposed cells are arranged in tanks for liquid products.  5. Installation according to any one of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that said storage cells have a bottom (53) in the form of a spherical cap.  6. Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that conveyors (61) for the stored products are arranged in the spaces provided between said spherical caps or under them.  7. Installation according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that said modular elements are arranged substantially in an arc, the two ends of which are anchored in the shore.  8. Installation according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that said modular elements are connected two by two by joints (86,88) with vertical axes.  9. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least two floating elements and that said floating elements are connected by a link allowing a vertical movement.  10. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that said connection is a deformable parallelogram connection provided with a damping member (39) on one of its diagonals.  11. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and 8 to 10, characterized in that it comprises two assemblies each comprising at least one floating element, and that said assemblies are arranged substantially perpendicularly one to the other.  12. Insta11ation according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that said anchoring members are constituted by piles anchored in the ground and on which the floating elements are mounted so as to slide vertically.  13. Installation according to claim 12, characterized in that damping members (33) are provided between the piles and the floating elements.  14. Installation according to any one of claims 12 and 13, characterized in that said piles are engaged in conduits (59) formed in the structure of the elements.  15. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said industrial equipment are mounted in superstructures on the floating elements.  16. Installation according to claim 15, characterized in that the fluid distribution conduits and / or the devices for horizontal handling of the intermediate and finished products are arranged on an intermediate bridge (54) between the superstructures and the floating elements.  17. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that at least one of the floating elements is a self-propelled ship and that energy is supplied to industrial equipment from the machines of this ship.  18. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that at least one of the equipment is a clinker manufacturing equipment.  19. Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that at least one of the floating elements carries clinker grinding equipment and conditioning of the cement obtained.