JP2015158367A - Underwater penetrator and underwater penetrator installation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an underwater penetrator and an installation method therefor capable of easily burying a measuring instrument in the water bottom (for example, sea bottom) without using a submersible vessel, achieving weight reduction, and easy to carry or use.SOLUTION: A penetrator body 12 is accommodated downward in a launching tube 14, the launching tube 14 is dropped underwater by a dead weight while keeping a state in which an interior of the launching tube 14 is filled with pressurized gas 2, the penetrator body 12 is launched downward from the launching tube 14 and shot into a water bottom 1.

Description

The present invention relates to an underwater penetrator for embedding a measuring instrument or the like in the bottom of water such as in the deep sea, and an installation method thereof.
In the present invention, the term “embedding” is not limited to the wording embedding, but the entire embedding, partial embedding of measuring equipment, etc., and measuring equipment separated from the embedding part (the embedding part is a tether or the like). Connection).

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, disaster prevention, especially earthquake countermeasures, has been the biggest concern of the public.
Therefore, it is desired to embed a measuring device such as a seismometer on the seabed to measure seismic waves and crustal deformation data.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are disclosed as means for embedding a measuring device or the like on the seabed. Further, Patent Document 3 is disclosed as means for excavating the surface of the ground or other celestial bodies.

  The “sensor installation method” of Patent Document 1 uses a submarine that can move on the seabed to position and embed a sensor for seabed installation.

  Patent Document 2 “Submarine borehole excavation method and submarine borehole observation device installation method” continuously feeds coiled tubing from the ship into the sea and arranges an excavation formation at the tip and suspends it. The bottom of the sea is drilled by excavation and coiled tubing is laid in the hole.

  The “autonomous excavator” of Patent Document 3 is supported in a freely rotatable manner within a main body having an axially symmetric shape as a whole and having a tapered front end in a traveling direction, a spiral blade outside the main body A wheel and a motor fixed inside the main body and driving the wheel to rotate are provided. The rotation speed of the wheel by the motor is changed, and at this time, the main body is rotated by torque acting on the main body, whereby the blade excavates the ground and the main body advances into the ground.

JP 2012-237777 A JP-A-10-169351 JP 2009-179988 A

The conventional means described above has a problem that time and cost are excessive when a submersible is used, and it is difficult to apply to the deep sea when coiled tubing is used, which is substantially impossible.
Further, in the deep sea, the water pressure acting on the device is very high, and since it can withstand this water pressure, the device becomes heavy and there is a problem that it is difficult to transport and operate in a submersible or a ship.

  In addition, the exploration penetrator that loads seismometers, falls freely on the planet's surface, and is driven into the planet's interior is decelerated in a short time due to the resistance of water, so it cannot be diverted to the deep sea.

  The present invention has been developed to solve the above-described problems. That is, it is an object of the present invention to be able to embed a measuring device in the bottom of the water (for example, the sea bottom) easily in a short time without using a submersible craft, and can be reduced in weight, and can be easily transported and operated. It is to provide a penetrator and its installation method.

According to the present invention, a penetrator body mounted with a measuring instrument and driven into the bottom of the water,
A launching tube containing the penetrator body downward and filled with pressurized gas inside,
There is provided an underwater penetrator comprising: a launching device for firing the penetrator body downward from the launch tube.

The launch tube has a hollow cylindrical launch chamber having an upper end closed, a lower end opened and a lower end closed with a membrane,
Furthermore, a pressurized tank containing a pressurized gas inside,
A pressure control device that supplies pressurized gas from a pressurized tank to the firing chamber while dropping the water under its own weight, and balances the pressure of the firing chamber with the external water pressure;
A trigger device that operates the launching device when the launching tube reaches the bottom of the water, or immediately before or after the launching tube.

A head housing connected to the upper end of the launch tube;
The head housing includes an inverted conical lower portion that maintains the penetrator body downward due to water resistance when the launch tube drops in water, and a horizontal upper surface that receives reaction force due to water resistance during the launch. Have.

  The launching device is a solid rocket that is connected to the top of the penetrator body and generates a downward thrust, or an explosive that fills the top of the launching tube and launches the penetrator body with explosive pressure.

  The trigger device is a water bottom detection device that detects a water bottom located below, and an igniter that ignites a solid rocket or explosive.

  The membrane is a thin plate made of plastic or metal that is broken or opened by the pressure of the launch chamber generated during the launch.

Moreover, according to the present invention, there is an installation method for an underwater penetrator that drives a penetrator body equipped with a measuring device into a water bottom,
(A) housing the penetrator body downward in the launch tube;
(B) While maintaining the state where the inside of the launch tube is filled with pressurized gas, the water is dropped by its own weight,
(C) An installation method for an underwater penetrator is provided in which the penetrator body is launched downward from the launch tube by a launching device.

In (A), the lower end of the hollow cylindrical launch chamber with the upper end closed and the lower end opened is closed with a membrane,
In (B), while dropping water under its own weight, supply pressurized gas from a pressurized tank to the launch chamber, and balance the pressure in the launch chamber with the external water pressure,
In (C), it is preferable to operate the launching device when the launching tube reaches the bottom of the water, or immediately before or immediately after.

According to the apparatus and method of the present invention, the penetrator main body is caused to fall underwater by its own weight while maintaining the state where the pressurized gas is filled inside the launch pipe containing the penetrator main body downward, and the penetrator main body is directed downward from the launch pipe. Can fire.
Accordingly, the penetrator body can be accelerated to a high speed in the launch chamber filled with the pressurized gas by this launch, and the deceleration due to the resistance of water can be greatly reduced, so that the penetrator body can be driven efficiently into the bottom of the water.

  In addition, a pressure-resistant structure that can withstand water pressure is almost unnecessary just by maintaining a state in which the inside of the launch tube is filled with pressurized gas, and the weight can be reduced, and transportation and operation are facilitated.

Also, since the underwater is dropped by its own weight while maintaining the state where the inside of the launch tube is filled with pressurized gas, the underwater distance to the bottom of the water can be eliminated or shortened after launch, greatly reducing deceleration due to water resistance. Can be driven into the bottom of the water at high speed.
Moreover, since the water falls by its own weight and settles on the bottom of the water, it is possible to easily embed a measuring instrument in the bottom of the water (for example, the sea bottom) without using a submersible craft.

1 is a first embodiment of an underwater penetrator according to the present invention. It is 2nd Embodiment figure of the underwater penetrator by this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the installation method of the underwater penetrator by this invention.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common part in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an underwater penetrator 10 according to the present invention.
In this figure, an underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention includes a penetrator body 12, a launch tube 14, a pressurized tank 16, a pressure control device 18, a launch device 20, and a trigger device 22.
In this figure, ZZ is the central axis of the underwater penetrator 10.

The penetrator body 12 has a measuring device 13 mounted therein, is fired downward from a launch tube 14, and is driven into the water bottom 1 (for example, the sea bottom).
The penetrator body 12 is made of a sturdy material (for example, super steel, titanium alloy, CFRP) so as to withstand an impact when driven into the water bottom 1. The CFRP is preferably made of an epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fiber by a filament winding method.
The measuring device 13 is, for example, a seismometer, a heat flow meter, an electronic circuit, a battery, an underwater communication device, or the like. These measuring devices 13 have impact resistance that can withstand the impact when driven into the bottom 1.

The launch tube 14 has a hollow cylindrical launch chamber 15 that houses the penetrator body 12 downward. Further, the upper end of the launch chamber 15 is closed so as to receive the pressure when the penetrator body 12 is fired, and the lower end is opened so as to fire the penetrator body 12 downward.
The length of the launch chamber 15 is preferably set so that the penetrator body 12 can be accelerated to a desired high speed (for example, 300 m or more per second) in the launch chamber filled with the pressurized gas 2.
As for the material of the launch tube 14, for example, the upper part is made of an aluminum alloy, the lower part is made of super steel, and the upper part is preferably light and the lower part is heavy.

Furthermore, the lower end of the firing chamber 15 is airtightly closed with a film 17 that does not become a resistance when the penetrator body 12 is fired.
The film 17 is a thin plate made of plastic or metal, for example, and is broken or opened by the pressure of the firing chamber 15 generated when the penetrator body 12 is fired.
The membrane 17 has a function of preventing the gas from being dissolved in water particularly when the water pressure is high, such as in the deep sea, and preventing gas loss when the posture is temporarily inclined.
Note that the film 17 is not always necessary when the water depth is shallow.

The pressurized tank 16 contains the pressurized gas 2 inside. The pressurized gas 2 is preferably an inert gas (eg, argon or helium), but may be nitrogen gas or air, or other gas.
The pressurized tank 16 is a pressure vessel that can withstand the pressure described below. The pressurized tank 16 is preferably made of, for example, the above-described CFRP (epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fiber) for weight reduction.

The pressure control device 18 includes a gas line 18a, a flow rate control valve 18b, a pressure detector 18c, and a controller 18d. The pressure control device 18 supplies the pressurized gas 2 from the pressurized tank 16 to the launch chamber 15 while dropping underwater by its own weight, and the pressure in the launch chamber 15 is set to an external water pressure (that is, an external pressure of the launch tube 14). It comes to balance.
The gas line 18 a is a gas pipe that communicates the pressurized tank 16 and the launch chamber 15. The flow control valve 18 b is provided in the gas line 18 a and controls the flow rate of the pressurized gas 2 supplied from the pressurized tank 16 to the firing chamber 15. The pressure detector 18 c detects the external water pressure and the pressure in the launch chamber 15.
The controller 18d controls the flow rate control valve 18b to supply the pressurized gas 2 from the pressurized tank 16 to the firing chamber 15 and balance the pressure in the firing chamber 15 with the external water pressure.

The pressure and capacity of the pressurized gas 2 that is preliminarily filled in the pressurized tank 16 on the ground (for example, on the ship) are set according to the water depth of the bottom 1.
For example, when the water depth of the bottom 1 is about 1000 m, the water pressure is about 100 atm (about 10 MPa). The pressure and capacity of the pressurized gas 2 to be filled in advance are set so that the pressure in the launch chamber 15 matches the external water pressure at the bottom 1.
That is, when the pressure of the launch chamber 15 on the ground is atmospheric pressure (that is, 1 atm), and the water pressure at the bottom 1 is about 100 atm, the pressure and the volume of the pressurized gas 2 to be filled in advance are The total capacity of the tank 16 is set to exceed about 100 atm (about 10 MPa).

  The launching device 20 launches the penetrator body 12 downward from the launching tube 14 when the underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention falls underwater due to its own weight and settles on the bottom 1, or immediately before or after that.

In this example, the launcher 20 is a solid rocket 20a.
The solid rocket 20a is connected to the upper part of the penetrator body 12 and generates a downward thrust.

The trigger device 22 includes a water bottom detection device 22a and an igniter 22b that ignites the solid rocket 20a.
The water bottom detection device 22a is, for example, a sonar, and detects the water bottom 1 located below.

  In FIG. 1, the underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention further includes a head housing 24.

  The head housing 24 is connected to the upper end of the launch tube 14, and accommodates the pressurized tank 16, the pressure control device 18, and the water bottom detection device 22a therein.

In this example, the head housing 24 has an inverted conical lower portion 24a and a horizontal upper surface 24b.
The inverted conical lower portion 24a is an outer wall of the inverted conical housing, and maintains the penetrator body 12 downward by the resistance of water (that is, the viscous resistance of incompressible fluid) when the launch tube 14 falls under its own weight. In addition, this invention is not limited to this structure, For example, the fixed or variable steering blade may be provided and the penetrator main body 12 may be maintained downward.

The underwater penetrator 10 is set so that the center of gravity is located below the penetrator body 12 as a whole, and the center of gravity is located below the center (the buoyancy center is above the center).
With this configuration, the penetrator body 12 is stably maintained downward by buoyancy even when it is drifting underwater without falling due to its own weight.

In FIG. 1, the horizontal upper surface 24 b is a substantially horizontal housing outer wall, and receives the reaction force received by the head housing 24 by the resistance of water when the penetrator body 12 is launched.
That is, the firing force is increased by receiving the reaction force of the explosion on the large surface of the horizontal upper surface 24b.

The head housing 24 is made of a sturdy material (for example, an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, or CFRP) so as to withstand the recoil at the time of launch.
Further, the head housing 24 has a through hole communicating with the outside so that water pressure is not received, and water flows from the outside to balance the pressure.
This configuration is not essential, and for example, the internal gap may be filled with an epoxy resin or liquid without gap.
Also, the internal device should have the required pressure resistance by the same method or another method.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the underwater penetrator 10 according to the present invention.
In this example, the launcher 20 is an explosive 20b. The igniter 22b ignites the explosive 20b.
The explosive 20b is filled in the upper part of the launch tube 14 and fires the penetrator body 12 with explosive pressure.
With this configuration, by igniting the explosive 20b with the igniter 22b, the pressure at the top of the launch tube 14 can be rapidly increased by the explosion pressure, and the penetrator body 12 can be driven downward at high speed.
In the case of the explosive method using the explosive 20b, the original explosive power can be obtained by the presence of gas in the surroundings. That is, the explosive power of explosives can be increased by increasing the volume of surrounding gas due to the heat generated by the chemical reaction and expanding the volume.

The underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, the bottom 1 is not limited to the sea bottom, and may be a bottom such as a lake.
Moreover, the water depth is not limited to exceeding 1000 m, and it may be a shallow water of 100 m or less or a deep sea exceeding 6000 m.
In the case of shallow water, the pressurized tank 16 described above is not essential, and may be omitted, and the pressurized gas 2 may be supplied from the water to the launch tube 14 via the flexible hose.
Further, instead of the pressurized tank 16, a balloon or bellows filled with the pressurized gas 2 may be used. In the case of a balloon or a bellows, the pressure adjustment is naturally performed, and thus the pressure adjustment function is not necessary.
Further, the above-described head housing 24 may be provided separately from the launch tube 14 so that it can be separated and recovered immediately before or after the operation of the launch device 20. Further, not only the head housing 24 but also the entire launching device may be collected.

  The present invention is also applicable to water or liquids other than water existing on the earth or other celestial bodies. For example, it can be applied to oil fields, Jupiter's moon Europa's sea (water), Saturn's moon Titan's sea (liquid methane), and the like.

  Further, the penetrator body 12 may be a pile that does not have the measuring device 13 mounted therein. In this case, it is configured so that a plurality of piles can be fired by a single launcher 20, and a wire or the like is attached to the launcher 20 and the first shot → slightly lifted → ship movement → falling, second shot It is better to repeat the ...

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the installation method of the underwater penetrator 10 according to the present invention. In this figure, the underwater penetrator 10 is the embodiment of FIG. 1, (A) is a state where it falls underwater due to its own weight, (B) is a state where it is settled on the bottom 1, and (C) is a launch of the penetrator body 12. Immediately after, (D) shows after installation.

The installation method of the underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention includes steps (steps) S1 to S3.
In the first step S <b> 1, the penetrator body 12 is accommodated downward in the launch tube 14.
In the second step S2, the underwater is dropped by its own weight while maintaining the state in which the pressurized gas 2 fills the inside of the launch tube.
In the third step S <b> 3, the penetrator body 12 is fired downward from the launch tube 14 by the launching device 20.

In the first step S <b> 1, the penetrator body 12 is housed downward in a hollow cylindrical firing chamber 15 of the launch tube 14 whose upper end is closed and lower end is opened and whose lower end is closed with a membrane 17.
In parallel with this, the pressurized tank 16 is filled with the pressurized gas 2 having a pressure set according to the water depth of the bottom 1.
Next, the underwater penetrator 10 of the present invention is dropped from the water surface by its own weight. The position (latitude and longitude) at which the underwater penetrator 10 is dropped is arbitrary and set in advance.

FIG. 3A shows a state where the underwater penetrator 10 falls underwater due to its own weight.
In this state, due to the inverted conical lower portion 24a of the head housing 24, the penetrator body 12 is substantially directed downward (i.e., vertical) due to the resistance of water (viscosity resistance of the incompressible fluid) when the launch tube 14 falls under its own weight. Maintained.
At this time, since the buoyancy center of the underwater penetrator 10 is set to be located above the center, the penetrator body 12 is stably maintained downward.

  In the second step S2, the pressurized gas 2 is supplied from the pressurized tank 16 to the firing chamber 15 while falling under its own weight as shown in FIG. 3A, and the pressure in the firing chamber 15 is balanced with the external water pressure. Let

In the third step S3, when the launch tube 14 reaches the bottom 1 (FIG. 3B), or immediately before or immediately after that, the launcher 20 is operated to launch the penetrator body 12 downward from the launch tube 14. Let
The membrane 17 is broken or opened by the pressure of the launch chamber 15 generated during the launch, and the penetrator body 12 is accelerated downward by the thrust of the solid rocket 20a (or the explosive pressure of the explosive 20b), and at a high speed on the bottom 1 of the water. It is driven in (FIG. 3C).
Further, since the reaction force received by the head housing 24 when the penetrator body 12 is fired is received by the water resistance by the horizontal upper surface 24b of the head housing 24, the upward jump of the head housing 24 can be reduced. And the downward acceleration of the penetrator body 12 can be promoted.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3D, the head housing 24 jumps upward by the reaction force generated by the penetrator body 12 and then sinks to the bottom 1 away from the installation position. Therefore, in this state, embedding of the measuring device 13 in the bottom 1 (for example, the sea bottom) is completed.
Thereafter, the measuring device 13 starts to operate, and for example, measurement and communication by a seismometer, a heat flow meter, an electronic circuit, a battery, and an underwater communication device can be started.

According to the apparatus and method of the present invention described above, water is dropped by its own weight while maintaining the state in which the pressurized gas 2 fills the inside of the launch tube 14 that houses the penetrator body 12 downward, and the penetrator is released from the launch tube 14. The body 12 can be fired downward.
Accordingly, the penetrator body 12 can be accelerated to a high speed in the launch chamber 15 filled with the pressurized gas 2 by this firing, and the deceleration due to the resistance of water can be greatly reduced, so that the penetrator body 12 can be efficiently brought to the bottom 1. You can drive in.

  Further, the pressurized gas 2 is supplied from the pressurized tank 16 to the launching chamber 15 of the launching tube 14 while dropping underwater by its own weight, and the pressure in the launching chamber 15 is balanced with the external water pressure. Therefore, the opening at the lower end of the firing chamber 15 can be hermetically closed with the film 17 (for example, a thin plate made of plastic or metal) that does not generate a differential pressure acting on the film 17 and does not become a resistance during the launch.

  In addition, since only the pressurized gas 2 is maintained inside the launch tube 14 and no water pressure is applied to any part other than the pressurized tank 16, a pressure-resistant structure that can withstand the water pressure is almost unnecessary, and the weight can be reduced. It becomes easy to carry and operate.

Moreover, since the underwater is dropped by its own weight while maintaining the state where the inside of the launch tube 14 is filled with the pressurized gas 2, since the underwater distance to the bottom 1 is zero or short after launch, the deceleration due to water resistance is greatly reduced. And can be driven into the bottom 1 at high speed.
Further, since the water falls by its own weight and settles on the bottom 1, the measuring device 13 can be easily embedded in the bottom 1 (for example, the sea bottom) in a short time without using a submersible craft.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Of course, a various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
For example, the launching device may be provided with propulsion power and a camera as well as a falling method by its own weight, and may be installed on a slope. In addition, the above-described launching device may be omitted, and a method of launching with gunpowder or a rocket may be used.

1 water bottom (sea floor), 2 pressurized gas, 10 water penetrator,
12 penetrator body, 13 measuring instrument, 14 launch tube,
15 launch chambers, 16 pressurized tanks, 17 membranes, 18 pressure control devices,
18a gas line, 18b flow control valve, 18c pressure detector,
18d controller, 20 launcher, 20a solid rocket,
20b explosive, 22 trigger device, 22a water bottom detection device,
22b igniter, 24 head housing, 24a inverted conical lower part,
24b Horizontal top surface

Claims (8)

Penetrator body loaded with measuring equipment and driven into the bottom of the water,
A launching tube containing the penetrator body downward and filled with pressurized gas inside,
An underwater penetrator comprising: a launching device that launches the penetrator body downward from the launch tube. The launch tube has a hollow cylindrical launch chamber having an upper end closed, a lower end opened and a lower end closed with a membrane,
Furthermore, a pressurized tank containing a pressurized gas inside,
A pressure control device that supplies pressurized gas from a pressurized tank to the firing chamber while dropping the water under its own weight, and balances the pressure of the firing chamber with the external water pressure;
The underwater penetrator according to claim 1, further comprising: a trigger device that operates the launching device when the launching tube reaches the bottom of the water, or immediately before or after the launching tube. A head housing connected to the upper end of the launch tube;
The head housing includes an inverted conical lower portion that maintains the penetrator body downward due to water resistance when the launch tube drops in water, and a horizontal upper surface that receives reaction force due to water resistance during the launch. The underwater penetrator according to claim 1, comprising:   The launching device is a solid rocket that is connected to an upper part of the penetrator body and generates a downward thrust, or an explosive that fills the upper part of the launching tube and launches the penetrator body with explosive pressure. The underwater penetrator according to 1.   The underwater penetrator according to claim 2, wherein the trigger device is a water bottom detection device that detects a water bottom located below and an igniter that ignites a solid rocket or explosive.   The underwater penetrator according to claim 2, wherein the membrane is a thin plate made of plastic or metal that is broken or opened by a pressure of a launch chamber generated during the launch. An installation method of an underwater penetrator that drives a penetrator body equipped with measuring equipment into the bottom of the water,
(A) housing the penetrator body downward in the launch tube;
(B) While maintaining the state where the inside of the launch tube is filled with pressurized gas, the water is dropped by its own weight,
(C) An installation method of an underwater penetrator, wherein the penetrator body is launched downward from the launch tube by a launching device. In (A), the lower end of the hollow cylindrical launch chamber with the upper end closed and the lower end opened is closed with a membrane,
In (B), while dropping water under its own weight, supply pressurized gas from a pressurized tank to the launch chamber, and balance the pressure in the launch chamber with the external water pressure,
The method for installing an underwater penetrator according to claim 7, wherein, in (C), the launching device is operated when the launching tube reaches the bottom of the water, or immediately before or after the launching tube.

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