JP2019123258A - Underwater equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent gas from discharging outside when draining water from a ballast tank.SOLUTION: Underwater equipment 1 includes: a ballast tank 10; a drainage unit 20 having piping 21 for draining water inside the ballast tank 10; a steam separation unit 30 provided on the piping 21 for separating gas from water flowing in the piping 21; and a gas return unit 40 for returning the gas separated by the steam separation unit 30 to the ballast tank 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to underwater devices.

  A configuration in which the buoyancy of an underwater device is controlled by using water injection into a ballast tank provided in the underwater device has been studied (for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2014/163141

  However, when the ballast tank is drained, the gas in the ballast tank may be gradually drained to the outside, which may make it difficult to pour and drain the ballast tank.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an underwater device that prevents gas from being discharged to the outside when draining from a ballast tank.

  In order to achieve the above object, the underwater apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided on a ballast tank, a drainage portion having a piping for draining water in the ballast tank, and the piping, and flows through the piping It has a steam-water separation part which separates gas from water, and a gas return part which returns the gas separated by the steam-water separation part to the ballast tank.

  According to the above underwater apparatus, the gas is separated from the water by the steam-water separation unit provided on the piping of the drainage unit from the ballast tank, and the gas is returned to the ballast tank by the gas return unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gas contained in the water discharged by the drainage part from being discharged to the outside.

  Here, the ballast has a pressure measurement unit that measures the air pressure in the ballast tank, and the gas return unit is configured to measure the ballast when the air pressure in the ballast tank measured by the pressure measurement unit is less than a reference pressure. An aspect of returning the gas to the tank may be adopted.

  As described above, when the air pressure in the ballast tank is lower than the reference pressure, the air pressure in the ballast tank is lowered by returning the gas to the ballast tank. Since the gas can be returned to the tank, the drop in pressure in the ballast tank can be prevented.

  The water level measurement unit measures the water level in the ballast tank, and the gas return unit is connected to the ballast tank when the water level in the ballast tank measured by the water level measurement unit is a reference water level. It can be set as the aspect which returns the said gas.

  As described above, when the water level in the ballast tank measured by the water level measurement unit is the reference water level, the gas level in the ballast tank is appropriate by returning the gas to the ballast tank. Since the gas can be returned when the air pressure is decreasing, the water level and the air pressure in the ballast tank can be maintained properly.

  Further, the reference pressure is equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure, and the gas return unit has a gas pipe connecting the steam-water separation unit and the ballast tank, and an on-off valve provided on the gas pipe. The gas may be returned to the ballast tank by opening and closing the on-off valve.

  As described above, when the reference pressure is equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to return the gas to the ballast tank by opening and closing the on-off valve provided on the gas pipe of the gas return unit. Therefore, the gas return part can be realized with a simpler configuration.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an underwater device that prevents the gas from being discharged to the outside when the ballast tank is drained.

It is a schematic block diagram of an underwater apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of a steam separation part. It is a flowchart explaining drainage and gas return by underwater equipment. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement at the time of drainage by a submersible apparatus. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement at the time of gas return by an underwater apparatus.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of an underwater apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the underwater device 1 is a device that floats in water, such as in the sea. The underwater device 1 is a device that floats in water to perform some operation, and is realized as, for example, a device that collects information in water. In addition, the underwater device 1 has a function of adjusting the buoyancy of its own device, and performs floatation / sedimentation by adjusting the buoyancy.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the underwater apparatus 1 recovers the gas mixed in the water when the water is drained by the housing 2, the ballast tank 10, the drainage portion 20 for draining the ballast tank 10, and the drainage portion 20. And the control unit 50 for controlling the return of the water by the drainage unit 20 and the return of the gas by the gas return unit 40. The ballast tank 10, the drainage unit 20, the air-water separation unit 30, the gas return unit 40, and the control unit 50 are provided in the housing 2. In addition, although the water injection part which injects water in the inside of the ballast tank 10 is separately provided in the underwater apparatus 1, description is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  The ballast tank 10 is provided for adjusting the buoyancy of the underwater device 1 and has a function of storing water inside. When the amount of water in the ballast tank 10 changes, the weight of the underwater device 1 changes. Therefore, the buoyancy that the underwater device 1 receives also changes. Therefore, with the change of the water quantity in the ballast tank 10, the underwater apparatus 1 can perform floating / settling. Thus, the water W and the gas A are present in the ballast tank 10. When the underwater device 1 is used in the sea, water or seawater is used as the water W. Examples of the gas A include air, but the type of gas is not particularly limited.

  The underwater apparatus 1 includes a pressure sensor PG (pressure measuring unit) that measures the pressure of the gas in the ballast tank 10 in the ballast tank 10, and a liquid surface that measures the level of the water surface of the water W in the ballast tank 10. It has a sensor LG1 (water level measurement unit). The pressure sensor PG is provided, for example, in a region above the ballast tank 10 where the gas A stagnates, and has a function of measuring the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10. In addition, the liquid level sensor LG1 is provided, for example, on the side surface of the ballast tank 10, and measures the height position of the liquid level of the water W in the ballast tank 10 to measure the amount of water and gas in the ballast tank 10. It has a function to measure. Information on the pressure or temperature measured by the pressure sensor PG and the liquid level sensor LG1 is sent to the control unit 50. The information sent to the control unit 50 is used as information at the time of performing control related to water supply and drainage of the water W in the ballast tank 10 and gas return in the control unit 50. In the present embodiment, the "water amount" refers to the volume of water. Also, "gas amount" refers to the volume of the gas. The “volume” in this case is the volume of water or gas present in the ballast tank 10.

  The drainage unit 20 includes a pipe 21 and a pump P, and drains water in the ballast tank 10 under the control of the control unit 50. Moreover, on the piping 21, the on-off valve V1 is provided. Furthermore, on the piping 21, the below-mentioned air-water separation part is provided. The pump P, the air-water separation unit, and the on-off valve V1 are provided on the pipe 21 in this order from the ballast tank 10 side. In the present embodiment, “provided on the pipe” indicates that a target component (for example, a steam-water separation unit) is installed in part or all of the pipe.

  The steam-water separation unit 30 is provided on the pipe 21 and recovers the gas contained in the water from the ballast tank 10 flowing on the pipe 21. An example of the air-water separation unit 30 is shown in FIG. In the air-water separation unit 30, the inside of the housing 31 is hollow, and a plate-like member 32 serving as a baffle plate extending from the bottom (opposite side to the pipe 41 described below) to the upper side (pipe 41 described later) is provided. Be A pipe 21 on the ballast tank 10 side and a pipe 21 on the on-off valve V1 side are provided so as to sandwich the plate member 32. Moreover, the piping 41 contained in the below-mentioned gas return part 40 is provided above the plate-shaped member 34. As shown in FIG. The water introduced from the ballast tank 10 through the pipe 21 and introduced into the air-water separation unit 30 collides with the plate member 34, whereby the gas in water separates and moves upward. As a result, the gas moves to the pipe 41, and the water from which the gas is separated flows to the pipe 21 on the on-off valve V1 side. In addition, the structure of said air-water separation part 30 is an example, and is not limited above, A various change can be made.

  The gas return unit 40 has a pipe 41 (gas pipe) and an air tank 42, and under the control of the control unit 50, the gas contained in water is recovered from the ballast tank when drained from the ballast tank 10. Return to 10 The pipe 41 is connected to the pipe 21 at one end via the air-water separator 30 and is connected to the ballast tank 10 at the other end.

  The air tank 42 is provided on the pipe 41 and stores the gas recovered from the water discharged from the ballast tank 10. The air tank 42 has a liquid level sensor LG2 that measures the level of the liquid level of the water W in the air tank 42. The liquid level sensor LG2 is provided, for example, on the side surface of the air tank 42, and has a function of measuring the amount of gas in the air tank 42 by measuring the height position of the liquid level of water in the air tank 42.

  An on-off valve V2 and an on-off valve V3 are provided on the pipe 41 so as to sandwich the air tank 42. The on-off valve V2 is provided on the pipe 41 on the air-water separation unit 30 side of the air tank 42. The on-off valve V3 is provided on the pipe 41 on the ballast tank 10 side of the air tank 42 (on the gas pipe). Further, a check valve C is provided on the pipe 41 between the on-off valve V3 and the ballast tank 10. The check valve C is provided to prevent gas from moving from the ballast tank 10 to the pipe 41 side (air tank 42 side).

  The air tank 42 is provided above the pipe connecting the air tank 42 of the pipe 41 and the air-water separation unit 30. With such a configuration, the gas separated in the air tank 42 tends to stay in the air tank 42.

  The piping 21 of the drainage part 20 and the piping 41 of the gas return part 40 are provided continuously. Thus, the drainage part 20 and the gas return part 40 are integrally provided, and by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves V1 to V3 provided on the pipes 21 and 31, the drainage and discharge of the ballast tank 10 and the Gas is returned to the ballast tank 10 and the like.

  The control unit 50 performs control related to water injection and drainage in the ballast tank 10 and control related to gas return. The control unit 50 grasps changes in the amount of water and the amount of gas in the ballast tank 10 and grasps the buoyancy that the underwater device 1 receives. In addition, it has a function of controlling the pouring and drainage of water in the ballast tank 10 in order to obtain desired buoyancy. Further, when the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 decreases, the control unit 50 controls the gas return unit 40 to return the gas stored in the air tank 42 into the ballast tank 10. As described above, the control unit 50 controls the drainage unit 20 and the gas return unit 40 to suppress the discharge of the gas from the ballast tank while appropriately maintaining the buoyancy of the underwater apparatus 1 using the ballast tank 10.

  For example, the control unit 50 described above is configured of hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), read only memory (ROM), and random access memory (RAM), and software such as a program stored in the ROM. It can be realized as a computer.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a method of controlling the buoyancy of the underwater device 1 and the method of recovering the gas under the control of the control unit 50 will be described.

  In FIG. 3, it is assumed that the underwater device 1 has started normal operation. During normal operation, the control unit 50 determines the buoyancy that the underwater device 1 receives based on the amount of water in the ballast tank 10 based on the information from the liquid level sensor LG1 and the pressure sensor PG attached to the ballast tank 10 Do. Further, during the normal operation, all the on-off valves V1 to V3 are in the closed state.

  Here, it is assumed that the control unit 50 determines that drainage from the ballast tank 10 is necessary. Specifically, when the water level in the ballast tank 10 measured by the liquid level sensor LG1 is higher than the reference water level corresponding to the assumed buoyancy, the control unit 50 controls the water level to be the reference water level. Do. The control unit 50 instructs the drainage unit 20 and the gas return unit 40 to start the drainage operation (S01). In the drainage unit 20 and the gas return unit 40, the on-off valves V1 and V2 are opened based on the drainage operation command from the control unit 50 (S02), and the pump P is started to drain water from the ballast tank 10. Start (S03).

  The state where drainage has been started is shown in FIG. By driving the pump P, water is discharged from the ballast tank 10 to the outside of the housing 2 via the pipe 21. At this time, the water passing through the pipe 21 passes through the air-water separation unit 30. The gas in the water is separated in the air-water separator 30 and moves to the upper side of the pipe 41. Therefore, the water discharged to the outside of the housing 2 is water from which at least a part of the gas has been removed. To the pipe 41 side, the separated gas is mixed, and water in which the mixed amount of gas is increased is moved. Furthermore, the gas travels upwards in water. As a result, the separated gas A2 is retained in the air tank 42. Since the gas A2 is retained in the air tank 42 in a state where water is supplied from below, the gas A2 in the air tank 42 is maintained in a compressed state at atmospheric pressure or more.

  Since the open / close valve V3 is closed, the gas A2 staying in the air tank 42 does not move to the ballast tank 10.

  In the air tank 42, when the water in the ballast tank 10 is discharged by driving the pump P, the gas A2 separated by the air-water separation unit 30 and the water moved upward from the air-water separation unit 30 It will exist. By measuring the water level in the air tank 42 by the liquid level sensor LG2 attached to the air tank 42, it is possible to measure the gas amount of the gas A2 staying in the air tank 42.

  The control unit 50 determines whether the measurement value of the liquid level sensor LG1 is the reference water level (S04), and if it is not the reference water level (S04-NO), the drainage is continued. On the other hand, when the measured value of the liquid level sensor LG1 becomes the reference water level (S04-YES), the drainage is stopped. That is, under the control of the control unit 50, the drive of the pump P is stopped (S05), and the on-off valves V1 and V2 are changed to the closed state (S06). As a result, drainage from the ballast tank 10 is stopped.

  Next, the control unit 50 checks whether the water level in the ballast tank 10 after stopping the drainage is the reference water level (S07). When the water level is not the reference water level (S07-NO), the control unit 50 performs normal operation and does not perform processing after (S08). When the water level in the ballast tank 10 is the reference water level (S07-YES), the control unit 50 determines the pressure (air pressure) of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 based on the information from the pressure sensor PG of the ballast tank 10. It is checked whether it is smaller than the reference pressure (S09). The reference pressure defines the lower limit of the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 that can suitably perform the filling and draining of the ballast tank 10. As the reference pressure, for example, the atmospheric pressure can be set, but it can be appropriately changed based on the use environment of the underwater apparatus 1 or the like.

  If the pressure (air pressure) of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 is equal to or higher than the reference pressure, the normal operation is continued (S08). On the other hand, when the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 is less than the reference pressure (S09-NO), the control unit 50 returns the gas so that the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 becomes equal to or higher than the reference pressure. The gas return by the part 40 is performed. Specifically, the on-off valve V3 is changed to the open state (S10). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the air tank 42 and the ballast tank 10 are connected. As described above, while the gas A2 in the air tank 42 is in a compressed state, the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 is smaller than the reference pressure (the reference pressure is set to the atmospheric pressure). If the pressure is below atmospheric pressure, Therefore, there is a high possibility that the pressure of the gas A2 is higher than the pressure of the gas A. Therefore, when the on-off valve V3 is opened, the gas A2 in the air tank 42 moves into the ballast tank 10. As a result, the pressure of the gas in the ballast tank 10 rises. When the on-off valve V3 is open, gas may move from the ballast tank 10 side to the air tank 42 side, but the movement of the gas in this direction is prevented by the check valve C.

  The control unit 50 confirms that the pressure (air pressure) of the gas in the ballast tank 10 measured by the pressure sensor PG rises to the reference pressure (S11). When it is confirmed that the pressure (air pressure) of the gas in the ballast tank 10 has reached the reference pressure (S11-YES), the on-off valve V3 is changed to the closed state (S12), and the normal operation is returned.

  On the other hand, if the pressure (air pressure) of the gas in the ballast tank 10 does not reach the reference pressure (S11-NO), the gas A2 in the air tank 42 will continue to wait for transfer into the ballast tank 10, When the pressure of the gas A2 in the air tank 42 becomes equal to the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10, the movement of the gas is stopped. Therefore, in the control unit 50, the gas A2 in the air tank 42 is sufficiently moved to the ballast tank 10 based on the result measured by the liquid level sensor LG2 attached to the air tank 42, and the gas amount in the air tank 42 ( It is checked whether the amount of air) becomes constant (whether the liquid level sensor LG2 shows a value corresponding to the lower limit value of the amount of gas in the air tank 42) (S13). If the amount of gas (amount of air) in the air tank 42 is not constant (the liquid level sensor LG2 does not indicate the lower limit value of the amount of gas in the air tank 42) (S13-NO), the control unit 50 continues The on-off valve V3 is opened to promote the movement of the gas A2. On the other hand, when the amount of gas (amount of air) in the air tank 42 is constant (the liquid level sensor LG2 indicates the lower limit value of the amount of gas in the air tank 42) (S13-YES), the movement of the gas A2 is It is determined that the operation has ended, and the control unit 50 changes the on-off valve V3 to the closed state (S12), and returns to the normal operation. When there is a possibility that the pressure of the gas A in the ballast tank 10 becomes very small compared to the reference pressure and it becomes impossible to appropriately pour and drain the ballast tank 10, the control unit 50 may The control related to the operation such as the emergency surfacing of 1 is performed, but the normal operation is continued if there is no problem even when returning to the normal operation. Note that the pressure in the air tank 42 is monitored by attaching a pressure sensor instead of the liquid level sensor LG2, and from this result, it is attached to the air tank 42 whether the amount of air (amount of air) in the air tank 42 becomes constant. It may be determined from the values of the pressure sensor and the pressure sensor attached to the ballast tank 10.

  In the underwater apparatus 1, when draining from the ballast tank 10, separation and return of gas are repeated as described above. In addition, the water from the air-water separation unit 30 can be stored in the gas return unit 40 (the piping 41 and the air tank 42) between the air-water separation unit 30 and the ballast tank 10 by repeating the separation and return of the gas. There is sex. Therefore, a mechanism (such as piping) may be provided to discharge the water in the gas return unit 40 to the ballast tank 10 side or the outside of the underwater apparatus 1. In this case, the control unit 50 can be configured to discharge water from the gas return unit 40 based on, for example, a measurement value of the liquid level sensor LG2 of the air tank 42 or the like.

  As mentioned above, according to the underwater apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment, gas is isolate | separated from water by the steam separation part 30 provided on the piping 21 of the drainage part 20 connected to the ballast tank 10. As shown in FIG. Then, the gas separated in the air-water separation unit 30 is returned to the ballast tank 10 by the gas return unit 40. Therefore, it is prevented that the gas contained in the water discharged | emitted by the drainage part 20 is discharged | emitted outside.

  Conventionally, when the gas mixed in water is discharged to the outside together with the water at the time of drainage from the ballast tank 10, the air pressure in the ballast tank 10 decreases. When the air pressure in the ballast tank 10 decreases, there is a possibility that the water filling and discharging from the ballast tank 10 can not be performed, and it is necessary to take measures such as emergency surfacing. Therefore, it becomes difficult to operate the underwater device 1 in water for a long time. On the other hand, in the above-mentioned underwater apparatus 1, since gas can be prevented from being discharged from the ballast tank 10 to the outside of the underwater apparatus 1, the operation of the underwater apparatus 1 can be prolonged.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned underwater apparatus 1, when the pressure in the ballast tank 10 measured by the pressure sensor PG as a pressure measurement unit is less than the reference pressure, the gas is returned to the ballast tank 10. With such a configuration, when the pressure in the ballast tank 10 is reduced from the reference pressure, the gas can be returned to increase the pressure in the ballast tank 10. It is possible to perform an operation to prevent deterioration at a more appropriate timing.

  Further, in the above-mentioned underwater apparatus 1, when the water level in the ballast tank 10 measured by the liquid level sensor LG1 as the water level measurement unit is the reference water level, the gas is returned to the ballast tank 10. With such a configuration, the gas can be returned when the air pressure is lowered although the water level in the ballast tank 10 is appropriate, and the water level and the air pressure in the ballast tank 10 can be properly adjusted. Can be maintained.

  Further, as in the above-mentioned underwater apparatus 1, when the reference pressure is equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to return the gas to the ballast tank 10 by opening and closing the on-off valve V3 on the pipe 41 of the gas return unit 40. Become. Therefore, the gas return unit 40 can be realized with a simpler configuration. If the pressure of the gas in the gas return unit 40 can be made larger than the pressure of the gas in the ballast tank 10 even if the reference pressure is larger than the atmospheric pressure, the above-described simple configuration is used. The gas return unit 40 can be configured.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change can be made. For example, the shapes of the housing 2, the ballast tank 10, and the like in the above-described underwater device 1 are appropriately changed. In addition, the mechanisms such as the drainage unit 20 for performing water supply and drainage in the ballast tank 10, the air-water separation unit 30, and the gas return unit 40 can be appropriately changed.

  Further, the underwater device 1 may be a so-called underwater floating type device which is moored on a mooring cord or the like and is floated. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the underwater apparatus 1 contained the one housing | casing 2, when the underwater apparatus 1 is connected with respect to a mooring cord, the two housings 2 provided with the propeller respectively The (pods) may be connected by the connecting portion. In this case, each of the two housings 2 can be configured to be anchored to the same fixed point in water by means of a mooring cord. Moreover, said structure may be implement | achieved as a floating-type electric power generating apparatus which converts rotation of a propeller into electric power using water flows, such as ocean current.

  Moreover, when it has said structure, the attitude | position of two housing | casings 2 can be stabilized by making the rotation direction of the propeller of two housings 2 into mutually different direction. Furthermore, another housing 2 may be provided at the connecting portion for connecting the two housings 2. As described above, when the underwater apparatus 1 includes the plurality of housings 2, the configuration related to the ballast tank 10, the drainage unit 20, the air-water separator 30, and the gas return unit 40 is the same as that of the plurality of housings 2. It is sufficient if at least one is provided.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the drainage part 20 drains was demonstrated, the mechanism which concerns on water injection, and the mechanism which concerns on drainage may be integrated. Regardless of the configuration of the mechanism related to water injection and the mechanism related to drainage, the air-water separation unit 30 is provided on the piping used for drainage.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure which stores gas in the air tank 42, the structure which stores the gas isolate | separated by the steam separation part 30 can be changed suitably. For example, it may be configured to be stored in the pipe 41 included in the gas return unit 40 instead of the air tank 42.

  In addition, the pipe 41 of the gas return unit 40 may not be connected to the upper portion of the ballast tank 10. Depending on the arrangement and structure of the pipe 41, the gas separated in the air-water separation unit 30 via the pipe 41 may be returned to the ballast tank 10 in a state of being mixed with water, but such a configuration Even if the gas is returned to the ballast tank 10, the discharge of the gas out of the underwater apparatus 1 can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Underwater apparatus 2 Housing | casing 10 Ballast tank 20 Drainage part 21 Piping 30 Air-water separation part 40 Gas return part 41 Piping 42 Air tank

Claims (4)

With a ballast tank,
A drainage portion having a pipe for draining water in the ballast tank;
A steam-water separation unit provided on the pipe for separating gas from water flowing through the pipe;
A gas return unit for returning the gas separated by the air-water separation unit to the ballast tank;
, Underwater equipment. It has a pressure measurement unit that measures the pressure in the ballast tank,
The underwater apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas return unit returns the gas to the ballast tank when the pressure in the ballast tank measured by the pressure measurement unit is less than a reference pressure. It has a water level measurement unit that measures the water level in the ballast tank,
The underwater apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gas return unit returns the gas to the ballast tank when the water level in the ballast tank measured by the water level measurement unit is a reference water level. The reference pressure is below atmospheric pressure, and
The gas return unit includes a gas pipe that connects the gas-water separation unit and the ballast tank, and an on-off valve provided on the gas pipe.
The underwater apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gas is returned to the ballast tank by opening and closing the on-off valve.

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