KR101368873B1 - Mat type leg of floating structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mat-type leg of the floating structure, there is provided a mat-type leg of the floating structure for implementing a stable fixing of the leg. Mat-type legs of the floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one leg member mounted on the main body so as to be movable up and down, can be rotated to the lower end of the at least one leg member to correspond to the seabed terrain It may include a support mat is installed.

Description

MAT TYPE LEG OF FLOATING STRUCTURE}

The present invention relates to a mat-type leg of the floating structure, and more particularly to a mat-type leg of the floating structure that can improve the bearing capacity to the seabed through a support mat that varies depending on the seabed topography.

As the demand for environmentally friendly energy development grows, the development using wind power generators is getting popular all over the world. However, installation of wind turbines requires strict environmental conditions. For example, the place where the wind turbine is installed should be a place where a certain level of wind speed can be guaranteed to obtain significant rotation of the blade, and the pollution caused by the noise generated when driving the wind turbine should not be an issue do. Even if these environmental conditions are satisfied, a very large area of space is required to install a wind turbine generator.

In recent years, interest in offshore wind turbines has increased, which is relatively free from the above-mentioned constraints. Offshore wind turbines can be installed in a variety of ways, but generally they are constructed by dividing the components into several units, making them on land, and then transferring the units to sea for assembly. A ship that moves offshore wind turbine units on the sea to the sea and installs offshore wind turbine generators is commonly referred to as a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).

Wind turbine installation The ship can be operated in the transit mode and the jackup mode according to the characteristics of the operation. Specifically, the ship installed with the wind turbine moves to the navigation mode to the position where the off-axis wind turbine is to be installed. In sailing mode, the legs can be kept moving up the hull to reduce resistance by sea water. After that, the ship installed with the wind power generator is switched to the jack-up mode, the leg is lowered to the seabed, and the hull is lifted along the leg so that the hull can be separated from the sea surface by a certain distance. When the hull reaches a certain position, the installation ship of the wind power generator stops moving the hull and installs the offshore wind power generator. When the installation is completed, it moves in the reverse order to move to the next installation position.

As another example of the floating structure operated in the sailing mode and the jack-up mode as described above, there is a jack-up platform having a drilling function. The jack-up platform includes a derrick for drilling, moves to the drilling position in navigation mode, switches to jack-up mode, lowers the leg into the seabed, and lifts the hull along the leg. The jack-up platform performs the drilling operation while the hull is separated from the sea level. When drilling is completed, the jack-up platform can be moved to the next drilling position in the reverse order of the above procedure.

Legs of such floating structures are provided with spud-cans that facilitate penetration into the seabed. The spud can is connected to the lower end of the leg and secures the leg to the bottom by infiltrating the leg into the bottom in jack-up mode.

However, the spud can penetrates into the seabed at a predetermined speed under the control of the hull. When the seabed strength is lower than expected or the seabed terrain is inclined, the spud cans do not stably fix the legs to the seabed. The hull may lose its balance and fall, or the hull may collapse due to external conditions such as storms.

Accordingly, the lower end of the leg is in close contact with the sea bottom according to the seabed topography, and a technology for stably fixing the leg to the seabed is required.

U.S. Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2010/0067989 (published on May 18, 2010) U.S. Published Patent Application No. US2008 / 0247827 (published on September 10, 2008)

Embodiments of the present invention are to provide a mat-type legs of the floating structure capable of stably fixing the legs to the seabed regardless of the seabed topography.

Mat-type legs of the floating structure according to an aspect of the present invention, at least one leg member that is mounted to be movable up and down on the body, and to be rotatable at the bottom of the at least one leg member to correspond to the seabed terrain It may include an installed support mat.

The support mat may include a plurality of support pieces, the plurality of support pieces may be connected to the at least one leg member, and each of the plurality of support pieces may be connected through a joint means.

The joint means may include a universal joint or an elastic member.

The universal joint may include a first connection pipe connected to any one of the plurality of support pieces, a second connection pipe connected to another support piece adjacent to the support piece, and the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe. It may include a joint bearing for connecting the connecting pipe.

The universal joint may further include an expansion joint configured to vary the length of the first connection pipe or the second connection pipe.

At least one of the plurality of support pieces may include a support plate rotatably connected to a lower end of the leg member, a side wall surrounding an edge portion of the support plate so that a receiving space is formed at a lower portion thereof, and the accommodation space. The partition may include a partition.

Embodiments of the present invention vary the support mat installed at the lower end of the leg in accordance with the seabed terrain, there is an advantage that the legs of the floating structure can be fixed stably to the seabed.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention has the advantage that the balance of the leg to the seabed can be made stable by securing a wider area than that of the leg through the support mat.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention have the advantage that the support mat can be effectively coped with the uneven seabed because the support mat is disposed on each leg member by dividing the support mat into a plurality.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention has the advantage that it is possible to improve the support capacity of the leg to the seabed by forming a receiving space that can be held by the seabed soil on the support mat.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a navigation state of the floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3a is a view showing the jack-up state of the mat-type leg according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the flat seabed terrain.
Figure 3b is a view showing the jack-up state of the mat-shaped legs according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the inclined seabed terrain.
4A to 4D are plan views illustrating a support mat of the mat type legs according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an enlarged portion "A" of FIG. 3A according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged joint means of the mat leg according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7a is an exploded perspective view showing a support mat of the mat leg according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
7B is a side sectional view showing a support mat of a mat leg according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a jack-up state of the floating structure of FIG.

As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the floating structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body 10 that can be floating in water, is installed to be movable in the vertical direction to the main body 10 The mat leg (Leg, 200), the mat leg 200 and the main body 10, the leg support portion 30 for supporting the mat leg 200 and the relative movement in the vertical direction.

Here, the floating structure 1 may be a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) or a jack-up platform. In this embodiment, the floating structure 1 is a wind turbine installation ship I will explain it as an example. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to this, and any floating structure having a jack-up mode to be described later may be included in the scope of the present invention.

Specifically, the main body 10 may have a flat structure of a floatable rectangular shape, and may be formed in a structure having a wide width, a low height, and a short length as compared with a general commercial line (for example, a container line). However, this is only an example, and the main body 10 according to the spirit of the present invention may have an arbitrary three-dimensional structure in which the mat leg 200 and the leg support 30 may be installed.

The main body 10 can be loaded with the objects 2 to be loaded in accordance with the function of the floating structure 1. A blade, a nacelle, a tower, or the like, which is a part of an offshore wind power generator, can be loaded as the object 2 to be loaded on the main body 10 and the loading unit 2 for fixing the object 2 to the main body 10 (12) may be provided. Of course, the types and loading methods of the load 2 shown in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and the loaded loads 2 can be loaded in various forms within the scope of the present invention. For example, the blades and nacelle can be loaded separately from each other, and the load 2 can be a riser pipe if the floating structure 1 is a jack-up platform.

The main body 10 may be provided with a propulsion device (not shown) for movement and position control. The main body 10 may be provided with a wind load generator 2, such as a blade, a nacelle, A crane 40 that can be installed can be provided.

Mat-type leg 200 may implement a structure in which the height and the support shape is variable in accordance with the seabed terrain in order to improve the bearing capacity for the seabed.

The mat leg 200 is installed to penetrate the main body 10 in the vertical direction, and is formed to have a rigidity enough to withstand the load of the main body 10 in a jack-up state, and includes a cylinder, a square truss structure, and a triangular truss. It may be formed in various forms such as a structure.

The leg support part 30 is installed at a position corresponding to the leg well so that the mat type leg 200 can pass therethrough, and the mat type leg 200 and the main body 10 can move relative to each other in the vertical direction. Support 200. Specifically, the leg support 30 includes a driving device such as a motor, and moves the mat-shaped leg 200 in the up and down direction with respect to the main body 10 by the operation of the driving device, or the main body 10 is mated. The vertical leg 200 may be moved in the vertical direction. For example, the pin support gear and the motor are installed in the leg support part 30, and the rack gear is formed in the mat type leg 200, and the mat type leg 200 and the main body 10 are interlocked by the pinion and the rack. Up and down relative motion can be achieved.

In this embodiment, the mat-type leg 200 and the "relative movement in the up-down direction" of the main body 10 mean that the mat-type leg 200 moves up and down with respect to the main body 10, and the main body 10 is mated. It will be understood as a concept including both moving in the vertical direction with respect to the mold leg 200.

In order to more clearly describe the above-described configuration, the configuration of the mat-type leg according to the present embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in detail as follows.

Figure 3a is a view showing the jack-up state of the mat-type leg according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the flat seabed terrain, Figure 3b is a jack-up state of the mat-type leg according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the inclined seabed terrain Figure showing.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3B, the mat type leg 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is rotatable on a plurality of leg members 210 and lower ends of the plurality of leg members 210. It may include a support mat 220 is installed.

Leg member 210 is a support structure that is mounted on the main body so as to be movable up and down, is supported by the above-described leg support portion 30, the top of the main body 10 through a drive device installed in the leg support portion 30, Can be moved downward.

For example, the leg member 210 may be moved to a position where the offshore wind generator is to be installed in the state in which the floating structure 1 is in the transit mode, while being moved upward in the main body 10. When the floating structure 1 is in the jackup mode, the leg member 210 is moved downward of the main body 10 by the gravity and the driving device of the leg support 30, and the leg member 210 When the lower end reaches the sea bottom B, the leg member 210 is no longer able to move downward.

The support mat 220 may have a mat structure that is rotatably installed at the lower end of the leg member 210. At this time, in order for the support mat 220 to freely change the angle in the leg member 210, the connecting portion of the leg member 210 and the support mat 220 is a conventional hinge structure, joint structure or ball joint structure, etc. This could be applied.

As a result, the support mat 220 may be in close contact with the sea floor in response to the terrain when the support mat 220 moves downward, and thus, a wider contact surface may be secured to the sea floor and the support force for the sea floor may be improved. .

4A to 4D are plan views illustrating a support mat of the mat type legs according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the support mat 220 includes a plurality of support pieces 221 connected to the plurality of leg members 210, respectively, and the plurality of support pieces 221 are formed in a matrix form. Can be arranged.

For example, as shown in Figure 4a, when the three leg members 210 are arranged in a triangular form, these three leg members 210 may be provided with three support pieces 221, respectively, these three The support pieces 221 may be connected to each other through three joint means 230. In addition, as shown in Figs. 4b to 4c, when four or six leg members 210 are arranged in a square or rectangular shape, four or six support pieces are provided on the four or six leg members 210. 221 may be installed, respectively, four or six support pieces 221 may be connected to each other through four or six joint means 230.

Of course, as shown in Figure 4d, the two leg members 210 are connected to one support piece 221, so that when installing the support mat 220 to the seabed, the two leg members 210 together It may be composed of one unit to be able to flow.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the "A" part of FIG. 3A according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the joint means of the mat leg according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view shown.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of support pieces 221 may be interconnected to be movable in the up, down, left and right directions through the joint means 230, and the joint means 230 may be It may include a universal joint connecting between the plurality of support pieces 221.

The universal joint is configured to axially connect between a pair of adjacent support pieces 221, and may include a first connection pipe 231a, a second connection pipe 231b, and a joint bearing 231c. Here, the first connection pipe 231a connects between the support piece 221 located on one side and the joint bearing 231c, and the second connection pipe 231b connects the support piece 221 and the joint bearing 231c located on the other side. ), The joint bearing 231c is composed of a "+" shaped joint bearing 231c that can be rotated in the up, down, left, and right directions, so that the first connection pipe 231a and the second connection pipe ( 231b) can be connected.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the universal joint may further include an expansion joint 231d. The expansion joint 231d may be provided in the first connection pipe 231a or the second connection pipe 231b and may have a structure in which the length of the connection pipe is variable. For example, the expansion joint 231d may be configured as an expansion rod for connecting both ends of the expansion pipe 231d to be input and output.

In the present embodiment, an embodiment using the universal joint as the joint means 230 has been described. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition to the universal joint, adjacent support pieces 221 may be moved up, down, left, right. Any structure can be applied to the present invention as long as the structure is fluidly connected in the direction. For example, an elastic member such as an elastic spring that elastically connects the plurality of support pieces 221 may be used as the joint means 230.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described.

First, the floating structure 1 moves in the navigation mode to the position where the offshore wind generator is to be installed. The floating structure 1 is switched to the normal navigation mode, and can move in a state where the mat leg 200 is moved upward in order to reduce resistance by the mat leg 200.

When the floating structure 1 is moved to the target position, it is possible to position the correct position for lowering the mat leg 200 using the dynamic positioning (Dynamic Positioning). Automatic position control may continue until the mated leg 200 descends and touches the seabed.

And the floating structure (1) is switched to the jack-up mode to seat the mat-type leg 200 on the seabed (B). In this process, the mat-type leg 200 may be moved downward of the main body 10 by the driving device of the gravity and the leg support 30.

When the support mat 220 of the mat-type leg 200 touches the seabed B, the mat-type leg 200 is no longer able to move downward, and at this time, the support mat 220 is kept in close contact with the seabed as much as possible. It may vary according to the seabed topography as much as possible.

For example, as shown in Figure 3b, when the seabed consists of a horizontal plane and the inclined plane and the floating structure is located at the boundary between these horizontal plane and the inclined plane, the support piece 221 of the support mat 220 located on one side of the figure is a seabed It is disposed horizontally to be in close contact with the horizontal plane of the, the support piece 221 of the support mat 220 located on the other side of the drawing may be inclined to be in close contact with the inclined surface of the seabed. As a result, the mat-shaped legs 200 of the floating structure can be stably fixed to the seabed having a non-flat terrain, and can be stably balanced.

Thereafter, the floating structure 1 moves the main body 10 upward by operating the drive device of the leg support 30. At this time, since the main body 10 is moved upward along the mat-shaped leg 200, the main body 10 may be in a state spaced a predetermined distance from the sea surface (S), in this state by using a crane 40 Offshore wind generators can be installed. Once the installation is complete, you can proceed in the reverse order to initiate the flight again. Of course, the operation of the present invention is merely an example, and various changes may be made within the scope of the present invention.

7A is an exploded perspective view illustrating a support mat of a mat leg according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a support mat of a mat leg according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7B, the mat-type leg 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a support mat having a plurality of leg members 210 and a receiving space 221d into which soil is inserted. 220 may be included.

Here, the remaining components other than the receiving space 221d of the plurality of leg members 210 and the support mat 220 are configured of the plurality of leg members 210 and the support mat 220 described in the first embodiment. Since it is similar to the whole, another embodiment will be described below with a focus on the difference from the present embodiment.

The support piece 221 of the support mat 220 may include a support plate 221a, a sidewall 221b, and a partition wall 221c. Here, the support plate 221a is rotatably connected to the lower end of the leg member 210. At this time, the support plate 221a may be applied to a conventional hinge structure, a joint structure or a ball joint structure. The side wall 221b is provided at the edge of the support plate 221a.

The side wall 221b may be disposed to surround the edge of the support plate 221a to form an edge of the support plate 221a. In more detail, since the side wall 221b is formed at the lower edge portion of the support plate 221a, the receiving space 221d can accommodate the soil of the seabed inside the lower portion of the support plate 221a. Accordingly, when the support mat 220 is seated on the seabed, the soil of the seabed is inserted into the receiving space 221d by the load of the floating structure 1, thereby firmly fixing the mat leg 200 to the seabed. can do. In the accommodation space 221d, a partition wall 221c may be provided.

The partition wall 221c divides the accommodation space 221d into a plurality of spaces so that the holding force of the mat leg 200 on the sea floor is improved. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 221c is configured in a "+" shape to divide the accommodation space 221d into four, but this is only one embodiment of dividing the accommodation space 221d, and the accommodation space 221d is divided into six. The shape of the partition wall 221c may be variously changed to be divided into 8 divisions and 16 divisions.

As described above, the present invention can stably fix the legs of the floating structure to the seabed through a support mat that is variable to the seabed topography, and by implementing a wider area than the plane of the legs through the support mat to the seabed It is possible to maintain stable balance of legs, and to divide the support mat into multiple parts to effectively cope with the uneven sea floor, and to form a receiving space on the support mat to improve the support of the mat type legs against the sea floor. Has excellent advantages.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Skilled artisans may implement a pattern of features that are not described in a combinatorial and / or permutational manner with the disclosed embodiments, but this is not to depart from the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be readily made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: Floating structure 2: Loaded material
10: body 12: loading unit
30: leg support portion 40: crane
200: mat type leg 210: leg member
220: support mat 221: support piece
221a: support plate 221b: side wall
221c: bulkhead 221d: accommodation space
230: joint means 231a: first connecting pipe
231b: second connection pipe 231c: third connection pipe
231d: Expansion Joint

Claims (6)

At least one leg member mounted on the main body so as to be movable upward and downward; And
A support mat rotatably installed at a lower end of the at least one leg member to correspond to the seabed terrain,
The support mat includes a plurality of support pieces,
The plurality of support pieces are connected to the at least one leg member,
Each of the plurality of support pieces are mat-shaped legs of the floating structure connected via the joint means. delete The method of claim 1,
The joint means is a mat leg of the floating structure comprising a universal joint or an elastic member. The method of claim 3, wherein
The universal joint
A first connection pipe connected to any one of the plurality of support pieces;
A second connecting pipe connected to the support piece and another support piece adjacent to the support piece; And
The mat leg of the floating structure comprising a joint bearing for coupling the first connecting pipe and the second connecting pipe. 5. The method of claim 4,
The universal joint mat mat legs of the floating structure further comprises an expansion joint for varying the length of the first connection pipe or the second connection pipe. The method of claim 1,
At least one support piece of the plurality of support pieces,
A support plate rotatably connected to a lower end of the leg member;
A side wall surrounding an edge of the support plate to form a receiving space in which a lower portion thereof is opened; And
Mat-type legs of the floating structure comprising a partition wall for partitioning the receiving space.

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