KR20100071070A - Vessels with roll damping mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a monohull vessel with a heavy lift crane. The crane comprises a jib, which has a reach beyond the hull of the vessel and hoisting means for hoisting a load. The vessel is provided with a water ballast system, and further comprises an active roll damping mechanism. According to the present invention, the active roll damping mechanism comprises a solid roll damping ballast (110) which is movable in the transverse direction of the hull, a sensor detecting the rolling motion of the hull, and a drive and control system (115) operable to cause and control the movements of the solid roll damping ballast in response to the detections of the sensor to provide roll stabilization.

Description

Vessel with roll braking mechanism {VESSELS WITH ROLL DAMPING MECHANISM}

The present invention relates to a single hull heavy lift crane vessel and a single hull offshore drilling vessel.

Heavy lift cranes of the type referred to in the preamble of claim 1 have already been commercially available by the applicant for several decades, in particular the tender ships used in cargo ships, the coastal industry and It was installed and used on the same vessel and other vessels. Monohull vessels equipped with such heavy lift cranes are suitable for the construction and maintenance of offshore water surface and subsea oil and natural gas generation development facilities. A heavy lift mast crane with a lift capacity of 3000 tons was built by the applicant under the name Sapura 3000, a heavy lift and pipelay vessel.

In general, heavy lift crane vessels are equipped with a water ballast system to compensate for static heel caused by the weight of the jib, so that during lifting operations, in particular, in excess of cargo capacity Make sure your cargo is suspended when you do it. Normally such water ballast systems include water ballast tanks and associated pumps in the hull of a ship. In general, the capacity of the pump places constraints on the ballast movement and substantially slows the speed of the jib of the crane.

Further known are methods for stabilizing crane vessels by active roll removal machinery. Such a mechanism actively suppresses rolling motion. Rolling motion is a moment of rotation about the longitudinal axis of the vessel and is caused by a wave-excited moment that periodically opposes the vessel's moment. In crane ships, a large roll excursion can occur with only a small roll moment due to the cargo suspended on the heavy lift crane.

An example of an active roll removal mechanism relating to the use of Voith Schneider Propellor is disclosed in US 2007/0123120. A disadvantage of this active roll removal device is the capacity limitation of ships with heavy lift cranes, especially for ships with heavy lift cranes having a lift capacity of 1500 tons or more.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a single hull ship with a heavy lift crane, a ship with an improved active roll removal mechanism.

An object of the present invention is a solid roll removal ballast capable of moving in the transverse direction of the hull, a sensor for sensing the rolling motion of the hull, and the movement of the solid roll removing ballast in response to the detection of the sensor to provide roll stability. It is achieved by having a heavy lift crane vessel with an active roll removal mechanism that includes a drive and control system that is operative to trigger and control.

Thus, active roll stabilization is achieved by causing a counteracting moment by actively controlled solid ballast means. The sensor senses the rolling motion and the drive and control system controls the reaction moment as desired.

The mechanism can be used in a dynamic mode adapted such that mutual transverse motion of the solid ballast corresponds to ocean waves caused by the rolling motion of the vessel. Static or semi-static in which ballasts are used to counter the heel caused by (light) cargo suspended from the jib or the crane (eg during slewing). Can be used in mode.

The vessel equipped with a heavy lift crane can be operated at a high rotational speed of the jib according to an active roll removal mechanism. Obviously the "slower" water ballast can be used simultaneously to correspond to the heel of the ship while the jib rotates (eg by hanging light cargo).

The invention also relates to single hull offshore drilling vessels used in offshore oil and natural gas drilling industries. The vessel according to the invention has an active roll removal mechanism, said active roll removal mechanism providing a solid roll removal ballast capable of moving in the transverse direction of the hull, a sensor for sensing the rolling motion of the hull, and roll stability And a drive and control system operable to cause and control movement of the solid roll removal ballast in response to sensing of the sensor.

The single hull offshore drilling vessel of the present invention may also have one or more of the features described herein in connection with a single hull heavy crane ship, and vice versa.

The French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle has a computerized and integrated stabilization system, which is 0.5 degrees horizontally to operate the aircraft even when the Sea State is 5/6. Designed to maintain stability within. As with two pairs of active stabilizing fins and a pair of rudders on the aircraft carrier, the system includes two straight rail tracks for trains carrying 22 tons of weight. Computer controlled compensation units. These tracks lie transversely below the flight deck. These systems are designed to control rolls, yaws and surges, and to compensate for wind and hills. Further progress in this aircraft carrier stabilization system is disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,349,660. Further development of such a system for small vessels comprising a ballast body train mounted on U-shaped tracks is disclosed in EP 1304289.

The heavy lift crane vessel according to the invention preferably comprises a mast crane having a maximum hoisting capacity of at least 3000 tons, more preferably a mast crane having a hoisting capacity of 5000 tons or more.

The height of the mast of the crane is preferably greater than 75 meters and the length of the jib may be greater than 75 meters.

The radius of the hoisting cable is guided by the hoisting cable guide at the outer end of the jib, can be referenced according to the whip hoist, and can be 122 meters.

The single hull vessel with the mast crane according to the invention is preferably suitable for manipulating large subsea modules, for example modules up to 600 tons in 3000 meters deep sea.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the crane is installed at the stern of the vessel.

Preferably the heavy lift crane vessel is provided or equipped with such equipment to accommodate S-lay pipelaying equipment.

In a preferred embodiment, the ship according to the invention is also provided with dynamic position control means and is preferably operable with said active roll removal mechanism during hoisting or drilling operations.

The active roll removal mechanism according to the invention comprises a solid roll removal ballast which is movable in the transverse direction of the hull.

The total mass of the roll removal ballast in the heavy lift crane vessel is preferably between 500 and 2500 tons, more preferably between 1000 and 2000 tons, for example 1000 or 1500 tons.

The total mass of the roll removal ballast in the drilling vessel is preferably between 100 and 750 tonnes, more preferably between 200 and 400 tonnes, for example 300 tonnes.

Preferably, the roll removal mechanism is such that, unlike a known aircraft carrier system with a train of ballast bodies mounted on a pair of tracks, a single ballast body is mounted and guided along a set of related tracks. Is formed. This allows to avoid any problems associated with the internal connection of the ballast bodies in the trains of ballast bodies. This also allows the center of gravity of the ballast body to be shifted outward as much as possible with respect to the centerline of the vessel to obtain an increased restoring moment.

Preferably the ballast body is embodied as a single piece of metal block or a set of metal blocks fixed to each other to form a single solid body having a weight of at least 100 tons, so as to be a compact ballast body.

Preferably the ballast body has a height with a value greater than in its transverse direction, such that the center of gravity of the ballast body can be shifted outward as much as possible with respect to the centerline of the ship, thereby obtaining an increased moment of recovery. To help.

The wave-excited moments against the crane vessel generally have a waveform with a period of 5-25 seconds. At these high frequencies, moving a large solid roll-removing ballast requires a drive system with very large output capacities up to several megawatts (MW). Preferred embodiments have an output capacity greater than 2.5 megawatts, such as 3 or 4 megawatts.

When properly adjusted, the roll removal ballast mechanism is capable of lowering the static heel of a crane vessel with 5000 tons of heavy lift mast cranes from 9 degrees to less than 3 degrees with horizontally extending jibs transverse to the vessel. It is expected to reduce by.

Just as there has been great progress in viability in offshore conditions, the active roll removal machinery provides great progress in the performance of crane-ships for light cargo operations.

The roll removal mechanism can compensate for static heel caused by slew motion of the crane hoisting light cargo. The reaction time of the system is preferably faster than the slew speed of the crane, where the speed of crane operation is not limited by the new anti heel system.

The principle of the mechanism is to generate a restoring moment. This turning moment will compensate for the heel moment caused by the weight of the jib of the crane when rotating the crane with light load. In roll motion the restoring moment will compensate for the roll moment caused by the wave.

The active roll removal machinery on the single hull drilling vessel is viable for offshore conditions of harmful environmental and meteorological conditions, for example, eliminating the need to use more expensive semi-underwater drilling vessels. Greatly increase.

Embodiments with additional advantages are described in the following description with reference to the dependent claims and the figures below.

1 shows schematically a coastal vessel with a heavy lift mast crane suitable for piping pipelines to the seabed;
Figure 2 is a view showing the inside part of the hoisting crane in the rear portion of the ship shown in Figure 1,
3 shows the hoisting crane according to FIG. 2 in a different direction, FIG.
4 is a plan view of the hoisting crane shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
5 is a view showing a cross section of the hull of the ship according to FIG.
6 shows a single hull offshore drilling vessel,
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 8,
8 is a plan view of a part of the ship according to FIG. 6, FIG.
9 shows a plan view of the part according to FIG. 8 at a lower deck height;
10 shows a longitudinal section of the ship according to FIG. 6;

1 shows an offshore heavy lift crane vessel suitable for piping pipelines to the seabed.

The vessel 1 is provided with a single hull 2 having a work deck 3 in front of the hull 2, a superstructure 4 for the cabin of the crew, and the like.

The vessel 1 is provided with a water ballast system, for example comprising a half-roll tank 12. Water ballast systems are known in the art, such as open-bottom tank systems that reduce rolls by modifying the roll resonance cycle.

In this embodiment the vessel 1 comprises a 180 meter length and a 46 meter beam.

In this embodiment the ship 1 is provided with one or more welding stations on the work deck 3, with respect to the coupling pipeline cross section 9a in a substantially horizontal direction. It also provides -type pipeline-laying equipment. On the work deck 3 there are also known as tensioners 8 for carrying the weight of the pipeline 9 hanging down from the vessel 1. The vessel may be provided with another type of pipeline-piping equipment, for example, a reel lay device (which is not bent).

In addition, the vessel 1 includes a stinger 5, the stinger projects the hull 2 of the vessel 1 to the outside from the rear portion of the vessel 1, the hull 2 It can be rotated about a pivot structure 6 that is substantially horizontal, depending on one designated location of the image, and forms a downwardly curved support for the pipeline moving towards the seabed.

Further, in the above embodiment the vessel comprises a heavy lift crane 20, the heavy lift crane is disposed in the vicinity of the same side of the hull, that is, the stern of the hull 2, like the stinger 5 The hoisting crane 20 includes a vertical structure fixed to the hull 2. The hoisting crane 20 will be described in more detail below. Here, the crane 20 is arranged above the position where the pipeline 9 leaves the work deck 3 on the longitudinal axis of the vessel 1.

The hoisting crane 20 shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4 comprises a substantially hollow vertical column 21 with a lower portion 22 fixed to the hull 2 of the vessel 1. In addition, the pillar 21 includes an upper portion 23.

The hoisting crane 20 includes a jib 24 shown in two different positions in FIG. 1. The annular bearing structure 25 extends around the vertical column 21 and guides and transports the jib connecting member 26 such that the jib connecting member 26 and the jib 24 are moved around the column 21. Can rotate

In this case, the jib connecting member 26 forms a substantially horizontal axis of rotation such that the jib 24 can also rotate up and down. At least one drive motor 27 for replacing the jib connecting member 26 along the annular bearing structure 25. Through this embodiment, the annular bearing structure 25 extends around the pillar 21 and above where the annular element 28 of the jib connecting member 26 is supported through a running wheel. It includes one or more guide tracks. Jib safety supports 29 are arranged on the element 28 in two locations. For example, the drive motor 27 may drive a pinion that engages a toothed line around the column 21.

In order to rotate the jib 24 up and down, a topping winch 30 having a topping cable 31 engaged with the jib 24 is included.

In addition, the hoisting crane 20 includes a hoisting winch 35 connected to the hoisting cable 36 and the hoisting hook 37 to lift or lower the load.

An upper cable guide 40 having a cable pulley assembly 41 for the topping cable 31 and a cable pulley assembly for the hoisting cable 36 on the upper part 23 of the pillar 21. There is).

One or more cable pulley assemblies 43 for the hoisting cable 36 and a cable pulley assembly 44 for the topping cable 31 are disposed on the jib 24. The number of cable sections for each cable can be obviously selected by one of ordinary skill in the art.

The winches 30 and 35 are in this case arranged at the lower part 22 of the vertical column 21 so that the topping cable 31 and the hoisting cable 36 are connected from the connected winch 30, 35. Upwards, through the hollow vertical column 21, to the upper cable guide 40, it extends towards the cable guides 43, 44 on the jib 24.

The upper cable guide 40 comprises a rotary bearing structure of a structure in which the cable pulley assemblies are mounted, the rotary bearing structure having, for example, one or more rolling tracks and the rolling around the top of the pillar 21. It has a rolling wheel that engages the tracks. As a result, the upper cable guide 40 can follow the rotational movement of the jib with respect to the vertical column 21 and can have substantially the same angled position as the jib 24.

The upper cable guide 40 includes an associated drive motor assembly such that the upper cable guide 40 follows the rotational movement of the jib 24 with respect to the column 21, but without the drive motor assembly. Yes is preferred.

The jib winch 31 and the hoisting winch 35 are disposed on a rotatable winch support 50 that is rotatable about an axis of rotation substantially parallel to the vertical column 21. The movable winch support 50 is mounted to be movable relative to the vertical column 21. The winch support 50 is located in the vertical crane structure, preferably in the region of the lower 22 below the circular cross section of the column 21, and is mechanically separated from the upper cable guide 40. have. The support 50 may be disposed, for example, on the hull of the vessel under the pillar, and the lower portion may have an extension extending to the hull.

In the embodiment described above, the winch support 50 is a substantially circular platform mounted in the annular bearing 51 in this environment, the annular bearing having winches 31, 35 arranged on the platform. The annular bearing 51 in this case allows the platform to be rotatable about a vertical axis consistent with the axis of rotation of the upper cable guide. The bearing may be suitably designed to include a cart operating along a circular track.

The rotatable winch support 50 includes an associated drive motor assembly 52 for moving the winch support 50, in this way the winch support 50 supports the jib to the vertical column 21. In the case of the rotational movement of 24, it maintains a substantially constant direction with respect to the jib 24. In addition, since the movement of the winch support is again the result of the rotational movement of the jib 24, the direction of the winch support 50 relative to the upper table guide 40 remains substantially constant.

In the above-described embodiment, there is an angle sensor 60 for detecting the position of the element 28 of the jib connecting member 26 with respect to the vertical column 21, and the drive of the winch support 50. The motor assembly 52 comprises associated control means 53 in operative contact with the angle sensor 60.

Each of the winches 31, 35 includes an associated electrically (or electro-hydraulic) winch drive motor assembly 38, 39 disposed on the movable winch support 50. The required electrical energy is supplied by a generator located elsewhere on the vessel, at a distance away from the movable winch support 50. One or more sliding contacts (not shown) are provided in electrical connection between these generators and the winch drive motor assemblies 38, 39.

In various things not shown, the winch support 50 is rotatable about a vertical shaft, which shaft has one or more sliding contacts. In such an embodiment, the cable in the deep depth extends through the center of such a shaft.

Preferably, via one or more sliding contacts, a power current supply is made to the electrical equipment on the winch support 50.

The hoisting crane 20 has a cap 70, a cab for the person who operates the crane hoisting, in which case the cap 70 has the annular bearing structure where the jib 24 is secured. Carried by 25, the cap 70 can rotate with the jib relative to the vertical column 21.

The cap 70 has at least a control member (not shown) for operating the winch 35 of the hoisting cable 36 and for operating the winch 31 of the topping cable 31. The winch drive motor assemblies 38, 39 have associated control means (not shown) in wireless communication with the associated control members in the cap 70. For example, a plurality of wireless transmit / receive units are disposed around the vertical column, in or near the path of the cap 70 around the vertical column.

The control means for one or more winches on the winch support 50, for example electrical control equipment, are preferably also located on this winch support 50.

From the figures the vertical column 21 preferably has a substantially continuous outer wall. In this case, the horizontal cross section through the vertical column is substantially circular from the jib connecting member to the upper part 23, and the cross section gradually decreases toward the top of the column. The lower portion 22 of the pillar 21 is substantially rectangular, so that the lower portion 22 is easily (welded or welded) to the longitudinal and intersecting bulkheads in the hull 2 of the vessel 1. By bolting). In various forms, not shown, the vertical column is in the form of a frame consisting of bars, partially or wholly.

The cargo-bearing connection structure 80 which secures the stinger in the desired position in FIG. 1 is the hoisting crane 20 in position above the point 6 which engages the stinger 5 on the ship hull 2. Vertical structure (in the case of the vicinity of the annular bearing structure for the jib 24), and the stinger at a position spaced apart from the point 6 engaging the stinger 5 on the ship hull 2; Extends between (5).

The vessel 1 can be used for plumbing the pipeline 9 and can also be used for hoisting operations such as, for example, hoisting operations performed in the offshore industry for installing platforms, underwater installations.

5 shows a cross section of the vessel 1. In the hull of the vessel, preferably below the main deck 100 on the upper surface between the decks 120, as shown here, the vessel comprises a room 101 in which the roll removal mechanism is located. do. This mechanism here comprises a plurality of solid ballast bodies 110 which can be moved alternately in the transverse direction of the hull.

The lateral distance for the movement of the solid ballast bodies 110 is at least 10 meters, more preferably at least 15 meters, to both sides of the centerline of the vessel. The entire beam of the vessel, excluding the outer compartment of the vessel hull, is more preferably made to enable the movement of the solid ballast bodies 110.

Preferably, the ballast body 110 is a solid metal block or a plurality of solid metal blocks or plates. Optionally, the ballast body comprises, for example, one strand of cable or chain for underwater operation. In an alternative embodiment, the ballast body includes equipment or stockpiles (replacement parts, etc.) associated with the vessel.

Here each ballast body 110 has rollers 111, the vessel comprising one or more straight tracks which extend transversely with respect to the vessel and have opposite ends near the sides of the hull. Obviously, other guide and bearing arrangements can be envisaged than one or more tracks and rollers on the ballast body.

In this embodiment the drive device for each of the ballast bodies 110 comprises a cable arrangement with two winches 115 and cables 116, 117, which position the ballast body in both directions. Allow to move. The winch 115 is preferably a winch with a drum comprising double helix grooves for the cables. For example, each said winch has a capacity of 400 KW. Preferably multiple ballast bodies and associated drive devices, for example four or five such ballast bodies, are located side by side inside the room.

Each of the ballast bodies here has dampers on opposite lateral sides, preferably with an oil damper having a stroke of at least 0.25 meters.

The hull also has water ballast tanks 125 and roll removal water tanks 128.

The drive for the one or more ballast bodies also includes a control system capable of inducing and controlling the movement of the solid roll removal ballast bodies to provide roll stability in response to sensing of the sensor.

The roll removal mechanism may be employed in a semi-static manner, wherein the one or more ballast bodies are generally static or caused by cargo on the vessel, with or without cargo suspended from the crane. In order to arrest the slowly changing heel, for example, to prevent the heel caused by rotating the jib of the crane. A heavy lift crane rotates the jib to the transverse position of the vessel to generate a large heel, which is capable of compensating for (partially or fully) the weight by proper semi-static operation of the roll removal mechanism. It is noteworthy that it can include a jib having.

An embodiment of a single hull offshore drilling vessel with a roll removal mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The roll removal mechanism has the same basic design as the roll removal mechanism described with reference to the heavy lift crane vessel, and properties therefor, for example, preferred characteristics can be included in the embodiment for the drilling vessel.

The general drilling vessel 200 is used for offshore drilling operations, such as oil and natural gas exploration, for example, well servicing and / or other drilling related operations (e.g., maintenance and / or placement of subsea equipment). It is suitable to

The hull 202 includes a sailor chamber and a bridge 203 on a bow side, and includes a helicopter platform.

The vessel comprises a water ballast system comprising, for example, a half-roll tank 207, preferably the water ballast system is arranged to take into account roll motion suppression.

Preferably the hull 202 of the vessel 200 comprises a single hull 205 and is preferably concentrated on the longitudinal axis of the vessel.

In this embodiment, a multiple firing line hoist system (210) is mounted on the hull 202, substantially above the monolith 205, preferably of the monolith 205 The first half and the second half are accessible to the front and rear of the system 210. It will be apparent that a single firing line hoist system can be an optional form of the vessel.

In a preferred embodiment, the multiple firing line hoist system 210,

A first side 212 (in this embodiment the rear side) and an opposing second side 213 (in this embodiment), comprising a base and an upper side connected to the hull of the drilling vessel, such as a girder lying transversely. The hollow structure mast 211 including the front portion),

A first hoist comprising a load attachment means 214 supported by the mast and shifted along a first firing line 214a that extends outside and adjacent the first side 212 of the mast; Dusting device,

A second hoisting device supported by the mast, the second hoisting device comprising a cargo attachment means 215 which changes in position along the second firing line 215a outside and adjacent to the second side 213 of the mast; Include.

Each of the first and second hoisting devices includes one or more associated winches and one or more cables for manipulating the position of each of the cargo attachment devices with respect to the mast. Preferably the winches are located in the mast 211, most preferably at the base of the mast, but may also be located elsewhere.

Details of the mast 211 and the hoisting devices may be derived from US Pat. No. 6,763,898, which is incorporated herein by reference.

A BOP reservoir is present and is preferably present in the hull of the vessel adjacent to the hull 205.

Here, the first hoisting device may be employed to raise and lower the BOP to the sea floor. The vessel includes a riser storage although not shown in the figure.

One or more work decks are preferably present near the mast, for example in front of and behind the mast, so as to cover a portion of the hull 205. The work deck may be movable and / or include movable deck portions.

In this embodiment, the vessel 200 is provided with a rotary drilling drive, referred to as the upper drive 216 in the front portion of the mast, to enable drilling through the front firing line 215a. It is obvious that the rotary drilling drive can be (optionally) located behind the mast. Similar to the riser reservoir and operating system may be disposed on the front side of the mast.

In FIG. 7 a cross section of the vessel 1 is shown which generally corresponds to the tail wing of the disconnected body 205. In the hull of the vessel, below the main deck, the vessel includes a room 250 in which the roll removal mechanism is located. The mechanism here comprises two solid ballast bodies 260 arranged side by side and can be moved in the transverse direction of the hull.

As shown the transverse distance to the movement of the solid ballast bodies 260 is at least 5 meters to both sides of the centerline of the vessel, more preferably at least 7.5 meters, in this embodiment 9 meters do. 7 and 8 show the bodies 260 and locations 260 ′, 260 ″ at the extreme ends of the bodies.

Preferably, the ballast body 260 is a solid metal block or a plurality of solid metal blocks or plates. In this embodiment, each ballast body weighs between 100 and 200 tons, for example 150 tons.

Here, each ballast body 260 has lower rollers 261 rolling on a track 262 associated with the ship, the tracks being straight and end opposite the opposite side of the room 250 in the ship. (ends) Preferably, one or more tracks are also installed on the path of the ballast body, the ballast body having upper rollers rolling on the upper tracks 263. These tracks are shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the drive device for each of the ballast bodies 260 includes a cable arrangement and winch 270 having cables 271, 272 that can move the ballast body in both directions. Preferably, the winch 270 is disposed at the height of the base of the associated path of the ballast body as shown in FIG. The winch may comprise a drum with double helix grooves for the cables. For example, each winch can have a capacity of several hundred KW.

A drive for one or more ballast bodies 260 is also operated to cause and control the movement of positions relative to the solid roll removal ballast bodies in response to sensing of one or more suitable sensors to provide roll stability. Control system.

The sensor for sensing roll movement is any sensor or sensor system comprising, for example, one or more sensors and an associated computer, the relevant control for properly controlling the operation of the drive means for the solid roll removal ballast bodies. Provide information. For example, it may be an angle sensing sensor comprising one or more rotational motion sensors providing angle information of the vessel, or the height of the wave, the period of the wave (such as an infrared and radar based sensor system) and It can be a sensor that measures or interprets the same actual wave-movement, and can also store previously stored information about wave patterns, such as specificities of the area in which the vessel is working (eg, based on measurements from a buoy). Sensor systems that utilize the data. The sensor system may also use wind speed and / or wind direction measurements, or may use other variables that affect the motion of the vessel (not limited to roll motion).

Here each ballast body is provided with dampers on opposite lateral sides, preferably with an oil damper having a stroke of at least 0.25 meters.

Operation of the roll removal mechanism in the vessel 200 may reduce the roll of the drilling vessel, for example, to increase the operational stability of the vessel when the drilling operation is performed in an adverse situation.

A unique disadvantage arises when operating the BOP or similar equipment. As known in the art, Blow Out Preventers are often bulky and very heavy equipment. When the roll removal mechanism is in operation, the manipulation of the BOP, such as to bring it from the reservoir position into the firing line or vice versa, is greatly facilitated, thereby reducing the roll of the vessel.

In general, the operation of the roll removal mechanism with movable ballast bodies will enable precise control of the cargo on the drilling device during the drilling operation and will contribute to the effect of a heavy compensator operating on the drilling device. Can be.

The active use of the roll removal mechanism on the drilling line also has an advantage during assembling (and disassembling) the riser device, where the riser portion is connected from one end to the other end. Since the suspended riser device generally has a vertical direction, the rolling motion of the ship creates an alignment error between the suspended riser and the new riser portion to be connected to the riser device. Many connectors on the riser portion only tolerate small alignment errors, and in general the connection process is interrupted by the rolling motion. The use of the roll removal mechanism during this process helps to reduce and mitigate misalignment so that the process is efficient.

In general, the roll removal machinery geographically considers the arrangement of single hull drilling vessels and until now required large and expensive semi-submersible drilling vessels to achieve a stable drilling situation.

Preferably the roll removal mechanism is formed for each of the vessels shown in the figure such that a single ballast body is mounted and guided according to a set of related tracks. This allows the center of gravity of the ballast body to be shifted as far as possible with respect to the centerline of the vessel, thereby obtaining an increased moment of recovery.

Also preferably for each of the vessels shown in the figures the ballast bodies are embodied in a single metal block, or fixed to each other to form a single solid body having a weight of at least 100 tons so that the ballast body is compact. It is implemented with a set of metal blocks.

Also preferably for each of the vessels shown in the figures the ballast body has a height greater than the length in the transverse direction of the ballast body, so that the center of gravity of the ballast body is as external as possible to the centerline of the vessel By increasing the recovery moment.

Claims (19)

A substantially hollow vertical column 21 comprising a lower portion 22 and an upper portion 23 fixed to the hull,
Jibs 24 capable of reaching beyond the hull of the ship,
A jib connecting member 26 which is rotatable with respect to the pillar 21 and forms a substantially horizontal axis of rotation to allow the jib to rotate up and down;
Hoisting means (30, 31) comprising a jib winch (30) and a jib hoisting cable (31), for rotating the jib (24) up and down;
At least one hoisting cable guide (43) on said jib of a hoisting crane; And
A heavy lift crane comprising a hoisting winch 35 and an associated hoisting cable 36 connected from the winch to a hoisting cable guide on the jib and comprising hoisting means 35, 36 for hoisting the cargo. As a single hull ship provided with 20,
Including a water ballast system,
A ship further comprising an active roll removal mechanism,
The active roll removal mechanism
A solid roll removal ballast 110 movable in the transverse direction of the hull,
A sensor for detecting a rolling motion of the hull, and
And a drive and control system (115) operable to cause and control movement of said solid roll removal ballast in response to sensing of said sensor to provide roll stability.
An off-shore offshore drilling vessel 200 comprising a drilling structure 211 having one or more drilling stations such that drilling of the seabed can be performed from the vessel,
The vessel has an active roll removal mechanism, the active roll removal mechanism,
Solid roll removal ballast 260 movable in the transverse direction of the hull,
A sensor for detecting a rolling motion of the hull, and
And a drive and control system (270) operable to cause and control the movement of said solid roll removal ballast in response to sensing of said sensor to provide roll stability.
The ship according to claim 1, wherein the total mass of the solid roll removal ballast (110) is at least 800 tonnes, preferably between 1000 and 3000 tonnes, for example 2000 tonnes.
3. The ship according to claim 2, wherein the total mass of said solid roll removal ballast (260) is between 100 and 750 tonnes, more preferably between 200 and 400 tonnes.
Vessel according to one or more preceding claims, characterized in that the vessel (1; 200) is provided with dynamic position control means.
A ship according to one or more preceding claims, wherein the roll removal mechanism is characterized in that a single ballast body (110; 260) is mounted and moves along a set of related tracks.
In a ship according to one or more preceding claims, the ballast bodies 110; 260 are embodied in a single piece of metal block or are a set of metal blocks fixed to each other to form a single solid body having a weight of at least 100 tons. Ship, characterized in that implemented as.
In a ship according to one or more preceding claims, the ballast body (110; 260) is characterized in that it has a height greater than the length of the ballast body in the transverse direction of the ship, for example between 1.5 and 4 meters. Ship.
The ship of claim 1 wherein the heavy lift crane is capable of hoisting at least 5000 tons of cargo.
The upper cable guide 40 of claim 1, wherein the crane includes an upper cable guide 40 positioned at the upper portion 23 of the vertical column, and the upper cable guide 40 includes a rotary bearing structure. A vessel which can be actuated according to the rotational movement of the jib with respect to the vertical column and adopt substantially the same angle as the jib.
The hoisting winch 35 is arranged on the post, preferably near the bottom of the vertical post 21, so that the hoisting cable is connected to the hollow vertical post from the winch. And extends through the upper cable guide to the hoisting cable guide on the jib.
The rotary winch support 50 according to claim 1, wherein the jib winch 31 and the hoisting winch 35 are disposed on a rotatable winch support 50 that is rotatable about an axis of rotation substantially parallel to the vertical columns 21, 22, The winch support 50 is mounted to be movable relative to the vertical column 21, 22, the winch support 50 including an associated drive motor assembly 52 for moving the winch support 50. In this way, when the jib is rotated with respect to the vertical column (21, 22), the winch support 50 is characterized in that to maintain a substantially constant direction relative to the jib 24 .
2. Ship according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical column (21) comprises a substantially continuous outer wall.
The ship according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal cross section through the vertical column (21) is substantially circular and the cross section decreases gradually toward the top of the column.
2. Ship according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower part of the pillar (21) is substantially rectangular.
3. The vessel of claim 2 wherein the vessel comprises a moon pool 205 and a multiple firing line hoist system, wherein the multiple firing line hoist system is disposed in the moon pool, preferably above the moon pool, such that portions of the moon pool are hoisted. As a vessel extending to two opposite sides of the system, the system 210,
A hollow structure mast 211 comprising a base and an upper side connected to the hull of the drilling vessel, such as a girder lying transversely, comprising a first side 212 and an opposite second side 213,
First hoisting comprising cargo attachment means 214 supported by the mast and varying in position along the first firing line 214a that extends outside and adjacent the first side 212 of the mast. Device,
And a second hoisting device supported by the mast and comprising a cargo attachment means 215 which is positioned outside the second side 213 of the mast and along the second firing line 215a adjacent thereto. The ship characterized in that.
17. The ship according to claim 16, wherein the roll removal mechanism (260, 270) is arranged below the deck of the ship, preferably adjacent the door pool (205).
A method for operating a single hull crane vessel according to claim 1, wherein the roll removal mechanism is used for a counter heel generated by the rotation of the jib.
A method according to claim 2, wherein the roll removal mechanism is manufactured on a counter roll during a drilling operation and / or a BOP operation operation.

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