KR20140008574A - Floating structure and leg thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a floating structure and legs of the floating structure. Provided according to an aspect of the present invention is the floating structure operated in a transit mode and a jackup mode, comprising: a main body floating on the seawater and including a plurality of leg wells; legs penetrating the leg wells respectively; a leg guide part arranged on a corresponding leg well and moving the main body and the leg relatively in an up and down direction; a derrick installed on the upper part of the leg well and extending a pipe via the leg well; and at least one pipe support part installed at the leg penetrating the leg well where the derrick is installed, for limiting a horizontal displacement of the pipe extended to the sea floor.

Description

Floating structure and leg structure

The present invention relates to a floating structure and a leg of the floating structure.

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 the environmental conditions are satisfied, there is a problem that a very large area of space is required for installing the 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 navigation mode, the legs may remain moved upward of the body to reduce resistance by seawater. Thereafter, the wind generator installation vessel switches to jack-up mode, lowers the leg into the seabed, and lifts the main body along the leg so that the main body can be spaced a certain distance from the sea surface. When the main body reaches a certain position, the wind turbine installation ship stops the movement of the main body and installs the offshore wind turbine generator. When the installation is completed, proceed in the reverse order to move to the next installation position.

Wind turbine installation Both the ship and the jack-up platform are operated by separate ships even though they operate in both sailing mode and jack-up mode. Therefore, the two floating structures must be moored in the port when they do not perform their original purpose, so the utilization is low. In particular, there is a limit to the number and location of wind turbines that can be installed in a wind turbine installation ship. Therefore, it is impossible to install only a wind turbine generator within a year, and most wind turbines can be installed only for about 50 to 60% Perform the installation.

On the other hand, the drilling pipe is extended from the floating structure to the seabed long, there may be a problem such as the pipe bent or broken by the external force, such as waves, tide.

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) U.S. Published Patent Application No. US5580189 (published Dec. 3, 1996)

Embodiments of the present invention are to provide a floating structure and a leg of the floating structure capable of installing a wind generator and drilling pipe installation.

In addition, to provide a leg of the floating structure and the floating structure that can secure a wide loading space.

In addition, to provide a floating structure and a leg of the floating structure that can stably support the drilling pipe.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a floating structure operated in the navigation mode and jack-up mode, the floating body in water, including a plurality of legwell; A leg extending through each of said leg wells; A leg guide portion provided on the leg well to relatively move the main body and the leg in a vertical direction; A derrick installed on an upper portion of the leg guide part and extending a pipe through the leg well; And at least one leg positioned in the leg penetrating the leg well where the derrick is installed, and a pipe support configured to limit a horizontal displacement of the pipe extending to the seabed.

In addition, it may provide a floating structure further comprising a crane installed in the main body.

In addition, the crane may provide a floating structure which is installed on the leg guide portion provided to correspond to the legwell or the other one of the legwell.

The pipe may also provide a floating structure extending into the space between the leg and the sidewalls of the leg well.

In addition, the leg, the pillar portion extending in the vertical direction; And a connecting portion connecting the pillar portion, wherein the pipe support includes: a rib extending from any one of the pillar portion and the connecting portion; And a pipe insert provided in the rib and through which the pipe passes.

In addition, the pipe insertion portion of the pipe support portion adjacent in the vertical direction may provide a floating structure connected by any one or more of a wire, a chain, a rib.

In addition, the pipe support portion, the chain is fixed to the leg; And a ring connected to the chain and hooked to the pipe.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the leg of the floating structure which is operated in the navigation mode and jack-up mode, and passes the drilling pipe to the leg well through which the leg, the plurality extending through the leg well extending in the vertical direction Pillars; A connecting portion connecting the pillars; A rack gear provided in the pillar and extending in a vertical direction; And a pipe support part provided on the pillar part or the connecting part and supporting the pipe extending through the leg well.

In addition, the pipe support, ribs protruding from the pillar portion or the connecting portion; And a pipe support provided at an end of the rib and including a pipe insertion hole into which the pipe is fitted.

Embodiments of the present invention can provide a crane for installation of a wind turbine generator and a derrick for installation of a drill pipe, thereby installing or drilling a wind turbine generator.

Also, by using the leg well formed in the main body as a space for installing the drill pipe, it is possible to secure a wide working space while installing the crane and the derrick at the same time.

In addition, by providing a pipe support for fixing the drilling pipe to the leg, it is possible to prevent the problem of being broken even if an external force is applied to the pipe.

1 is a side view showing a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I 'of FIG.
3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a pipe is fitted to the pipe support of FIG.

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.

1 is a side view showing a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a pipe fitted to a pipe support of FIG. 1. Perspective view.

1 to 3, a floating structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 capable of floating in water, a leg 20 extending vertically through the main body 10, And a leg guide portion 30 for relatively moving the leg 20 and the main body 10 in the vertical direction and supporting the leg 20.

The main body 10 also includes a crane 40 for carrying a blade, a nacelle, a tower and the like to install an offshore wind power generator, and a derrick 50 for installing a pipe 60 for drilling the sea bed B . With this configuration, the floating structure 1 can selectively perform the operation of installing or drilling the wind turbine generator.

The 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 (e.g., a container line). However, this is merely an example, and the body 10 according to the teachings of the present invention may have any three-dimensional structure in which the legs 20 and the leg guide portions 30 can be installed.

When the floating structure 1 is used for installing a wind turbine in the main body 10, blades, nacelles, towers, and the like can be loaded, and when used for drilling, pipes and the like can be loaded.

In addition, the main body 10 may be provided with a propulsion device (not shown) for movement and position control.

A plurality of legs 20 may be provided depending on the purpose of use of the floating structure 1. In the embodiment of the present invention, a total of four legs 20 are provided, one pair at each of the port and starboard sides of the main body 10 I will explain what is provided as an example.

The leg 20 is installed to penetrate the main body 10 in the vertical direction and a leg well W through which the leg 20 passes is formed in the main body 10. The legs 20 can be moved downwardly of the main body 10 and fixed to the seabed so that they are rigid enough to withstand the loads of the main body 10 in a jack-up state as shown in FIG. 1, Structure, a triangular truss structure, or the like. In the present embodiment, the legs 20 are formed in a triangular truss structure.

The leg guide 20 is provided at a position corresponding to the leg well W so that the leg 20 can pass therethrough and the leg 20 ). Specifically, the leg guide unit 30 includes a drive unit 34 such as a motor. The leg unit 20 is moved up and down with respect to the body 10 by the operation of the drive unit 34, (10) can be moved up and down with respect to the leg (20). For example, the leg guide portion 30 is provided with the pinion gear 35 and the motor 34, the leg 20 is provided with the rack gear 24, and the pinion gear 35 and the rack gear 24, The relative movement of the leg 20 and the main body 10 in the vertical direction can be achieved.

The vertical movement of the leg 20 and the main body 10 in the present embodiment means that the leg 20 moves in the vertical direction with respect to the main body 10 and that the main body 10 moves in the vertical direction relative to the leg 20 It will be understood that the present invention includes both moving in the up and down direction.

Further, the leg well W can be understood as a concept including a space through which the leg 20 is inserted in the leg guide portion 30. That is, the leg well W is formed from the main body 10 to the leg guide portion 30 and means a space through which the leg 20 passes vertically.

Leg 20 is provided with a plurality of pipe support 28 for supporting the pipe 60, specific details thereof will be described later.

Although the leg guide portion 30 is protruded upward from the main body 10 in the present embodiment, the leg guide portion 30 may be embedded in the main body 10.

The floating structure 1 having the above configuration can be operated in a transit mode and a jackup mode.

The floating structure (1) moves to the navigation mode to the position where an offshore wind power generator is installed or a drilling operation is desired. In the general navigation mode, the floating structure 1 can move in a state in which the legs 20 are moved upward in order to reduce the resistance by the legs 20.

After the floating structure 1 has moved to the target position, it may be positioned accurately to lower the leg 20 by using dynamic positioning. The automatic position control can be continued until the leg 20 descends and touches the seabed.

Thereafter, the floating structure 1 is switched to the jack-up mode to insert the legs 20 into the seabed B. Fig. In this process, the legs 20 can be moved downward of the main body 10 by the gravity and the driving device of the leg guide portion 30. [

When the lower end of the leg 20 touches the seabed B, the leg 20 can no longer move downward. In this state, the floating structure 1 operates the driving device of the leg guide portion 30 to move the main body 10 upward along the legs 20. [ The load of the main body 10 acts to force the leg 20 into the seabed B so that the leg 20 penetrates into the seabed B and is fixed.

The main body 10 may be spaced apart from the sea surface S by moving the main body 10 upward along the legs 20 so that the main body 10 is separated from the sea surface S, The state that is different from the set work position can be referred to as a jack-up state.

The floating structure 1 can be installed in an offshore wind turbine using a crane 40 in a jack-up state or can be drilled using a derrick 50. When the installation work is completed, And the operation can be started again.

The method of switching the floating structure 1 to the jack-up state is merely an example, and various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the drilling operation is performed in the jack-up state of the floating structure 1, for example, as shown in FIG.

The crane 40 may be rotatably installed on the upper side of one leg guide unit 30 supporting any one of the legs 20. The leg guide unit 30, the crane 40 rotatably provided on the upper part of the jack case, is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,580,189 and the like, so that detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The derrick 50 may be installed on an upper side of one leg guide portion 30 supporting the other of the legs 20. That is, the crane 40 and the derrick 50 are installed in different leg guide portions 30. [

At this time, the crane 40 and the derrick 50 can be disposed on both sides of the main body 10, which are separated from each other about the longitudinal centerline or the transverse centerline. The floating structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example in which a derrick 50 is installed on the left side of the longitudinal center line of the main body and a crane 40 is installed on the right side. By installing the crane 40 and the derrick 50 in the both side leg guide portions 30 of the main body 10 as described above, it is possible to prevent the load of the floating structure 1 from concentrating on one side. When the crane 40 is installed on one side of the main body 10, there is a problem that the load of the floating structure 1 is concentrated on the side where the crane 40 is installed. However, in the conventional floating structure 1, According to the floating structure 1 according to the example, such a problem can be prevented.

Also, the crane 40 and the derrick 50 may be disposed in the diagonal direction of the main body 10. [

The derrick 50 includes a body 51 formed on an upper portion of the leg guide 30 and formed so that the leg 20 can move in the vertical direction, And a derrick crane 53 mounted on the body 51 and capable of lifting the individual pipes 60. The dredging crane 53 can be installed in the body 51,

The body 51 may be formed in a truss structure and may have a shape that surrounds the leg 20 similarly to the leg guide portion 30. [ When the body 51 has a shape to surround the leg 20, a hole corresponding to the leg well W may be formed in the body 51 in the vertical direction, (30), the main body (10), and the derrick (50).

The drill floor 52 and the derrick crane 53 may be arranged so as not to interfere with the legs 20 moving in the vertical direction. At this time, the drill floor 52 and the derrick crane 53 are arranged at least in the upper space of the leg well W. Specifically, a pipe hole (not shown) is formed in the drill floor 52 so that the pipe 60 can be continuously connected to the seabed, and the pipe hole is disposed on the upper side of the leg well W. More specifically, the pipe hole formed in the drill floor 52 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the space between the leg 20 and the side wall of the leg well W. The derrick crane 53 may be disposed above the drill floor 52 so as to lift up the pipes 60 individually loaded on the main body 10 and to connect to the installed pipes 60.

At this time, the drill floor 52 may be provided in the boundary area between the leg guide portion 30 and the body 51, and may be provided in the body 51 or the leg guide portion 30, . ≪ / RTI >

The derrick crane 53 can be clearly distinguished from the crane 40 for installing the wind power generator in size, capacity, and the like.

With the above structure, the derrick 50 can use the leg well W as a kind of Moonpool for extending the pipe 60 to the sea floor. Specifically, the space between the legs 20 and the side walls of the leg well W is used as a space for extending the pipe 60 to the sea floor.

The pipe 60 extending from the derrick 50 to the sea floor may extend in a form in which a plurality of pipes 60 are continuously connected. In this case, the pipe 60 extending to the seabed may be supported by the leg guide portion 28 formed in the leg 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, the leg 20 includes a plurality of pillar portions 22 extending in the vertical direction, a connection portion 26 connecting the pillar portions 22, and a rack gear 24 installed at the pillar portion 22. It may include a pipe support 28 formed in the pillar portion 22 or the connection portion 26 to support the pipe 60. The legs 20 may have a triangular shape when viewed from above, and the pillar portions 22 may be disposed at the vertex positions of the triangle. The connecting portion 26 may be provided so that a plurality of the pillar portions 22 are connected to each other so as to support the load applied to the pillar portion 22.

The rack gear 24 may be formed on both sides of the pillar portion 22 and may extend along the extending direction of the pillar portion 22. A pair of rack gears 24 provided on one pillar 22 may be arranged symmetrically with respect to each other so that the legs 20 can be stably supported on the leg guide portion 30. [

At this time, the columnar portion 22 may have a cylindrical shape, and the rack gear 24 may be formed to protrude from both sides of the columnar portion 22 across the central portion of the columnar portion 22. [

The pipe support 28 may include a rib 281 protruding from the column 22 or the connection 26, and a pipe insert 282 connected to the end of the rib 281 and fitted with the pipe 60. Can be.

The rib 281 is formed to protrude a predetermined length from the pillar portion 22 or the connecting portion 26 so that the pipe 60 can be kept at a predetermined distance from the pillar portion 22 or the connecting portion 26. In this embodiment, the pipe 60 extends between the connection portion 26 and the sidewalls of the legwells W as an example, so the rib 281 is shown to protrude from the connection portion 26. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the rib 281 may be formed to protrude from the pillar portion 22 depending on the extension position of the pipe 60.

The pipe inserting portion 282 may be formed in a cylindrical shape and includes a pipe inserting hole 283 through which the pipe 60 may pass in the vertical direction. The pipe insertion hole 283 may be formed to an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the pipe 60 to minimize the displacement amount of the pipe 60.

In this embodiment, the pipe insertion portion 282 has been described as an example provided in a cylindrical form that can completely wrap the pipe 60, the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto. The pipe inserting portion 282 may be any shape that surrounds part or the entirety of the pipe 60 as long as it can limit the displacement of the pipe 60 in the horizontal direction (vertical to the extension direction of the pipe 60). Can have

Since the pipe 60 is supported by the pipe support 28 continuously arranged in the up and down direction, even if an external force is applied to the pipe 60, the horizontal displacement of the pipe 60 can be limited, whereby the pipe 60 ) Can prevent the overall bending problem.

The pipe support 28 as described above may be provided in a plurality, at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the leg 20, for example, one pipe support 28 to be provided for each pipe 60 to be provided Can be.

The shape of the leg 20 is merely an example, and the leg 20 can be provided in various forms as long as the spirit of the present invention is maintained. For example, the legs 20 may be provided in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, or may be provided in a cylindrical shape. In addition, the rack gear 24 may have other arrangements.

The leg guide portion 30 includes a case 31 forming a leg well W through which the leg 20 is vertically passed. Leg well (W) may be a longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the leg 20, that is, a triangular hole as a whole, the pinion gear accommodating the pinion gear 35 that can be interlocked with the rack gear 24 at the vertex portion of the triangle Part 33 may be provided. A driving device 34 such as a motor for rotating the pinion gear 35 is provided in the case 31. [

The pinion gear 35 and the driving device 34 may be arranged such that a plurality of pairs of the pinion gear 35 and the driving unit 34 are paired on both sides of one pillar 22 and three pairs are arranged in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment using the leg 20 and the leg guide portion 30 having the above structure, the pipe 60 has a side wall that forms the connection portion 26 and the leg well (W), that is, of the case 31 It may extend downward through the space between the inner walls.

When the pipe 60 extends from the derrick 50 to the seabed, the pipe 60 extends while passing through the pipe insertion hole 283 of the pipe support 28 formed in the leg 20. By this, even if the pipe 60 finally extends to the sea floor, the pipe 60 can be supported by the leg 20 having strong rigidity. Therefore, even if an external force such as a wave acts on the pipe 60, the pipe 60 may be prevented from being bent as a whole, thereby minimizing deformation and breakage of the pipe 60.

On the other hand, the pipe supporters 28 adjacent in the vertical direction have a problem that the pipe 60 does not smoothly fit into the pipe supporter 28 located below the predetermined path by waves or the like when the pipe 60 is extended. In order to prevent, it may be connected by any one or more of a wire, a chain, a rib.

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the pipe 60 extends through the pipe support 28 when the pipe 60 is extended, but the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the pipe support 28 is provided in the form of a chain fixed to the leg 20, and in the form of a ring connected to the chain and hung on the pipe 60, the pipe 60 is extended to the seabed and then diver or ROV ( It may also be connected to the pipe support 28 by a remotely operated vehicle.

The pipe 60 may also extend through any one of the three connecting portions 26 and the space between the inner walls of the case 31 to allow the drill floor 52 and the derrick crane (53).

The floating structure 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a crane 40 for installing a wind turbine generator and a derrick 50 for installing a pipe 60 at the same time to install a wind turbine generator, As shown in FIG. That is, the floating structure 1 can be used to install a wind turbine generator for a certain period of time, and can be used for drilling if necessary.

By using the leg well W formed in the main body 10 as a space for installing the pipe 60, it is possible to secure a wide working space while installing the crane 40 and the derrick 50 at the same time. In the past, in order to perform the drilling operation, the derrick was installed on the doorpipes, the pipe was extended to the seabed through the doorpipes, or the derrick was moved to the outside of the hull to extend the pipe. In the embodiment of the present invention, There is no need to provide devices for moving the drapery or derrick by utilizing the well as a space for extending the pipe. Accordingly, it is possible to additionally secure a work space corresponding to the work space.

In addition, by forming the pipe support portion 28 in the leg 20 having a strong rigidity, it is possible to effectively prevent problems such as deformation, breakage, and the like, which may be caused by the pipe 60 is greatly shaken by an external force in the seabed.

In addition, by installing the crane 40 and the derrick 50 on both sides of the main body 10, concentration of the crane 40 and the derrick 50 at specific positions of the floating structure 1 can be prevented and balance can be maintained.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments of the floating structure according to the embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and should be construed as having the widest range according to the basic idea disclosed in this specification do. 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 10: Body
20: leg 22:
24: Rack gear 26:
28: pipe support 281: rib
282: pipe insertion portion 283: pipe insertion hole
30: leg guide portion 31: case
34: drive device 33: pinion gear receiving portion
35: Pinion gear 40: Crane
50: Derrick 51: Body
52: Drill floor 53: Derrick crane
60: Pipe W: Leg well
W ': pipe extension space

Claims (9)

In a floating structure operated in a sailing mode and a jack-up mode,
A body suspended in water and comprising a plurality of leg wells;
A leg extending through each of said leg wells;
A leg guide portion provided on the leg well to relatively move the main body and the leg in a vertical direction;
A derrick installed on an upper portion of the leg guide part and extending a pipe through the leg well; And
At least one leg located in the leg that penetrates the leg well where the derrick is installed, and includes a pipe support for limiting horizontal displacement of the pipe extending to the seabed. The method of claim 1,
Floating structure further comprises a crane installed in the main body. 3. The method of claim 2,
The crane is a floating structure installed on the leg guide portion provided on the legwell or the other leg of the legwell corresponding to the other. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the pipe extends into a space between the leg and a side wall of the leg well. The method of claim 1,
Wherein:
Pillar portion extending in the vertical direction; And
And a connecting portion connecting the pillar portion,
The pipe support portion
A rib extending from either the pillar portion or the connecting portion; And
And a pipe insert provided in said rib and through which said pipe passes. The method of claim 5, wherein
The pipe insert of the pipe support portion adjacent in the vertical direction, the floating structure is connected by any one or more of a wire, a chain, a rib. The method of claim 1,
The pipe support portion
A chain fixed to the leg; And
And a ring connected to the chain and hooked to the pipe. In the legs of the floating structure operated in the navigation mode and jack-up mode, passing the drilling pipe to the leg well through which the leg passes,
A plurality of pillars extending in the vertical direction through the leg well;
A connecting portion connecting the pillars;
A rack gear provided in the pillar and extending in a vertical direction; And
Legs of a floating structure provided in the column or the connecting portion, and including a pipe support for supporting the pipe extending through the leg well. The method of claim 8,
The pipe support portion
A rib protruding from the pillar portion or the connecting portion; And
And a pipe support provided at an end of the rib and including a pipe insertion hole into which the pipe is fitted.

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