KR20160004808A - Floating structure having variable weight tank - Google Patents

Abstract

A floating structure having a variable weight tank is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating structure having a variable weight tank comprises: a hull; a leg which moves the hull in a vertical direction and has a spudcan in the bottom end thereof; and a variable weight tank which is attached to the hull to be detached when necessary and increases the weight of the hull by filling the hull with water. Therefore, the present invention prevents the floating structure from overturning by increasing the weight of the hull when necessary.

Description

[0001] FLOATING STRUCTURE HAVING VARIABLE WEIGHT TANK [0002]

The present invention relates to a floating structure having a variable weight tank.

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 a meaningful rotation of the blade, and the pollution caused by the noise generated when the wind turbine is driven should not be a problem. Even if these environmental conditions are satisfied, a very large area of space is required to install a wind turbine generator.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in offshore wind turbines, which are 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 jack-up mode due to the nature 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 bottom of the seabed, and the hull is lifted up along the leg so that the hull is 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 dredge for drilling, moves to the drilling position in sailing mode, switches to jack-up mode, places the leg down on the ground, 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.

This floating structure penetrates the legs to the seabed in the jack-up mode. At the lower end of the leg, a spud can is provided for facilitating penetration into the seabed ground and for increasing the gripping force, and the leg penetrates a certain depth into the seabed so that the spud can is fixed to the seabed.

However, when the underside of the leg is a soft ground, when the spud can of the leg enters or seeps into the soft ground, a punch through accident that threatens the safety performance of the leg of the floating structure may occur have.

Here, the punch throw is caused by the lowering force of the leg and spud can generated at the jack-up, the spud can penetrates the upper portion of the seabed near the seawater, , Which may lead to an accident where the floating structure may be inclined as a result.

On the other hand, in order to fix the spud can to the soft ground as described above, it may be required to apply a sufficient load to the legs and the sprung can when preloading to prevent punch throw accidents. In order to apply a load to the leg and the sprung can during the pre-loading, the weight of the hull must be increased. In the past, the ballast tank installed in the hull has been filled with water to increase the weight of the hull.

However, such a method has a problem in that the weight increase due to the ballast tank is finite, so that a sufficient load necessary for pre-loading can not be applied. Accordingly, there is a problem that a punch thrown during operation in the jack- It can cause accidents.

U.S. Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2010/0067989 (published on May 18, 2010)

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent the floating structure from being overturned due to punch thrown in the jack-up mode, a variable weight tank capable of applying a sufficient load to the soft ground upon pre- To provide a floating structure.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hull comprising: a hull; A leg which moves the hull in a vertical direction and has a spud can at a lower end thereof; And a variable weight tank which is detachably attached to the hull and which is filled with water to increase the weight of the hull, if necessary.

The variable weight tank and the hull can be coupled to each other by a dove tail structure.

In addition, at one side of the variable weight tank, a projecting portion protruding outward is formed. In the portion facing the variable weight tank in the hull, a recessed groove having a shape corresponding to the projecting portion is formed .

Further, a ball bearing or a roller bearing for guiding the protruding portion to be inserted easily may be provided at a place where the protruding portion is in contact with the coupling groove.

And a shock absorbing means for relieving an impact with the protruding portion inserted into the bottom portion of the hull where the coupling groove is formed.

Further, the protruding portion and the coupling groove may be provided in each of the variable weight tank and the hull, respectively.

In addition, guide portions for guiding the entrance of the variable weight tanks may be provided on both sides of the hull where the variable weight tanks are installed.

In addition, the guide portion may be detachably attached to the hull through coupling means.

In order to guide the entry of the variable weight tank into the guide portion, a tapered portion having a structure that flares toward the outside may be formed, and an elastic member may be provided inside the guide portion to prevent damage to the variable weight tank.

The vertical wall of the hull which faces the variable weight tank may be provided with a shock absorbing means for mitigating an impact with the variable weight tank entering.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, by providing a floating structure having a variable weight tank capable of applying a sufficient load to a soft ground when preloading by increasing a load of a hull as necessary, a punch stroke occurs in a jack- It is possible to prevent the cooling structure from being rolled over.

1 is a perspective view showing a floating structure,
Fig. 2 is a side view showing a jack-up state of the floating structure of Fig. 1,
3 is a side view schematically illustrating a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a plan view schematically showing a dovetail structure of a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a combined state of the hull and the variable weight tank in FIG. 4,
Fig. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a modification of Fig. 4,
7 is a plan view schematically showing a floating structure according to another embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 8 is a side view showing a combined state of the hull and the variable weight tank in FIG. 7; FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, configurations and operations according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following description is one of many aspects of the claimed invention and the following description may form part of the detailed description of the invention.

However, the detailed description of known configurations or functions in describing the present invention may be omitted for clarity.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and its various embodiments, it is intended to illustrate the specific embodiments and the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Terms including ordinals such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by such terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a floating structure, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a jacked up state of the floating structure of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the floating structure in which the weight of the hull 100 varies according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the hull 100, the leg 200, and the variable weight tank 300 .

Here, the floating structure may be a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) or a jack-up platform. In this embodiment, the floating structure is a wind turbine installation ship. 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 hull 100 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 merely an example, and the hull 100 according to the teachings of the present invention may have any three-dimensional structure in which the legs 200 can be installed.

The hull (100) can be loaded with the load (2) according to the function of the floating structure. A blade unit, a nacelle, a tower, or the like, which is a part of an offshore wind power generator, can be loaded on the hull 100 as a load 2, and a loading unit 12 for fixing the load 2 onto the hull 100 is provided .

The hull 100 may be provided with a propulsion device (not shown) for movement and position control. The hull 100 may be provided with a load 2 such as a blade, a nacelle, a tower, A crane 40 can be provided.

2, the leg 200 may move the hull 100 in a vertical direction, and the spandan can 210 may be provided at a lower end of the leg 200. As shown in FIG.

The legs 200 can vary the height and support structure of the legs 200 to match the topography of the seabed ground to improve the bearing capacity against the seabed ground. The leg 200 has a rigidity enough to withstand the load of the hull 100 in a working state and is provided with various shapes such as a cylinder, a square truss structure, and a triangular truss structure. . ≪ / RTI >

In addition, the spud can 210 provided in the leg 200 is configured to fix the floating structure to the bottom of the seabed, and can penetrate the bottom of the seabed at a certain depth in the jack-up mode. The spud can 210 is connected to the lower end of the leg 200 and can penetrate at a predetermined speed under the control of the floating structure. The spud can 210 is formed to have a planar area wider than the planar area of the leg 200 for stable fixation of the leg 200. [

When the spud can 210 is fixed to the seabed ground in the jack-up mode as described above, it is possible to raise the hull 100 from the sea surface as shown in FIG. 2, When the bottom of the seabed is a soft ground, one of the legs 200 rapidly enters the bottom of the seabed so that the floating structure can be overturned.

Therefore, when the jack-up mode is performed in the soft ground, the variable weight tank 300 can apply a sufficient load to the soft ground, which is likely to settle, before the ship 100 is lifted from the sea surface.

In order to apply a sufficient load to the soft ground, a load must be transmitted to the legs 200 and the spud can 210. For this purpose, the ballast tank provided in the hull 100 may be filled with water to increase the weight of the hull 100 have. However, since the increase in the weight of the hull 100 using the ballast tanks is not only finite but also is not sufficient as a load to be transferred to the legs 200 and the sprue can 210, A variable weight tank 300 is provided.

The variable weight tank 300 may be detachably attached to the hull 100 if necessary and the weight of the hull 100 may be increased by filling predetermined water in the variable weight tank 300.

When it is necessary to transmit a large load to the leg 200 and the spud can 210, water is filled in the variable weight tank 300 coupled to the hull 100 so that the total weight of the hull 100 And the weight of the hull 100 is transferred to the leg 200 and the spud can 210 to sufficiently dilate the soft ground so that the soft ground can be prevented from sinking.

An inlet port for injecting water can be formed at one side of the variable weight tank 300 and an outlet port for discharging the injected water to the outside at the other side of the variable weight tank 300. Although the water to be filled in the variable weight tank 300 is not limited in its kind, seawater readily available in the vicinity can be used.

When sea water is used, when ballast water is injected into the ballast tank provided in the ship 100, the ship 100 is submerged and the seawater is injected through the inlet of the variable weight tank 300 coupled to the ship 100 .

When the jack-up mode is completed or the navigation mode is to be performed, the ballast water of the hull 100 is discharged to float the hull 100. When the discharge port of the variable weight tank 300 is opened, The weight of the hull 100 can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a floating structure having a variable weight tank according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a dovetail structure of a floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a combined structure of a hull and a variable weight tank in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing a modification of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the variable weight tank 300 and the hull 100 may be coupled to each other by a dove tail structure such as a dove tail shape. The dovetail structure has a structure in which protrusions and grooves are fitted to each other so that the protrusions and the grooves are not separated and the engagement is maintained. The protrusions and grooves are formed with inclined surfaces so that the protrusions and grooves are not easily separated. Since the dovetail structure is a predefined term, further description of this shape is omitted.

A protruding portion 310 having a dovetail shape protruding outward is formed at one side of the variable weight tank 300 and a protruding portion 310 protruding outward is formed at a portion facing the variable weight tank 300 in the hull 100, 310 may have a shape corresponding to that of the hull 100 and may be formed with an engaging groove 110 recessed into the hull 100.

4 shows a case in which the protrusion 310 protrudes from the variable weight tank 300 and the coupling groove 110 is formed in the hull 100. However, And the coupling groove may be formed in the variable weight tank 300. [0052] As shown in FIG.

4 and 5, a ball bearing or a roller bearing 120 may be installed on the inner side of the coupling groove 110 which is in contact with the protrusion 310 to guide the protrusion 310 to be inserted easily . The ball bearings or the roller bearings 120 may be provided in plural numbers and may be spaced apart with a predetermined interval. Therefore, when the protrusion 310 of the variable weight tank 300 is engaged with the coupling groove 110 of the hull 100, the friction between the protrusion 310 and the coupling groove 110 is reduced, (Not shown).

When the variable weight tank 300 is coupled to the hull 100, it is not possible for the protrusion 310 to enter the coupling groove 110 due to its own shape having a dovetail structure, Can be fitted downward from the upper portion of the coupling groove 110.

The hull 100 replaces the ballast water so that the hull 100 sinks to a predetermined depth on the sea surface so that the protrusion 310 can be fitted into the coupling groove 110. When the projection 310 protrudes from the coupling groove 110 The ballast water of the hull 100 is discharged and the hull 100 is floated.

As the hull 100 floats, the protrusion 310 moves toward the bottom of the hull 100 where the coupling groove 110 is formed. At this time, in order to mitigate the impact with the protrusion 310, The shock absorbing means S may be provided at the bottom of the hull 100 on which the shock absorber is formed.

The shock absorbing means S is for preventing the variable weight tank 300 from directly colliding with the bottom portion of the hull 100 formed under the coupling groove 110 and is made of a member capable of absorbing shock, Elastomers may be used.

4, in order to increase the coupling force between the variable weight tank 300 and the hull 100, the protruding portion 310 and the coupling groove 110 may be formed as shown in FIG. The variable weight tank 300 and the hull 100, respectively.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig.

FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing a floating structure according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing a combined structure of a hull and a variable weight tank in FIG.

7, guide units 150 for guiding the entry of the variable weight tanks 300 may be installed on both sides of the hull 100 where the variable weight tanks 300 are installed.

The guide unit 150 may be detachably coupled to the hull 100 through a separate coupling means b such as a bolt or may be fixedly installed through welding.

The tapered portion 151 may guide the variable weight tank 300 into the variable weight tank 300. The tapered portion 151 may have a predetermined inclined surface, So that it can be accurately installed at a specified position of the hull 100.

The elastic member 152 may be disposed on the inner side of the guide unit 150 so that the variable weight tank 300 moving toward the hull 100 may collide with the guide unit 150, Such as rubber or synthetic woven fabric, so as to prevent damage to the surface of the article.

As shown in FIG. 8, the vertical wall of the hull 100 facing the variable weight tank 300 may be provided with shock absorbing means S for mitigating the impact with the variable weight tank 300 entering. When the variable weight tank 300 enters the predetermined position of the hull 100 to be coupled to the hull 100 while being guided by the guide unit 150, the variable weight tank 300 is connected to the vertical wall of the hull 100, Shock absorbing means S is installed on the vertical wall of the hull 100 to prevent damage to the hull 100 and the variable weight tank 300 and to mitigate the impact thereof in the event of a collision .

When the variable weight tank 300 reaches the predetermined position of the hull 100 after the entry of the variable weight tank 300 is completed and the variable weight tank 300 is to be coupled to the hull 100, The hull 100 and the variable weight tank 300 may be connected to each other through a separate connecting member 160.

One side of the connecting member 160 is located in the hull 100 and the other side is located in the variable weight tank 300 and fixed to the variable weight tank 300 and the hull 100 ) Can be integrally combined.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.

100: Hull 110: Coupling groove
120: roller bearing 150: guide part
151: tapered portion 152: elastic member
160: connecting member 200: leg
210: sprung can 300: variable weight tank
310: protrusion part s: shock buffer member

Claims (8)

hull;
A leg which moves the hull in a vertical direction and has a spud can at a lower end thereof; And
A variable weight tank which is detachably attached to the hull as needed and which increases the weight of the hull by filling water therein;
And a variable weight tank. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the variable weight tank and the hull are joined together by a dove tail structure. 3. The method of claim 2,
A protruding portion having a dovetail shape protruding outward is formed on one side of the variable weight tank,
And a variable weight tank having a shape corresponding to the protruding portion and formed with an indented concave groove at a place facing the variable weight tank in the hull. The method of claim 3,
And a floating weight tank having a ball bearing or a roller bearing spaced apart from the coupling groove so as to be in contact with the projection so as to guide the projection easily. The method according to claim 3 or 4,
And a shock-absorbing means for relieving an impact with the protruding portion to be inserted is provided in a bottom portion of the hull having the coupling groove formed therein. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a guide portion for guiding the entry of the variable weight tank is provided on both sides of a portion where the variable weight tank is installed in the hull, and the guide portion is provided with floating tanks having variable weight tanks detachably attached to the hull through coupling means Expression structure. The method according to claim 6,
The guide portion is provided with a tapered portion having a structure that flares toward the outside in order to guide the entry of the variable weight tank, and an elastic member for preventing damage to the variable weight tank is provided inside the guide portion. Expression structure. 8. The method of claim 7,
And the vertical wall of the hull facing the variable weight tank is provided with impact buffering means for mitigating an impact with the entering variable weight tank.

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