KR20200045781A - A vessel with retractable thruster - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide a vessel with an insertable thruster, which can easily inspect and repair an azimuth thruster without dry docking while a vessel sails. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vessel with an insertable thruster comprises: a trunk formed in a hull and having an opened lower portion; an azimuth thruster vertically movable towards the bottom and the upper deck, and insertable into the trunk; an approach unit arranged on one surface of the trunk to allow a worker to approach the azimuth thruster; a sounding pipe to measure the fluid level in the trunk; a drain pipe to suck a fluid in the trunk; and a lower cover to seal a lower portion of the trunk to prevent an additional fluid from flowing into the trunk if the azimuth thruster is inserted into the trunk. The approach unit includes an opening/closing detection unit capable of detecting an opening and closing of the approach unit.

Description

Vessel with retractable thruster {A VESSEL WITH RETRACTABLE THRUSTER}

The present invention relates to a ship having an incoming thruster, more specifically, by measuring the seawater flowing into the trunk (Trunk) in which the azimuth thruster is stored, to inform the seawater level in the trunk, and the seawater from the trunk It relates to a vessel having a retractable thruster capable of discharging.

Recently, in order to secure crude oil, development of a marginal field or a deep sea field has been attempted, and along with the development of submarine mining technology, many ships equipped with drilling facilities suitable for oil field development have been developed and built.

In the conventional submarine drilling vessel, a rig ship or a fixed platform mainly used for subsea drilling, which is capable of sailing only by a tugboat and performs submarine drilling while anchored at a specific point on the sea using a mooring device, was mainly used. .

However, in recent years, so-called drill ships, which are manufactured in the same form as ordinary ships, have been developed and used for subsea drilling so that advanced drilling equipment can be mounted and sailed with its own power.

Ships such as drill ships are manufactured to be able to navigate with their own power without tugboat due to the working conditions that require frequent movement of the position.

In addition, the drillship is equipped with a dynamic positioning system that allows the ship's position to be safely maintained at a certain drilling point in rough sea conditions without using an existing mooring device.

A key device used in such a magnetic position control system is an azimuth thruster, which is a type of propulsion device.

The azimuth thruster is a type of electric propulsion device of a swing type among propulsion devices of a ship. The Azimuth thruster is a device equipped with both the propulsion and steering functions of a ship, and is mainly located at the bottom of the hull, and has a propeller that can be rotated 360 degrees.

Among the azimuth thrusters, the retractable type of azimuth thrusters is stored inside the vessel to reduce fluid resistance during long-distance voyage of the vessel, and the short-distance movement of the vessel in the offshore, dynamic positioning ( In the case of dynamic positioning and weather vaning, it is used to protrude outside the ship.

Particularly, when a ship equipped with an azimuth thruster moves the vessel due to external environmental factors such as tides and waves, the azimuth thruster is protruded to the bottom of the hull to maintain the vessel at the desired position. Positioning is performed. In this way, the mode in which the ship self-controls to stay at a constant position with respect to external force is called a self-positioning control mode or a dynamic positioning mode (DP mode).

The azimuth thruster can be installed separately from the main engine, that is, the ship's main engine, thus increasing the flexibility of the compartment arrangement in the ship, reducing the engine room volume and increasing the cargo hold volume, and the advantages of easy adjustment by self abduction. Have.

However, the azimuth thruster is a useful device when it is used to control the position of the ship, but the azimuth thruster protrudes from the bottom of the hull toward the seabed during ship operation using a propeller connected to the main engine. Since it has a resistor, it becomes a resistor and degrades the operation efficiency of the ship.

In addition, after installing the azimuth thruster on the hull, the ship must be dry docked to inspect or maintain propellers, shafts, gears, etc., excluding the motors of the azimuth thruster. This is because the seawater flows into the trunk where the azimuth thruster is stored while repeating the azimuth thruster protruding underwater and entering the hull while the ship is in operation. to be.

However, once the ship starts operating, it is not possible to inspect the azimuth thruster during ship operation because it does not dry dock unless a long-term maintenance plan such as regular hull inspection or an accident that causes severe damage to the hull occurs. There is a problem that the maintenance of the thruster is not easy.

Moreover, in the DP mode, when seaweed or fishing nets are introduced into the azimuth thruster to perform repair work on the azimuth thruster, the diver needs to work down the hull, ie, below the sea level. There is a problem in that the work itself is dangerous and complicated, and overall, the efficiency of repair work for the azimuth thruster is greatly reduced.

In addition, due to the structure of the azimuth thruster protruding from the bottom of the hull, there was also a problem that it is difficult to enter the dock for repairing the hull.

Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1516178 (2015.05.06, ship containing azimuth thruster and azimuth thruster maintenance method)

The present invention has been made to improve the above-described problems, and has an object to provide a ship capable of easily inspecting and repairing an azimuth thruster without dry docking even during ship operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is arranged on one side of the trunk, the azimuth thruster formed in the hull and capable of moving up and down in the direction of the trunk, the bottom and the upper deck which are open to the bottom and can be drawn into the trunk. The access part accessible to the azimuth thruster by the operator, a sounding pipe for measuring the fluid level inside the trunk, a drain pipe through which the fluid inside the trunk can be sucked, and the azimuth thruster into the trunk When drawn in, the lower cover for sealing the lower portion of the trunk so that no more fluid is introduced into the trunk, and the access unit includes an injectable thruster including an opening / closing detection unit capable of detecting opening / closing of the access unit. Provide a ship equipped.

The access unit further includes a first hatch disposed on the outermost side of the trunk and a second hatch disposed toward the inside of the trunk than the first hatch, and the opening / closing detection unit is disposed on the first and second hatches, respectively. The first and second limiter switches to detect the opening and closing of the first and second hatches may be further included.

A pressure gauge is disposed on the first hatch, and further measures a pressure between the first and second hatches to check whether water leaked from the second hatch exists between the first and second hatches. can do.

The sounding pipe may further include a test cock disposed at the top of the sounding pipe and an isolation valve disposed below the test cock.

It may be disposed under the trunk, and may further include a fluid level sensor that senses the fluid level inside the trunk and informs the engine control room or bridge.

Vessels with a retractable thruster according to the present invention can easily inspect, maintain and repair azimuth thrusters even during ship operation, so that the number of times a ship enters the dry dock for maintenance and repair of azimuth thrusters Will decrease. Therefore, the cost required for the dry dock is reduced, and the time and cost for inspecting and repairing the azimuth thruster are saved.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the azimuth thruster protrudes out of the trunk according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the azimuth thruster is drawn into the trunk according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the first and second hatches according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sounding pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a ship having a retractable thruster according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 will be described in detail with respect to the vessel 100 having a retractable thruster according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the azimuth thruster according to an embodiment of the present invention protrudes to the outside of the trunk, and FIG. 2 is an azimuth thruster according to an embodiment of the present invention being drawn into the trunk. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the first and second hatches according to an embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sounding pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the ship 100 with a retractable thruster according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hull 101, a hull bottom 102, a trunk 110, and an azimuth thruster 120. ), An access unit 1100, a sounding pipe 1200, a drain pipe 1301, a pump 1302, a fluid level sensor 1400, and a lower cover 1500.

The azimuth thruster 120 of the present invention may be configured as a retractable type. The propeller 121 constituting the retractable type azimuth thruster 120 is moved up and down along the direction toward the top deck from the hull bottom surface 102 or vice versa, that is, the arrow A shown in FIG. 1. May be stored in the trunk 110 provided in the hull 101.

In the trunk 110, the lower portion is opened toward the seabed so that the azimuth thruster 120 and the propeller 121 can move up and down, and the inside of the trunk 110a has a propeller 121 inside the hull 101 It has a size and space enough to completely enter the furnace, and is formed in the hull 101.

Since the azimuth thruster 120 is driven underwater while protruding from the outside of the trunk 110, in FIG. 1, the azimuth thruster 120 is a trunk 110 so that the propeller 121 can rotate underwater. ), Protruding toward the seabed.

If the azimuth thruster 120 is not used, as shown in FIG. 2, the azimuth thruster 120 is stored in the trunk interior 110a, and the propeller 121 is also stored in the trunk interior 110a. do.

When the propeller 121 is stored in the trunk 110, the propeller 121 protrudes underwater toward the seabed, and then enters the inside of the hull 101, so that the interior of the trunk along the stored propeller 121 ( Sea water may be introduced into 110a). In addition, since the lower portion of the trunk 110 is open when the propeller 121 operates underwater, seawater may flow into the trunk 110.

The access unit 1100 is disposed on one surface of the trunk 110.

The access unit 1100 serves as a passage or access path through which an operator can access the azimuth thruster 120 and the propeller 121, and thus needs to be opened by the operator. In addition, when the operator has completed the maintenance and repair work for the azimuth thruster 120 and the propeller 121, to prevent the seawater flowing into the trunk 110 from leaking to other areas in the hull 101 , It is also necessary to close the access unit 1100 to be watertight.

Therefore, when the seawater is introduced into the trunk 110, even if the access unit 1100 is not completely watertight, the seawater leaked through the access unit 1100 does not flow into other areas in the hull 101. In order to do this, the access unit 1100 is preferably disposed on the top surface of the trunk 110.

Meanwhile, the access unit 1100 further includes first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 in order to prevent seawater flowing into the trunk interior 110a from leaking by the access unit 1100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are disposed on the outer surface of the trunk 110. At this time, based on the trunk 110, the first hatch 1101 is relatively disposed on the outermost side of the trunk 110 compared to the second hatch 1102, and the second hatch 1102 is relatively first. It is disposed toward the inside of the trunk 110 compared to the hatch 1101.

Meanwhile, the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 may be configured to be fixedly coupled to the trunk 110, and at this time, bolts and nuts may be coupled to the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102, respectively. Thus, a plurality of through holes 1101a and 1102a may be formed.

However, the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are not necessarily configured to be fixedly coupled to the trunk 110 by bolts and nuts, and the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 and the trunk 110 are required. It is also possible that a hinge is formed between the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 to be rotated to open and close.

In addition, the handles 1101b and 1102b may be formed on the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102, respectively, so that the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are separated from the trunk 110 when an operator is required. Can be lifted.

If the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are disposed on the upper surface or the upper side of the trunk 110, a vertical ladder 1103 is disposed inside the trunk 110, so that the operator can easily reach the propeller 121. Make it accessible.

In this case, the vertical ladder 1103 connects or extends from the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 to the bottom surface of the trunk 110, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In addition, since the access unit 1100 may be opened or closed by an operator as described above, seawater introduced into the trunk 110 through the access unit 1100 that is not completely watertight flows into the hull. There is a risk of being, it includes an opening and closing detection unit 1110 that can detect the opening and closing of the access unit 1100.

Referring to FIG. 3, the opening / closing detection unit 1110 may be composed of first and second limiter switches 1111 and 1112, which are disposed on the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102, respectively. 2 Opening and closing of the hatches 1101 and 1102 can be detected.

When the first and second limiter switches 1111 and 1112 sense whether the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are opened or closed, respectively, the first and second limiter switches 1111 and 1112 are first And sending / closing signals of the second hatches 1101 and 1102 to the engine control room or bridge to check whether the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are opened or closed there.

In addition to this, a modified embodiment of the access unit 1100 according to the present embodiment further includes a pressure gauge 1113 capable of measuring the pressure between the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pressure gauge 1113 is disposed on the first hatch 1101 to measure the pressure between the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102.

If the seawater leaks from the second hatch 1102 and seawater flows between the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102, the pressure gauge 1103 is the pressure between the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102. By detecting the change of the first and second hatches (1101, 1102) to allow the operator to check whether the seawater is present.

The sounding pipe 1200 is disposed to penetrate the trunk interior 110a from the upper surface of the trunk 110, extends to the bottom surface of the trunk 110, and the lower end of the sounding pipe 1200 is partially opened.

The sounding pipe 1200 allows an operator to measure the fluid level introduced into the trunk 110a, that is, the level of seawater, so that the operator can grasp how high the seawater fills the trunk 110a. do.

4, the sounding pipe 1200 is composed of a pipe tube 1201, and further includes a test cock 1202 and an isolation valve 1203.

The pipe tube 1201 penetrates the space 110a inside the trunk and extends to the bottom surface of the trunk 110, and a test cock 1202 is disposed at the top or top of the sounding pipe 1200. It is configured to open and close.

Isolation valve (isolation valve) 1203 is installed on the pipe tube (1201), it is disposed relatively lower than the test cock (1202).

The isolation valve 1203 is configured to close the pipe tube 1201 in order to prevent the seawater flowing into the trunk interior 110a from flowing out of the trunk while rising by water pressure along the pipe tube 1201. . In addition, when the operator wants to measure the water level in the trunk interior 110a, the isolation valve 1203 is configured to be opened.

The isolation valve 1203 may be of a gate type, but is not limited thereto, except for using the pipe tube 1201 to measure the seawater level in the trunk 110a. It does not matter which valve type it is as long as it is a valve type that can prevent leakage.

The process of directly measuring the level of seawater introduced into the trunk 110a is as follows.

The isolation valve 1203 is first opened, and it is first checked whether seawater leaks while the test cock 1202 is closed.

If seawater does not leak through the test cock 1202, the operator opens the test cock 1202 and inserts a sounding tape measure attached to one end into the test cock 1202.

The weight descends along the pipe tube 1201 by gravity, and the worker continues to release the sounding tape measure until it touches the bottom of the additional trunk 110.

On the other hand, if seawater is introduced into the trunk interior 110a, the seawater rises due to the water pressure in the pipe tube 1201 of the sounding pipe 1200, so that the inside of the pipe tube 1201 is seawater inside the trunk 110a. Seawater rises to the same level as the water level.

The operator can know the height from the top to the bottom or the top to the bottom of the trunk 110 according to the design, so as to release the sounding tape measure as much as the design height of the trunk 110 and rewind it, to any part of the sounding tape By grasping whether the sea water is on the surface, you can directly determine the sea level inside the trunk.

The drain pipe 1301 is disposed to penetrate one surface of the trunk 110 and is configured to suck the fluid inside the trunk 110a. That is, the drain pipe 1301 is fluidly connected to the trunk 110 to discharge the seawater inside the trunk 110a, and in order to facilitate the discharge of seawater, it is preferable to be connected to the lower part of the trunk 110. .

The drain pipe 1301 is fluidly connected to the pump 1302 to form a seawater discharge unit 1300 together with the pump 1302.

The pump 1302 may suck the fluid introduced into the trunk interior 110a through the drain pipe 1301 and discharge the sucked fluid out of the ballast tank or hull installed in the hull 101. In addition, the fluid sucked by the pump 1302 may be supplied to a fire-fighting line constituting the fire-fighting system of the ship, or may be supplied to other systems using seawater in the ship.

The fluid level sensor 1400 is disposed under the trunk 110 and serves to accurately measure the fluid level in the trunk 110a, that is, the water level. The operator may directly measure the sea level in the trunk interior 110a through the sounding pipe 1200, but may also indirectly measure the sea level in the trunk interior 110a through the fluid level sensor 1400.

Therefore, before the worker performs maintenance and repair work on the azimuth thruster 120 or the propeller 121, the worker can enter the trunk interior 110a through the fluid level sensor 1400. It can be checked whether the fluid level has been reached.

The signal about the water level in the trunk 110a measured by the fluid level sensor 1400 is sent to the engine control room (ECR) or bridge, where the trunk inside 110a is accurately measured. Can grasp the water level in the sea.

Also, the fluid level sensor 1400 may be configured as a floater type sensor. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may also be configured with a laser or solenoid type sensor, and a sensor capable of digitizing by measuring the seawater level inside the trunk 110a.

The lower cover 1500 is connected to the lower portion of the propeller 121, and when the azimuth thruster 120 enters the trunk interior 110a, it rises together with the propeller 121.

When the propeller 121 is completely stored in the trunk interior 110a, a part of the lower cover 1500 is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the hull 102, and the lower portion of the trunk 110 is sealed to seal the interior of the trunk 110a. ) To prevent further fluid from entering.

The lower cover 1500 according to this embodiment includes a plate 1501, a plurality of grooves (not shown) formed on the plate 1501, and a rubber sealing part (not shown) formed along the edges of the plate 1501. It includes more.

The plate 1501 forms a main body of the lower cover 1500, and a plurality of grooves formed on the plate 1501 are grooves to which bolts are fastened to fix the plate 1501 to the bottom surface 102 of the hull. In addition, the rubber sealing portion is formed along the edge of the plate 1501 to the outside of the plurality of grooves, if the plate 1501 is not perfectly water tightly fixed to the bottom surface 102, between the plate 1501 and the bottom surface of the hull 102 It blocks the inflow of seawater into the gap.

Hereinafter, on the basis of the above-described components, the ship 100 according to the present embodiment will be described a process of servicing the azimuth thruster 120 while sailing. When the azimuth thruster 120 and the propeller 121 are drawn in and stored in the trunk interior 110a, the lower cover 1500 connected to the lower end of the propeller 121, that is, the plate 1501 is attached to the hull bottom surface 102. As it is in close contact, further seawater inflow into the trunk 110a is blocked.

At this time, in the trunk 110a, the azimuth thruster 120 and the propeller 121 protrude outside the hull 101, and the seawater introduced due to the opening of the lower portion of the trunk 110 and the azimuth thruster 120 ) And the propeller 121 are stored, so that the inflow of seawater is present.

The fluid level sensor 1400 measures the water level of the seawater flowing into the trunk 110a and transmits a measurement signal to an engine control room or a bridge.

In the engine control room or bridge, the pump 1302 is operated to discharge seawater from the trunk interior 110a through the drain pipe 1301.

If the seawater is sufficiently discharged from the trunk interior 110a, and the measurement signal transmitted from the fluid level sensor 1400 indicates a value below a certain level or no longer sends a signal or alarm, an operator can enter the trunk interior 110a. Check in the engine control room or on the bridge that seawater has drained enough to enter.

Before entering the inside of the trunk 110a, the operator directly measures and measures the sea level in the trunk 110a using the sounding pipe 1200 to reliably measure the water level in the inside of the trunk 110a. When the water level becomes sufficient to allow the operator to enter the trunk interior 110a, the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are sequentially separated from the trunk 110.

When the first and second hatches 1101 and 1102 are separated from the trunk 110, the operator rides the vertical ladder 1103 to enter the trunk 110a, and the propeller 121 and the azimuth thruster 120 For maintenance work.

As described above, the ship equipped with the retractable thruster according to the present embodiment ensures the accessibility of the operator inside the trunk even during sailing and enables maintenance and repair work for the azimuth thruster, thus maintaining the azimuth thruster in the related art. The need for dry docking of ships for maintenance is reduced. Therefore, the ship with the retractable thruster according to the present embodiment can significantly reduce the time, cost, and labor required for the dry dock.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical spirits within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: ship
110: trunk
120: azimuth thruster
1100: access
1200: sounding pipe
1300: seawater discharge unit
1400: fluid level sensor
1500: lower cover

Claims (5)

A trunk formed in the hull and having an open bottom;
An azimuth thruster capable of moving up and down in the direction of the bottom and the upper deck and being able to be drawn into the trunk;
An access unit disposed on one side of the trunk and accessible to an operator with the azimuth thruster;
A sounding pipe for measuring the fluid level inside the trunk;
A drain pipe capable of sucking the fluid inside the trunk;
Includes; when the azimuth thruster is introduced into the trunk, the lower cover for sealing the lower portion of the trunk to prevent further fluid from entering the trunk;
The access unit,
A ship having an incoming thruster including an opening / closing detection unit capable of detecting opening / closing of the access unit. The method according to claim 1,
The access unit,
A first hatch disposed on the outermost side of the trunk; And
Further comprising a second hatch disposed toward the inside of the trunk than the first hatch,
The opening and closing detection unit,
A vessel having a retractable thruster further comprising; first and second limiter switches disposed on the first and second hatches, respectively, to detect opening and closing of the first and second hatches. The method according to claim 2,
A pressure gauge is disposed on the first hatch, and further measures a pressure between the first and second hatches to check whether water leaked from the second hatch exists between the first and second hatches. A ship with a thruster capable of being pulled out. The method according to claim 1,
The sounding pipe,
A test cock disposed at the top of the sounding pipe; And
A vessel having a retractable thruster, further comprising an isolation valve disposed below the test cock. The method according to claim 1,
A vessel having a retractable thruster disposed under the trunk and further comprising a fluid level sensor that senses a fluid level inside the trunk and informs an engine control room or a bridge.

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