KR20240018810A - Jack-up device - Google Patents

Abstract

The jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed at the lower part of the leg to be larger than the diameter of the leg and is seated on the seafloor, and is equipped with a spud can with a guide hole formed on the edge and movable downward along the leg, and the spur It includes a bucket member coupled to a guide hole formed in the decan, wherein the bucket member extends downward from the upper plate and the upper plate seated on the upper surface of the spud can and passes through the guide hole, but the lower part is open and penetrates the seafloor. Includes side frame.

Description

Jack-up device {JACK-UP DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a jack-up device, and specifically, to a jack-up device that can more stably support the lower part of the leg and improve the working stability of the hull or marine structure as the spud can can easily penetrate the seafloor. It's about.

Typically, ships or offshore structures equipped with a jacking device include an offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) or a jack-up rig for drilling work.

After moving to a designated sea area for the above work, such a ship or marine structure lowers the legs to the sea floor using a jacking device to lift the hull and cantilever parts above the water. Work comes first.

At this time, in order to stably fix the leg to the sea floor, a spudcan is provided at the lowest part of the leg.

A spud can is a support structure that has a large area to sufficiently support the legs in contact with the seafloor, and is mounted on the hull along with the legs to stably support the ship or marine structure.

At this time, the operational stability of the ship or marine structure is determined depending on whether the spud can penetrates and is fixed to the seafloor to have a high fixing force.

Accordingly, as spud cans can easily penetrate the seafloor, there has been a need to develop jack-up device technology that can improve the operational stability of ships or marine structures by more stably supporting the lower part of the legs.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0143355

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a jack-up device that can improve the working stability of a hull or marine structure by supporting the lower part of the leg more stably, as the spud can can easily penetrate the seafloor.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. You will be able to.

In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention includes a spud can formed at the lower part of the leg larger than the diameter of the leg, seated on the seafloor, and capable of moving downward along the leg and a spud can with a guide hole formed at the edge, It includes a bucket member coupled to a guide hole formed in the spud can, wherein the bucket member includes an upper plate seated on the upper surface of the spud can and extends downward from the upper plate to pass through the guide hole, but the lower part is open and lies on the seafloor. Includes permeable side frames.

Additionally, the bucket member protrudes radially from the outer surface of the side frame and further includes a plurality of reinforcing members formed along the longitudinal direction of the side frame.

Additionally, a step is formed at the bottom of the side frame to facilitate penetration into the seafloor.

In addition, the present invention further includes a suction member that secures the bucket member to the seabed by sucking seawater inside the bucket member and causing sediment from the seafloor to flow into the inside of the side frame, and the suction member is provided with a spud can. It includes a fluid tank provided inside the main body, a connection line connecting the fluid tank and the suction member, and a hydraulic pump that sucks seawater inside the bucket member through hydraulic pressure and discharges it to the fluid tank along the connection line.

In addition, the present invention further includes a pressing member including a gear meshed with a rack formed along the longitudinal direction of the leg on the outside of the leg and a motor for driving the gear, and the pressing member presses the leg through the driving force of the motor. It moves downward and pressurizes the upper part of the bucket member.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, as the spud can can easily penetrate the seafloor, the lower part of the leg is supported more stably, which has the effect of improving the working stability of the hull or marine structure.

The effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. will be.

1 is a front view of a jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a front cross-sectional view of a jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of a spud can according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a combined diagram of a spud can and a bucket member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing a pressing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing a bucket member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing a suction member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced.

In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description may be omitted, and the same reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components throughout the specification.

In an embodiment of the present invention, expressions such as “or”, “at least one”, etc. may represent one of words listed together, or a combination of two or more.

Hereinafter, in the embodiments of the present invention, the size, thickness, and shape of each component are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may have different sizes and shapes in an actual jack-up device.

In addition, the connection structure of the illustrated wiring is briefly shown for convenience, and other connection types may be applied, and the upper, lower, and side parts are indicated based on certain components, but this is for convenience of explanation. For this purpose, it may be interpreted in a different direction from the indicated direction depending on the rotation or arrangement of the device.

The jack-up device of the present invention can be applied to all structures that can float on the sea or water, such as the sea, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and in particular, an offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) or a jack-up rig for drilling work. It can be best used on a jack-up rig.

However, the application field of the present invention is not limited to this and can be broadly applied not only to ships but also to various floating objects floating on the sea or water.

Hereinafter, for convenience of understanding, all objects to which the jack-up device of the present invention can be applied will be collectively referred to as the main body.

In addition, the shape of the leg to which the jack-up device is applied may be formed in various forms such as a triangular truss structure, a square truss structure, and a cylindrical structure, and in this specification, the triangular truss structure will be described as an example.

In a plan view, the leg may have a triangle or a cylindrical pillar formed at each vertex of the triangle. At this time, racks may be formed on both sides of each pillar along the length direction of the leg.

The form of the leg as described above is only an example, and the leg may be provided in various forms as long as the spirit of the present invention is maintained.

Below, a jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 1 is a front view of a jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view, and Figure 4 is a combined view of a spud can and a bucket member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the jack-up device 100 of the present invention may include a spud can 120 and a bucket member 130.

First, the spud can 120 is a configuration for stable installation of the leg 110. It is formed at the lower part of the leg 110 to be larger than the diameter of the leg 110 and is seated on the seafloor, and has a guide hole 121 at the edge. This is formed.

The guide hole 121 is formed along the edge of the spud can 120, and may be provided to have a width sufficient to allow the reinforcing material 133, which will be described later, to pass through.

At this time, the central portion of the spud can 120 on which the leg 110 is seated and the edge portion spaced apart through the guide hole 121 may be formed to be partially connected by a connecting member 122.

Next, the bucket member 130 is provided to be able to move downward along the leg 110 and is coupled to the guide hole 121 formed in the spud can 120.

The bucket member 130 extends downward from the upper plate 131 and the upper plate 131 seated on the upper surface of the spud can 120 and passes through the guide hole 121, but the lower part is open and lies on the seafloor. It may be made up of a detailed configuration of the penetrating side frame 132.

Referring to the drawings, the side frame 132 may have an internal space and may be provided in a cylindrical shape with an open bottom.

In addition, a slit 1321 may be formed in the vertical direction on the side frame 132 at a position corresponding to the connecting member 122 of the spud can 120, and thus, the side frame 132 is stably maintained. It is possible to pass through the guide hole 121.

The shape, arrangement position, and number of the above-described connecting member 122 and slit 1321 are not limited to the drawings, and any form for stable coupling of the spud can 120 and the bucket member 130 can be applied.

The upper plate 131 may be provided in a ring shape surrounding the leg 110, and may be provided to have a diameter larger than the leg 110 and smaller than the spud can 120.

In this way, the upper plate 131 is provided in a shape that covers the entire upper part of the guide hole 121 of the spud can 120, and is provided between the spud can 120 and the upper plate 131 of the bucket member 130. They can be brought into close contact without any separation.

The shape and size of the bucket member 130 are not limited to the drawings, and may be provided in various shapes depending on the shape of the leg 110 and the spud can 120 within the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

This bucket member 130 may be provided to fall and move along the leg 110 by the bucket member 130's own weight.

At this time, there is a separate component, such as a roller, at the part where the bucket member 130 and the leg 110 come into contact, which serves as a guide to minimize friction with the leg 110 and allow stable descent along the leg 110. More may be provided.

After the bucket member 130 is completely lowered and coupled to the spud can 120, it can be firmly fixed to the spud can 120 through underwater welding.

The spud can 120 and bucket member 130 fixed in this way are lowered toward the seafloor, and as the bucket member 130 penetrates the seafloor first, soil is trapped inside the side frame 132, which causes As a result, the spud can 120 can be more firmly fixed to the seafloor.

In addition, as an example, the spud can 120 is first seated on the seafloor, and then the bucket member 130 is lowered along the leg 110 through its own load to be coupled to the spud can 120. It may be possible.

In this case, the side frame 132 of the bucket member 130 is combined with the guide hole 121 of the spud can 120 and at the same time penetrates into the soil, so that the soil is trapped inside the side frame 132. there is.

In addition, the bucket member 130 may further include a plurality of reinforcement members 133 formed on the outer surface of the side frame 132.

The shape of the reinforcing material 133 protrudes radially from the outer surface of the side frame 132, and may be provided in multiple pieces spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval, and may be formed along the longitudinal direction of the side frame 132. .

When the bucket member 130 of the present invention further includes such a reinforcing material 133, the contact area between the soil and the bucket member 130 can be made larger.

In other words, as the bucket member 130 adheres to the soil and solidifies and is more firmly fixed inside the soil, there is an advantage in that the resistance of the bucket member 130 to external forces due to external environmental factors such as water velocity and wind speed is improved.

As a result, the spud can 120 does not deviate from the initial penetration position and the lower part of the leg 110 can be firmly fixed on the seafloor.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a step may be formed at the bottom of the side frame 132.

The step is shown in the drawing as a zigzag shape, but it is not limited to this, and can be applied as long as the bottom of the side frame 132 has a step shape, such as a wave shape or a step shape.

As a step is formed at the bottom of the side frame 132 of the present invention, the area in contact with the soil is minimized when penetrating into the seafloor, making it possible to more easily penetrate the inside of the soil.

In addition, since the frictional force with the soil and sand is increased in the stepped portion of the side frame 132, there is an advantage in that the fixing force inside the soil can be further improved.

In the above, we looked at the configuration of the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

However, the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided in various forms as follows.

The jack-up device of the present invention may further include a pressurizing member for fixing the spud can and bucket member deeper into the seabed.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a pressing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the pressing member 140 includes a gear 141 engaged with a rack 111 formed along the longitudinal direction of the leg 110 on the outside of the leg 110, and a gear ( A motor 142 that drives 141 may be provided.

This pressing member 140 is provided inside the main body, and after the downward movement of the spud can 120 and the bucket member 130 is completed, it moves downward along the leg 110 through the driving force of the motor 142. It moves and performs the function of pressing the upper part of the bucket member 130.

When the spud can 120 is lowered, the gear 141 provided on the pressing member 140 rotates in the reverse direction and moves relative to the spud can 120, so that it is located at the top of the spud can 120, that is, inside the main body, and then the spud can ( When the lowering of 120 and the bucket member 130 is completed, the gear 141 of the pressing member 140 is rotated in the forward direction to lower along the leg 110, thereby pressurizing the bucket member 130.

As an example, the pressing member 140 may be provided in a ring shape surrounding the leg 110, and is provided to be able to descend along the leg 110 to uniformly press the upper part of the bucket member 130. You can.

At this time, the pressing member 140 may be provided to be lowered by its own load along the leg 110, and may be provided with a gear 141 meshed with the rack 111 of the leg 110 therein. there is.

In addition, the pressing member 140 may be provided in plural pieces spaced apart at a certain interval around the leg 110 and each may be independently lowered. For example, each pressing member 140 may be lowered independently of the leg 110. It may be provided to engage with the rack 111 formed on each pillar part of.

For this reason, by differentially controlling the magnitude of the pressure of each pressing member 140 according to the degree of penetration of the bucket member 130 into the soil, the horizontal of the bucket member 130 can be easily adjusted and at the same time, the pressure inside the soil can be easily adjusted. Uniform penetration becomes possible.

Accordingly, the lower surface of the upper plate 131 of the bucket member 130 and the upper surface of the spur can are brought into close contact without lifting, making it easier to suction seawater through the suction member, which will be described later.

The shape and driving method of the pressing member 140 are not limited to the drawings and the above description, and any configuration that can strongly press the upper part of the bucket member 130 may be applied.

In addition, the bucket member according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided to move downward along the leg through the driving force of a motor on the leg.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing a bucket member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the inner surface of the upper plate 131 of the bucket member 130 has three corners (rack-chords) of the legs 110, that is, racks 111 formed at each pillar portion of the legs 110. An electric wheel box including a gear and a motor meshed with may be provided.

In the drawing, it is shown that a pair of gears are provided on each pillar of the leg 110, but the shape is not limited to this, and is engaged with the rack 111 of the leg 110 to move up and down along the rack 111. Any form that allows movement in one direction will be applicable.

When the above-described bucket member 130 is applied, the bucket member 130 is lowered along the leg 110 and moved to the upper part of the spud can 120 by the driving force of the motor, and the guide hole of the spud can 120 ( 121), sinking to the sea floor may occur due to its own weight.

At this time, it is possible to control the penetration depth of the bucket member 130 by independently controlling each gear engaged with the rack of each leg 110 to adjust the pressing pressure on the seafloor, so that a separate gear for penetration is used. There is no need to have a device.

For example, even in cases where uniform penetration of the side frame 132 is difficult depending on the soil quality of the seafloor and is not level, a gap occurs between the upper surface of the spud can 120 and the lower surface of the upper plate 131. By differentially adjusting the pressing force of each gear on the seafloor, the bucket member 130 can be brought into close contact with the spud can 120 without lifting.

The power source for driving the motor of the bucket member 130 may be supplied from a power generation device provided inside the main body, and power may be supplied by connecting the power generation device and the bucket member 130 through a cable.

If a failure or malfunction occurs in the gear and motor of the bucket member 130, it is possible to switch to a manual control method, and the bucket member 130 can be controlled using a plurality of wires connected between the bucket member 130 and the main body. ) may be arranged to enable movement by its own weight.

Furthermore, the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a suction member.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a suction member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the suction member 150 is a component that performs the function of suctioning seawater inside the bucket member 130, and details of the fluid tank 151, connection line 152, and hydraulic pump 153 are shown. It can be composed of:

The fluid tank 151 may be provided inside the main body including the spudcat 120, and is connected to the suction member 150 through a connection line 152, and the hydraulic pump 153 is inside the bucket member 130. It functions to suck in seawater through hydraulic pressure and discharge it to the fluid tank 151 along the connection line 152.

In other words, as the seawater trapped inside the side frame 132 of the bucket member 130 is mechanically pulled and compressed by an external ship, a pressure difference is generated inside and outside the bucket member 130, and this pressure difference causes the sea bottom to be compressed. As the surface becomes more hollow, soil is trapped inside the bucket member 130.

The soil trapped in this way adheres to the bucket member 130 and plays the role of supporting the side of the bucket member 130 and firmly fixing it.

In this way, when the present invention uses the suction member 150, the seawater inside the bucket member 130 is sucked and the sediment from the seabed flows into the inside of the side frame 132, thereby attaching the bucket member 130 to the seafloor. It has the effect of being fixed more firmly.

Hereinafter, a method of fixing a spud can to the seafloor using the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention described above will be described in more detail.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 7, first, when the main body completes moving to the position for work, the operation of lowering the leg 110 begins.

At this time, the operation of dropping the bucket member 130 provided inside the main body to the upper part of the spud can 120 along the leg 110 is performed, and the side frame 132 of the bucket member 130 is spud can ( They pass through the guide hole 121 formed in 120 and are coupled to each other.

Afterwards, the spud can 120 and the upper plate 131 of the bucket member 130 may be fixed through underwater welding.

The spud can 120 and the bucket member 130 combined in this way are lowered toward the seafloor, and the side frame 132 of the bucket member 130 first penetrates the seafloor, causing initial penetration, and then the spud can (120) is placed on the seafloor.

At this time, while the leg 110 is lowered, the pressing member 140 moves relative to the leg 110 by rotating the gear provided to engage with the rack 111 of the leg 110 in the reverse direction, thereby moving the pressing member 140 inside the main body. After the lowering of the spud can 120 and the bucket member 130 is completed, the gear can be rotated in the forward direction again to descend along the leg 110.

Afterwards, the pressing member 140 is lowered to the upper part of the bucket member 130 to press the bucket member 130 downward, thereby allowing the bucket member 130 to penetrate deeper into the soil. there is.

Next, the operation of introducing soil into the bucket member 130 can be performed by suctioning seawater inside the bucket member 130 using the suction member 150.

By driving the hydraulic pump 153 provided in the main body, seawater inside the bucket member 130 is sucked in and discharged into the fluid tank 151 through the connection line 152, so that the seawater inside the bucket member 130 is As the incoming soil and side frame 132 are solidified, more solid fixation becomes possible.

The above-described method of fixing the spud can 120 is a description of an embodiment using the jack-up device 100 of the present invention, and various modifications and changes are possible within the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

For example, the work order may be changed so that the spud can 120 is first placed on the seafloor, and the bucket member 130 is lowered to penetrate into the soil.

In addition, in the case of underwater welding, it can be selectively performed as needed, and work using the pressurizing member 140 and the suction member 150 can also be selectively performed, and the order may be changed.

Using the jack-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention described above can provide the following advantages.

The conventional jack-up device adopts a method in which spud cans are provided at the bottom of the legs and are simply secured to the seafloor.

However, this method had the disadvantage that it was difficult to penetrate the spud can deeply into the soil, so the spud can could not be stably fixed on the seafloor.

In addition, the initial penetration position of the spud can is not fixed and flows, causing tilting of the legs, which reduces structural stability and raises the risk of the main body being stranded.

On the other hand, the jack-up device of the present invention is characterized in that a bucket member is dropped on the top of the spud can and is coupled through a guide hole formed in the spud can.

Accordingly, the spud can is more easily fixed to the seafloor by the load of the bucket member, and at the same time, the side frame of the bucket member passes through the guide hole of the spud can and is drawn out to the lower part of the spud can, allowing it to be easily placed inside the soil. It is penetrated.

In other words, when using a bucket member together, it is possible to penetrate deeper into the soil than when settling on the seafloor using only the spud can, so there is an advantage in fixing the lower part of the leg more stably.

In addition, as the reinforcement material is formed on the outside of the side frame, the area in contact with the soil and sand expands, facilitating adhesion between the soil and the side frame, which has the advantage of being more firmly fixed to the seafloor.

Furthermore, when the pressurizing member and the suction member are additionally used together, the bucket member is coupled to the top of the spud can to first penetrate into the soil of the sea floor, and then the upper part of the bucket member is secondarily pressurized through the pressurizing member. This has the effect of maximizing the penetration effect into the seabed.

The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and drawings are merely provided as specific examples to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be construed as including all changes or modified forms derived based on the technical idea of the present invention in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100: Jack-up device
110: leg
111: rack
120: Spud can
121: guide hole
122: connecting member
130: Bucket member
131: upper plate
132: side frame
1321: slit
133: reinforcement
140: Pressure member
141: gear
142: motor
150: Suction member
151: fluid tank
152: connection line
153: hydraulic pump

Claims (5)

A spud can formed at the lower part of the leg to be larger than the diameter of the leg and seated on the seafloor, and having a guide hole formed at the edge; and
It is provided to be able to move downward along the leg and includes a bucket member coupled to the guide hole formed in the spud can,
The bucket member is,
An upper plate mounted on the upper surface of the spud can; and
A jack-up device comprising a side frame that extends downward from the upper plate and passes through the guide hole, but whose lower part is open and penetrates the seafloor. According to claim 1,
The bucket member is,
A jack-up device that protrudes radially from the outer surface of the side frame and further includes a plurality of reinforcement members formed along the longitudinal direction of the side frame. According to claim 1,
A jack-up device in which a step is formed at the bottom of the side frame to facilitate penetration into the seafloor. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a suction member that secures the bucket member to the seabed by sucking seawater inside the bucket member and causing soil from the seafloor to flow into the inside of the side frame,
The suction member is,
a fluid tank provided inside the main body including the spud can;
A connection line connecting the fluid tank and the suction member; and
A jack-up device including a hydraulic pump that sucks seawater inside the bucket member through hydraulic pressure and discharges it into the fluid tank along the connection line. According to claim 1,
It further includes a pressing member including a gear engaged with a rack formed along the longitudinal direction of the leg on the outside of the leg and a motor that drives the gear,
The pressing member is,
A jack-up device that moves downward along the leg through the driving force of the motor and presses the upper part of the bucket member.

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