RU2152889C1 - Device for emergency drainage of petroleum products from tanker - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: devices for emergency drainage of petroleum products from tankers. SUBSTANCE: device includes vertical swivel tubes mounted on outer surface of tanker side. Lower end of each tube is connected via collar with flexible tube mounted inside tanker and its upper end is connected with flexible envelope. Tube mounted inside tanker possesses negative buoyancy; it is provided with rope for change of its vertical position. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of removal of accident of ship's force. 2 cl, 3 dwg

Description

 The technical solution relates to means of preventing an environmental disaster during the formation of holes in the tanker and the expiration of petroleum products (hereinafter referred to as oil, although the liquid substance can be any chemical compound that requires a careful relationship, for example, any acid.

 An emergency situation also occurs when the tanker is on reefs or aground, when the ship is not able to lift itself off the aground or from the reefs. This situation requires quick action so that the stationary position does not become a more serious accident, for example, during a storm.

A tanker is a special-purpose vessel and contains a hull, engine, isolated tanks for oil and premises to support the operation of the tanker (see TSB, Volume 25, p. 265). The described tanker has a displacement of 550,000 tons and a draft of 28.5 meters with a total height of 35 meters. If a tanker with such parameters is damaged, oil about 7 meters high will leak out of the hole (tank area may be different), which is about 30% of the oil in the tank (frames and other fittings take a certain amount, like a reinforced bottom). If a hole is formed on the bottom, then two processes will occur sequentially:
- the outflow of oil to equalize hydrostatic pressure, taking into account various densities;
- the formation of oncoming flows of liquid media with different densities.

 The latter process is less intensive, but will take place, and, taking into account more complex operations for filling holes at the bottom, it acquires the greatest danger due to the length of the recovery of tanker buoyancy.

 It should also be borne in mind that in order to restore the normal position of the vessel, the arrival of the rescue vessel with the necessary equipment and a free tanker is necessary for pumping oil from tanks that have a hole. The arrival of these funds can take a very long time, when oil has already spilled out and the aquatic environment will be irretrievably affected, as well as coastal areas. Exactly such a case took place in Alaska when the tanker Exxon Wildes got on a reef, got a hole and the whole territory of the coastal and aquatic environment was irrevocably infected by direct oil exposure, oil burning, and chemical exposure to oil (the British film is completely based on facts " Full speed ahead The catastrophe of the Exxon Vildis tanker, which was demonstrated on NTV on 04/22/99 at 10-15) However, the exact same emergency situation occurs under circumstances when the tanker ran aground or on reefs without formation of a hole. for a long time to deliver all the necessary rescue equipment (a tugboat and a rescue vessel, as well as a tanker for pumping oil and changing the tanker’s draft position) .At any moment, an emergency can develop during a storm, which already protracts the arrival time of rescue equipment and contributes to formation of holes, cracks with the outflow of oil, as described above.

 The purpose of the technical solution is to eliminate the emergency situation or, at least, to reduce the consequences of oil leakage through the hole, as well as removing the tanker from shallows or reefs in the shortest possible time. In short: a sharp decrease in the recovery time of the tanker and either the complete elimination of the environmental disaster, or a sharp reduction in the consequences of the accident.

 The technical result is achieved by the fact that on the outside of the side there are vertical openings, in each of which a swivel pipe is placed, made at the lower end with a cuff connecting the pipe to the tanker’s internal cavity and a flexible upper part that connects to a flexible shell equipped with a riser, communicating the internal cavity of the flexible shell with the air medium and fixed to the flexible part of the pipe, the flexible shell being enclosed in a power network mounted on the pipe, and the power network is equipped with a load moving on the cable using an exhaust cable, the lower end of the first cable connected to the lower point of the power network, and in the inner cavity of the tanker there is a flexible pipe with negative buoyancy and equipped with a cable to change the position of the pipe, which forms a single trunk with a pipe rotary on the outer surface of the side tanker.

 The drawings show an alarm device for oil products from a tanker in the form of a structural diagram and without the necessary drives for moving any masses, since the latter are not the subject of a technical solution and any tanker mechanisms can be used. In FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tanker with a hole; FIG. 2 shows the drain device in the working position, FIG. 3 - place 1.

 Tanker 1 has a vertical opening 2, in which a pipe 3 with a sleeve 4 is placed, which connects the pipe 3 to the internal cavity of the tanker 1 through a flexible pipe 5, which has negative buoyancy and is equipped with a cable 6 for changing the position of the end of the pipe 5 in the internal cavity of the tanker 1. A flexible shell 7 is fixed at the upper end of the pipe through a flexible pipe insert 8. The flexible shell 7 is enclosed in a power network 9, which is fixed with its upper part to the pipe 3, and a cable 10 is fixed on the lower part of the network 9, on which the load 11 with the exhaust is movably placedwith a cable 12. An emergency case with a hole is shown 13. The device operates as follows.

 After the formation of a leak through the hole 13, the flexible shell 7 rolled up together with the net 9 and spread on the deck is discharged, while the pipe 3 is rotated towards the aqueous medium. The load 11 is discharged along the cable 10. In a flexible shell, a space is formed filled with air through the riser, which is not conditionally shown, because this tube, connected to the atmosphere and mounted on the pipe 3, is mounted so that its end does not fall into the aquatic environment. Due to the hydrostatic pressure "H", oil also enters the flexible shell 7 and flows out through the hole 13. Such an intensive flow of oil will occur until the hydrostatic pressure is equalized. Even before this point, the flexible shell 7 as it is filled with oil will sink to a depth that (preferably) should be greater than the underwater part of the tanker. This is ensured by the flexible part of the pipe in the form of an insert 8. At the same time, lower the pipe 5 with a cable. A siphon will be formed, playing the role of a pump. When the water went into the flexible shell 7, and this can be fixed at the end of the oil flow into the aquatic environment, the load 11 is pulled by a cable 12 and the flexible shell floats due to the difference in the density of oil and water and the properties of the siphon disappear. In this position, the tanker can stay for a long time and, with the sure removal of oil from tanker 1, can move with the towing of a flexible shell behind the power network 9 to the destination port, where all operations to restore the tanker can be carried out under stationary conditions. If the removal of oil from the tanker was reliable, then it remains to collect oil from the surface, which managed to flow through the hole 13.

 In an emergency, when the tanker ran aground or on reefs without formation of a hole, all operations are repeated, but they serve to locally change the draft of the tanker so that the adhesion zone of the tanker's bottom is freed up and this will allow it to go aground or from the reef under its own power. After removal from any emphasis and access to free water, the following cases are possible.

 Move with a flexible shell to the tank near the tanker or transfer oil back to the tanker. For pumping, it is enough to lift the flexible shell 7 over the network and do it gradually. In the final position, the network with a flexible shell of 7.9 will be on deck and the flow of oil into the tanker will occur due to the difference in height of the hydrostatic pressure. It is possible to insert a pump between pipe 3 and flexible shell 7 and transfer with a power supply of oil to tanker 1, followed by raising net 9 with flexible shell 7 to the deck when there is little oil left in flexible shell 7. In all cases, the network with flexible shell rises to the deck for further follow.

The following observations can be made:
1. Above all the time it was said about the internal cavity of the tanker. This meant, of course, an isolated tank. Each tank should have such a pumping system, because the hole can be on any of the tanks or several at once. The technical solution allows you to immediately immediately drop a flexible shell with a network of 7.9 and begin to take oil from a damaged tank. The intensity of selection will depend on the ratio of the area of the hole and the bore of the pipe 3. At the same time, it is possible to pump into unfilled tanks or into flexible shells of tanks that are not damaged after disconnecting them from pipes 3 and connecting them to pipes to lower them into a damaged tank or stationary pump tanker.

2. You can do without the riser, which was mentioned above and which is designed to connect the inner cavity of the flexible shell 7 with the atmosphere. In many cases, this will be even better for the following reasons:
- when the cargo is pulled by a flexible sheath in depth, additional oil delivery capacity will arise due to the formation of a small vacuum, but for this case, it is necessary to connect the flexible sheath 7 to the power network 9 at several points. In this case, pumping back will be more efficient. For versatility, it is best to install a controlled valve on the riser mentioned above, then the pumping back into the tank can be done by supplying gas under pressure through the riser with the valve open and this will be the most effective way to pump oil back to the tanker. That is, there are a sufficient number of options for performing operations to carry out promptly all operations to rescue the ship and prevent an environmental disaster.

 3. Tanker mechanisms are used as power devices.

 4. The material of the flexible shell is calendered nylon with a thickness of not more than 0.5 mm, because the entire power load is perceived by the power network, which must be selected from the fishing ones. The capacity of the flexible shell should correspond to the capacity of the tank. Dispose of the very flexible shell after a single use of the beam, as it is relatively cheap and the material is mass-produced.

 5. The hole in the internal cavity of the tanker should be at the waterline level, so that if something fails, the flexible shell can be directly filled to the external level of the water surface.

 Thus, all the goals that have been formulated above and at low cost with significant effect are achieved.

 It should be borne in mind that the recess on the outer surface of the sides to accommodate the pipes serves to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the vessel and safety during mooring by the side. However, the speed is relatively low, and the mooring can be with protruding fenders.

 In this case, the pipe is located in the guide protrusions for moving the pipe without deviating from the plane of rotation. These are well-known technical approaches that cannot meet complications in the manufacture of the device. In very rare cases, you can do without a power network with extremely durable materials, however, these will be equivalent technical solutions.

 The option of placing a vertical pipe without a recess will simplify the use of a technical solution on existing tankers. The vertical pipe itself must have a support cable to protect the cuff from destruction. There may be another option when a ball valve is installed instead of the cuff, which opens in a position close to horizontal and closes in a vertical position. It is also an equivalent technical solution.

Claims (2)

 1. A device for emergency drainage of oil products from a tanker containing hulls with insulated tanks, an engine and service rooms, characterized in that vertical swivel pipes are installed on the outer surface of the side, each of which is connected with its lower end to the tanker's internal cavity through a sleeve and a flexible pipe into the inner cavity, which has negative buoyancy and is equipped with a cable controlled to change its height position, and the second upper end of each pipe on the outer surface of the side with It is connected through a flexible insert with a flexible sheath in the power network connected to this pipe.  2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower part of the network is connected by a cable to the mechanisms of the tanker, and with this cable the load is movably connected to a controlled exhaust cable.

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