RU2380274C1 - Underwater tanker - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: ship building.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to ship building, particularly to marine transport facilities for transportation of oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, gasoline etc. Underwater tanker features a submarine hull with necessary compartments and tanks, flexible vessels for fluid cargoes. Said hull has a hollow tight vertical rudder terminating in a float, constantly above water on waterline. Around said vertical rudder, above water line, a wing system is arranged to develop additional lift force for tanker with wings in underwater position. Rudder lower part accommodates ice-cutter operating in tanker rise to surface position.

EFFECT: higher fire safety and protection of oil spillage.

3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to shipbuilding, and more specifically to marine means of transporting liquid cargo (oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, gasoline, etc.) by water.

Oil tankers and various tankers are known, described in the magazines Sudostroenie (for example, No. 5 for 2006), LPG World Shipping, Shipping gazette, etc., which are analogues of the invention. All of them have significant shortcomings, the main of which is the possibility of oil and oil products spills in the event of a tanker collision with another vessel. The disadvantage is the increased hydrodynamic resistance of surface ships in comparison with submarines of equal displacement due to wave formation during movement.

At the same time, methods and devices for underwater towing of liquid flammable cargoes are known, for example, patent of the Russian Federation No. 2125947 dated February 10, 1999 (application No. 98101549/28 of January 27, 1998) is known, which is selected as a prototype of the invention. The essence of the prototype invention lies in the fact that the cargo is placed in one or more underwater tankers, which are connected to the floats by the cables of the operated float winches. The floats are connected with each other and with a tug. Each tanker is open top. The cargo is placed in airtight containers. Fill the tanker's internal cavity with sea water and achieve negative buoyancy of the tanker with a general positive buoyancy of the tanker with floats. When unloading the cargo, the tanker is lifted by cables of controlled winches and water is removed from the internal cavity of the tanker until it emerges to the surface. The containers are made in the form of cylinders having dimensions that allow them to be transported by ground transport. A reduction in fire hazard during transportation of environmentally hazardous liquid cargo is achieved.

The disadvantages of the prototype are:

- high hydrodynamic resistance of the tanker with floats and the impossibility of towing at high speed;

- the need to attract a tugboat;

- the need to pump water from the tanker using external pumps.

The objective of the invention is the creation of a high-speed, economical and fireproof self-propelled underwater tanker, maximally adapted for the transport of flammable goods, having a low hydrodynamic resistance and a high degree of protection against oil spills.

The problem is solved by creating a tanker in the form of a submarine, which has a high hollow sealed vertical stabilizer instead of the wheelhouse, ending at the top with a lightweight fiberglass float, constantly above the water, and ending at the bottom with an ice cutter. Transported petroleum products are stored in soft, sealed containers under water at considerable depths.

The design of the underwater tanker in three projections is presented in figures 1, 2, 3 (side view, top view and front view).

Underwater tanker consists of: light hull 1; durable energy compartment (nuclear power plant or diesel generators) 2; strong compartment of movement (combined-cycle turbines or a propeller motor) 3; stern trim leveling tank 4; bow differential equalization tank 5; ballast tanks 6; soft fuel tank 7 (for the needs of a tanker); soft tanks for liquid cargo 8 (when pumping liquid cargo tanks are compressed and the cargo is replaced by sea water); high pressure air cylinders (VVD) 9; solid ballast 10; hollow sealed vertical stabilizer 11 with ice cutter 12; lightweight fiberglass float 13; horizontal planes 14 located around the stabilizer and having a small angle of attack with respect to the horizon (play the role of hydrofoils when immersed in water); aft vertical rudders 15 (for course control); aft horizontal rudders 16 (for depth control).

The sign and trim of the tanker is ensured by the constant floating volumes in the bow and stern (strong compartments and leveling tanks). To achieve zero trim and zero buoyancy in the voids of the light body, it is advisable to fill the foam.

As is known from practice, the movement of a submarine in the near-surface layer of water is very unstable. It is difficult to keep submarines at shallow depth on the move due to the surface effect. The boat either seeks to go to depth, or throws it to the surface. For a tanker with a hull diameter of 10-15 m and a length

200-250 m, steady movement at shallow depths (of the order of 10-15 m) is very difficult, especially with increased sea waves (with pitching). The vertical stabilizer 11 performs the function of stabilizing the depth of immersion of the tanker both on foot and on the go. It acts as follows.

At the foot, the tanker with the help of equalizing-different tanks is hung up so that the lower half of the stabilizer (to the waterline) is under water, and the upper (above the waterline) above the water. With a tanker immersion depth of 10-15 m (distance from the surface to the light hull), the height of the stabilizer should be at least 20-25 m. If the tanker sinks below the waterline, the displacement of the stabilizer 11 will increase and additional lifting force will arise. If the tanker floats above the waterline, the displacement of the stabilizer will decrease and an additional drowning force will arise. This automatically stabilizes the depth of immersion of the tanker at the foot.

The wing system 14 creates additional lifting force while the tanker is moving if it is submerged above the waterline (for example, due to improper shifting of the aft horizontal rudders or the impact of strong pitching). In general, the aft horizontal rudders 16 with this design of the stabilizer 11 have an auxiliary value. There is no need to shift them all the time. During normal signage and trim, the tanker will maintain a predetermined depth due to the stabilizer 11 and the wing system 14.

Inside the stabilizer is a ladder (or elevator) for lifting the crew into the float and vice versa, cables and pipelines for supplying air to diesels and exhaust gases.

Lightweight fiberglass float 13 protects the tanker from failure to a depth greater than the permissible both on the go and on the foot. For this, its displacement together with the vertical stabilizer should be at least 5-10% of the total displacement of the tanker. So, if the tanker has a displacement of 20,000 m ³ , then the total displacement of the float and stabilizer should be at least 1,000 m ³ (600 m ^{3 of the} float and 400 m ^{3 of the} stabilizer). In such a float, it is advisable to place a wheelhouse and a residential unit (crew cabins, wardroom, toilet, galley and provisions storeroom). The float also serves as a rescue device. If the tanker sinks deeper than the permissible depth (the float will be deeper than 10 m), the automation system will undermine the pyro-bolts connecting the float to the vertical stabilizer. As a result, the float comes off the stabilizer and floats to the surface. Thus, the crew of the tanker will be saved. The crew can cause the float to be shot independently, for example, in the event of a vertical stabilizer colliding with another vessel and its separation from the tanker hull.

At the bottom of the stabilizer is an ice cutter 12, which is used when swimming in ice conditions. For this, the tanker floats up by blowing the middle group of ballast tanks. Positive buoyancy of several thousand tons will allow breaking ice 12 ice up to 2 meters thick. In this case, the channel will be narrow enough, which leads to power savings compared to a conventional icebreaker.

Robust tanker compartments should be designed for depths of up to 40-50 m. The tank is protected from a failure to a great depth by an emergency blowdown system for ballast tanks, which will automatically operate if the tanker fails to a depth greater than that set by the operator (triggers before the float is shot 13).

In the port, the tanker floats to the surface, blowing ballast tanks. As a result, its draft is reduced to the draft of a conventional surface vessel. However, in a deep sea port it is advisable to submerge the tanker under water to the level of the float (hovering mode on the float), in which case it will not interfere with the parking of other vessels.

An underwater tanker is safer than a surface tanker, as any vessel due to less draft will pass over it without damaging the hull and tanks for liquid cargo.

An underwater tanker is faster due to low hydrodynamic resistance. As a result, he will carry significantly more cargo per year than a surface tanker of similar cargo capacity.

Claims (1)

An underwater tanker having a submarine hull with the necessary compartments and tanks, as well as soft tanks for storing liquid cargo, equipped with a hollow, high, sealed vertical stabilizer ending in a float and constantly, along the waterline, located under water, characterized in that around the vertical of the stabilizer, above the waterline, a wing system is placed that creates additional lifting force on the tanker's path when the wings are submerged under water, and an ice cutter is installed at the bottom of the stabilizer, work that is, when the tanker is sub-floating to the surface.

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