RU2633834C1 - Device for personnel evacuation from offshore drilling facilities - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: rescue work.

SUBSTANCE: device for personnel evacuation from offshore drilling facilities includes means for lowering a lifeboat into water, which consists of at least one support beam that is hinged at one end to the platform superstructure, and at the other end carries one support cradle for housing the boat, a deck ladder, hermetically sealed and connected to the lifeboat, an on-board computer on the lifeboat for monitoring external conditions. The support cradle is made in the form of a pontoon. The lifeboat is additionally equipped with wheels with metal spikes and a propulsion. The hermetically sealed and connected to the lifeboat deck ladder is equipped with a telescopic device, and inside of which there is a stair-step travelator, connected with an electric drive located in the lifeboat.

EFFECT: increasing the reliability of the rescue operation while finding an object of ocean engineering in difficult ice conditions.

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Description

The invention relates to the rescue devices of ships and offshore platforms and can be used as a means of emergency rescue of personnel from surface objects of ocean engineering (stationary and floating drilling rigs, drilling ships) in the event of fires or other emergency and catastrophic situations.

The expansion of work on the development of natural resources in marine areas with freezing waters (including the Arctic regions) necessitates the creation of reliable and easy-to-maintain devices for the rapid evacuation of personnel from surface fire hazardous ocean engineering facilities in ice conditions.

A device for evacuating personnel from offshore drilling facilities (US patent No. 4781144.1988 [1]), including:

- means for launching the lifeboat into the water, consisting of at least one support beam, which at one end is pivotally connected to the superstructure of the platform, and at the other end carries one support cradle for placement of the boat; the beam is able to rotate and due to this rotation its end with the supporting cradle is transferred from the upper position to the lower one and vice versa;

- means for controlling the transition of this device from an upper position to a lower one;

- a similar ladder hermetically sealed and connected to the lifeboat from the living area of the platform to the place of personnel loading into the boat;

- an on-board computer on the boat to monitor external conditions, the state of the platform and control the process of launching the boat into the water.

The disadvantages of this evacuation device are:

- the long duration of the operation to rescue personnel from high-level facilities;

- high intensity impact of the lifeboat on the surface of ice and water;

- large force impact on the design of the boat;

- high probability of destruction of the boat with its moderate weight;

- high overload experienced by rescued personnel during impacts;

- high probability of death of personnel when trying to rescue from high-placed premises;

- the impossibility of the functioning of the rescue system in the event of failure of the power supply system;

- low reliability of the device during fires and accidents.

A device is known for emergency evacuation of personnel from a drilling vessel in ice conditions, including trays installed in the aft end of the vessel at an angle to the horizon with lifeboats located on them. The device is located in the ship’s room, located inside the ship’s hull above the waterline. The height from which the boats descend is selected from the condition of ensuring a safe exit along the tray to the ice surface of the lifeboat with personnel through the opening made in the ship’s hull, and the boats leave the premises on the tray using the folding ramp (patent for utility model RU No. 122364 U1 11/27/2012 [2]). The disadvantage of this device is the ability to save personnel only with a low location, since its high location leads to high speeds of collision of the boat on ice, the appearance of large loads on its structure, the development of high accelerations of the boat and the risk of death of rescued personnel. The use of the device is possible only if an additional system for the rapid evacuation of personnel from high-level rooms to low-level ones in emergency conditions is created, which leads to a significant decrease in the speed of the rescue operation and its possible disruption.

Similar disadvantages are also known to similar devices (copyright certificates SU No. 1791273 A1, 01/30/1993 [3], SU No. 1743985 A1, 06/30/1992 [4], patents RU No. 16488 U1, 01/10/2001 [5], EP No. 2692625 A1, 02/05/2014 [6]).

Elimination of the listed disadvantages of the known devices [1-6] is provided in the known device for the rapid evacuation of personnel from surface objects of ocean engineering in ice conditions, including a lifeboat with skids and launching devices connected to the object of the ocean engineering with guiding trays located at an angle to the horizontal for sliding the skids of the lifeboat with the personnel in it, a braking system that provides a decrease in the speed of launching the boat when moving along a tray in which the brake system the system consists of two bending strips fixed to the launching device located parallel to the guide rails and connected to them, and contains at least two rows of stops on each side of the boat, causing deformation of the bending strips located between them upon entering into contact with the strips (RU patent No. 2575367 C2, 02.20.2016 [7]).

At the same time, two design options for the evacuation device are proposed, characterized by the location of the shock-absorbing device, which reduces the intensity of the impact of the lifeboat on the ice surface.

In this device, for the quick evacuation of personnel from surface ocean engineering facilities in ice conditions, it is focused on providing, in an emergency, the safe launching on ice (water) of several lifeboats from one launch device in the form of a truss boom pivotally mounted on an offshore platform. With the help of articulated supports, a cable block system and a drive mounted on the platform, the boom can be rotated in a vertical plane. In the working position, it is located above the surface of the ice (water) and rests on two extendable adjustable stops fixed to the platform wall. The boom contains two guide rails along which the skids of the lifeboat glide. The boat on both sides is supported by runners on the guide rails of the launching device.

The boat is equipped with a shock absorber located on the bottom side and representing at least two flexible shells made of polymeric materials - fabrics made of polyamide fibers impregnated with elastomers (rubber or polyurethane). Flexible shells contain a deformable polyurethane foam core. Flexible shells are made in the form of interconnected cylindrical and conical parts oriented along the bottom of the boat. In the bow of the boat, flexible shells are fixed to the rigid structures of the boat using pressure bars. The movement of flexible shells in the transverse direction is limited by a flexible casing of the same polymeric materials, covering flexible shells with a deformable filler and fixed to the boat's hull with the help of clamping bars.

The launching device and the lifeboat contain elements of the brake system. The brake system consists of cylindrical-shaped thrust elements arranged in two rows on each side of the boat in a checkerboard pattern, motionlessly connected to the skids of the lifeboat using a reinforced plate, and two bending strips, each of which is connected to one of the guide rails of the launching device. The thickness of the bending strips is variable both in length and in width. The thickened (in width) part of the bending strip over most of its length is in contact with the thrust elements of the moving boat. The longitudinal edge of the bending strip, located on the side of its thin part, is fixedly connected to the wall of the beam of the launching device. The end of the bending strip in the upper part of the release device along its entire width has the same thickness equal to the thickness of the thin part of the strip in its middle (in length) part.

The decrease in the impact intensity of the lifeboat on the ice surface is achieved by braking the boat, reducing the speed of its collision, shock absorption and increasing the area of action of the loads that occur when the boat hits the ice. This increase in area is achieved due to the position of the main plane of the boat at the moment of impact, close to horizontal. This position is ensured if the angles of inclination of the runners of the lifeboat to its main plane differ from the angle of inclination of the guide planes of the trays to the horizon by no more than 10 °.

To ensure the dumping of boats in the area located beyond the possible accumulation of ice in front of the object of ocean engineering, the approach of ships to these objects and to reduce the likelihood of icing of the low-lying parts of the launching device, which is possible under the influence of wind and waves in low temperatures and the absence of ice cover, the launching device is carried out in form of truss arrow. Its fixation in the upper (inoperative) position, in which the probability of icing is small, and the rotation in the vertical plane are carried out using a cable block system.

At the initial section of the discharge of the boat between the supporting elements is the end of the bending strip with a small thickness equal to the thickness of the thin part of the bending strip. With the position of the boat in this section, the strip is not deformed. When the boat is subsequently advanced downward, the thickened part of the strip comes into contact with the thrust elements. In this case, the elastoplastic bending of the thickened part of the strip and the elastic deformation of its thin part occur. In the process of such bending, resistance forces arise to the movement of the boat, caused by friction and plastic deformation of the strip material, reducing the speed of the boat lowering along the launching device. At the end of the launch of the boat, its shock absorber comes into contact with ice (water). Thanks to the shock absorber and the braking device, which reduces the speed of launching the boat, the intensity of its impact on the ice surface (water surface) is reduced, the forces acting on the structure of the boat are reduced.

According to the second embodiment, the launching device at the bottom contains a removable shock absorber for safe launching of boats. The shock absorber is installed on the boom only if there is ice cover on the water surface. However, equipping lifeboats with a shock absorber is not required. In this embodiment, to prevent splashing of the shock absorber with sea water and covering it with ice, the boom of the launching device and the shock absorber in the absence of an emergency situation are moved to the upper position, in the event of an emergency - to the lower position, which ensures the launch of the boats.

In this embodiment, the trigger device is equipped with a shock absorber located on a support frame mounted on the trigger device. This shock absorber is similar in design to the shock absorber used in the first version of the device for the rapid evacuation of personnel, and contains at least two flexible shells of polymeric materials - fabrics made of polyamide fibers impregnated with elastomers (rubber or polyurethane). Inside the shells there is a deformable aggregate made of polyurethane foam. The transverse movement of these flexible shells is limited by a flexible casing covering flexible shells with a filler and mounted on a support frame.

At the end of the descent, the boat comes into contact with the shock absorber, their impact interaction occurs, leading to a decrease in the vertical speed of the boat and its inertial motion in the horizontal direction, followed by soft contact with the ice surface and sliding on ice.

Thus, the proposed device options for the rapid evacuation of personnel from surface objects of ocean engineering in ice conditions allow:

- significantly speed up the operation to rescue personnel from high-level facilities,

- reduce the intensity of the impact of the lifeboat on the ice surface (water surface),

- reduce the forces acting on its structure, reduce the likelihood of destruction, as well as reduce the overload experienced by the rescued personnel upon impact, and the likelihood of death of people,

- to provide the possibility of reliable operation of the system in the event of failure of the power supply system, in case of fires and accidents.

However, this device also has a number of significant drawbacks, which can include: the presence of a launch device that is mounted on the body of ocean engineering objects, which, if there are possible damage to the body of the ocean engineering object during industrial accidents, can lead to the failure of the launch device and, as a result, , to the impossibility of launching a lifeboat, the presence of a brake system made in the form of mechanical elements, which in the presence of hummock ice can lead to an emergency tion of the lifeboat itself.

The objective of the proposed technical solution is to increase the reliability of the rescue operation when the ocean engineering facility is located in difficult ice conditions.

The problem is solved due to the fact that in the device for the evacuation of personnel from offshore drilling facilities, including means for lowering the lifeboat into the water, consisting of at least one support beam, which is connected at one end articulated with the platform superstructure, and at the other the end carries one support cradle for placing the boat, the beam is able to rotate and due to this rotation its end with the support cradle is transferred from the upper position to the lower one and vice versa; means for controlling the transition of this device from an upper position to a lower one; a similar ladder hermetically closed and connected to the lifeboat from the living area of the platform to the place of personnel loading into the boat; the on-board computer on the boat for monitoring the external conditions, the state of the platform and controlling the process of launching the boat into the water, unlike the prototype [1], the support cradle is made in the form of a pontoon, the lifeboat is additionally equipped with wheels with metal spikes and a propulsion device, hermetically sealed and connected to a similar ladder is equipped with a lifeboat with a telescopic device, and inside which there is a stepped travelator articulated with an electric drive located in the lifeboat.

Unlike the prototype [1], the cradle is made in the form of a pontoon, the lifeboat is additionally equipped with wheels with metal spikes, a similar gangway, hermetically closed and connected to the lifeboat, is equipped with a telescopic device, and inside which there is a stepped travelator articulated with an electric drive located in lifeboat.

The supporting cradle is made in the form of a pontoon, on which a lifeboat is placed, equipped with wheels with metal spikes.

A similar gangway, hermetically sealed and connected to the lifeboat, is equipped with a telescopic device.

Inside a hermetically sealed gangway and connected to the lifeboat, a stepped travelator is coupled with an electric drive located in the lifeboat.

The electric drive is made in two stages.

The mover is an aircraft engine and is mounted at the stern of the lifeboat.

A device for the evacuation of personnel from offshore drilling facilities works as follows.

In the event of an emergency related to the evacuation of personnel, the lifeboat located on the pontoon is launched into water or ice. By means of a telescopic device articulated with a lifeboat, a similar ladder is hermetically sealed and connected to the lifeboat is brought to the place of personnel evacuation from the drilling platform. By means of an electric drive, a step-by-step travelator is launched, on which personnel are placed one by one and moved to a lifeboat. To fill the lifeboat with personnel, the lifeboat leaves the platform by means of wheels launched from the electric drive and continues independent movement under the action of the propulsion device in clear water or in the presence of an ice cover on ice.

In the research materials of the Russian-Norwegian Barents 2020 project, the task of which is to assess existing standards, including industrial safety and environmental protection, it is noted that complex hydrometeorological, including ice conditions, including possible icebergs in the Arctic zone, will make the use of rescue equipment currently existing and widely used on oil and gas platforms of ice-free seas is not effective.

The experience of search and rescue operations indicates that, as a rule, the death of the crew and personnel of offshore facilities occurs before the arrival of PSO forces. Therefore, the priority in the development of search and rescue equipment should be given to the creation of effective individual and collective self-rescue equipment deployed at offshore facilities.

Therefore, a promising collective rescue tool should promptly ensure the evacuation of the personnel and crew of the emergency facility in case of emergency, not only to water or ice, but also to a safe distance from the emergency facility to transfer search and rescue forces to the arrived.

The proposed rescue tool can be used not only as a means of evacuation from a sea object in ice conditions, but also as a means of delivering the rescued to a safe area.

At the same time, it can be operated on water, wetlands, any hard relatively flat surface, including snowy or overgrown grass and small bushes, on smooth and hummock ice (with an obstacle height of up to 0.5 m), can be operated up to a wind speed of 20 m / s, overcome the edge of the ice field when leaving the water for ice and back.

These advantages distinguish the proposed device from the prototype.

Information sources

1. US patent No. 4781144, 1988.

2. Patent RU No. 122364 U1, 11.27.2012.

3. Copyright certificate SU No. 1791273 A1, 01/30/1993.

4. Copyright certificate SU No. 1743985 A1, 06/30/1992.

5. Patent RU No. 16488 U1, 01/10/2001.

6. EP patent No. 2692625 A1, 02/05/2014.

7. Patent RU No. 2575367 C2, 02.20.2016.

Claims (1)

A device for evacuating personnel from offshore drilling facilities, including means for launching a lifeboat into the water, consisting of at least one support beam, which at one end is pivotally connected to the platform superstructure, and at the other end carries one support cradle for placing the boat; the beam is able to rotate and due to this rotation its end with the supporting cradle is transferred from the upper position to the lower one and vice versa; means for controlling the transition of this device from an upper position to a lower one; a similar ladder hermetically closed and connected to the lifeboat from the living area of the platform to the place of personnel loading into the boat; on-board computer on the boat for monitoring the external conditions, platform status and controlling the launching of the boat, characterized in that the support cradle is made in the form of a pontoon, the lifeboat is additionally equipped with wheels with metal spikes and a propulsion device, a similar gangway is hermetically closed and connected to the lifeboat equipped with a telescopic device, and inside which there is a stepped travelator articulated with an electric drive located in a lifeboat.