US3273181A - Self-pressurized deep ocean buoy - Google Patents

Description

Sept 0, 1966 E. J. BECK, JR

SELFPRES SURIZED DEEP OCEAN BUOY Fil'ed May 26, 1964 Mam? I NVEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,273,181 SELF-PRESSURIZED DEEP OCEAN BUOY Earl I. Beck, Jr., 1323 W. Fir Ave., Oxnard, Calif. Filed May 26, 1964, Ser. No. 370,383 6 Claims. (Cl. 98)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates generally to deep sea buoys and particularly to self-pressurized buoys capable of penetrating to great ocean depths and then returning to the surface when their mission is accomplished.

In these days of enhanced oceanographic research, it is frequently necessary to lower instruments to great depths to obtain corings of the ocean floor or for other pertinent information. In some cases, such as obtaining corin gs, it may be desired to have the instrument bearing buoy return to the surface as soon as practicable whereas, in other cases, it may be desirable to retain the instrument on the bottom, or closely adjacent thereto, for predetermined periods of time after which they may be allowed to return to the surface.

So long as such operations were conducted fairly near to the surface, these instrument-furnished buoys could be lowered from surface equipment and placed in the desired position. As greater depths were encountered, the buoys became heavier and larger to withstand increased pressures until their weight and the weight and size of the handling equipment become prohibitive. Several types of such deep water buoys evolved. One consisted of an underwater pontoon where positive buoying is provided by air or other low density gas enclosed in a heavy metal shell rigid enough to withstand the great pressure existing in the lower deeps. This hollow pontoon could be filled with a cellular type of gas absorbing material for further strengthening the enclosing shell. As greater depths were encountered, this type of buoy became objectionable due to difliculties of transporting and emplacing these buoys near the desired location. Their recovery proved equally diflicult. Another type of buoy employed gasoline or other low density liquids, usually of a hydrocarbon base, enclosed in a semirigid vessel of synthetic rubber or other suitable flexible, plastic material. Such buoys proved unsuitable due to the dangers encountered in using the inflammable low density liquids, the fragility of the non-rigid containers and other disadvantages too numerous to catalog.

A third form of underwater buoy evolved having a medium-thick, reduced weight, high strength shell enclosing a quantity of gas under high pressures. The static pressure required in this type would be approximately equivalent or slightly greater than the hydrostatic pressures to be encountered in the ocean. Such buoys required special equipment to transport and attain the gas pressures required and were subject to explosion during handling at the surface.

From the above, it is most apparent that an urgent need exists for a light weight, easily handled, deep ocean buoy which will survive a trip to the deep ocean floor and back to the surface, remain successfully submerged for protracted periods and still retain sufiicient buoyancy for surface return.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a light-weight, thin wall deep ocean buoy which will pressurize itself as it descends to a pressure equivalent to the ambient Water pressure and which contains means to establish a positive buoyancy for its return to the surface.

Another object is to provide such deep ocean buoy which may be constructed of light weight materials not requiring special metallurgical characteristics such as high tensile or compressive strengths coupled with noncorrodible properties.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of one type of prior art deep ocean buoy;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of another type of prior art buoy; and

FIG. 3 is a partly cross-sectional elevation of my invention.

FIGURE 1 is a prior art type of deep ocean buoy having a thick, heavy shell 10 enclosing a quantity of air or other low density gas 11. Filler material 12 which may be cellular wood, other suitable cellular material, or lightweight rare metals having a density below that of sea water, is provided for additional pressure resistant purposes. While realizing that such filler materials detract from the overall buoyancy of the device, the use of such materials in this type of buoy may be mandatory for preventing implosion at great depths.

FIGURE 2 is another prior art type of buoy having a medium thick shell 15 enclosing a quantity of highly pressurized gas 16. Due to the high gas pressures unloaded, which must initially equal or exceed the water pressures expected to be encountered, it is obvious that, for the greater depths, the shell must be strengthened to resist explosion at the surface, both initially and on the return trip, until it approaches the shell of the previous type and all lower weight advantages are lost.

With reference now to FIG. 3, my improved deep ocean buoy 20 is illustrated having a valveless light weight shell 21, a quantity of gas or fluid 22, a vent 23, pay load 24, weight or anchor 25, cables 26 connecting the buoy with its weights and payloads, and an insulated unpr'essurized open container 27 for a highly vaporizable substance 28.

As there shown, the lightweight, stream-line shell can be constructed of thin plates of light metals such as alloys of aluminum. The gas or fluid 22 may be ordinary air at atmosphere pressure or it may be a combination of other gases and water. The vent 23 is provided to allow ambient water to enter the shell and keep it automatically pressurized at whatever depth it may be immersed. It is also provided to allow the water in the shell to be expelled when full buoyancy is being established due to the delayed or later action of the substance 28.

The weights and payload 24 and 25 are designed and calculated to cause the buoy to sink to the bottom and still, in some cases, be light enough to be lifted when full buoyancy is established. In other cases, the weight or anchor may be releasably secured to the shell 21 by cables 26. The releasing device may be constructed for release after a certain predetermined time or may otherwise be operated acoustically, mechanically, or electronically. The payload 24 may be suspended, as shown, or may be more closely attached to the shell, depending upon the type of instrumentation utilized therein.

The substance 28 contained in its insulated, non-pressurized container 27 may be liquid or solid nitrogen, hydrogen, or solid carbon dioxide. The choice of the material and the amount to be incorporated depends upon the purpose and depth for which the buoy is to be used. For comparatively shallow depths, solid CO could well be used. The single requirement for proper functioning is that at the point of temperature and pressure equilibrium, the substance 28 must not condense. Generally,

this means that when a gas is used it must be kept above its critical temperature. As set forth in the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, some thirteen gases are available commercially with critical temperatures below the freezing point of water, a minimum temperature for ocean use.

In actual use, the container of the substance 28 is em-- placed in the nose of the buoy and the vessel is readied for lowering into the water. As it slowly immerses, water enters the vent 23 and the internal pressure is equalized with external pressures. The substance 28 may slowly evaporate until the buoy reaches the bottom. In the event the immediate return of the buoy is desired, a liquid substance can be used and spilled out of its container or otherwise caused to boil rapidly by the shock of hitting the bottom or some timing device whereupon all water is expelled, the buoy becomes positively buoyant, and returns to the surface. When this approach is employed the opening in the container 27 should be large enough to allow the liquid substance to be rapidly poured into the shell when it is tipped. Where the approximate depth of total immersion is known, the quantity of the highly vaporizable substance 28 can be calculated to produce an internal pressure greater than ambient external pressure whereupon the expelled water and gas may be utilized to give a jet effect through the vent which serves to break the buoy and its payload from the bottom. This feature is particularly desirable when the payload comprises a corer which may become embedded in the ocean bottom.

The weight of the substance 28 may be easily calculated in accordance with the universal gas law:

For instance, when the lowest operating depth of 600 feet is to be reached and liquid nitrogen is to be used in a buoy having an internal volume of 4 cubic feet and a weight of approximately 14 pounds (0.040 thick walls).

be required but the net buoyancy for the sample buoy would still be 182 pounds.

The exact arrangement of the triggering mechanism for obtaining full evaporation or boiling of the expellent material is one of choice, principally depending on the designed purpose for which the buoy is to be used. In the simplest case, the substance 28 would be allowed to boil slowly during descent of the buoy on its anchor and payload. In another case, the incoming water could be allowed to act as the triggering mechanism. By compressing the initial air charge, the water would eventually rise to the level of the top of the container 27; heat transfer would suddenly be improved and the gas would boil rapidly, absorbing heat from the water, and establishing positive buoyancy in a short period of time. In the above example, the time rate of establishing positive buoyancy could be cont-rolled by pressurizing the initial charge of atmospheric air or introducing an initial quantity of water into the buoy. Various alternative timing methods could be devised and used, such as mechanical timing means for dumping the substance 28 into the sea water in the buoy, or other suitable chemical, electric, or pressure controlled means.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore'to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described I claim:

1. A self-pressurized lightweight deep ocean buoy comprising, in combination:

a lightweight metal hollow shell having an upper nose portion and a lower tail portion, said shell being of greater length than its major cross-sectional diameter;

a single vent formed in said shell, said vent being located in the lower tail portion of said shell for admitting ambient water under pressure to the interior of said hollow shell;

oceanographic instrument means attached to the lower portion of said shell;

a quantity of highly vaporizable substance carried interiorly of the nose portion of said hollow shell adapted to release a volume of high pressure gas sufiicient to establish a positive buoyancy of said deep ocean buoy enabling it to return the said instruments to the surface; and

said quantity of highly vaporizable substance being contained in an insulated open container which is mounted in the nose portion of said shell.

2. A self-pressurized lightweight buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quantity of said substance is a function of the desired time of immersion of said deep ocean buoy.

3. A self-pressurized lightweight buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quantity of said substance is a function of the immersion depth attained by said deep ocean buoy.

4. A self-pressurized deep ocean buoy comprising:

a hollow shell having upper and lower portions;

said shell having a vent located in its lower portion for allowing ambient water to enter and exit said shell;

an open container means located within the upper portion of said shell for containing a highly vaporizable substance which, upon evaporation, is capable of forcing ambient water to exit through said vent at the lowest operating depth of said buoy; and

the opening in said container means being of a size to allow a liquid substance to be poured into the shell when said shell is sufficiently tipped.

5. A self-pressurized deep ocean buoy as claimed in claim 4 wherein:

a highly vaporizable liquid substance is disposed within said open container means, said liquid substance being of a type and quantity to force ambient water from the shell at the lowest operating depth of said buoy.

6. A self-pressurized lightweight deep ocean buoy comprising:

a lightweight hollow shell having an upper nose portion and a lower tail portion, said shell being of a greater length than its major cross-sectional diameter;

said shell having only one vent, said vent being valveless and located in said lower tail portion for allowing ambient water to enter and exit said shell;

an open container means located within said upper nose portion for pouring a liquid therefrom into said shell when the shell is tipped sufliciently; and

a highly vaporizable liquid substance disposed within said container, said liquid substance being of a type and quantity to force ambient water from the'shell at the lowest operating depth of said buoy.

12/1962 Testa 114-54 6/ 1963 Tatnall et al. 9-8 X MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiner.

R. G. BESHA, T. MAJOR, Assistant Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. A SELF-PRESSURIZED LIGHTWEIGHT DEEP OCEAN BUOY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A LIGHTWEIGHT METAL HOLLOW SHEEL HAVING AN UPPER BORE PORTION AND A LOWER TAIL PORTION, SAID SHEEL BEING OF GREATER LENGTH THAN ITS MAJOR CROSS-SECTIONAL DIAMETER; A SINGLE VENT FORMED IN SAID SHELL, SAID VENT BEING LOCATED IN THE LOWER TAIL PORTION OF SAID SHELL FOR ADMITTING AMBIENT WATER UNDER PRESSURE TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOLLOW SHELL; OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTRUMENT MEANS ATTACHED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHELL; A QUANTITY OF HIGHLY VAPORIZABLE SUBSTANCE CARRIED INTERIORLY OF THE NOSE PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW SHELL ADAPTED TO RELEASE A VOLUME OF HIGH PRESSURE GAS SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH A POSITIVE BUOYANCY OF SAID DEEP OCEAN BUOY ENABLING IT TO RETURN THE SAID INSTRUMENTS TO THE SURFACE; AND SAID QUANTITY OF HIGHLY VAPORIZABLE SUBSTANCE BEING CONTAINED IN AN INSULATED OPEN CONTAINER WHICH IS MOUNTED IN THE NOSE PORTION OF SAID SHELL.

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