US3855803A - Method of submerging a hollow structure - Google Patents

Method of submerging a hollow structure Download PDF

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Publication number
US3855803A
US3855803A US00332845A US33284573A US3855803A US 3855803 A US3855803 A US 3855803A US 00332845 A US00332845 A US 00332845A US 33284573 A US33284573 A US 33284573A US 3855803 A US3855803 A US 3855803A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
floats
hollow
hollow structure
water
submerging
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00332845A
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English (en)
Inventor
R Lacroix
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sea Tank Co SA
Original Assignee
Sea Tank Co SA
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sea Tank Co SA filed Critical Sea Tank Co SA
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Publication of US3855803A publication Critical patent/US3855803A/en
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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
    • E02D23/00—Caissons; Construction or placing of caissons
    • E02D23/02—Caissons able to be floated on water and to be lowered into water in situ
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
    • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
    • E02B3/06—Moles; Piers; Quays; Quay walls; Groynes; Breakwaters ; Wave dissipating walls; Quay equipment
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
    • E02D15/00—Handling building or like materials for hydraulic engineering or foundations
    • E02D15/08—Sinking workpieces into water or soil inasmuch as not provided for elsewhere
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
    • E02D23/00—Caissons; Construction or placing of caissons
    • E02D23/08—Lowering or sinking caissons
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
    • E02D27/00—Foundations as substructures
    • E02D27/01—Flat foundations
    • E02D27/04—Flat foundations in water or on quicksand
    • E02D27/06—Floating caisson foundations

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a method for submerging to a great depth a tank having a hollow structure with aballasting casing whose weight is made to vary by progressively inserting water therein.
  • the object of the present invention is to remove these dangers by filling the tank with elements having low density or floats before the filling of the latter with the waterrequired for submerging it and taking up the space between the said floats.
  • the quantityof air remaining during submerging is very small since the corresponding volume has been filled with slightly deformable floats which, in the case of faulty maneuvering, resist the increase in the ballast of the structure by limiting the volume of water which may enter the tank which can only be submerged slowly. It is sufficient, for that purpose, for the floats. then subjected to the pressure. of the water column corresponding to the level of the latter in the tank' to be sufficiently strong and sufficiently incompressible to remain practically undeformable.
  • the essential feature of the submerging process according to the invention resides in the fact that float elements having a density less than unity and being substantially incompressible are arranged in the tank dur- In FIG. 1, a tank I rests on the bottom of the sea 2, a column 3 rising above it and emerging above the sea level 4.
  • a tank I rests on the bottom of the sea 2
  • a column 3 rising above it and emerging above the sea level 4.
  • the portion 6 contains sea water.
  • the petroleum 5 is drawn off by a pipe, not shown, connected to the emerging part of the closed column 3, whereas the sea water enters through the tube 7 permanently communicating with the sea so that the tank 1 remains constantly full of liquid.
  • the raw petroleum is injected through a pipe, not shown, connecting the tank 1- to a well being worked and rises in the column 3, having a lesser density than that of sea water, whereas the water contained in the tank 1 is discharged through the tube 7 into the sea.
  • the tank 1, during submerging is situated between the sea level 4, from which the opening of the column 3 emerges, and the bottom of the sea 2.
  • the walls of both the tank and the column 3 must be determined so as to be able to withstand the hydrostatic forces 8 to which they are subjected. The necessary reinforcing of their structures has not been shown in the figure.
  • Submerging is then effected by letting in water in the direction of the arrow 9 and on its arrival on the bottom taking into account its great Weight, the tank will not be filled with water, and the wall at the level of the surface of the water inside will be subjected to a definite pressure due to the difference in the water level between the sea level 4 and the level of the surface of the water inside.
  • the tank 1 being submerged-is closed and compressed air is injected into the space 10 to compensate for the outside hydrostatic pressure to which it is subjected.
  • the submerging operation then consists in simultaneously (l) injecting water to increase the weight of the tank so as to ensure the submerging thereof until the weight of the sea water it displaces is equalized by a corresponding increase in the submerged volume and of (2) injecting compressed air to compensate for the increase in the hydrostatic pressure at the new depth reached.
  • a great quantity of equipment must be provided, including compressed air tanks connected with compressors.
  • gas-tight sealing is more difficult to obtain, and air leakages must be foreseen. The air replacement required by the leakages may then exceed the means available, particularly when meteorological conditions slow the submerging, and the danger of caving in of the tank resulting from a reduction in the inside pressure increases.
  • the floats II are inserted inside the tank 16 whose upper part takes the shape of inclined roofs 12.
  • the slope of the inclined roofs I2 acts as a funnel, enabling the floats to pass easily up the column under the effect of the Archimedean thrust.
  • the assembly formed by the water and the elements it contains constitutes a medium which is capable of withstanding the pressure and which has a density lower than that of sea water. It then becomes unnecessary to provide walls capable of withstanding a high outside pressure or to compress the inside atmosphere. Taking equal ballasts, the water level inside the tank is high enough to compensate, to a great extent, for the outside hydrostatic pressure. This is due to the fact that only a small amount of water (that required to fill the gap between the submerged floats) is required to obtain the inside pressure which, in the absence of the floats, would only have been obtained by filling the total volume previously occupied by the floats.
  • the upper part of the column which rises above the tank may be open and in free communication with the outside atmosphere, covered only by a removable closing grid 13, which allows water and air to pass in the direction 17 but retains the floats 11. indeed, the grid 13 may just as well be placed at an intermediate level between the base and the top of the column 3.
  • the submerging process is then as follows: the tank is towed, empty or filled with the floats, to the location where it is desired to submerge it. There, the tank having been previously filled with all the floats, the filling with water of the empty space left between these latter is begun. The tank sinks progressively as the water fills it.
  • the adjusting of the quantity of water to be brought in as a function of required depth may be effected simply, taking into account the cross-section of the column, which gives the variation in the submerged volume, and the residual compressibility of the floats, which has the effect of increasing the density of the water-and-floats mixture when the depth increases.
  • the tank 16 is therefore now subject only to the hydrostatic pressure resulting from the short distance between the levels 15 andthe sea level 4.
  • the floats 11 may be extracted by the opening of the removable grid 13 which retains them at the upper end of the column.
  • the Archimedean thrust is sufficient to drive them out of the tank, on condition that the slope of the latters roof is suitable to facilitate their upward movement.
  • a system of nozzles 18 under pressure may be arranged inside the tank 16 to facilitate the driving out of the floats. Since such a tank does not have to withstand high pressure, it need not contain inside compartments and separations such as are required in tanks which have to withstand the great hydrostatic pressures to which they are subjected during their submersion according to the method described in connection with FIG. 2, and which, by their presence, would resist the driving out of the floats.
  • the floats 11 may be constituted by hollow convex bodies, more particularly by spheres whose geometrical shape is particularly well suited to the structure disclosed herein and to the symmetry of the hydrostatic forces to which the bodies immersed in a liquid are subjected.
  • Such hollow spheres may have walls made of a metallic alloy which are thin and cannot be corroded by sea water, or the spheres may be protected with respect to that liquid by an appropriate treatment.
  • the spheres may also be made of plastic, in which case they are similar to the spheres which are used for fishing nets; they may also consist of pieces of cork or of any other substance having low density, such as rigid expanded resin, more particularly, polystyrene.
  • the hollow spheres may be filled with an appropriately selected gas.
  • the floats removed from a tank after it has been installed may be recuperated and used again in the case of several tanks to be submerged successively; otherwise, they may be destroyed by any mechanical, physical, or chemical means satisfying non-pollution rules for the environment.
  • the floats may be removed from inside the tank by dissolving them in place.
  • a method of submerging a hollow structure in water comprising the steps of l. inserting in the structure a plurality of floats which are substantially incompressible and which have a density less than unity, said plurality of floats being large enough in number so that said floats extend from a first inner wall of said structure to a second inner wall of said structure opposite to said first inner wall in contact with each other and with said walls, said floats being of a shape or shapes which leaves interconnecting volumes between said floats;
  • a method of submerging a hollow structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interior of the hollow structure is kept in communication with the outside atmosphere by means of a column which projects above the surface of the water even at the end of the submersion, the hollow structure is formed with a ceiling the slope of which facilitates the passing of the floats, and the column is connected to the hollow structure at the upper part of its ceiling.
  • a method of submerging a hollow structure in water comprising the steps of:
  • a method of submerging a hollow structure in water comprising the steps of:
  • a method of submerging a hollow structure in water comprising the steps of:
  • Submergible apparatus for storing liquids in body of water, said apparatus comprising:
  • a plurality of floats located in the interior of said hollow tank, said plurality of floats being substantially incompressible and having a density'less than unity, said plurality of floats furthermore being large enough in number so that said floats extend from a first inner wall of said hollow tank to a second inner wall of said hollow tank opposite to said first inner wall in contact with each other and with said walls, thereby acting as a structural support for said walls;
  • a hollow column connected to said hollow tank and in open communication therewith, said hollow column being long enough to extend from said'hollow tank to the surface of the body of water in which the apparatus is intended to be submerged and having an opening on the end thereof remote from said hollow tank which, when the apparatus is in use, permits the interior of said hollow tank to be in communication with the outside atmosphere;
  • Submergible apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said hollow tank is formed with a ceiling sloped upward to facilitate the passing of the floats and said hollow column is connected to said hollow tank at the upper part of its .ceiling.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Paleontology (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Bridges Or Land Bridges (AREA)
  • Cleaning Or Clearing Of The Surface Of Open Water (AREA)
  • Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
  • Treatments Of Macromolecular Shaped Articles (AREA)
  • Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)
US00332845A 1972-02-15 1973-02-15 Method of submerging a hollow structure Expired - Lifetime US3855803A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR7205008A FR2172497A5 (ru) 1972-02-15 1972-02-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3855803A true US3855803A (en) 1974-12-24

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00332845A Expired - Lifetime US3855803A (en) 1972-02-15 1973-02-15 Method of submerging a hollow structure

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3855803A (ru)
BE (1) BE794971A (ru)
CA (1) CA971045A (ru)
DE (1) DE2305054A1 (ru)
DK (1) DK128664B (ru)
FR (1) FR2172497A5 (ru)
GB (1) GB1396496A (ru)
NL (1) NL7301913A (ru)
NO (1) NO135795C (ru)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4081970A (en) * 1976-03-23 1978-04-04 Golder Hoek And Associates Limited Underwater structure
US4336662A (en) * 1980-07-21 1982-06-29 Baird Dennis L Apparatus for collecting and raising materials from the ocean floor
WO1986001555A1 (en) * 1984-08-30 1986-03-13 Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap A.S. Basement to be located on the sea bed and method for establishing such a basement
US4828430A (en) * 1987-02-12 1989-05-09 Heerema Engineering Service Bv Control system
US6004074A (en) * 1998-08-11 1999-12-21 Mobil Oil Corporation Marine riser having variable buoyancy
US20100147529A1 (en) * 2005-08-30 2010-06-17 Kellogg Brown & Root Llc Systems and Methods for Controlling Risers
US20110031062A1 (en) * 2008-04-03 2011-02-10 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US20150375829A1 (en) * 2013-04-06 2015-12-31 Safe Marine Transfer, LLC Large subsea package deployment methods and devices
US20190178417A1 (en) * 2016-06-10 2019-06-13 Acergy France SAS Controlling the Buoyancy of a Mass of Buoyant Spheres
GB2550461B (en) * 2016-05-20 2019-11-06 Acergy France SAS Floodable buoyancy tube filled with macrospheres

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2713756C3 (de) * 1977-03-29 1981-07-16 Dyckerhoff & Widmann AG, 8000 München Auf den Meeresboden abzusetzender Behälter zur Lagerung von Flüssigkeiten
FR2429874A1 (fr) * 1978-06-26 1980-01-25 Doris Dev Richesse Sous Marine Procede de construction et de mise en place d'une plate-forme marine a embase poids, et moyens pour la mise en oeuvre dudit procede

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1828694A (en) * 1931-04-07 1931-10-20 George W Winkler Salvaging apparatus for sunken ships
US3605670A (en) * 1969-07-25 1971-09-20 Us Navy Use of solids for buoyancy control in deep submergence applications
US3708987A (en) * 1971-07-23 1973-01-09 J Roulet Concrete reservoir for underwater use

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1828694A (en) * 1931-04-07 1931-10-20 George W Winkler Salvaging apparatus for sunken ships
US3605670A (en) * 1969-07-25 1971-09-20 Us Navy Use of solids for buoyancy control in deep submergence applications
US3708987A (en) * 1971-07-23 1973-01-09 J Roulet Concrete reservoir for underwater use

Cited By (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4081970A (en) * 1976-03-23 1978-04-04 Golder Hoek And Associates Limited Underwater structure
US4336662A (en) * 1980-07-21 1982-06-29 Baird Dennis L Apparatus for collecting and raising materials from the ocean floor
WO1986001555A1 (en) * 1984-08-30 1986-03-13 Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap A.S. Basement to be located on the sea bed and method for establishing such a basement
GB2175337A (en) * 1984-08-30 1986-11-26 Norske Stats Oljeselskap Basement to be located on the sea bed and method for establishing such a basement
US4828430A (en) * 1987-02-12 1989-05-09 Heerema Engineering Service Bv Control system
US6004074A (en) * 1998-08-11 1999-12-21 Mobil Oil Corporation Marine riser having variable buoyancy
US20100147529A1 (en) * 2005-08-30 2010-06-17 Kellogg Brown & Root Llc Systems and Methods for Controlling Risers
US8696247B2 (en) * 2005-08-30 2014-04-15 Kellogg Brown & Root Llc Systems and methods for controlling risers
US20110031062A1 (en) * 2008-04-03 2011-02-10 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US8636101B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2014-01-28 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US8899375B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2014-12-02 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US11993907B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2024-05-28 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US10612203B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2020-04-07 Karl-Heinz Elmer Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US9976270B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2018-05-22 Karl-Heinz ELMER Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US11629468B2 (en) 2008-04-03 2023-04-18 Karl-Hieinz Elmer Device for damping and scattering hydrosound in a liquid
US9878761B2 (en) * 2013-04-06 2018-01-30 Safe Marine Transfer, LLC Large subsea package deployment methods and devices
US20150375829A1 (en) * 2013-04-06 2015-12-31 Safe Marine Transfer, LLC Large subsea package deployment methods and devices
GB2575193A (en) * 2016-05-20 2020-01-01 Acergy France SAS Subsea buoyancy systems
GB2550461B (en) * 2016-05-20 2019-11-06 Acergy France SAS Floodable buoyancy tube filled with macrospheres
GB2575193B (en) * 2016-05-20 2020-07-01 Acergy France SAS Subsea buoyancy systems
US11293566B2 (en) 2016-05-20 2022-04-05 Acergy France SAS Subsea buoyancy systems
AU2017267504B2 (en) * 2016-05-20 2022-11-24 Acergy France SAS Subsea buoyancy systems
US10935163B2 (en) * 2016-06-10 2021-03-02 Acergy France SAS Controlling the buoyancy of a mass of buoyant spheres
US20190178417A1 (en) * 2016-06-10 2019-06-13 Acergy France SAS Controlling the Buoyancy of a Mass of Buoyant Spheres

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK128664B (da) 1974-06-10
DE2305054A1 (de) 1973-08-23
GB1396496A (en) 1975-06-04
CA971045A (en) 1975-07-15
FR2172497A5 (ru) 1973-09-28
NL7301913A (ru) 1973-08-17
NO135795B (ru) 1977-02-21
BE794971A (fr) 1973-08-06
NO135795C (no) 1979-04-24

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