Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B59/00—Hull protection specially adapted for vessels; Cleaning devices specially adapted for vessels
  • B63B59/06—Cleaning devices for hulls
  • B63B59/08—Cleaning devices for hulls of underwater surfaces while afloat
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
  • B08B3/024—Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B2203/00—Details of cleaning machines or methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B2203/02—Details of machines or methods for cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
  • B08B2203/0229—Suction chambers for aspirating the sprayed liquid

Definitions

• the present invention relates to cleaning of subsea surfaces, that is submerged or immersed surfaces. More specifically, the invention relates to tools and methods for cleaning of subsea surfaces without contaminating the surrounding water.
• the objective of the present invention is to provide tools and methods that are beneficial with respect to the above mentioned demand.
• the invention provides a tool for cleaning surfaces subsea, comprising
• a body having a cleaning face for holding against and preferably also moving along the surface to be cleaned, the face has a shape convex or corresponding to the surface to be cleaned, and
• the cleaning face comprises a suction outlet for water, debris and contamination, in operation the outlet is connected to a suction device so that water, debris and contamination is drawn into the outlet for transport to further treatment. More specifically, surrounding water is drawn in under the cleaning face and together with loosened material it is sucked into the suction outlet.
• the tool is a far simpler construction than the existing tools described above, the simplest embodiments are without nozzles for spray of high pressure cleaning fluid or other specific means for cleaning, such as brushes, which embodiments are particularly beneficial for removal of soft marine growth and where investments must be kept at a minimum. Other embodiments are beneficial for more or all of the parameters discussed above.
• cleaning face means surface or side of the tool to be held against the surface to be cleaned. Said face is flat or more convex than the surface to be cleaned is concave, in order to be held tightly or at a controlled gap distance from said surface.
• the openings or channels allows tight placement on the surface to be cleaned, but for most embodiments a gap is provided by distance means such as rollers, wheels, balls or brushes with adapted stiffness, which stiffness preferably increases stepwise or gradually toward the cleaning face.
• the suction outlet is preferably but not necessarily coaxial or central in or on the cleaning face.
• a supply line of high pressure cleaning fluid, preferably water, is preferably arranged coaxial and central for tools having cleaning nozzles that rotate, with a high pressure swivel for rotation included.
• Rotation of nozzles, discs and brushes are preferably achieved by momentum or flow energy from injection nozzles, by directing the nozzles inclined or obliquely inwards, inside the circumference of the cleaning face and directed at an angle from the supply pipe or an arm rotatably connected to it.
• Alternative means for rotation are for example based on a possible turbine in the suction flow, the turbine
• Nozzles can be arranged to rotate on a rotatable disc.
• the cleaning face preferably comprises flat surface inside the periphery, preferably circular symmetric, such as a flat ring shape.
• the flat surface provides underpressure and suction effect of the tool toward the surface according to the venturi effect, due to low static pressure in the flow.
• the suction flow must be larger than the possible high pressure injection jet flow, in order to maintain suction effect of the tool.
• the suction flow rate is 1 ,5 times or more than the jet flow rate. Due to the flat surface, providing improved suction effect, the ratio suction flow rate/jet flow rate can be lower than for related prior art tools.
• the flat ring shaped surface inside the periphery is larger than the edge of the cup according to WO 2009/142506, that is wider than 2mm, 5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 40mm or 50mm.
• Said ring shaped surface is preferably without any disturbing jet flows/cleaning nozzles, so that the holding effect of said ring shaped surface is not disturbed and a maximum of cleaning effect and ease of moving is maintained.
• Cleaning nozzles are preferably arranged only inside said flat ring shaped surface in order not to disturb the holding effect of said flat ring shaped surface, and preferably nozzles are not directed so as to disturb the in substance laminar flow under said flat surface.
• the invention also provides a method for cleaning surfaces subsea, using a tool according to the invention, distinguished by the steps:
• the tool comprises a convenient handle or fastening.
• the invention also provides use of the tool according to the invention, for cleaning surfaces subsea whilst collecting loosened debris and other material for further treatment.
• a further embodiment of the invention is a method for verification of the quality, such as the paint quality of a surface, distinguished by cleaning the surface by operating a tool of the present invention, collecting the loosened material, analyzing said material in order to find out whether or not paint or corrosion products etc. are included in a significant quantity. If for example paint is loosened and thereby included in the collected material, the quality of the paint is insufficient. The quality of the paint can be measured as a function of the amount of paint in the collected material.
• the tool and operating conditions are preferably standardized, but can be adapted specifically to specific surfaces. Figures
• Fig. 1 illustrates a method of using a tool, according to the present invention
• Fig. Nos. 2-7 illustrate example embodiments of a tool according to the present invention.
• FIG. 1 illustrating an example of a cleaning operation of the invention.
• Visualised is a cargo vessel 1 at port, with a service vessel 2, undertaking cleaning to the submerged surfaces of cargo vessel 1 , 3.
• the cleaning tool 4 is held by or assembled with a remotely operable vehicle (ROV) 5, which is manoeuvred from the service vessel 2.
• ROV remotely operable vehicle
• the cleaning tool is manipulated to cover said surface with a cleaning face of the tool whilst said surface is cleaned. All loosened debris and other material are filtrated and hard waste collected when its comes onboard the service vessel 2. Filtration, UV- radiation and separation and collection of any poisonous material are some of the operations that can take place on the service vessel 2.
• ROV remotely operable vehicle
• Figure 2 illustrates a cleaning tool comprising a cleaning face 1 1 , a spacer frame 12, a vacuum hose 13, a suction nozzle 14, a high pressure hose 15, a high pressure inlet 16, a high pressure low diameter swivel 17, rotatable high pressure pipes 18 and high pressure nozzles 21 .
• the figure illustrates, by arrows, how the cleaning tool operates, as the rotating fluid arms 18 are cleaning the surface 3 whilst dirt is sucked into the suction chamber 14 from where it is transported throughout the vacuum hose 13 to the service vessel 2 for further treatment. From outside of the tool, water 19 is sucked into the suction chamber and further throughout the vacuum hose.
• High pressure cleaning fluid i.e.
• the means for distance control is integrated as wheels or roller balls or similar on or into the cleaning face, not as a separate spacer frame 12 as illustrated as an example.
• Figure 3 illustrates a tool with a cleaning face comprising a rotating disc 31 mounted at the lower rim of a suction hose 13. All released debris is flushed from the high pressure nozzles 21 in an angle towards the centre of the disc 34, where it is sucked through the vacuum hose 13 to the assisting vessel 2 for further treatment.
• the angle of the jet nozzles 21 causes the disc 31 to rotate in addition to cleaning the submerged surface 3.
• the high pressure line for jetting cleaning fluid is preferably arranged in the suction line, with a central swivel.
• the rotatable disc may include brushes on the cleaning face, preferably exchangeable brushes, so that harder brushes can be used for removing scale or other hard materials.
• Figure 4. illustrates a basic embodiment of the tool of the invention, as it contains only a spacer frame 12 with wheels 41 and a suction hose 13.
• the tool is manipulated over an impure surface and debris is sucked up and transported through the suction hose for further treatment in the assisting vessel.
• This embodiment is sufficiently effective for removal of soft marine growth from ship hulls, concrete structures and other submerged surfaces.
• Figure 5 illustrates a tool with a disc 51 which include drilled holes enabling an even water transfer from the high pressure hose 15 to nozzles 21 mounted in the discs 51 .
• the range of nozzles enables provides evenly cleaning of the surface 3. Released debris and other material 6 is transported, through the suction hose 13, to the service vessel 3 for further treatment .
• Figure 6 illustrates a tool having a rotating disc 61 with brushes 62 at its underside, the cleaning face.
• the rotating disc with brushes is moved over the surface 3 to remove all unwanted materials 6 from the surface, which materials are then sucked up into the central opening of the disc 34 and further through the suction hose 13.
• Means for distance control are preferably included, such as integrated into the brushes by adapted stiffness and roller wheels or roller balls, as illustrated, in order to avoid jamming of the tool. Sliding of the tool along the surface is surprisingly easy as the friction is surprisingly low while the disc rotates and the suction effect by the venturi effect is surprisingly good. Also the cleaning is surprisingly good.
• rotation is achieved by a turbine in the suction line, operatively connected to the disc.
• the suction line inlet of the tools of the invention comprises a seat for a turbine, such as on a shaft connected to a rotating disc and/or nozzles.
• Figure 7 illustrates a tool having a rotating disc 71 which is driven by a turbine / motor 70. This enables the disc/plate to rotate in either direction, as its cleaning jets are not the means for rotation. At the underside of the disc a number of nozzles 21 are integrated, the nozzles flushes the surface 3 with high- pressurised water. Likewise the other figures, all loosened fouling/material 6 is removed from the submerged surface, by the high-pressurised water jets and sucked into the suction in the middle 34 of the disc 71 . From there on, the fouling is sucked through the suction hose 13 for further treatment onboard the assisting vessel 2.
• the great advantage of this solution is that the cleaning is more efficient as the jets do not loose energy on rotating the disc, rather all nozzle energy is used for cleaning. Subsequently, less cleaning pressure and flow is needed and it is possible to control the discs rotation by controlling the motor/turbine that drifts the disc.
• the turbine and rotating disc are preferably arranged to a common central shaft.
• the tool, methods and use of the invention may comprise any operative combination of features as described or illustrated in this document, which combinations are embodiments of the invention.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
• Cleaning In General (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (4)

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Citations (7)

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• 2011
  • 2011-02-03 NO NO11702192A patent/NO2531401T3/no unknown
  • 2011-02-03 ES ES11702192.3T patent/ES2682648T3/es active Active
  • 2011-02-03 NZ NZ601415A patent/NZ601415A/en unknown
  • 2011-02-03 HR HRP20181242TT patent/HRP20181242T1/hr unknown
  • 2011-02-03 DK DK11702192.3T patent/DK2531401T3/en active
  • 2011-02-03 EP EP11702192.3A patent/EP2531401B1/en active Active
  • 2011-02-03 PL PL11702192T patent/PL2531401T3/pl unknown
  • 2011-02-03 US US13/575,479 patent/US9637207B2/en active Active
  • 2011-02-03 BR BR112012019377-5A patent/BR112012019377B1/pt active IP Right Grant
  • 2011-02-03 WO PCT/EP2011/051521 patent/WO2011095531A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-02-03 AU AU2011212518A patent/AU2011212518B2/en active Active
  • 2011-02-03 JP JP2012551613A patent/JP5926196B2/ja active Active
  • 2011-02-03 SG SG2012051017A patent/SG182461A1/en unknown

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