WO2012000492A2

WO2012000492A2 - Device for preventing the passage of a liquid, use of said device, blowout auxiliary device, and method for use

Info

Publication number: WO2012000492A2
Application number: PCT/DE2011/001392
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manfred Schaefer
Original assignee: Manfred Schaefer
Priority date: 2010-06-30
Filing date: 2011-06-30
Publication date: 2012-01-05
Also published as: WO2012000492A3; DE102010025700A1; DE102010025700B4; DE112011104074A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for preventing the passage of a liquid (26), in particular oil, that has been discharged into a body (20) of water. The device (10) comprises a bed element (12) for positioning on the bed (18) of the body (20) of water. The bed element (12) is designed in such a way that the weight force G acting on the bed element is greater than the buoyancy force A, so that the bed element (12) is retained on the bed (18) of the body (20) of water by the weight force. The device (10) also comprises at least one suspended element (14a, 14b) to be positioned above the bed (18) and below the surface (22) of the body (20) of water in a suspended manner. The suspended element (14a, 14b) is designed that the buoyancy force A acting on the suspended element is greater than the weight force G that acts on the suspended element (14a, 14b), so that the suspended element is retained in a suspended position above the bed (18) and below the surface (22) of the body (20) of water. The device (10) also comprises a floating element (16) to be positioned on the surface (22) of the body (20) of water in a floating manner. The floating element (16) is designed in such a way that the buoyancy force A acting on the floating element is greater than the weight force acing on the floating element when the floating element (16) is completely immersed in the body (20) of water, so that the floating element (16) experiences a buoyancy in such a way that part of the floating element (16) protrudes from the surface (22) of the body (20) of water. The device also comprises a planar bounding element (24), which is impervious to the liquid (26) and extends from the bed element (12) across the at least one suspended element (14a, 14b) to the floating element (16) and is mechanically connected to the each of said elements.

Description

A device for preventing the passage of a liquid, use of this device, blowout auxiliary device and method of use

The invention relates to a device for preventing the passage of a liquid that has leaked into a body of water, the use of this device, a blowout auxiliary device and a method for using this.

For example, the liquid may be petroleum leaking from a damaged oil rig or a sunken ship into a sea. In order to minimize the extent of environmental damage, it is important to catch and drain the escaping oil as quickly as possible, so that as little oil as possible spreads in the water. A problem in this context is often that the oil outlet is located at very great depths, sometimes over 1000 m below the sea surface.

From WO 2005/003510 Al it is known to use a floating element on the water surface, from which a fabric tube is lowered in the direction of the seabed. At the bottom of the fabric hose are weights that hold this lower end to the seabed. The fabric hose is placed around the oil outlet so that the exiting oil moves within the fabric tube towards the sea surface. This may be due to the lower density of the oil to water automatically, i. without the use of pumps. At the water surface, the oil can then be pumped out.

A disadvantage of the device described is that depending on the mass of the weights at the lower end of the fabric tube and depending on the length of the fabric tube, which depends on the depth of the sea, very large tensile forces arise that act on the fabric tube. In the upper sections of the fabric tube, these tensile forces are particularly high, since these sections must carry the entire weight lying below them.

Alternatively, it is possible to provide strain relief elements that carry the weight and relieve the fabric hose. However, such a construction is complex and can further restrict the fabric hose only from the weights at the lower end of the fabric Fabric hose, but not from its own weight, relieve. Furthermore, the problem may arise that the fabric tube, in particular if it has a very large length, can collapse in the transverse direction, so that it is completely closed, or at least considerably reduced in its cross section. This can be, for example, the result of ocean currents.

The object of the invention is to provide a well-usable device for preventing the passage of a liquid

According to various aspects of the invention, this object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Optional embodiments are the dependent claims.

Conceptually, it should be explained:

At least one "levitation element" is provided for the floating positioning above the ground and below the surface of the water body, wherein the levitation element is designed in such a way that the lifting force A acting on the levitation element is greater than the weight force G acting on the levitation element that the levitation element is held in a floating position above the ground and below the surface of the water body.

If the buoyancy force A acting on the levitation element is exactly equal to the weight force G acting on the levitation element, this buoyancy force compensates exactly the weight force of the levitation element.

However, the levitation element can also be designed such that the buoyancy force A is slightly greater than the weight force caused by the levitation element itself, so that a slightly greater weight force can be compensated by this buoyancy force. This somewhat greater weight force can be caused, for example, by components that are connected to the respective levitation element and are located directly under this levitation element. This may in particular be a part of the area-shaped limiting element, which is located immediately below the floating element and which is described in more detail below. The floating element is thus designed such that it either holds its own weight suspended by the buoyancy or keeps its own weight and in addition the weight of other components suspended.

Furthermore, the device comprises a flat "limiting element", which is not permeable to the liquid.

This limiting element preferably extends from the base element via the at least one floating element up to the floating element.

In other words, this limiting element ideally extends from the bottom of the body of water to the surface of the body of water and preferably runs in a direction or plane perpendicular to the surface of the body of water.

Preferably, the limiting element is mechanically connected to the base element, the at least one levitation element and the floating element, so that it is held by these components at a defined position and / or in a defined shape.

In order to make clear what great tensile forces can act on a delimiting element, which is designed, for example, as a foil, without the use of levitation elements, a brief calculation example is shown below:

Assuming a film thickness of 2 mm and further assumes a tensile strength of 15 N / mm ² , this results in a permissible tensile force of 30 kN / m. Assuming a water depth of 1500 m, so by the film used and the base element, a weight of, for example, 55 kN / m. This alone already exceeds the permissible tensile force of the film, so that said film could not be used in this example. Due to ocean currents, additional forces can act on the film. These move in the order of magnitude of up to 300 kN / m, so that in any case the permissible tensile force in the said film would be far exceeded. Only by using the floating elements or the use of a film with lower tensile strength is possible.

The device preferably further comprises a floating element for floating positioning on the surface of the body of water. This floating element is like this formed that the force acting on the float buoyancy force A is greater than the weight acting on the floating element in a full immersion of the floating element in the water, so that the floating element undergoes buoyancy, such that a part of the floating element protrudes from the surface of the water.

Preferably, a basic element is provided for positioning on the bottom of the water body. This is designed such that the force acting on the base element, in particular its weight G, is greater than the buoyancy force A, which acts on the base element, so that the base element is held for example by the weight G at the bottom of the water.

In a broader view, the "reason" does not have to be the bottom of the water, but it may be sufficient if the primitive is simply placed deep enough in the water to fulfill its purpose. especially by means of ropes, to the actual bottom of the body of water or to a structure or, for example, a sunken ship has a connection The base element is in any case hold the boundary element down for safe capture of the liquid.

In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the at least one levitation element is designed such that the buoyancy force acting on this levitation A is equal to the weight G, which is caused by the respective levitation element and at least a portion of the delimiting element and mounting and auxiliary structures, if they Weight G of said components is not already compensated by the floating element, the bottom of the water body or other factors, so that a tensile force is reduced to the limiting element in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the water body.

The device thus makes it possible to considerably reduce the tensile forces acting on the limiting element, so that this limiting element, in particular in its upper section, has to be designed to be less robust. Furthermore, it is preferably not necessary to provide separate strain relief elements. Furthermore, it is possible by a corresponding formation of the levitation or to maintain a certain desired shape of the limiting element upright.

It is preferred that, depending on the water depth at which the exit point of the liquid is located, a plurality of levitation elements at different depths in the water is used. For example, these floating elements can be used every twenty, thirty or fifty meters.

It is preferred that at least one element of base element, levitation element and / or floating element is designed frame-shaped. This may be, for example, a rectangular, square, circular, oval or another frame shape.

The delimiting element is preferably connected to the frame-shaped base element, levitation element and / or the floating element such that the delimiting element forms the lateral surface of a substantially cylindrical, conical, truncated, pyramid-shaped or pyramid-shaped body, in the interior of which the leaked liquid can be received ,

The said frame-shaped elements are preferably formed stiff, so that the limiting element is held by these frame-shaped elements in the form, so that the body described above for receiving the leaked liquid is formed.

By the described features, a cross section of the body is ensured, which is not or only to a very limited extent by external factors, such as a flow in the water, influenced, so that the resulting body has a substantially constant volume and a constant amount of liquid in Direction of the surface of the water can be promoted.

For example, the basic element can be designed in the shape of a frame and form the base of the body, in the interior of which the leaked liquid can be received.

It is preferred that the base element, the at least one levitation element and the floating element are connected to one another via guide devices, in particular via guide cables. The limiting element is preferably formed as a foil. This may be, for example, a PE-HD rubber film which is resistant to tar, bitumen, oil and solvent-containing media and has a relatively high tensile strength in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the limiting element has at least one opening which can be traversed by the liquid and via which a pressure equalization takes place between the interior and the exterior of the body.

Thus, the interior of the body is completely filled with a liquid-water mixture, so that there is no pressure difference between the inner surface of the body and its outer surface. The avoidance of the liquid in the open water is prevented by the way closed by the all-round wall or lateral surface of the body.

If the base element, the at least one levitation element and the floating element are designed in the shape of a frame, they can have the same dimensions in a plane parallel to the surface of the water body. In this case, for example, a cylindrical body would arise, wherein the dimensions of said elements may be different in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the water body.

In order to counteract flow fluctuations of the water body, it is possible for the at least one levitation element and / or the floating element to have a drive, in particular a Voith-Schneider propeller, by means of which a thrust can be generated. This thrust is so variable in its strength and direction that flow fluctuations of the water can be compensated.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the use of a buoyancy body and an anchored deflection for counteracting lateral flow is conceivable.

The cross-sectional area of the body is determined from the flow rate Q flowing from the exit point of the liquid and is also dependent on the dimensions of the frame-shaped basic, floating and floating elements. The at least one levitation element preferably has buoyancy bodies with a material which has a lower density than water. This may be, for example, styrofoam, wood or glass foam granules.

It is important to provide buoyancy of a material that maintains a low density even at greater pressure in large water depths.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the base element has a first and a second base element. Here, the second basic element is connected to a lower end of the limiting element. The first base element is attached to guide cables and the second base element has guide elements, in particular guide sleeves, in which the guide cables are guided, so that the second base element with already lowered first base element along the guide cables up to the first base element to the bottom of the water can be performed.

The first base element is thus preferably lowered first to the bottom of the water and fixed by its own weight on the bottom of the water. Now, the second basic element can be lowered together with the limiting element connected to it along the guide cables, so that the desired position of the limiting element can be precisely determined. In particular, an exact positioning of the first base element is easier, as long as the flat-shaped limiting element has not yet been lowered, since at this time the susceptibility to flow is smaller due to the lower attack surface of the device.

In a further preferred embodiment, the limiting element is guided over the floating element. Furthermore, a further second floating element is provided, which is located at the surface of the body of water at a distance from the first floating element, so that between the first floating element and the further second floating element, a reservoir for receiving a portion of the leaked liquid is formed. Thus, if the leaked liquid can not be pumped out or not sufficiently within the body, this liquid or a mixture of this liquid can run or slosh with the water through the first floating element in said reservoir and from there, optionally at a later date, be pumped out. In addition to the first reservoir, other reservoirs can similarly be formed by the use of further floating elements on the surface of the water, so that a larger amount of leaked liquid can be collected.

In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained with reference to figures. Show it:

1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the device is an enlarged cross-section through a basic, floating

Swimmer,

3 is an enlarged view of an embodiment of the basic element,

4 shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of the device,

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the invention

Contraption,

6 shows a device 10 as above, together with a buoyancy body and an anchored deflection,

7 is a schematic sectional view of a defective blowout preventer with escaping oil and a blowout auxiliary device positioned therewith with a high-positioned counterweight plate;

FIG. 8 shows the defective blowout preventer with the blowout auxiliary device from FIG. 7 in an identical view with a further lowered counterweight plate;

9 shows the defective blowout preventer from FIGS. 7 and 8 in an identical representation with the counterweight plate completely lowered, FIG.

10 shows the defective blowout preventer with the blowout auxiliary device and the

Counterweight plate of Figures 7, 8 and 9 with guides for the blowout auxiliary device in an overview, G

Figure 11 shows the defective blowout preventer and therefore positioned

BIowout auxiliary device of FIG. 10 with remote guidance,

Figure 12 shows the defective blowout preventer and therefore positioned

Blowout auxiliary device in identical representation to the figures 10 and 11, with partially lowered counterweight plate,

Figure 13 shows the defective blowout preventer with the therefore positioned

Blowout auxiliary device from FIGS. 10 to 12 in an identical representation, with a counterweight plate lowered onto the defective blowout preventer and a concrete filling,

FIG. 14 shows an alternative embodiment of a counterweight plate in a section identical to the illustrations of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9,

FIG. 15 schematically shows an embodiment of an offset section

Sliding frame with guide for a guide rope as well

16 shows schematically in an upright section a floating frame with a displaceable piston.

1 illustrates the device 10 according to the invention for preventing the passage of a liquid 26 that has leaked into a body of water 20. The base element 12 is positioned on the bottom 18 of the body of water 20. The weight force G acting on the base element 12 is greater than the lift force A acting on this element, so that the base element 12 is held by the weight G on the base 18 of the water body 20.

FIG. 1 also shows two levitation elements 14a, 14b for floating positioning over the bottom 18 and below the surface 22 of the body of water 20. A typical embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention will have significantly more levitation elements, depending on the depth of the water. The levitation elements 14a, 14b are designed such that the buoyancy force A acting on them is greater than the weight force G acting on the respective levitation element. Thus, the levitation member 14a, 14b is held in a floating position. The buoyancy bodies in the levitation element 14a may be designed, for example, such that the resulting buoyant force A is sufficient to support the section of the delimiting element 24 located immediately below the levitation element 14a and the corresponding section of the guide cables 28a, 28b and further components.

This refers in particular to a portion of said components that extends to the next floating element 14b. The portion of the said components, which is located under the second floating element 14b, can be compensated by the buoyancy of this second levitation element 14b.

The device 10 further comprises a floating element 16 for floating positioning on the surface 22 of the body of water 20. The floating element 16 is designed such that the buoyant force A acting on the buoyant element is greater than that on the buoyant element upon complete immersion of the buoyant element 16 in the water 20 16 acting weight is. In this case, of course, components can also be considered, which are located below the floating element 16 and above the first levitation element 14a, so that the weight G resulting from these components is also compensated by the buoyancy force A of the floating element 16. As can be seen in FIG. 1, part of the floating element 16 projects out of the surface 22 of the body of water 20.

The device 10 further comprises a flat formed limiting element 24 in the form of a film which is not permeable to the liquid 26 and extends from the base member 12 via the levitation elements 1 a, 14 b to the floating member 16 and is mechanically connected to each of these elements. The film may for example have a thickness of 2 mm. The film 24 also has an opening 31 which can be traversed by the water and via which a pressure equalization takes place between the interior and the exterior of the body.

In Fig. 1 is a cross section through the device 10 is shown, wherein the base member 12, the floating elements 14a, 14b and the floating element 16 can assume different geometric shapes. It is particularly preferred that these elements are frame-shaped and extend around the body, in whose interior the leaking oil 26 is received. In this interior there is also water, so that here Liquid-water mixture is recorded, which has a lower density than the water outside the body.

In Fig. 1, a second floating element 16 * is also shown, which is also positioned floating on the water surface 22. This has a distance from the first floating element 16, so that forms a reservoir 34 for receiving a portion of the leaked liquid between these two elements. The liquid-water mixture may in this case increase in such a way that it flows into the reservoir 34 via the first floating element 16. In addition, other floating elements, not shown, may be used, so that further reservoirs 34 * for receiving additional liquid arise.

In Fig. 2, in particular, a possible structure of the levitation element 14a can be seen in detail. The floating element 14a has lateral guide sleeves 36a, 36b, in which the guide cables 28a, 28b are guided. This may be, for example, steel cables with a diameter of 28 mm. Alternatively, the guide cables 32a, 32b shown in FIG. 3 can also be guided in the guide sleeves 36a, 36b. The guide sleeves 36a, 36b are connected via retaining plates 38 with the buoyant body 40 and preferably fixed in the longitudinal direction of the cables.

The size of the opening 1 is preferably adjustable via an adjusting device 42, so that a suitable pressure equalization between the inner and the outer volume of the body can take place.

The frame-shaped base member 12 and the frame-shaped floating elements 14a, 14b and the frame-shaped floating element may be formed, for example, square with a side length of 10 m.

A particular embodiment of the base element 12 is shown in Fig. 3. Herein, the base member 12 has a first base member 12a and a second base member 12b. The second base member 12 b is connected to a lower end of the film 24.

The first base element 12a is fastened to guide cables 28a, 28b, while the second base element 12b has guide elements 30a, 30b in the form of guide sleeves in which the guide cables 28a, 28b are guided. In a method for catching a Thus, it is possible to first lower the first base member 12a onto the bottom 18 of the body of water 20 so that it can be positioned at a defined location. In a further method step, the second base element 12b, which is fastened to holding devices, in particular tethers 32a, 32b, can then be lowered in the direction of the first base element 12a down to the bottom 18 of the water body 20 and by a suitable shape of the base elements 12a, 12b be connected to the first base member 12a. In this case, the second basic element 12b is connected to a lower end of the limiting element 24.

The levitation element 14 in this embodiment is connected via guide sleeves 36a, 36b to the tethers 32a, 32b and optionally to the guide cables 28a, 28b, so that the levitation element 14a is movable up and down along the tethers 32a, 32b.

The first base member 12a has on its underside a profile piece 44, via which it is connected to the guide cables 28a, 28b.

The device 10 according to the invention can also be used to prevent contamination of a coast or of another body of water by a liquid 26 discharging into a body of water 20. For this purpose, the device 10 according to the invention is placed in the form of a barrier between the exit point of the liquid 26 and the coastal or body of water to be protected.

This can be done in an area that does not have a large water depth. In this embodiment of the invention, the basic elements 12, the floating elements 14a, 14b and the floating elements 16 are not frame-shaped, but preferably as elongated body, for example, cube or tubular formed. In this embodiment of the device 10 thus no body is formed, in the interior of which the leaking liquid 26 is received. Rather, a barrier is formed by which prevents the leaking liquid 26 reaches the coast or another part of the water body. The named embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention can be used, in particular, along a coast to be protected, wherein the longitudinal direction of the floating elements 16 embodied as elongate bodies can run essentially parallel to the coast. It is preferred that in the described embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention a plurality of floating elements 14a, 14b are provided. In a partial region of the device 10, the limiting element 24 according to FIG. 4 preferably does not extend as far as the floating element 16 in a direction perpendicular to the surface 22 of the body 20 from the base element 12, but only up to the uppermost floating element 14a.

This uppermost floating element 14 a is arranged closest to the surface 22 of the body of water 20. Thus, the device 10 is navigable for watercraft that travel on or at a shallow depth below the water. The delimiting element 24 thus has in this area a particular rectangular recess 48. In order to prevent a passage of the liquid 26 through this recess 48, the uppermost levitation element 14a has at least one and in particular a plurality of nozzles 46, through which a gas can be introduced into the water 20, so that the gas to the surface 22 of the water 20 rises and for the liquid 26 is essentially not passable. The gas is supplied to the nozzles 46 via a line 47.

There is thus provided a simple means by which it is possible to provide a barrier in a body of water by which a stretch of water or coastline can be protected from contamination by an escaping liquid, such as petroleum. This embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention can be used in deeper waters, in contrast to previously known coastal barriers, with the possibility of making these barriers for navigation through the nozzles 46 passable or durchfahrbar. When ascending the gas to the surface 22 of the body of water 20, two flows in opposite directions are formed on this surface 22, each of these flows along the surface 22 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the device 10. Thus, the liquid 26 is displaced in a direction away from the device 10.

In a further preferred embodiment of the device 10, the floating element 16 has on its upper side a blocking body 50 which can be inflated by a gas and which, for example when inflated, can have a height of 2 m, 3 m or even 5 m. In the inflated state, this inflatable blocking body 50 preferably has a round or oval shape. As shown in Figure 5, this inflatable barrier 50 can be used to hold back a flood. Here, on one side of the blocking body 50, the water is at a higher level than on the other side of this blocking body. In particular, the size and shape of the locking body is chosen such that it undergoes a buoyancy by the water below it.

If, for example, the blocking body is circular in cross-section, its size can be chosen so that the maximum high water level reaches to the middle of its circular cross-section, so that the blocking body 50 experiences the greatest possible buoyancy.

Due to the high water on one side of the blocking body 50, in FIG. 5, on the one hand, a force is generated to the right, i. in one direction away from the flood or towards the low water. Due to the buoyancy of the locking body 50 furthermore arises a force component upwards, so that the resultant force extends obliquely up the right. A suitable counterforce to prevent displacement of the blocking body 50 can thus be achieved by fastening the blocking body 50 through a fastening device 52, for example a wire rope at the base 18 of the body of water 20. Applying a suitable counterforce in other ways is also possible.

In the latter embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention, the base element 12, the levitation elements 14a, 14b, the floating element 16 and the blocking body 50 are elongate and extend substantially parallel to one another.

The device 10 in Figure 6 is substantially constructed as described above.

At a levitation element 14b located below the surface 22 of the body of water 20, a structure is mounted to substantially retain a body 60 of the device 10, although laterally a horizontal ocean current 61 (numbered exemplarily) engages.

The floating element 14b engages a steel cable 62 fastened by suitable means. The steel cable 62 has a first, substantially horizontally extending portion 63 and a second, substantially vertically extending portion 64. The two parts separates a deflection roller 65. The deflection roller 65 is fixedly connected via an anchoring cable 66 with an anchoring 67. The anchoring 67 is preferably arranged in a ring around the body 60 extending around the base 18.

At the end of the steel cable 62, which is opposite to the floating element 14b, a buoyancy body 68 is attached, which exerts a vertically upward pulling force 69 on the steel cable 62.

The tensile force 69 is deflected in the guide roller 65 from the second part 64 in the first part 63 only with loss of friction, so that the tensile force 69, which is determined essentially by the buoyancy of the buoyancy body 68, almost undiminished as a horizontal force or at least as a force and a horizontal component acts on the levitation element 14b. Thus, the buoyancy body 68 opposes the horizontal ocean current with a counterforce.

When perfectly matched, the two forces are exactly equal, so that the body 60 of the device 10 remains unchanged in shape and position.

With a horizontal deflection of the levitation element 14b, the buoyant body 68 changes its vertical position. On the size of the tensile force 69, this has no effect. The restoring force remains the same size. As soon as the ocean current 61 subsides again, the pulling force 69 thus pulls the body 60 of the device 60 back to the original position.

When the second part 64 of the steel cable 62 is extended so far that the buoyant body 68 floats on the surface 22 of the body 20 when the body of the device 10 is upright, even a variable restoring force can be generated. The further the body 60 of the device 10 is deflected horizontally, the stronger the steel cable 62 pulls the buoyant body 60 below the water surface. This increases the restoring force.

It can even be considered to change the buoyancy body 68 in its geometry, so that upon further pulling the buoyancy body 68 into the water, the buoyancy force increases non-linearly. For example, a truncated cone or cone may be used as the buoyant body 68 on the surface 22. For the calculation of the force can be assumed, for example, with a suitable design that 1 m ³ buoyancy body 68 corresponds to a tensile force of 10 kN.

It is understood that several floating elements can be equipped with such resettable.

The defective blowout preventer 70 in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 flushes oil 72 (identified by way of example) from a broken delivery pipe 71 into surrounding liquid, here for example seawater 73.

In order to control the uncontrolled exit, a foundation mass 75 was first applied to a seabed 74 and a substantially cylindrical, vertically standing steel hollow body 76 positioned thereon. This should serve as a blowout auxiliary device.

In an interior space 77, the hollow steel body 76 was first filled by its annular disk-shaped foot 78 up to a step 79 with a heavy filling compound. In this context, the term "heavy" should be understood as meaning a filling mass which, in the bulk or compacted state, has a density which is greater than the surrounding liquid, for example as the seawater 73. In the present case, concrete 80 was selected as the filling material under water so that all the filled concrete 80 will give a solid body and thus in fact shear the entire mass of concrete 80 with an annular widening 81 towards the foot 78. Thus, on the disc-shaped foot 78, the entire mass of the inserted one will rest Concrete 80. In addition, there is a difficult to predict in their strength connection with the defective blowout preventer 70, so that its mass and its anchoring forces can also serve a vertically downwardly directed reserve of force at any forces acting on the steel hollow body 76 forces. As a result, the S hollow body 76 so exposed to very large vertical forces without losing its position on the seabed.

The step 79 of the hollow steel body 76 is characterized in that a disc-shaped flange 83 protrudes toward the inner space 77 from a surrounding steel jacket 82, which carries a cylindrical plug-in collar 84. The flange 83 and the plug collar 84 are preferably made in one piece with the steel jacket 82.

Their geodetic height is such that a Auflageringrand 85 essentially at the same height closes as the defective blowout preventer 70th

The exact height depends on the construction of a counterweight plate 87 to be later deposited thereon. In the present case, the support ring edge 85 was selected at the same height as an upper side 87 of the defective blowout preventer 70 because the counterweight plate 86 extends flat on its underside 88.

At the same time, the plug collar 84 has been formed as long as a plug ring 89 on the counterweight plate 86.

The steel jacket 82 continues at the level of the step 79 or directly above it with two rows of holes 90 (identified by way of example, see FIG. 9a, which represents a development of a half-circumference around the steel jacket 82).

In the further course upward, the steel jacket 82 is closed again and leads in an upper region 91 into an integrally formed with collar 92. The collar 92 is opened at its top with its insertion opening 93 over the entire cross-sectional area.

In order to cope with the oil 72 and / or gas flowing out with very high pressure, in the next step the counterweight plate 80 is moved downwards onto the exit point at the torn conveyor pipe 71 (see FIG. While the concrete 80 filled in layers already loads the steel hollow body 76 with a high weight, in the ideal case, heavy filling material is also shaken up above the sinking counterweight plate 86, for example a gravel filling or in turn concrete,

The layer concreting can be done most easily below a shoulder 94 of the collar 92. With suitable formwork or, for example, a slowly enough hardening concrete or a sufficiently fast lowering counterweight plate 86 can be concreted already in the upper region 91, ie within the collar 92. At this stage, the oil 72 exits on the one hand by a central passage 95 in the counterweight plate 86. On the other hand, the oil 72 increasingly exits through the rows of holes 90 side, because the flow vertically upwards now opposes increased flow resistance.

The passage 95 is directly connected to a spare line 96. This leads to a shut-off 97, which can optionally be opened or closed and placed on any level between them.

Because of the high weight of the counterweight plate 86 and preferably still supported by consequent concreting it is possible, even against the high pressure exiting the oil 72, the counterweight plate 86 further lower, because a pressure relief takes place on the rows of holes 90 and the passage 95. The counterweight plate 86, which hangs on guide cables (not shown), can thus be further lowered even against the pressure of, for example, about 800 bar.

The lowering of the counterweight plate 86 ends only when it rests firmly (see Figure 9). In the case shown here it is at the same time with its bottom 88 on the Auflageringrand 85 of the hollow steel body 76 and with its plug ring 89 on the flange 83 of the hollow steel body 76. For example, the height may be about 10 to 12 meters above the seabed 74.

The plug ring 89 closes the possibility of flow through the rows of holes 90, so that for the escaping oil 72 as the only flow way the way through the passage 95 and the spare line 96 along the barrier 97 remains.

By means of the barrier 79, which may for example be designed as a conventional shut-off valve, the flow of the escaping oil 72 can then be stopped.

Instead of the barrier 79 or in addition to it, a further blowout preventer (not shown) can be arranged.

In order to lower the steel hollow body 76 selectively and metered onto the seabed 74, guides 98 (numbered as an example) may be provided. Alternatively, the guides 98 can be used to secure the standing steel hollow body 76 against horizontal forces and at the same time support the body 60 against the concrete-filled steel hollow body 76 so that the two components stabilize each other.

As an alternative to the buoyant body 40 with the holding plates 38 from Figures 2 and 3, a float 99 in Figures 15 and 6 consists essentially of a one-sided connectable to a film 100 body with a C-profile. The C-profile may, for example, be designed as a ring running around the film 100, or it may be a plurality of discrete individual bodies.

In an interior 101, a buoyancy body 102 is arranged. This can for example be clamped or otherwise secured, for example screwed.

For a guide cable 103, a vertically aligned sleeve 105 is arranged on a latch 104. The latch 104 is fixedly connected to the float 99 or firmly connected, including a releasable connection falls. In any case, the latch 104 and the float 99 are constructed so that they can act positively or non-positively with each other.

The latch 104 has a punch 106 on its side facing the film 100. The punch 106 is displaceably mounted in the bolt 104 or on the bolt 104 so as to be displaceable along a pull-out axis 107. It can either slide freely or, if desired, be locked in certain positions or steplessly.

The punch 106 is provided and adapted to be connected to the film 100.

For this purpose, fastening means (not shown) are preferably used. These can also interfere with the film 100 destructive. In any event, there is normally at least about a pressure balance on the inside and outside of the film 100 so that a simple mechanical sealing closure of a mounting hole through the film 100 will normally provide sufficient oil leakage through the film at the attachment site prevent. It can therefore also be used from the inside 108 of the film 100 of the counter body to secure the punch 106.

In addition, another float can be arranged in mirror image on the inside 108 of the film 100.

Instead of the film 100, such a variable float 99 can also be used to connect directly to the steel jacket 82 (indicated by the double reference "82/100" in Figs. 15 and 16).

The steel jacket 82 in FIG. 14 is, for example, identical to the steel jacket 82 from FIGS. 7 to 13.

However, a counterweight plate 109 has a different design:

Thus, a Auflagerung the counterweight plate 109 on the concrete 80 is not a large area, but only on point bearings 110 (exemplified). These can be either discrete point bearings 110, which are distributed around the circumference of the broken conveyor tube 71 around, or around a bearing in point as a point bearing 110 bearing, which has a very thin circular ring as the actual bearing surface.

The idea is the same: The oil pressure of the escaping oil is extremely high, for example 800 bar, which corresponds to a pressure of 8000 mWS. If such a pressure acts on the flat contact area of the counterweight plate 109, an extremely high lifting force results upwards. This can not happen at a point camp. This is all the more so as that by recesses 1 1 1 (exemplified) a chamber 112 is created, which can communicate via a discharge opening 113 directly to the external environment 1 14. Thus, no great pressure can build up in the chamber 112, thus in particular not on an underside 115 of the counterweight plate 109, ie exactly where otherwise a critical upwardly acting buoyancy force could be formed.

The relief opening 113 is preferably formed as a row of holes. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 device

12 basic element

12a First basic element

12b Second basic element

14a floating element

14b floating element

16 First floating element

16 'Second floating element

18 reason

20 waters / water

22 surface

24 limiting element / foil

26 liquid / oil

28a guide rope

28b guide rope

30a guide element

30b guide element

31 opening

32a guide rope / tether

32b guide rope / tether

34 reservoir

34 ^' Further reservoirs

36a guide sleeve

36b guide sleeve Halteblech

buoyancy

adjustment

profile piece

jet

management

recess

blocking body

body

ocean current

steel cable

First part

Second part

idler pulley

anchor rope

anchoring

buoyancy

traction

defective blowout preventer

delivery pipe

oil

seawater

Seabed

foundation mass

Hollow steel body

inner space 78 feet

79 level

80 concrete

81 expansion

82 steel jacket

83 flange

84 pop-up collar

85 support edge

86 counterweight plate

87 top

88 bottom

89 plug ring

90 hole row

91 upper area

92 collar

93 insertion opening

94 approach

95 passage

96 spare line

97 Barrier

98 leadership

99 floats

100 film

101 interior

102 buoyancy bodies

103 guide rope bars

shell

stamp

Extraction axis inside

Counterweight plate point bearing recess chamber

Relief opening environment bottom

Claims

Patent Proverbs:

Device for preventing the passage of a liquid (26), in particular oil, which exits into a body of water (20), characterized by:

• A levitation element (14a, 14b) for floating positioning over a bottom (18) and below a surface (22) of the body (20), wherein the levitation element (14a, 14b) is designed such that when positioned in the body of water on the Floating element (14a, 14b) acting buoyant force A is greater than its output force, in particular its weight G, so that the floating element (14a, 14b) can provide a surface-directed carrying capacity; and

A boundary-shaped limiting element (24) which is not permeable to the liquid (26), wherein the limiting element (24) extends past the levitation element (14a, 14b) and is mechanically connected thereto so that when positioning the device in the Waters (20) may result in a portion of the limiting element (24) below the levitation element (14a, 14b), the over the buoyancy force overshooting output force reduced by the oppositely acting load capacity, compensated, or overcompensated.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by

A basic element (12) for positioning on a base (18) of the body of water (20), in which an output force acting on the base element (12), in particular its weight G, is greater than its buoyancy force A, so that the base element (12) is held by the output force at the bottom (18) of the body of water (20) when positioned there, the levitation member (14a, 14b) being in a floating position above the bottom (18) and below the surface (22) of the body of water (20). 20) is held when the base member is positioned on the ground.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by

• a floating element (16) for floating positioning on the surface (22) of the body of water (20), wherein the floating element (16) is formed such that the buoyancy force A acting on the buoyant element upon complete submersion of the floating element (16) in the body of water (20) is greater than the weight acting on the floating element (16).

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that extending the limiting element (24) from the base element (12) via the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) to the floating element (16) and is mechanically connected to each of these elements.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) is formed such that the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) acting buoyant force A is equal to the weight G, by the respective levitation element (14a, 14b) and at least a portion of the limiting element (24) and fastening and auxiliary structures is caused, if this weight G of said components not already by the floating element (16) or the bottom (18) of the water body (20) is balanced, so that a train on the limiting element (24) in a direction perpendicular to the surface (22) of the body of water (20) is reduced.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one element of base element (12), floating element (14a, 14b) and / or floating element (16) is frame-shaped and the limiting element (24) in such a way with the frame-shaped base element ( 12), floating element (14a, 14b) and / or floating element (16) is connected, that the limiting element (24) forms the lateral surface of a substantially cylindrical, conical or pyramidal body, in the interior of the leaked liquid (26) can be accommodated is.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the base element (12) is frame-shaped and forms the base of the body, in the interior of which the leaked liquid (26) is receivable.

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (12), the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) and the floating element (16) via guide devices (28a, 28b), in particular guide cables and optionally further tethers (32a , 32b) are interconnected.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the limiting element (24) has at least one opening (31) through which the water can flow and via which a pressure equalization between the interior and the exterior of the limiting element (24) takes place.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (12), the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) and the floating element (16) are frame-shaped and in a plane parallel to the surface (22) of the body of water ( 20) have the same dimensions.

1 1. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one levitation element (14 a, 14 b) and or the floating element (16) have a drive, in particular a Voith cutter propeller, through which a thrust can be generated, the horizontally acting flow fluctuations of the body of water (20) counteracts.

12. The device according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the drive comprises a buoyancy body and an anchored deflection, wherein acting on the buoyancy vertical buoyancy force by means of the deflection receives a horizontal force component which on the floating element (14a, 14b) and / or the floating element (16) acts to counteract a lateral flow.

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (12) has a first base element (12a) and a second base element (12b), wherein the second base element (12b) connected to a lower end of the limiting element (24) and wherein the first base element (12a) is fastened to guide cables (28a, 28b) and the second base element (12b) has guide elements (30a, 30b), in particular guide sleeves, in which the Guide ropes (28a, 28b) are guided so that the second base member (12b) with already lowered first base member (12a) along the guide cables (28a, 28b) to the first base member (12a) on the bottom (18) of the body (20 ) can be performed.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that the limiting element (24) is guided over the floating element (16) and between this floating element (16) and a further second floating element (16 ') a reservoir (34) for receiving a part of spilled liquid (26) forms.

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (12), the at least one levitation element (14a, 14b) and the floating element (16) are elongated, wherein a plurality of levitation elements (14a, 14b) are provided, and that the limiting element (24) in a partial region (48) of the device (10) in a direction perpendicular to the surface (22) of the body (20) viewed from the base element (12) not to the floating element (16), but only up to the uppermost levitation element (14a), which is arranged closest to the surface (22) of the body of water (20), so that the device (10) for water vehicles can be driven through, wherein the uppermost levitation element (14a) at least one, in particular a plurality , of nozzles (46) through which a gas can be introduced into the body of water (20), so that the gas rises to the surface (22) of the body of water (20) and substantially not passi to the liquid (26) is recoverable.

16. Use of a device according to one of the preceding claims for preventing the passage of the liquid (26), in particular oil, into the water (20).

17. Blowout auxiliary device for terminating the escape of a liquid (26), in particular oil, which emerges as a result of a defective blowout preventer in a body of water (20), characterized by a base, a shell and a collar, wherein the base for setting up is arranged to a reason, the jacket is arranged to surround the defective blowout preventer and the collar is adapted for insertion of a counterweight plate.

18 blowout auxiliary device according to claim 17, characterized in that the jacket has an inwardly directed support for the counterweight plate.

19. blowout auxiliary device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the jacket has lateral pressure relief holes, so that an exerted by the exiting liquid against the counterweight plate in their imports into the collar outlet pressure is reduced.

20. Blowout auxiliary device according to one of claims 17 to 1, characterized in that a counterweight plate is provided with a central passage.

21. Blowout auxiliary device according to claim 20, characterized in that the counterweight plate has a point bearing ring.

22. Blowout auxiliary device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the counterweight plate has a sliding collar with relief openings.

23. A method for using a blowout auxiliary device according to one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that first the blowout auxiliary device is positioned around the defective blowout preventer and then filled with a heavy filler.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that a counterweight plate is inserted with a passage through the collar, especially on the defective blowout preventer, and preferably subsequently weighted.

25. The method according to any one of claims 23 or 24, characterized in that above the defective blowout preventer, a barrier and / or an intact blowout preventer are brought into operative connection with the passage.