WO2016086268A1 - Module de flottabilité et procédé de formation - Google Patents

Module de flottabilité et procédé de formation Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016086268A1
WO2016086268A1 PCT/AU2015/050757 AU2015050757W WO2016086268A1 WO 2016086268 A1 WO2016086268 A1 WO 2016086268A1 AU 2015050757 W AU2015050757 W AU 2015050757W WO 2016086268 A1 WO2016086268 A1 WO 2016086268A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
shell
forming
buoyancy
buoyancy module
module
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2015/050757
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
David Cox
Original Assignee
Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2014904879A external-priority patent/AU2014904879A0/en
Application filed by Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd. filed Critical Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd.
Publication of WO2016086268A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016086268A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/01—Risers
    • E21B17/012—Risers with buoyancy elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y80/00—Products made by additive manufacturing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B22/00—Buoys

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a buoyancy module and a method of forming a buoyancy module. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a buoyancy module for use in a subsea buoyancy system.
  • buoyancy modules have suffered a number of deficiencies, such as high costs, physical restrictions on size and/or shape, slow production time and inefficient use of materials.
  • large shells for buoyancy modules were formed using rotational moulding techniques. The shells were then filled with a curable buoyancy material, the shell sealed and the material allowed to cure.
  • resins are commonly used in the buoyancy, heat is generated from the exothermic curing reaction and this heat can have a detrimental effect on the shell.
  • the volume of resin that can be used is limited, thereby limiting the size of the shell that can be produced using such a method.
  • a buoyancy module is formed by bonding together pieces of a buoyant material, such as a syntactic foam, which is then machined to a required shape.
  • a buoyant material such as a syntactic foam
  • the machining process can be expensive and wasteful and a post -machining finishing operation is required to seal the block because the surface is very rough after machining if the buoyant material is formed of macrospheres.
  • Examples of the invention seek to solve, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of previous buoyancy modules.
  • a method of forming a buoyancy module for a subsea buoyancy system including the steps of:
  • the method further includes the step of curing the buoyancy material after sealing the shell.
  • the buoyancy material may be a syntactic foam comprising glass spheres suspended in a resin matrix.
  • the glass spheres are macrospheres, though alternatively the glass spheres may be microspheres.
  • the method can further include the step of fixing a cover member to the shell to seal the shell.
  • the cover member may be bonded to the shell using an adhesive or a welding process.
  • the additive manufacturing process is a fused deposition modelling process.
  • the fused deposition modelling process uses a printing head having a nozzle with a diameter greater than approximately 1mm, more preferably in the range of approximately 1mm to approximately 2mm, or greater than 2mm.
  • the shell is formed of a HDPE or Nylon material. Preferably, the material is deposited at a rate of at least approximately 300mm per second.
  • the shell is formed with a plurality of internal baffles separating internal compartments, the internal compartments being configured to be sealed from one another.
  • the shell may also be formed with a plurality of separate internal cells. According to the present invention, there is also provided a buoyancy module manufactured using the above described method.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a buoyancy module of one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figures 2 to 4 are a perspective views of alternative buoyancy modules.
  • buoyancy module 10 With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a buoyancy module 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • the buoyancy module 10 is configured for use as part of a sub sea buoyancy system.
  • the buoyancy module 10 is manufactured by forming a shell 12 using an additive manufacturing process, which will be described further below.
  • a buoyancy material (not shown) is introduced into the shell 12 and the shell 12 sealed. To complete the process, the buoyancy material is cured.
  • a cover member 14 is fixed to the shell 12.
  • the cover member 14 may entirely, substantially or partially seal the shell 12.
  • the cover member 14 may be formed as a separate lid or cover that seals the shell 12 when fixed thereto, in other embodiments the cover member 14 may be formed in pieces that progressively seal the shell 12, or the cover member 14 may be configured to received a plug or sealing element the seal the shell 12.
  • the cover member 14 is shown as being an upper lid, the shell 12 may be formed so that a cover member can close any side or a base of the shell 12.
  • the cover member 14 may also be formed using an additive manufacturing process or using alternative forming processes and/or using different materials.
  • the cover member 12 may be moulded using injection or rotation moulding techniques, or it may be cut from a preformed sheet of plastic or a metallic material.
  • the cover member 14 may be bonded to the shell 12 using an adhesive or a welding process, though it is envisaged that mechanical fixing means, or combinations of the foregoing, may also be provided.
  • the buoyancy material is a syntactic foam comprising a plurality of hollow spheres, preferably glass spheres, suspended in a resin matrix which is filled in an uncured form and, after fixing the cover member 14 to the shell 12, heated to cure the foam. Fixing the cover member 14 to the shell 12 ensures that all of the air within the shell is displaced so that air bubbles are not introduced and thus cannot collapse through high hydrostatic pressure encountered in use.
  • the buoyancy material is introduced when the shell has an open upper portion so that a large opening is available for receiving the buoyancy material.
  • the cover member 14 may then be fixed to the shell 12, leaving at least a small space through which resin can be pumped and a vent space through which are can escape.
  • the additive manufacturing process is a fused deposition modelling, or 3D printing process, using a printing head having a nozzle with a diameter greater than approximately 1mm, preferably in the range of approximately 1mm to approximately 2mm, or greater than 2mm. It will be appreciated that other additive manufacturing process, such as SLA or SLS processes for example, may be utilised in forming the shell. Also, the fused deposition modelling process may be performed using two or more printing heads to increase production speed.
  • fused deposition modelling processes have generally been used for producing a limited number of small parts, such as prototypes for example.
  • Small diameter printing heads i.e. heads having a diameter of 0.2mm to 0.4mm, have been used to provide a sufficiently high resolution and dimensional accuracy so that post forming processes are not required or minimised.
  • the appearance of a buoyancy module for a subsea buoyancy systems is not as critical, which allows fused deposition modelling processes to be used.
  • the appearance of the module is not as important as for parts previously made using fused deposition modelling processes, due to size of the shell, which may be 2.5m long, 2.0m wide and 0.75m high with a wall thickness of 4mm, or even larger, the speed at which the process can be performed is important and determines whether the shell can be made on a cost effective basis.
  • a printing head having a nozzle diameter as described above is used and the forming apparatus configured so that material is deposited at a rate of at least about 300mm per second. It is envisaged that such a process could form a shell 12 of such a size in about 8 to 16 hours.
  • the shell 12 is formed of a HDPE or Nylon material such as glass filled Nylon 12, though it will be appreciated that other materials such as ABS, PLA or other thermoplastics may similarly be used.
  • a HDPE or Nylon material such as glass filled Nylon 12
  • other materials such as ABS, PLA or other thermoplastics may similarly be used.
  • HDPE high density polyethylene
  • the use of HDPE in a fused deposition modelling process has been avoided due to material shrinkage issues, though given that the appearance of the module is not critical, it is envisaged that it will be acceptable for present purposes.
  • the fused deposition modelling process may be performed by a machine configured to use raw material in the form of pellets. In alternative forms, pre-extruded filament is used.
  • the process may be performed with the part formed on a heat bed and/or within a heated enclosure.
  • the shell 12 can be formed with a plurality of internal baffles 16 separating internal compartments 18, the internal compartments being configured to be sealed from one another.
  • the shell 12 has a plurality of separate, individual internal cells 18.
  • An advantage of providing separate individual cells is that they can be individually filled, thereby limiting the volume of resin that is being cured so as to minimise heat generated and distortion of the shell.
  • introducing the buoyancy material may be performed in two steps, with every second cell being filled and once the buoyancy material cured, the remaining cells filled and allowed to cure. Distortion due to weight of the buoyancy material can also be avoided.
  • One advantage of having separate individual cells is that the effect of damage, impact, fatigue or otherwise, to the module can potentially be minimized.
  • crack propagation can be eliminated so that a small crack does not grow into a single large crack travelling through the buoyancy block so that the entire block is damaged from a small localised crack (which in fact may be caused from fatigue rather than impact).
  • a single cell is damaged, the buoyancy of the entire module is not necessarily compromised, thereby providing some redundancy and potentially improving the useful life span of the module.
  • FIG. 1 Another advantage of using a fused deposition modelling process is that shells having custom shapes and/or sizes can be formed with relative ease, provided that a CAD model can be created.
  • irregular or complex shapes having either or both curved and straight surfaces may be formed and Figures 1 to 4 illustrate differently configured shells 112, 212, 312 that are provided for different applications.
  • the shell may be formed in two or more parts having complimentary shapes that are configured for engagement to join multiple section together. In the example shown in Figure 4, with each part has a corresponding section of a dovetail 20 that allows individual modules to be joined.
  • Using a fused deposition modelling process also allows the shell 12 to be more easily formed with additional design features, such as internal ribs or gussets 322 as shown in Figure 4, to provide additional reinforcement for increased stiffness.
  • reinforcement elements were required to be separately manufactured and inserted into the shell, increasing the cost of the module.
  • Such features assist when a pressure or vacuum filling process is used for introducing resin.
  • a vent or air escape aperture 324 is also provided to assist in the step of introducing the buoyancy material into the shell 312.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé de formation d'un module de flottabilité pour un système de flottabilité sous-marin, comprenant les étapes consistant à: former une coque au moins partiellement à l'aide d'un procédé de fabrication additive; à introduire un matériau de flottabilité dans la coque; et à sceller la coque.
PCT/AU2015/050757 2014-12-02 2015-12-01 Module de flottabilité et procédé de formation WO2016086268A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2014904879A AU2014904879A0 (en) 2014-12-02 Buoyancy block manufacture
AU2014904879 2014-12-02

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016086268A1 true WO2016086268A1 (fr) 2016-06-09

Family

ID=56090734

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/AU2015/050757 WO2016086268A1 (fr) 2014-12-02 2015-12-01 Module de flottabilité et procédé de formation

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2016086268A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018108781A1 (fr) 2016-12-14 2018-06-21 Covestro Deutschland Ag Procédé destiné à la fabrication d'un objet rempli de mousse, imprimé en 3d
CN110641627A (zh) * 2019-09-29 2020-01-03 浙江海洋大学 一种3d打印的灯浮标装置及其制造方法
WO2020194064A2 (fr) 2019-03-25 2020-10-01 Acergy France SAS Bouées résistantes à la pression

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4021589A (en) * 1976-04-28 1977-05-03 Emerson & Cuming, Inc. Buoyancy materials
US6609043B1 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-08-19 Northrop Grumman Corporation Method and system for constructing a structural foam part
US8057731B2 (en) * 2005-11-15 2011-11-15 Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. Process of fabricating three-dimensional object
WO2012156681A1 (fr) * 2011-05-19 2012-11-22 Wellstream International Limited Élément de flottaison, ensemble colonne montante comprenant un élément de flottaison et procédé de soutien d'une colonne montante
WO2014008123A1 (fr) * 2012-07-03 2014-01-09 Polyone Corporation Composés thermoplastiques de faible densité pour articles subaquatiques à flottaison neutre
US9216524B1 (en) * 2012-08-14 2015-12-22 Timothy H. Cook Low density subsea buoyancy and insulation material and method of manufacturing

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4021589A (en) * 1976-04-28 1977-05-03 Emerson & Cuming, Inc. Buoyancy materials
US6609043B1 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-08-19 Northrop Grumman Corporation Method and system for constructing a structural foam part
US8057731B2 (en) * 2005-11-15 2011-11-15 Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. Process of fabricating three-dimensional object
WO2012156681A1 (fr) * 2011-05-19 2012-11-22 Wellstream International Limited Élément de flottaison, ensemble colonne montante comprenant un élément de flottaison et procédé de soutien d'une colonne montante
WO2014008123A1 (fr) * 2012-07-03 2014-01-09 Polyone Corporation Composés thermoplastiques de faible densité pour articles subaquatiques à flottaison neutre
US9216524B1 (en) * 2012-08-14 2015-12-22 Timothy H. Cook Low density subsea buoyancy and insulation material and method of manufacturing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
R. SINGH: "Three Dimensional Printing for Casting Applications: A State of Art Review and Future Perspectives", ADVANCED MATERIALS RESEARCH, vol. 83-86, December 2009 (2009-12-01), pages 342 - 349 *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018108781A1 (fr) 2016-12-14 2018-06-21 Covestro Deutschland Ag Procédé destiné à la fabrication d'un objet rempli de mousse, imprimé en 3d
WO2020194064A2 (fr) 2019-03-25 2020-10-01 Acergy France SAS Bouées résistantes à la pression
CN110641627A (zh) * 2019-09-29 2020-01-03 浙江海洋大学 一种3d打印的灯浮标装置及其制造方法
CN110641627B (zh) * 2019-09-29 2021-03-16 浙江海洋大学 一种3d打印的灯浮标装置及其制造方法

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