Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B3/00—Hulls characterised by their structure or component parts
  • B63B3/13—Hulls built to withstand hydrostatic pressure when fully submerged, e.g. submarine hulls
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D13/00—Pumping installations or systems
  • F04D13/02—Units comprising pumps and their driving means
  • F04D13/06—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven
  • F04D13/08—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven for submerged use
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D13/00—Pumping installations or systems
  • F04D13/02—Units comprising pumps and their driving means
  • F04D13/06—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven
  • F04D13/08—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven for submerged use
  • F04D13/086—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven for submerged use the pump and drive motor are both submerged
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D25/00—Pumping installations or systems
  • F04D25/02—Units comprising pumps and their driving means
  • F04D25/06—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D25/00—Pumping installations or systems
  • F04D25/02—Units comprising pumps and their driving means
  • F04D25/06—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven
  • F04D25/0686—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven specially adapted for submerged use

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to sealed enclosures for underwater containment of various types of equipment.
• Such industries require for example to immerse at great depth ESP (electro-submersible pump) electropumps, as well as their power supply system.
• ESP electro-submersible pump
• the depths reached can reach or even exceed 3000 meters.
• Submerged devices are usually placed in a sealed envelope to protect their internal components from seawater.
• the enclosure is filled with an electrically nonconductive liquid, generally dielectric oil, and balanced in pressure with the sea.
• the equipment placed in the enclosure is then subjected to the pressure of immersion, and must also be compatible with the oil.
• the pressure is balanced, the walls of the enclosure do not undergo pressure stress, and therefore do not require to be made with increasing thickness with the depth of immersion.
• the enclosure is filled with a gas (air, nitrogen ...) at low pressure, generally close to atmospheric pressure.
• a gas air, nitrogen
• the walls of the enclosure are dimensioned to resist the immersion pressure.
• the equipment is then installed in conditions similar to those of an industrial use.
• the present invention relates to the second type of enclosure, called "at atmospheric pressure"
• the thickness of the enclosure must increase as the depth of immersion increases, depending on the pressure to be withstood.
• the sealed enclosures for the underwater containment of an apparatus are made from a cylindrical envelope comprising two end domes.
• the thickness of the cylindrical envelope can reach 80 mm so that, for an envelope having a length of 7 m and an internal diameter of 2 m, the mass total envelope including the materials it contains can reach or exceed 40 tons, which requires significant lifting means.
• a sealed enclosure for the underwater containment of an apparatus comprising a set of ellipsoidal modules juxtaposed sealingly and internally defining at least one volume of reception of the apparatus. It has been found that the realization of a sealed enclosure by means of juxtaposed ellipsoidal modules allows a gain of the order of one third of the total mass, with respect to a cylindrical envelope.
• the sealed enclosure includes a hemispherical dome shaped removable end module connected to said module assembly by a sealed flange.
• the ellipsoidal modules are connected in pairs by cylindrical connectors.
• These cylindrical connections may have a thickness greater than that of the ellipsoidal modules.
• the cylindrical connectors are equipped with stiffening elements.
• these stiffeners are formed by loosely extending the cylindrical connectors.
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a sealed enclosure according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a partial sectional view of the enclosure of Figure 1.
• FIG. 1 illustrates the general architecture of a sealed enclosure for the underwater confinement of an apparatus according to the invention, designated by the general reference numeral 1.
• the sealed enclosure is shown in a supposed vertical position.
• this enclosure is intended for the protection of one or more immersed electric or electromechanical devices, such as a variable speed drive, a high voltage or low voltage distribution equipment, a power supply system that is backed up. , ...
• immersed electric or electromechanical devices such as a variable speed drive, a high voltage or low voltage distribution equipment, a power supply system that is backed up. , ...
• the enclosure 1 comprises a set of ellipsoidal modules 2, 3 and 4, here three in number, arranged in the extension of each other and connected two by two by cylindrical portions 5, 6 and 7.
• the envelope comprises a dome 8 shaped truncated sphere sealingly connected to one of the ellipsoidal modules and, at the opposite end, a dome 9 hemispherical connected to the other module 2 ellipsoidal end.
• the ellipsoidal modules and the end domes jointly delimit an internal volume filled with nitrogen at atmospheric pressure and intended to receive the apparatus to be immersed.
• the number of modules is not limiting and can be chosen according to the size of the equipment.
• each of the ellipsoidal modules has a flattened sphere shape and is more particularly formed by the spherical zone of a flattened sphere between two parallel planes such as PI and P2.
• the modules and the end domes 8 and 9 have a reduced thickness relative to the thickness of a cylindrical shell necessary to withstand the immersion pressure.
• the thickness of the spherical wall is of the order of 50 mm.
• cylindrical connectors 5 and 6 have an increased thickness determined to ensure the stiffness of the assembly, for example of the order of 150 mm.
• the diameter of the hemispherical dome 9 is smaller than the internal diameter of the cylindrical connectors 5, 6 and 7 and chosen to be greater than the largest transverse dimension of the apparatus so that after introduction of a device through the opening of the end ellipsoidal module 2, no problem of inserting the device into the rest of the enclosure can not occur.
• the hemispherical dome 9 is actually a removable element and is attached to the hemispherical module 2 by means of a flange 10.
• cylindrical connections 5, 6 and 7 may be provided with a stiffener, such as 11, made in the form of a thickening of localized material.
• a stiffener 11 remains however optional and has been illustrated only for one of the cylindrical connectors.
• the sealed enclosure which has just been described which uses a set of juxtaposed ellipsoidal modules makes it possible to considerably reduce the thickness of the enclosure, at the location of the ellipsoidal modules.
• the weight gain can reach about one third compared to cylindrical enclosures.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Casings For Electric Apparatus (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Earth Drilling (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=53397997

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2015
  • 2015-05-13 EP EP15305723.7A patent/EP3093495A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2016
  • 2016-05-11 BR BR112017022975A patent/BR112017022975A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2016-05-11 US US15/573,639 patent/US20190077487A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2016-05-11 WO PCT/EP2016/060588 patent/WO2016180895A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2016-05-11 CN CN201680027727.6A patent/CN107709789A/zh active Pending
• 2017
  • 2017-10-18 NO NO20171657A patent/NO20171657A1/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

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