Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present inven~ion relates to a manned autonomous
underwater vessel, havlng at least one external manipulator being
mounted on support means movable along a yenerally horlzontal rail
track, which is mounted externally on the pressure hull of the
vessel.
The exploitation of oil and gas resources below the
ocean has led to a demand for underwater technology suitable for
greater and greater depths. As procluction is moved to greater
depths, often in rough weather waters, the need for surface
independent underwater systems increases. Several underwater
installations have been suggested for location on the sea floor
and for remote control, in order to be independent of a surface
vessel. Such underwater installations are, however, located in a
very demanding environment and it is therefore a requirement that
they can be malntained, overhauled and repaired when necessary.
For smaller depths divers are used for such work. At laryer
depths divers can only be used to a limited extent, if at all, and
it has therefore been suggested to develop so-called mini
submarinesr manned or unmanned, provided with suitable
manipulators for performing work on the underwater installation.
It has also been suggested to design an underwater installation
having an integrated control and service central in the form of a
diving chamber, to which personnel can gain access via a diving
bell. A disadvantage of the known systems is that one is not
entirely independent of a surface vessel. Divers and diving
chambers require contact with the surface by means of a so-called
umbilical, and th~e same is true for unmanned mini submarines.
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Also a manned mini suhmarine is dependent on a surface baee nearby
in form of a suitable vessel because such mini submarines only
have limited operating reach ancl time.
Thus, because one is surface dependent, severe
requirements are imposed on the equipment to be placed on the sea
floor or submerged. If ~he weather conditions are difficult, one
may not always count on being able t:o perform the necessary
maintenance work etc. at the desired time, and it may also be
difficult to perform overhauls, repairs and replacements. If one
or more underwater components fail, one must therefore often
completely close down the underwater installation, for instance
because one has to await a period of more suitable weather
conditions on the surface.
In the Canadian patent application Serial No. 494,356
filed on October 31, 1985 an underwater operating system is
described which will be entirely surface independent, with ~he
advantages this entails. The underwater operating system includes
the use of an underwater vessel which is load carryiny, manned and
autonomous. A particular object of the present invention is to
suggest such an underwater vessel, but the use of such a vessel is
of course not limited to the use in connection with the said
particular underwater operating system. It may be used wherever
there is a demand for such a vessel, with the advantages it
entails.
The object of the invention is therefore ~o provide a
manned, self-sufficient underwater vessel, having at least one
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external manipulator, said vessel heing load carrying and having
at least one manipulator capable of handling the load carried.
An underwater vessel of this general type is known from
US-A-3 ~51 224. Thls vessel is on the underside provided with a
head equipped with two manipulator arms. The head is movable
along a rail ~rack on the underside of the vessel, but this
movement only serves to bring the manipulators from stored
position to the position of use. It is not intended that the head
should be able to move while the manlpulator arms are in use. The
vessel is neither intended for carrying externally accessible
cargo nor are the manipulators intended for handling or moving
such cargo. This known device can there~ore not fulfil the object
of the present invention.
The object of the present invention is fulfilled by a
manned self-sufficient underwater vessel of the type mentioned by
way of introduction, which is characterized in that the vessel is
provided with a load carryiny area at the bottom side and
externally of the pressure hull, where a rail track is arranged
for a lifting yoke for transferring cargo units which can be
carried by the vessel in the load carrying area. Since the vessel
is autonomous and can carry cargo which it may be able to handle
itself, for instance in the form of e~uipment units which are to
be installed or dismantled on well installations at quite large
depths, the vessel will have a considerably greater applicabillty,
flexibility and efficiency than known vessels.
~utonomous underwater vessel is here supposed to mean an
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underwater vessel which ls self-sufficient, i.e., it ls a true
undarwater vessel without the need for an umbilical, and it is
supposed to have the capability of staying under water
continuously for weeks, having a larger crew, Eor instanca 5 - 10
persons. Such an underwater vessel will have the advantage that
one will be entirely independent of
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the weather conditions on the surface when performing necessary
operations and work on an underwater installation, since the
underwater vessel may be operational at any time and quickly may
be brought to the place of employment, carrying the necessary
load, i.e. equipment units and components for the underwater
installation. Said rail track, permitting travelling of the mani-
pulator or manipulators, provides a desired, larger work area for
the manipulator while the underwater vessel is at rest, and this
facilitates carrying out the necessary work. l'he advantages are
even greater if it is possible to dock the underwater ~essel as
shown and described in the above mentioned Canadian patent
application Serial No. 494,350.
Such a manned autonomous underwater vessel will also be
able to reduce the long term demands on the equipment in an under-
- water installation, without reducing safety, particularly since
one at the desired time quickly may gain access for performing the
necessary work, replacements etc. The need for complete shut-off
of an installation, e.g. a cluster of production threes with
corresponding manifold equipment, will also be reduced or possibly
be eliminated because one can perform any necessary repairs or
replacements, e.g. in a manifold part or in a production three,
without the necessity o~ closing down the other sections of the
installation.
The underwater vessel can work at very large depths,
well outside the reach of divers, and-a particular advantage is
that the underwater vessel also may be used in arctic waters
(below ice).
The vessel may advantageously have a vertical rail track
at the front of the vessel. Such a vertical rail track is
particularly advantageous for a manipulator which is to perform
work on a tow~r-like structure, e.g. a production tree.
The rail track may advantageously be movably
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supported on the vessel, and a particularly advan-
tageous form is one wherein the ver-tical rail track
is movable horizontally in the longitudinal direction
of the vessel. Then the rail track may be moved with
respect to the fron-t part of the vessel, and -the rail
-track with the appurtenant manipulator may, if
needed, be pulled all the way up to the :Eront par-t of
the vessel, to a stored position or an inoperative
position during transport.
The pressure hull of the vessel may advantage-
ously be provided with wall sections which may be
opened and which limit a forward space where the
manipula-tor is loca-ted when it is in said stored
position.
Advantageously, a rail track may be arranged
along the bottom or the belly of the vessel, inside a
loading area below or outside the pressure hull of
the vessel. This rail track may also be designed
for a lifting yoke, but preferably a separate rail
track is arranged for one (or more) lifting yokes in
the loading area, and particularly advantageously
the belly manipulator and the lifting yoke and their
rail tracks are designed so that the belly manipu-
lator and the lifting yoke can pass each other.
In order to facilita-te such passing the belly
manipulator may comprise a U-shaped frame running in
two rails forming the rail track of the belly manipu-
lator, while the lif-ting yoke concurrently comprises
a trolley carriage dimensioned for movement in the
space between the ~-shaped frame and the vessel, the
rail track of the lifting yoke extending inside the
rails of the belly manipulator.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of
~he underwater vessel, supports are arranged in its
loading area for equipment units in a upper loading
level and in a lower parking level, in which parking
level the equipment units will hang out of the way
of longitud:inal transport of an equipment unit in
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the loading area by means of the lifting yoke.
Advantageously, the belly manipulator whlch can
travel in the loading area, can be retracted to a
position within the cross--section oE the loading area
and preEerably above the parking level. The belly
manipulator may -thus be driven passed -the parked
equipment units.
Preferably, -the vessel is designed so -that -the
loading area is defined by the pressure hull of the
vessel and cargo room walls suspended from the hull.
The walls may be opened, e.g. by being pivotable, or
for instance foldable. During transit between the
base of the underwater vessel and the place of emplo-
ment, the equipment units, the belly manipulator and
the lifting yoke may be pro-tected inside a cargo
room, simultaneously obtaining a more streamlined
ou-ter skin for the underwater vessel during transit.
Preferably the underwater vessel is provided
with telescopic or lowerable supporting legs, and
these supporting legs may advantageously be provided
with supporting wheels which may be intended for
cooperation with and locking to a rail track on the
or those underwater installations or underwater
platforms serviced by the underwater vessel. The
underwater vessel may be docked on the supporting
legs and may be moved on the rail track to the
desired position and locked in this position.
Advantageously, the underwater vessel is pro-
vided with windows known per se, preferably large
acrylic windows located in the areas where the work
is to be performed. Thus, one or more operators in
the underwater vessel can obtain direct vision,
enabling direct (visual) control and also observation
possibilities when conditions are such that televi-
sion screen, ~ system con-trol or the like are used.
The underwater vessel may preferably carry a
tool storage unit (tool box) in its cargo room. Here
the manipulators can fetch tools for working on the
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equ:ipment units. The tool box may be desigl1ed like
a carrousel supported in a frame, which in turn may
be connected to the lifting yoke.
The invention shall be more closely described
with reference -to the drawings, where:
Fig. l shows a perspective view of an under-
water installation with an underwater vessel accor-
ding to the inven-tion,
Fig. 2 shows a schematic: side view of a under-
wa-ter vessel according to the invention, the rear
part of the vessel being deleted,
Fig. 3 shows a schema-tic fron-t view on a some-
waht larger scale of the underwater vessel in Fig. 2,
Fig. 4 shows a schematic partial view of the
front part of the underwater vessel during the per-
formance of work on a production three,
Figs. 5 and 6 show a schematic end view and
a schematic plan view of the vessel and the produc-
tion three in Fig. 4, and
Fig. 7 shows a schematic side view of an under-
water vessel with a tool storing unit.
In Fig. l an underwater installation l is
schematically shown, here in the form of an under-
water production platform having four well areas 2,
3, 4, 5 and appurtenant manifold equipment, represen-
ted by the framework 6. Only one production t ~ 7
~ti ~ is shown. On the manifold 6 a rail track is
arranged, generally consisting of two rails 8 and 9,
and on this rail track an underwater vessel l0 is
shown. The underwa-ter vessel l0, which is shown
schematically, is about to approach the underwater
- installation for docking on the rails 8, 9 in a man-
ner -to be described more closely below in connection
with Figs. 2 and 3. Suffice it here -that the under-
water vessel l0 in Fig. l has a cargo room ll and a
front room 12. Bo-th these rooms are shown in closed
condition, i.e. the bow doors are closed and -the same
is true for the belly doors limi-ting the cargo room
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11 outwards.
The underwater vessel ltself will described
more closely in the Eollowlng, particularly wi-th re-
ference to Figs. 2 and 3.
The underwa-ter vessel 10 has a pressure hull
13. This pressure hull 13 is surrounded by an outer
hull 14. On the belly side of -the pressure hull 13
a loading area or cargo room 15 is arranged, where
cargo may be placed in a manner no-t shown in further
detail, here sugges-ted by dash-do-t lines indicating
the contour of modules or equipment units 17. The
cargo room 15 is provided with attachment supporting
devices ~6 enabling posi-tioning of the equipment
units 17 inside the cargo room, as shown to the right
in Fig. 2. In -this parked posi-tion the side walls of
the cargo room is of course swung outwards, as indi-
cated by dash-dot lines in Fig. 3, where side walls
16, 18 are shown swung outwards and folded,respec-
tively.
The various equipment uni-ts 17 may be handled
in the cargo room by means of a lifting yoke 19,
which is supported to be raised and lowered in a
trolley carriage 20. This trolley carriage 20 can
run in two rails 21, 22 mounted under the belly of
the pressure hull 13. These rails 21, 22 extend
parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis
of the vessel.
Outside these rails 21, 22 for the trolley car-
riage two parallel rails 23, 24 are attached, alsoto the pressure hull, wherein a manipulator frame 25
is movably suspended, the frame being U-shaped in
the section in Fig. 3. In this frame 25 a belly
manipulator 26 is mounted. From Figs. 2 and 3 it
will be apparent that the lifting yoke 19 with the
corresponcling trolley carriage 22 can pass by the
frame 25, so that the lifting yoke and the belly
manipulator can move along the bottom side of the
pressure hull without interfering wlth each other.
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The parkiny poss:Lbility for the equipment units
17 permits moving of the equipment units with respect
to each other in the cargo room, and also permits
moving of an equipment uni-t 17 by means of the
lif-ting yoke 19 past -the helly manipulator 25, 26
if the need arises. In its folded condition, the
belly manipula-tor 26 is located above the parklng
level, as shown in Fig. 2. The folded position is
shown in solid lines in Figr 3. Broken lines in
Fig. 3 show a possible working position of the belly
manipulator 26.
Furthermore, four guides 27, 28, 29, 30, -two
on each side of the pressure hull, are provided on
the pressure hull 13. In these guides a front verti-
cal rail track 31 is supported horizon-tally movable
by means of horizontal beams 32, 33 (Fig. 2).
The vertical rail track 31 is in fact designed
as a double vertical rail track having two vertical
rails 34, 35, and on each of these rails a bow mani-
pulator 36, 37 is movably supported ~see also Figs.
4, 5 and 6). In Fig. 3 only one of the bow manipu-
lators is indicated and given reference numeral 36,
while Fig. 2 shows the other bow manipulator 37, in
fact only its rail track part.
In Fig. 2 the vertical rail track 31 is shown
extended. Dash-dot lines show a retracted position
for the rail track 31 inside a front room 38, which
may be closed by means of bow doors not shown.
The underwater vessel 10 is provided with four
telescopic legs 39. At the top these telescopic legs
are attached to the pressure hull 13, and at the
bottom they are each provided with a set of running
wheels 40, by means of which the underwater vessel
may rest on the rails 8 and 9 indicated in Figs, 2
and 3, see also Fig. 1.
When the underwater vessel is to be docked on
the rails 8, 9, one opens the cargo room doors 16,
18 and run the legs out for contact with the rails.
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Thereupon, one may, by means of the telescopic legs
39, adjust the position of the vessel on -the rail
track. The underwater vessel may be locked to the
rail track by means no-t shown, such as pivotable
claws or the like.
The underwater vessel may be provided with
equipment known per se and not shown, such as light
projectors, TV cameras etc., bu-t primarily the
intension is that an operator inside the pressure
hull 13 shall have direct visual control over the
manipula-tors. In order to make this possible, a
large acrylic window 41 is arranged in the nose of
the pressure vessel, see also Figs. 4 - 6. Further-
more, several large acrylic windows 42 are providedon the belly side (shown by broken lines).
A hydraulic, foldable crane is shown a-t 43.
Furthermore, the submarine also has side thrusters
44.
For driving the trolley carriage 20 any suit-
able motor may be used. Likewise, for raising and
lowering the lifting yoke 19 a suitable hoist may be
arranged in the trolley carriage 20. The lifting
yoke 19 may be a magnetic yoke or it may be provided
with hooks or other attachment means known per se
suitable~for cooperation with the equipment units 17.
Likewise, the frame 25 for the belly manlpulator 26
is provided with a suitable drive means for moving
along the rails 23, 24. The manipulators may be
electrically or hydraulically driven in a manner
known per se. The bow ports and the cargo room ports
may be opened and closed by means known per se, e.g.
by means of hydraulic operating cylinders or electri-
cally or hydraulically driven spindle mechanisms.
In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 it is shown how the bow
manipulators 36, 37 may be used for performing work
on a valve ~h~_~5. One sees that the operator
inside the ~P~cYre hull 13 has a direct view through
the acrylic window 41. The vertical rails 34, 35 may
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be moved horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the vessel,
as mentioned above. The manipulators 36, 37 themselves may be
moved vertically alony their rails 34, 35. In Figs. 4, 5 and 6
the manipulators 36, 37 are shown in different working positions,
and their respective working areas are indicated by the curved
dash-dot lines.
Fig. 7 shows how the underwater vessel 10 is provided
with a "tool box" 48, which from a position in the cargo room 15
may be "parked" in the front position, the lifting yoke 19 being
used for this relocation. The bow manipulator 37, and also the
belly manipulator 26 can etch/place tools in this unit 48. The
unit 48 may preferably be designed as a carrousel (not shown).
For further details regarding "containerization" of the
equipment units and the support of the module or equipment units,
reference is made to the concurrent Canadian patent application
Serial No. 494,356 mentioned above.
