WO2013157978A1

WO2013157978A1 - A self-propelled system of cleanup, inspection and repairs of the surface of vessel hulls and underwater objects

Info

Publication number: WO2013157978A1
Application number: PCT/RU2012/000304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Evgeny Igorevich ESAULOV
Original assignee: Esaulov Evgeny Igorevich
Priority date: 2012-04-19
Filing date: 2012-04-19
Publication date: 2013-10-24

Abstract

The invention relates to measuring and remotely-operated robotic systems for maintenance, repairs, and periodic inspection of hulls surfaces, hydraulic and oil-and-gas infrastructures, and it can be applied to precise diagnostic of deformations, chipping, visible cracks, cavities, and any other defects situated on the surface or inside the inspected objects, as well as to ensure maintenance, repairs, installation of additional equipment, grouting, and other complex above-water and underwater work operations, including works performed in the remote control mode. The system represents a remotely-operated vehicle designed to work in both environments with installed hold-down propelling thrusters and tracked-wheeled drives to horizontal and vertical movements along the surface. The carrier is designed with option to be equipped by at least one autonomous unit, which can be a manipulator module, and/or a research module, and/or an operation module, can be placed on the vehicle itself.

Description

A SELF-PROPELLED SYSTEM OF CLEANUP, INSPECTION AND REPAIRS OF THE SURFACE OF VESSEL HULLS AND UNDERWATER OBJECTS

The invention relates to measuring and remotely-operated robotic systems for maintenance, repairs, and periodic inspection of hulls surfaces, and as well as hydraulic and oil-and-gas infrastructures, namely to a variety of self-propelled robotic systems, providing precision inspections, including methods of non-destructive testing, photo and video shooting, profiling underwater, preferably arranged vertically, and with the surface facilities being at any slant, and it can also be applied to automate technological operations with reference to geographical and local coordinates, namely surface cleanup, precise diagnostic of deformations, chipping, visible cracks, cavities, and any other defects situated on the surface or inside the inspected objects, as well as to ensure maintenance, repairs, installation of additional equipment, grouting, and other complex above-water and underwater work operations, including works performed in the remote control mode.

The known underwater vehicle (RU, Patent 2101210) with increased manoeuvrability, used to inspect underwater objects and the ocean bed, has a streamlined body and a propulsion system, comprising a group of athwartship bow thrusters and a group of three or four stern sustainers reverse thrusters. Reversible water-jet propulsion devices are mounted as sustainers thrusters installed in the rear section of the hull with water-jet pipes, the input and output stub-pipes of the thrusters are rigidly fixed to the body of the vehicle. Input stub-pipes are deflected from the longitudinal axis at an angle of 20 ÷ 50°, whereas the output stub-pipes are installed at an angle of 0 ÷ 25° to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Inlets of the input stub-pipes of the sustainers thrusters should preferably form an annular slit on perimeter of vehicle in cross sectional view. Guide plates should preferably be installed in the output stub-pipes of water-jet stern sustainers thrusters with their chords inclined towards the longitudinal axis of the vehicle at an angle of 5 ÷ 30°.

The known underwater vehicle (RU, Patent 2116930), applying for inspecting underwater objects and the ocean bed, contains a supporting structure, strong waterproof enclosures, buoyancy units, and fairings. The fairings are made as four identic sections of the streamlined shell with jointing planes, passing through the longitudinal axis of. the vehicle, and oriented in pairs towards the horizontal and vertical transverse axes of the vehicle. The supporting structure has fairings, which are filled with damage- proof floating material and interconnected by rigid terminal elements, and which are oriented towards the vertical transverse axis of the vehicle. The fairings, oriented towards the horizontal transverse axis of the vehicle, are made of easily removable and installed between rigid terminal elements and the fairings, are oriented towards the vertical transverse axis of the apparatus. Buoyancy units, in which other strong waterproof casings are arranged, are installed between the fairings.

Both of these known vehicles have two disadvantages: the lack of any research equipment, as well as their fundamental unsuitability to perform above said repairs. The closest analogue of the developed design can be found in the deepwater, unmanned, survey micro-vehicle (RU, Patent 33550), containing an underwater unit, which consists of a carrier with an electronic control unit, at least one power thruster, a television camera, an illuminator, and at least one cable accumulator, as well as the above-water unit, containing a console, a power source, a screen for presenting underwater information, and a cable connecting the underwater and above-water units. The underwater unit also contains a multifunctional assembly, consisting of at least two well-spaced seats, located near each other at any angle, designed for at least one transmitter and/or at least one radiation detector, and/or at least one manipulator grip, and/or at least one sampling probe, and/or at least one pressure sensor, and/or depth sensor, and/or at least one water parameter sensor, and/or at least one gas analyzer, and/or at least one sensor detecting underwater objects. At least one couple of additional power thrusters is located on the underwater unit. The scheme of the electronic control unit is designed so that, under command of the operator's console, it emits signals to the manipulator grip, which grasps the object and/or the sample, and to the power thrusters, whose propeller screws spin in one direction or in the opposite direction according to the sequence commanded by the operator. At least one power thruster is hermetically sealed without rope packing. In this case, all the signals from the above- water unit to the underwater unit, and from the underwater unit to the above-water unit, are transmitted at different frequencies through one core cable.

The disadvantage of this vehicle consists in its impossibility to perform any repair work, as well as a lack of self-orientation in space, and limited movements on the surface under study. All of the fore-mentioned facts limit the capabilities of this known vehicle.

The technical task, to be resolved by the proposed technical solution, is to provide robotic technological operations for underwater and surface surveys of stationary and moving objects with regard to various internal and external damages, fatigue deformations and fault detection, including methods of nondestructive testing, reconstructive repairs, and the implementation of other technical work operations, including works in the remote control mode, namely grouting, drilling, boring, wet welding, cleaning, assembly, machining, fixing and assembly work, etc.

The technical results should consist in increasing the safety of river and marine facilities with hydraulic engineering and oil and gas infrastructures for different purposes, by means of objective remote controlled defining defective parts of structures and the type of damages, time stepping, and providing well-timed and quality maintenance and repair work, and as well as improving safe operations and the propulsion of vessels, by means of well timed cleanup and reconstructive repairs of their surfaces.

To obtain the above stated technical result we offer to use the remote controlled robotic self-propelled system.

This developed system comprises a remotely-operated carrier, which has a frame body, made so that it can be connected to similar bodies, and equipped with hold-down propelling thrusters to provide its hold-down while underwater working, and designed to carry at least one autonomous device, which should be at least a manipulation module, and/or a research module, and/or a module to carry out technical works, and the space between the thrusters may measure more than one meter.

These hold-down propelling thrusters are installed in/on the vehicle's carrier. During work operations, the hold-down is formed due to the strong flow of water, which is carried in the opposite direction, away from the object, and so, ensures the hold-downs of the carrier to underwater object's surface which should be inspected and/or treated regardless of the vehicle's orientation in space. In addition to the hold-down thrusters situated on the carrier, it is preferable to have wheeled/tracked drives installed, thus ensuring that the carrier can perform vertical movements along the surface.

Some versions of the developed vehicle include a manipulator module, which may contain at least a hydraulic/electromechanical manipulator, a control subsystem, a pumping station, and a power unit. Preferably, the unit should be powered through a cable, which transmits electricity from the coastal/vessel generator to the carrier.

Some versions of the developed vehicle include a research module, which may contain at least measurement, information, and detection equipment. The type of equipment depends on the actual tasks. In particular, the research module may contain technical equipment for non-destructive technical control, virtual laser restoration of the surface, radiological measurement, or photo and video systems.

It is preferable to use a module performing technical work operations, which should have automatic welding, cutting, and grinding systems, but not exclusively.

In order to lower the vehicle into the water, it is preferable to dispose of a coastal or the vessel's pulling-and-running mechanisms. The type of mechanism depends on the operating conditions of the system, as well as the complete remote control set designed for the vehicle.

The system may also include a universal transport and operational container with control and information storage subsystems, which will ensure that the elements of the system are transported and stored safely.

In some cases, the system can be additionally equipped with a hydraulic mechanism to ensure the positioning of measuring devices at the proper distance from the inspected surface.

Since the developed system is designed to perform work operations on local areas of a vessel's hull or a hydraulic structure without moving for long distances, it is preferably to provide for an inertial navigation subsystem.

The system can be implemented so that it can move along pre-stretched ropes, similar to moving swinging platforms, without using track drives.

Depending on the tasks, as well as their performance conditions, these vehicles can be designed so that their size and configuration can be changed.

The system can be used on infrastructures and moving objects both underwater and above water. Depending on the environment, the module is lowered by a pulling-and-running mechanism, which is both required and suitable for the specific task. The vehicle is capable to use its own propulsion system for vertical movements.

Depending on the type of work operations and the work environment, i.e. underwater or above-water environment, the module structure of the lowering part is configured separately.

The fact that several underwater carriers can be connected to make a single extended structure will significantly improve the performance of the developed system.

Elements of the system are examined more in detail below.

The system represents a combination of measuring and/or operating devices on a composite configurable self-propelled carrier, capable to operate in two types of environment, i.e. able to work in water or in the atmosphere, and possibly designed as a multi-sectional, remotely-operated vehicle with variable buoyancy, and with hold-down propelling thrusters to hold down to an inspecting object and fix automatically on it, while carrying out underwater works, and reduce loads on the cable system as well, and depending on the assigned tasks the carrier can be equipped with at least following autonomous mechanisms:

an operation module with hydraulic/electro-mechanical manipulators, a control system, a pumping station, if necessary, and a power unit and other facilities,

research modules with measurement, information, and detection equipment, including equipment for non-destructive engineering controls, laser, X-ray, and ultrasound equipment for scanning surfaces, equipment for radiological measurements, photo and video equipment, and other systems,

a module to carry out technical works on welding, cutting, grinding, and other types of operations.

The list of carrier' equipment is not limited. Depending on the assignments, as well as their performance conditions, other modules, which are not specified in the list, and separate units of equipment or devices can be installed on the carrier.

As noted previously, the system can be equipped with its own coastal or the vessel's pulling-and-running mechanism, universal transport and operational containers with control and information storage subsystems, and any other mechanisms required for the functioning of subsystems.

The system is equipped with a hydraulic mechanism, which enables to position the measuring instruments at the required distance from the surface under study, and its own propulsion system for implementing the hold-down to the surface underwater by propelling thrusters, and allowing vertical movements along the surface by track-wheeled drives.

Preferably the system represents a basic carrier with devices, technical equipment and attachments, manipulators, stops and grips, telescopic and/or hydraulic facilities, which are autonomous and easy replaceable, and even at sites where the modules, installed on the platform, are operating. However, list of equipment for the carrier can be different, depending on the assigned tasks.

The developed carrier solutions ensure despotic, programmed, or controlled by the operator displace of any modules along directional elements, which are mounted on the carrier, or are elements integrated in its design, by means of properly-outfitted propulsion devices, ensuring their movement. This allows you to increase the work area on the surface of the object without changing the location of the vehicle itself.

If an additional underwater navigation system is not deployed, the navigation system of the complex can be considered inertial.

Applying the remote control mode, the operator makes use of the coastal/vessel's control unit to navigate the mobile underwater platform along the site of the object of interest, thus obtaining required visual information on the monitor.

Using the proposed system allows you to thoroughly examine the object through visual, laser, acoustic, and other means, and to clean up the surface, without having to use divers, who would be risking their health and lives.

Areas where this invention can be applied: underwater parts of sea or river vessel facilities, hydraulic engineering and oil and gas infrastructures, hydraulic power plants dams, as well as mooring walls, lock chambers, artificial mounds and reinforced concrete constructions, dams, canals, and other waterways, underwater bodies of floating semi-submersible drilling rigs and submersible oil and gas platforms, etc.

Claims

Patent Claim

1. A universal self-propelled system of cleanup, inspection and reconstructive repairs of the surface of vessel hulls, as well as of hydraulic engineering and gas and oil infrastructures, characterized by the fact that the system is a remotely-operated vehicle, with a frame body, made so that the front and rear parts can be connected to similar bodies, with hold-down propelling thrusters installed to enable the vehicle to hold down while underwater working, and the vehicle designed to carry at least one autonomous device, which should be at least a manipulator module, and/or a research module, and/or an operation module, and the space between the thrusters is over one meter.

2. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the manipulator module comprises at least a hydraulic/electromechanical manipulator, a control subsystem, a pumping station, and a power unit.

3. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the research module comprises at least measurement, information, and detection equipment.

4. The system of claim 3 characterized in that the research module comprises equipment for non-destructive technical controls, laser, X-ray, and ultrasound equipment for scanning of surfaces, equipment for performing radiological measurements, and photo and video systems.

5. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the module to perform technical work operations contains facilities for automatic welding, cutting, grinding, boring, drilling, etc.

6. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it can be equipped with an additional coastal or the vessel's pulling-and running mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it has an additional universal transport and operational container with control and information storage subsystems.

8. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it is additionally equipped with a hydraulic mechanism to ensure the positioning of measuring devices at the proper distance from the inspected surface.

9. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it additionally has a propulsion system, represented by tracked/wheeled drives, in order to enable the vehicle to perform horizontal and vertical movements on the surface.

10. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it additionally has an inertial navigation subsystem.

11. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the size and configuration of the vehicle can be changed by connecting other carriers.

12. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it is adapted to work in conjunction with any navigational, information, and technical facilities, which function in variable wetting zones, in order to ensure accurate positioning, and the possibility of switching electrical signals and power lines.

13. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it is adapted to possible movements by using pre-stretched ropes, without applying tracked/wheeled drives.

14. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the carrier can be produced with variable buoyancy.