Ships – Mother ship – floating landing platform – and harbor
Patent
1983-01-17
1984-10-02
Blix, Trygve M.
Ships
Mother ship, floating landing platform, and harbor
244114R, B63B 3544
Patent
active
044741308
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a helicopter deck, preferably for use on offshore oil drilling/production platforms, of the type recited in the preamble of the appurtenant claim 1.
A helicopter deck of this type is known from applicant's Norwegian Pat. No. 146,532 issued Oct. 20, 1982. In accordance with the invention disclosed therein, the flammable or perhaps burning fluid or other substances are removed from the area underneath and around a helicopter which has crash-landed and conveyed to the peripheral regions of the helicopter deck. This is done by supplying large quantities of water from water discharge orifices in the central area of the helicopter deck, which flush said burning or combustible fluid and other substances away from the central area of the deck into a gutter surrounding the helicopter deck, which is provided with a plurality of down pipes in which the burning fluid will become extinguished due to lack of oxygen and run out with the water into the sea. The down pipes preferably extend almost to the surface of the water, and the great height of fall in the down pipes, assuming that the pipes have a sufficiently large cross section, will effect good drainage of the gutter around the helicopter deck.
In accordance with said patent, it is suggested that radially extending guide ribs be provided at the water discharge orifices for the purpose of ensuring a uniform distribution of the water flowing out over the surface of the deck. The deck surface may assume an inclined position owing to movements of the platform, and in the absence of such guide ribs, portions of the helicopter deck would obtain little or no flooding. This is particularly true when the supply of water has been reduced after the fire has been extinguished, water then being supplied only for the purpose of ensuring final removal of any dripping combustible liquid from the helicopter.
Other factors also affect the water flow. In high winds, the flow of water in a certain direction from the water discharge orifices might become weakened or partially cut off, because the force of the wind could cause the current of water to split so that some areas might not be sufficiently flooded, of head winds could drive a rather broad section of the water back toward the center of the deck.
Under certain conditions, for example if the crashed helicopter has landed off-center on the deck, it may be vital to direct all or a substantial portion of the water flow to one or more sectors of the deck where the helicopter is located, to ensure that enough water is provided at that location to flush flammable or burning fluids away from the helicopter.
The object of the present invention is to reduce the influence of wind on the flow of water from the central region of the deck, and to enable the flow of water to be controlled and guided to desired sections, i.e., sectors, of the deck. This is achieved in accordance with the present invention by means of the features recited in the characterizing clause of the appurtenant claim 1 and the succeeding claims.
By providing, in accordance with the invention, a grate comprising diagonally-disposed ribs spaced a distance above the surface of the deck, with the acute angle formed by the ribs and the surface of the deck facing toward the water discharge orifices in the central section of the deck, the force of the wind on the windward side of the deck, i.e., the side from which the wind is blowing, on the water flowing from the central section of the deck toward its periphery is substantially reduced, since the wind strikes against the inclined ribs and is deflected by these in a direction along the top surface of the ribs.
On the opposite side of the deck, the lee side, the wind will encounter the upper edge of the inclined ribs and may be guided down toward the surface of the deck and out toward the periphery of the deck, which will drive the flowing water outwardly toward the deck periphery and thus increase its rate of flow. In the sections or sectors of the deck which are crosswise to the wind directi
REFERENCES:
patent: 3063502 (1962-11-01), Lakind
patent: 3142460 (1964-07-01), Langford
patent: 4181179 (1980-01-01), Batte
patent: 4202646 (1980-05-01), Herstad
Blix Trygve M.
Sotelo Jesus D.
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