Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof – Structure protection
Patent
1985-06-28
1987-06-30
Husar, Cornelius J.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Marine structure or fabrication thereof
Structure protection
405216, E02D 560, E02D 3100
Patent
active
046766928
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to the inhibition of underwater growth.
Objects which are submerged in the sea for considerable periods are subject to marine growth. In the case of the support structure of oil and gas rigs, substantial marine growth is very disadvantageous, because its weight places extra stresses on the structure, and because it alters the original design profile so changing the design stress loading characteristics. The marine growth must therefore be removed from time to time, but removal constitutes a time consuming and therefore costly operation.
The present invention is concerned with the inhibition of underwater growth in a simple and convenient manner.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a device arranged to extend around an underwater body, the device being responsive to ambient water movement to move relative to the body so as to remove marine growth therefrom.
The invention also provides a method of removing underwater growth from an underwater body in which the body is surrounded by a device responsive to water movement to move over the surface of the body to thereby brush away any underwater growth that has settled on the surface. The body will typically be an elongate body, for example a circular cylindrical pipe, which will be encircled by the device of the invention and cleaned of underwater growth by axial and/or rotational movement of the device.
The device can comprise a ring or collar having external vanes or other propulsion configurations responsive to ambient water movements to cause movement of the ring or collar around and/or along the body about which it is placed. The propulsion vanes or fingers are preferably hinged to the collar, advantageously so as to lie substantially tangentially when located on one side of the body, thus presenting little drag, and so as to project outwardly on the other side, thus presenting a greater drag. When projecting outwardly, the vanes preferably extend subatntially radially and this position can be defined by a stop acting between each vane and the ring or collar. Axial movement of the device is obtained by providing the vanes with a twisted configuration or with a laterally extending tab or finger.
The ring or hoop may also be configured on its inner side so as to promote the displacement of growth from the surface of the surrounded body. The minimise the possibility of jamming of the device on the object, the inner surface of the ring or collar can be convex, for example, semi-circular or otherwise outwardly curved in radial cross-section.
The device can conveniently be manufactured of a suitable plastics material in the form of an elongate strip with spaced configurations by means of which the ends of an approrpriate length can be connected together to form a ring. The propulsion means of the device can be constituted by integral portions of such elongate strip material, the portions being partially separated from the adjacent material and hinged outwardly from it.
The device of the invention can conveniently be made in two materials of different specific gravities, so as to float and sink in water respectively. The propulsion configurations can be shaped and/or arranged so that the floating device tends to travel in a downward direction in response to the action of ambient tides and current, whilst the sinking device tends to travel upwardly. During still water conditions, the devices float and sink to end positions, normally defined by connections of the elongate body about which they extend to other elements of the structure, but on the resumption of water movement, they move towards each other, and brush off small and immature growth from the element as they do so. The provision of two such devices on each body or length of body ensures that, the cleaning effect is maintained by one should the other become detached.
The invention will be more readily understood from the following illustrative description and the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of material ready to be formed into a first d
REFERENCES:
patent: 1008669 (1911-11-01), Nixon
patent: 1036907 (1912-08-01), Reynolds
patent: 1134881 (1915-04-01), Lockwood
patent: 1266050 (1918-05-01), Reynolds
patent: 1279732 (1918-09-01), Lockwood
patent: 3352118 (1967-11-01), Burkhardt
patent: 4230423 (1980-10-01), Oshima et al.
patent: 4478533 (1984-10-01), Garrett
Husar Cornelius J.
Stodola Nancy J.
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