A VESSEL FOR LAYING OF FLEXIBLE TUBES DEEPLY INTO THE BOTTOM SEDIMENT OF SHALLOW LAKES AND SIMILAR WATERS

Abstract: In order to allow a laying of flexible tubes at as great a depth as about (7) metres below the surface of the sediment it is suggested according to the invention that the tube-laying vehicle comprises a vibratory tube-laying plough member adapted to be penetrated to a predetermined depth into the bottom sediment and to guide and pay-out at least one continuous tube fed from a supply in the hull portions.

Description: A VESSEL FOR LAYING OF FLEXIBLE TUBES DEEPLY INTO THE BOTTOM SEDIMENT OF SHALLOW LAKES AND SIMILAR WATERS i§£_9r2yDd_of_the_Inventi_on The present invention refers to a vessel for la ing of flexible tubes deeply into the bottom sedi¬ ment of shallow lakes and simi lar waters, said vessel being of so-called catamaran type and comprising two hull portions in mutually spaced parallel side-by-side rela ionship and a powered tube-laying vehicle mounted on caterpillar tracks for being driven over the sur¬ face of said bottom sediment and vertically ad ustably suspended from between said pair of hull portions. In SE C 8207501-1 has been suggested a method for storing of heat energy in the bottom sediment of shallow lakes. Normally, during the summer period the heat reaches to penetrate into a depth of about 2,5- 3,0 metres below the surface of the sediment but the ob ect of said method is to increase said heating depth by further 3-4 metres. For obtaining, this it is requested, however, that pipes for pumping through of the water of the lake can be laid as deep as about 7 metres below the surface of the bottom sediment. This relatively great depth has implied that neither pre¬ viously utilized equipments comprising simple ploughs can be used, nor such more complex devices as have been suggested e g in SE A 8302219-4. Thus there is a need of providing an essentially improved tube laying device particularly adapted for this purpose. The main object of the present invention now is to suggest such a device or vessel and the invention is substantially distinguished in that the tube-laying vehicle comprises a vibratory tube-laying plough mem- ber adapted to be penetrated into a predetermined depth into the bottom sediment and to guide and pay¬ out at least one continuous tube fed from a supply in the hull portions . O ing to the invention it is now made possible to lay tubes or pipes as deep as about 7 metres below the surface of the bottom sedi ent. By way of example, the nvention will be fur¬ ther described below with reference to the accompany¬ ing drawing, in which Fig 1 is a side elevational view of the vessel according to the invention and with the tube-laying vehicle lowered to the surface of the bottom sediment and being driven along the same with the tube-laying plough member penetrated into required depth in the sediment, Fig 2 is a rear elevational view of the vessel with the tube-laying vehicle in the same position as illustrated in Fig 1, Fig 3 is a side elevational view of the vessel with the tube- laying vehicle raised and the tube-laying plough mem¬ ber pivoted into inoperative position, while Fig 4 is a rear elevation of the vessel in the last-mentioned position. As illustrated in the drawing, a vessel for lay ng of flexible tubes deeply into the bottom sedi¬ ment of shallow lakes is of so-called catamaran type, i e having two hull portions 1a, 1b. On transverse beams 2 between said hull portions 1a and 1b is by means of wires 3 vertically adjustably suspended a tube-laying vehicle 4. Said vehicle is adapted to be driven on the surface 5 of the bottom sediment into which tubes are to be laid. For this purpose,the tube- laying vehicle 4 is provided with caterpillar tracks 6 and the power for driving said tracks is provided by means of hydraulic motors, not i llustrated. Said hydraulic motors are fed with pressurized hydraulic fluid through hydraulic conduits 7 from a non-i llust¬ rated hydraulic pump mounted in the hull portion 1b. Said pump is driven by a suitable main engine 8, pre¬ ferably in the form of a diesel engine. Said engine 8 also drives hydraulic pumps for powering of winches 9 with drums 10 on which said wires 3 are wound and thereby is provided for the raising and lowering movement of the tube-laying vehicle 4 relative the hull portions 1a and 1b. In Figs 2 and 4 of the drawing the caterpi llar tracks 6 have been i llustrated as being relatively narrow but it is obvious to the artisan that the width of the caterpi llar tracks is selected with regard to the possible surface pressure which the bottom sedi¬ ment can stand. The tube-laying vehicle 4 also carries a tube- laying plough member 12 which is adapted to be pene¬ trated under vibrations to desired depth in the bottom sediment and to pay-out at least one flexible tube 13. In the embodiment i llustrated said plough member con¬ sists of a leading knife-like portion 12a as seen in the direction of tube-laying and a rear tube-laying portion 12b, hingedly connected thereto and adapted to pay-out at the same time not less than three tubes mutually equally spaced vertically by 1,9 metres as counted from a greatest depth of about 7 metres from the sediment surface 5. Said tubes are stored wounded on rolls 14 supported in the hull portion 1a. Said tubes are unwound from the rolls 14 and carried down- wardly to the tube-laying vehicle and are thereby guided into the upper end of the plough portion 12 b and downwardly through the same for being paid out from the rear edge thereof at the predetermined laying depth. The vibratory movements of the plough member portion 12a are provided by means of a non-illustrated hydraulically driven vibrator means driven by hydraulic fluid through the conduits 7. In case the bottom sediment has a consistency too loose to provide for a reliable traction of the tube-laying vehicle 4, said vehicle also can be equipped with a non-illustrated hydraulic winch adap¬ ted to tow or draw the vehicle 4 along the sediment surface 5 with or without assistance of driving force from the caterpillar tracks. When preparing a heat storage for carrying out of the method according to SE C 8207501-1 or the like and consisting of a great number of parallel tubes in the bottom sediment, the vehicle is located at a pre¬ determined starting position of the tube-Laying and is aligned by means of known alignment means, not illust¬ rated, on a suitable course. After starting of the main engine the tube-laying vehicle is lowered by means of the wires 3 and then the plough member 12 is pivoted downwardly from its inoperative position and brought to penetrate into the bottom sedi ent under vibration. After that, the propulsion of the tube- laying vehicle 4 by means of the caterpillar tracks 6 is started and the vehicle 4 moves along the desired laying path while paying out the desired flexible tube or tubes 13 in the bottom sediment. Owing to the fact that the vessel has two buoyant hull portions 1a and 1b on the water surface and a self-propelled laying vehicle 4 on the bottom an exact trimming and adap¬ tation of the propulsion is allowed dependent on the consistency and character of the bottom sediment. This secures that the laying of the tubes 13 always will be exact and reliable. Should there be smaller obstacles in the form of loose stones or the like which the plough member 12 might hit under its motion through the sediment, they are easily moved to the side owing to the vibratory movements of the plough member.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. A vessel for laying of flexible tubes deeply into the bottom sediment of shallow lakes and similar waters, said vessel being of so-called catamaran type and comprising two hull portions in mutually spaced parallel side-by-side relationship and a powered tube- laying vehicle mounted on caterpillar tracks for being driven over the surface of said bottom sediment and vertically adjustably suspended from between said pair of hull portions, characterized in that the tube- laying vehicle comprises a vibratory tube-laying plo-ugh member adapted to be penetrated to a predeter¬ mined depth into the bottom sediment and to guide and pay-out at least one continuous tube fed from a supply in the hull portions. 2. A vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube-laying plough member comprises a leading portion as seen in the direction of tube- laying and a rear tube-laying portion, which is hingedly connected with the leading portion and adap¬ ted to si ultaneously pay out three continuous tubes with a predetermined vertical mutual spacing, said tubes being unwound from supply rolls in one of the hull portions and guided downwardly through the tube- laying portion in order to be paid out at the rear edge thereof. 3. A vessel according to claim 1 or 2, characte¬ rized in that the tube-laying vehicle is provided with hydraulic motors for -its propulsion by means of cater¬ pillar tracks, said hydraulic motors being adapted to be fed with pressurized hydraulic fluid from hydrau¬ lic pumps located in one of the hull portions and pre- ferably driven by an internal combustion engine through hydraulic conduits extending between said hull por¬ tion and the vehicle. 4. A vessel according to claim 3 and comprising a tube-laying vesse I . suspended from the hull portions under the intermediation of wires, characterized in that the wi res are vertically adjustable by means of winches which are hydraulically driven.

Inventors: GARDERYD HANS, GARDERYD, HANS (DECEASED)
Applicants: GARDERYD CHARLOTTE LEGAL REPRE, SEDENERGY AB, GARDERYD, CHARLOTTE (LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE OF GARDE
Application year: 1985
Main classification: F16L1
IPC codes: E02F5, F16L1, H02G1