Reduced Moment Connection Foundation

• US 20150122167A1
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seahorse Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Seahorse Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Lunde, Peter Alan, Weisman, Bram David
• Application Number:
  US14/397,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20150122167A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 114/230.12
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2022/028 submerged, e.g. fitting into ship-borne counterpart with or without rotatable turret, or being releasably connected to moored vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/508 connected to submerged buoy mooring buoys per se B63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/02 specially adapted for mooring a vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/023 submerged when not in use container type buoys submerged when not in use, not adapted for mooring a vessel B63B22/28; connected to turret B63B21/508
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/026 and with means to rotate the vessel around the anchored buoy turrets B63B21/507
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A turret mooring system (1) is arranged on a vessel for receiving a mooring buoy (6). The turret mooring system includes a turret mooring structure (3) with a receptacle for the reception of the buoy, and at least one structural connector (10). The at least one structural connector secures the turret to the mooring buoy which is provided with at least one buoy locking system (7) for locking the mooring buoy (6). The buoy locking system is arranged with a base mount that connects the structural connector to the vessel. The base mount is arranged as an adjustable element for adjustment of the connection between the at least one structural connector and the vessel.

Claims

1. Turret mooring system (1) arranged on a vessel for receiving a mooring buoy (6), the turret mooring system comprising a turret mooring structure (3) with a receptacle for the reception of the buoy, and at least one structural connector (10) which secures the turret to the mooring buoy which is provided with at least one buoy locking system (7) for locking the mooring buoy (6), the buoy locking system being arranged with a base mount that connects the structural connector to the vessel, the base mount being an adjustable element for adjustment of the orientation and/or position of the connection between the at least one structural connector and the structure of the vessel during relative motion of the buoy with respect to the vessel.

2. Turret mooring system according to claim 1, wherein the base mount is a ring on which the at least one structural connectors are mounted.

3. Turret mooring system according to claim 1, wherein the base mount is a spherical bearing.

4. Turret mooring system according to claim 1, wherein the base mount comprises pads which are arranged to form a spherical support.

5. Turret mooring system according to claim 1, wherein the base mount is selected from a group connection elements comprising springs, elastomeric pad, and hydraulics.

6. Turret mooring system according to claim 1, wherein the base mount comprises a hydraulic connection element, wherein the hydraulic connection element is selected from a group comprising a toroidal bladder, a series of either bladders or pads and a series of hydraulic cylinders.

7. Turret mooring system according to claim 6, wherein either the bladders or the cylinders are arranged in series by hydraulic interconnections for hydraulic fluid.

8. Turret mooring system according to claim 7, wherein the hydraulic interconnections for hydraulic fluid are arranged in a free-flowing mode to maintain a substantially equal pressure in each of either the bladders or the cylinders.

9. Vessel comprising a hull (16) and a turret mooring system (1), wherein the turret mooring system (1) is rotatably suspended from the hull (16) of the vessel (2), the turret mooring system being in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

11. Turret mooring system according to claim 2, wherein the base mount is a spherical bearing.

12. Turret mooring system according to claim 2, wherein the base mount comprises pads which are arranged to form a spherical support.

13. Turret mooring system according to claim 5, wherein the base mount comprises a hydraulic connection element, wherein the hydraulic connection element is selected from a group comprising a toroidal bladder, a series of either bladders or pads and a series of hydraulic cylinders.

10. Method of mooring a vessel comprising a turret mooring system (1) to a mooring buoy (6), the turret mooring system (1) being arranged to receive the mooring buoy (6) and the turret mooring system (1) comprising a turret mooring structure (3) being rotatably suspended from the vessel (2);

the method comprising;

receiving the mooring buoy (6) into the turret mooring system (1),

locking the mooring buoy (6) so as to secure the turret to the mooring buoy by at least one structural connector (10) which is provided with at least one buoy locking system (7) for locking the mooring buoy (6),

arranging the at least one buoy locking system with a base mount that connects the structural connector to the vessel, the base mount being an adjustable element for adjustment of the orientation and/or position of the connection between the at least one structural connector and the structure of the vessel during relative motion of the buoy with respect to the vessel.