A VESSEL, ESPECIALLY A DRILLSHIP, PROVIDED WITH A MOON POOL

• US 20180162490A1
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gustomsc B.V. (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gustomsc Resources B.V. (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: HENDRIKS, Sjoerd Maarten, KRIJGER, Jan-Willem, CHALKIAS, Dimitrios
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/20 having more than one planing surface B63B1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/32 Other means for varying the inherent hydrodynamic characteristics of hulls
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2003/147 Moon-pools, e.g. for offshore drilling vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/44 Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices construction methods for floating offshore platforms B63B75/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/10 Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls

Abstract

The invention relates to a vessel, especially a drillship or so-called drilling ship. The vessel comprises a hull having a bottom surface and a deck. Said vessel is provided with a moon pool, which extends from said bottom surface of the hull in an upward direction through the hull. Further, said vessel is provided with a cavity located at a rear side of the moon pool. Said cavity is at least partly open at a front side to allow water to flow from said moon pool directly into said cavity. Further, said cavity is at least partly open at a bottom side to allow water to flow out of said second cavity. The cavity is defined at least partly by means of a trailing wall sloping downwards in a rearward direction and at least partly by means of a ceiling connecting a rear wall of the moon pool with said downwardly sloping trailing wall.

Claims

1. A vessel, comprising a hull having a bottom surface and a deck, wherein said vessel is provided with a moon pool extending from said bottom surface of the hull in an upward direction through the hull, wherein the vessel is further provided with a cavity located at a rear side of the moon pool, wherein said cavity is at least partly open at a front side of said cavity in order to allow water to flow from said moon pool directly into said cavity, and wherein said cavity is at least partly open at a bottom side thereof in order to allow water to flow out of said cavity, wherein the cavity is at least partly defined by means of a trailing wall sloping downwards in a rearward direction, e.g. in a direction substantially extending from the moon pool towards a portion of the bottom surface of the hull located at a rear side of the moon pool, wherein the cavity is at least partly defined by means of a ceiling connecting a rear wall of the moon pool with the downwardly sloping trailing wall.

2. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the rear wall of the moon pool is located below the water line during use, e.g. during sailing.

3. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein, at the location where a lower end of the downwardly, preferably substantially vertically, extending rear wall of the moon pool is connected with a front edge of the ceiling, a corner is formed which points into the water during use of the vessel, wherein said corner during use can act as breakwater.

4. The vessel according to claim 3, wherein said corner is free of a substantial rounding off and free of a substantial bevel.

5. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling extends from front to back in a substantially straight manner and/or in substantially horizontal direction, e.g. a direction deviating less than 15°

from a horizontal direction and/or from a longitudinal direction or longitudinal axis of the vessel.

6. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling extends from its port side to its starboard side in a substantially straight manner and/or in a substantially horizontal direction, e.g. a direction deviating less than 15°

from a horizontal direction and/or from a transverse axis of the vessel.

7. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling forms substantially straight plane.

8. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the length of the ceiling seen in the longitudinal direction of the vessel is smaller than the width of the ceiling, preferably said width being at least two times, more preferably at least three or even four times larger than said length.

9. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the connection between the downwardly sloping trailing wall and the bottom surface of the hull, or at least a part and preferably substantially the complete downwardly trailing wall, is formed by a fillet, spline or any continuous curve.

10. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the vessel is a drillship or so-called drilling ship.

11. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein a front wall of the moon pool extends further downwards than a rear wall of said moon pool.

12. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the moon pool extends substantially up to the bottom surface of the hull.

13. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is further provided with a second cavity located at a front side of the moon pool, wherein said second cavity, or front cavity, is at least partly open at a bottom side thereof in order to allow water to flow into said cavity, and wherein said cavity is at least partly open at a rear side of said cavity in order to allow water to flow directly from said cavity into the moon pool.

14. The vessel according to claim 13, wherein the second cavity is at least partly defined by means of a leading wall sloping upwards in a direction substantially extending from a portion of the bottom surface of the hull located at a front side of the moon pool towards the moon pool,

preferably wherein the connection between said upwardly sloping leading wall of the front cavity and the bottom surface of the hull, or at least a part and preferably substantially the complete upwardly sloping leading wall, is formed by a fillet, spline or any continuous curve, and/or wherein the connection between said upwardly sloping leading wall of the front cavity and the front wall of the moon pool is substantially formed as an edge, especially a relatively sharp edge.

15. The vessel according to claim 13,

wherein the front cavity is at least partly defined by means of a ceiling extending substantially horizontally and a front wall extending substantially upwardly from the bottom surface of the hull towards said ceiling of the front cavity,

preferably wherein the connection between the front wall of the front cavity and the bottom surface of the hull is substantially formed as an edge, especially a relatively sharp edge, and/or the front cavity has a length measured from the front wall of said cavity to the front wall of the moon pool, which length is greater than a height of said front cavity measured from the level of the bottom surface of the hull to the ceiling of said front cavity.

16. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein the first cavity and/or the second cavity is flaring outwardly.

17. Use of a vessel according to claim 1, wherein the use comprises sailing with said vessel, especially while keeping the moon pool of said vessel open.