Disconnectable turret mooring system with a rotatable turn table

• US 8,397,655 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Single Buoy Moorings of America Incorporated (Single Buoy Moorings)
• Original Assignee: Single Buoy Moorings of America Incorporated (Single Buoy Moorings)
• Inventors: Braud, Jean, Benoit, Jean Pierre, Melis, Cecile, Bauduin, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): VENNE, DANIEL V
• Application Number:
  US12/993,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20110061582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 114/230.1, 114/230.12, 114/230.13, 114/230.2, 114/293, 441 3- 5, 294/28
• US Class Current: 114/230.12
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/508 connected to submerged buoy mooring buoys per se B63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A vessel includes a hull, a shaft extending from an upper part of the hull to a bottom of the hull, a turret being rotatably supported in the shaft via a turret bearing, a manifold support structure carrying one or more conduits being rotatably supported on the turret via a manifold bearing. The turret includes a cavity for receiving a mooring buoy carrying one or more risers and one or more vertically displaceable actuation members near the manifold bearing for vertically displacing the manifold support structure relative to the turret between a rotational position in which the manifold support structure can rotate relative to the turret via the manifold bearing and a locked position in which the bearing support structure is rotationally locked relative to the turret.

Claims

1. Vessel (14) comprising a hull (3), a shaft (2) extending from an upper part (40) of the hull to a bottom (41) of the hull, a turret (1) being rotatably supported in the shaft via a turret bearing (4,5), a manifold support structure (31) carrying one or more conduits being rotatably supported on the turret via a manifold bearing (32), the turret comprising (1) a cavity (42) for receiving a mooring buoy (11) carrying one or more risers (12) and one or more vertically displaceable actuation members (33) near the manifold bearing (32) for vertically displacing the manifold support structure (31) relative to the turret (1) between a rotational position in which the manifold support structure (31) can rotate relative to the turret via the manifold bearing (32) and a locked position in which the bearing support structure (31) is rotationally locked relative to the turret.

2. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, wherein the turret bearing (4) is placed at an axial distance and a at a radial distance of at least 0.5 m from the manifold bearing (32), wherein a radial distance from a turret center line is larger for the turret bearing (4) than for the manifold bearing (32).

3. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, wherein the manifold bearing comprises bearing members that are displaceable in an axial direction relative to the bearing support structure (32).

4. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, wherein the manifold bearing (32) and/or the turret bearing (4) comprises a bogie wheel bearing.

5. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, comprising a drive member (52) for rotating the manifold support structure (31).

6. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, comprising a lifting device (20,45) that is placed on the hull with a cable (17) that extends through the cavity (42) to a weight (16) that is situated below the bottom (41) of the vessel, the mooring buoy (11) being attached to the cable (17), the mooring buoy carrying mooring lines (10) that are connected to a sea bed (19) and being receivable in the cavity (42) for coupling with the turret (1), the mooring buoy comprising a central shaft (44) through which the cable (17) passes, the buoy being movable relative to the cable (17) in a length direction of the cable, wherein the weight (16) is located on the cable at or below the buoy, a stopper (21) being provided on the cable for engaging with the buoy and for blocking relative movement of the buoy and the cable, the stopper being fixed to the cable near an upper or a lower end of the buoy.

7. Vessel (14) according to claim 6, wherein the buoy (11) comprises a buoyancy compartment (15) filled with a buoyancy material.

8. Vessel (14) according to claim 7 wherein the stopper (21) is attached to the buoy via a spring member (22).

9. Vessel (14) according to claim 6, wherein the buoy (11) is attached to the cable (17) via a spring member (22), the stopper (21) being situated below the buoy (11).

10. Vessel (14) according to claim 9, the weight (16) being situated at least partly inside the central shaft (44) of the buoy.

11. Vessel (14) according to claim 6, the weight (16) comprising a chain section.

12. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, comprising anchor legs (10) attached to the buoy (11) and to the seabed (19), each anchor leg being along its length attached to a floatation member (18).

13. Vessel (14) according to claim 1, the length of the cable (17) being such that in a disconnected state in which the buoy (11) is disconnected from the hull, the weight rests on the seabed (19).

15. Vessel (14) according to claim 2, wherein the manifold bearing (32) and/or the turret bearing (4) comprises a bogie wheel bearing.

16. Vessel (14) according to claim 3, wherein the manifold bearing (32) and/or the turret bearing (4) comprises a bogie wheel bearing.

17. Vessel (14) according to claim 7, wherein the mooring buoy (11) is attached to the cable (17) via a spring member (22), the stopper (21) being situated below the mooring buoy (11).

18. Vessel (14) according to claim 8, wherein the mooring buoy (11) is attached to the cable (17) via a spring member (22), the stopper (21) being situated below the mooring buoy (11).

14. Method of attaching a mooring buoy (11) comprising a number of risers (12) to a cavity (42) provided in a rotatable turret (1) near a bottom (41) of a hull (3) of a vessel (14), which turret is rotatably connected to the vessel via a turret bearing (4), the method comprising the steps of:

lifting a mooring buoy (11) towards the cavity by hauling in a line (17) that is attached to the mooring buoy (11) via a lifting device (20,45), the line extending through the turret to the lifting device,

establishing a disconnectable mechanical connection between the mooring buoy (11) and the cavity (42) to connect the mooring buoy (11) to the cavity (42),

providing a manifold (7) on a rotatable manifold turntable (31), which manifold turntable is supported on the turret in a non-rotating manner on a support surface, and comprises a manifold bearing (32),

lifting the manifold turntable (31) in an axial direction to be free from the support surface and engaging the manifold bearing (32) with a bearing support surface on the turret,

rotating a manifold support structure (31) to be aligned with the turret,

de-activating the manifold bearing (32) and lowering the manifold turntable (31) onto the support surface, and

establishing a fluid connection between riser ends (55,56) on the mooring buoy and the manifold (53,54) so that the mooring buoy (11) is attached to the vessel.