Buoyancy device for very deep water and production method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167061-B2
Application number	US-201615549450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 9, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A buoyancy device (1) comprises a support structure 2, which can be connected to an underwater application (3) and one or more buoyancy spheres (4) having a specific weight of less than 500 kg/m3 connected to the support structure (2) and having a light metal spherical shell (5) defining a spherical inner volume (6) and which has an outer diameter (d) greater than 0.5 cm, and a radial thickness (t) greater than 0.08 mm, wherein the spherical shell (5) is obtained in one piece in nano-crystalline metal with an average grain size of less than 1000 nanometers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A buoyancy device, comprising:
a support structure which can be connected to one of an underwater installation and an underwater vehicle,
one or more buoyancy spheres connected to the support structure, said buoyancy spheres having a specific weight of less than 500 kg/m 3 , and a metal spherical shell defining a spherical inner volume and which has an outer diameter greater than 0.5 cm, and a radial thickness greater than 0.08 mm, wherein the spherical shell is obtained in one piece in nano-crystalline metal with an average grain size of less than 1000 nanometers.

2. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the spherical shell is obtained by deposition of metal nano-particles along a predetermined spherical geometry.

3. The buoyancy device according to claim 2 , wherein the spherical shell is obtained by deposition of electrodeposition of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

4. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the nano-crystalline metal of the spherical shell has a particle size substantially without an amorphous phase.

5. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer diameter of the spherical shell ranges between 0.5 cm and 10.16 cm, and the radial thickness of the spherical shell ranges from 0.08 mm to 5 mm.

6. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a polymeric matrix which houses a plurality of said buoyancy spheres.

7. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises at least one flexible net forming seats which receive the buoyancy spheres.

8. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises at least one grid-shaped rigid frame which connects seats which receive the buoyancy spheres together.

9. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises grouping seats, each of which receives a plurality of said buoyancy spheres.

10. The buoyancy device according to claim 8 , wherein said seats form cavities with a substantially spherical curvature.

11. The buoyancy device ( 1 ) according to claim 8 , wherein the seats can be reversibly opened and accessed for the replacement of the buoyancy spheres.

12. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said support structures which are configured as modules which are reversibly connectable together.

13. The buoyancy device according to claim 12 , wherein said modules are stackable and have one of an egg-box and ball-grid-box shape.

14. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy spheres comprise smaller buoyancy spheres and larger buoyancy spheres of different dimensions than the smaller buoyancy spheres, and the smaller buoyancy spheres and the larger buoyancy spheres are positioned in the support structure so that the smaller buoyancy spheres fill interspaces between the larger buoyancy spheres.

15. The buoyancy device according to claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy spheres are externally coated by a protective layer suitable to attenuate impacts.

16. A method of producing a buoyancy device, comprising:
producing one or more buoyancy spheres having a specific weight of less than 500 kg/m 3 , and a metal spherical shell defining a spherical inner volume and which has an outer diameter greater than 0.5 cm and a radial thickness greater than 0.08 mm,
connecting said one or more buoyancy spheres to a support structure for a connection to underwater installations or underwater vehicles,
obtaining the spherical shell in one piece by deposition of metal nano-particles along a predetermined spherical geometry.

17. A buoyancy device, comprising:
a support structure with can be connected to one of an underwater installation and an underwater vehicle,
one or more buoyancy spheres connected to the support structure, said buoyancy spheres having a specific gravity of less than 500 kg/m 3 , and a metal spherical shell defining a spherical inner volume and which has an outer diameter greater than 0.5 cm and a radial thickness greater than 0.08 mm, wherein the spherical shell is obtained in one piece in a metal alloy having:
an elastic module E greater than 68 GPa, and
a yield stress σy greater than 680 MPa, and
a density of less than 3000 Kg/m 3 .

Assignees

• Saipem Spa

Inventors

• Bregonzio Valerio
• Scaini Cristian

Classifications

• B63B43/14

  using outboard floating members · CPC title

• C23C18/1653

  Two or more layers with at least one layer obtained by electroless plating and one layer obtained by electroplating · CPC title

• C25D5/18

  Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current · CPC title

• C23C18/38

  Coating with copper · CPC title

• C23C18/32

  Coating with nickel, cobalt or mixtures thereof with phosphorus or boron (C23C18/50 takes precedence) · CPC title