Water intake system and floating vessel equipped with such a system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189553-B2
Application number	US-201615552881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a water intake system for a floating vessel in a body of water, which includes within the hull of the vessel an intake compartment for taking in water from the body of water and a distribution compartment for distributing and supplying the water to one or more consumer units within the floating vessel. The intake compartment is arranged below a lowest operational draught of the vessel and has an inlet in a bottom region of the intake compartment. The intake compartment is coupled by a conduit to the distribution compartment for allowing water to flow into the distribution compartment. The water intake system further includes a water lift hose that is connected to the inlet and is extendible below the hull of the vessel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water intake system for a floating vessel in a body of water, the water intake system comprising within the hull of the vessel:
an intake compartment for taking in water from the body of water and a distribution compartment for distributing and supplying the water to one or more consumer units within the floating vessel;
the intake compartment being arranged below a lowest operational draught of the vessel and having an inlet in a bottom region of the intake compartment, the intake compartment being in fluid communication with the distribution compartment for allowing water to flow into the distribution compartment;
the water intake system further comprising a water lift hose that is connected to the inlet and is extendible below the hull of the vessel,
wherein the water lift hose is suspended from a higher level of the vessel above the intake compartment through an internal opening in a top region of the intake compartment,
wherein the water lift hose comprises an open pipe section located in between the inlet and the internal opening of the intake compartment, and
wherein the open pipe section comprises an upper connector part for connection to a portion of the water lift hose above the intake compartment and a lower connector part for connection to a part of the water lift hose extending below the intake compartment, and the inlet is arranged with a seal for sealing the water lift hose at the lower connector part of the open pipe section.

2. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet is arranged in a substantially horizontal plane in the hull and the water lift hose extends vertically from the hull.

3. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the water lift hose is guided through a caisson between the higher level of the vessel and the internal opening of the intake compartment.

4. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the open pipe section is configured with an aperture for connecting an interior volume of the water lift hose with an interior volume of the intake compartment.

5. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the water lift hose is arranged as a string of a plurality of disconnectable hose sections.

6. The water intake system according to claim 5 , wherein the higher level of the vessel is arranged with handling facilities to add or to remove hose sections from the string of hose sections of the water lift hose.

7. The water intake system according to claim 1 wherein an external length of the water lift hose extending below the hull is configured as function of the operation mode of the vessel.

8. The water intake system according to claim 7 , wherein in a first operation mode the water lift hose is in retracted position with only strainers extending from the hull, and in a second operation mode the water lift hose extends below the hull of the vessel.

9. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the water intake system comprises a lifting device at the higher level of the vessel for vertically moving the water lift hose.

10. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein a water transporting conduit is arranged between the intake compartment and the distribution compartment and a valve is arranged in the conduit between the intake compartment and the distribution compartment for opening or closing the conduit.

11. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the intake compartment and the distribution compartment is configured to be drained when sealed from the body of water.

12. The water intake system according to claim 1 , wherein the water intake system is arranged in a sponson that is attached to a side of the vessel and that extends the hull of the vessel.

13. The water intake system according to claim 12 , wherein the intake compartment of the water intake system is within the sponson, and the inlet is positioned in a bottom region of the sponson.

14. A floating vessel selected from a group comprising a floating production and storage (FPSO) production unit and a floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) production unit, comprising a water intake system according to claim 1 .

15. The floating vessel according to claim 14 , wherein the floating vessel comprises at least one sponson that is attached or constructed to a side of the vessel, and the water intake system is arranged within a volume of the sponson.

Assignees

• Sbm Schiedam Bv
• Single Buoy Moorings

Inventors

• Portier Douwe Barend
• Van Sonsbeek Joost Wouter

Classifications

• B63B35/44

  Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices {(construction methods for floating offshore platforms B63B75/00)} · CPC title

• B63B2035/448

  Floating hydrocarbon production vessels, e.g. Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels [FPSO] · CPC title

• E21B43/01

  specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations · CPC title

• E21B17/01

  Risers · CPC title

• B63J2/00 Primary

  Arrangements of ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning (for submarines B63G8/00; ventilating for cleaning tanks B63B57/04; for vehicles in general B60H) · CPC title