Locking device for a damping apparatus for a moon pool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9896161-B2
Application number	US-201615379381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2010
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a locking apparatus for a damping device of a moonpool, which can automatically lock and unlock an opened state of the damping device of the moonpool. The locking apparatus includes: one or more first locking members installed in a sidewall of the moonpool; one or more second locking members installed in a side of the damping device; and a holding unit separably holding the first locking members and the second locking members when the damping devices are in the opened state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A marine structure comprising:
a moonpool comprising a sidewall and a moonpool opening for accessing water under the marine structure;
a locking shaft arranged generally along a vertical direction;
an actuator configured to cause the locking shaft to move back and forth along the vertical direction;
a pair of guide plates attached to the sidewall and extending in parallel along the vertical direction with an elongated gap therebetween for accommodating a mid-portion of the locking shaft within the elongated gap;
a through-hole guide member attached to the sidewall above the guide plates in the vertical direction and comprising a through-hole configured to pass the locking shaft therethrough;
a moonpool door connected to the sidewall and configured to hingedly move between an open position and a close position, wherein the door is configured to stand against the sidewall at the open position and to face water at the close position;
the moonpool door comprising a slanted top located at the moonpool door's top and slanted relative to the sidewall to provide a space between the sidewall and the slanted top when the moonpool door is at its open position standing against the sidewall; and
a through-hole lock member comprising a through-hole and attached to the slanted top of the door, wherein when the moonpool door is at its open position standing against the sidewall, the through-hole of the through-hole lock member becomes aligned with the through-hole of the through-hole guide member along the vertical direction such that the through-hole of the through-hole lock member receives a tip portion of the locking shaft below the guide plates in the vertical direction.

2. The marine structure of claim 1 , wherein the through-hole guide member attached to the sidewall above the guide plates is referred to as a first through-hole guide member, wherein the marine structure further comprises a second through-hole guide member attached to the sidewall below the guide plates and comprising a through-hole configured to pass the locking shaft therethrough.

3. The marine structure of claim 2 , wherein the second through-hole guide member is located above the through-hole lock member when the moonpool door is at its open position standing against the sidewall.

4. The marine structure of claim 2 , wherein the second through-hole guide member is located below the through-hole lock member when the moonpool door is at its open position standing against the sidewall.

5. The marine structure of claim 2 , wherein the second through-hole guide member is located in the space provided between the sidewall and the slanted top when the moonpool door is at its open position standing against the sidewall.

Assignees

• Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine
• Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures Ltd

Inventors

• Yun Hae Sung
• Virk Gurbachan

Classifications

• B63B3/54 Primary

  Hatch openings · CPC title

• B63B19/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of ports, doors, windows, port-holes, or other openings or covers (scuppers B63B13/00; arrangements of watertight doors in bulkheads B63B43/24) · CPC title

• B63B3/14 Primary

  Hull parts (hull armour B63B3/10) · CPC title

• B63B2003/147

  Moon-pools, e.g. for offshore drilling vessels · CPC title

• B63B19/14

  Hatch covers (opening devices in general E05F) · CPC title