Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure relate, generally, to marine evacuation systems usable to launch escape vessels from facilities, such as fixed or mobile offshore oil and gas facilities, and more specifically, to conduits and methods for accessing escape vessels from facilities while protecting users thereof from emergent conditions, such as heat, explosion, fire, or capsizing of the facility.
Evacuation during an emergent situation from an offshore vessel or facility, such as an oil and gas platform, is primarily accomplished using davit or freefall lifeboats, which are mandated by international (e.g., IMO SOLAS) and various national laws. To enable evacuation of personnel that are unable to access the lifeboats in an emergent situation (e.g., fire, explosion, etc.), an alternative “secondary” means of evacuation is also typically provided, which can include throw-over, self-righting life rafts, mounted at all deck levels around a facility. Other alternative means can include evacuation systems having an open-mesh stocking and/or chute connecting a deck of a facility to an open-boarding raft located at sea level, the open-boarding raft having multiple life rafts connected thereto. Use of an open-mesh stocking is preferred to minimize wind resistance and the potential for wind to displace a deployed chute; however, personnel descending through an open-mesh stocking are unprotected from smoke, direct flame envelopment, and high heat flux, which are common emergent situations that require evacuation. Such hazards associated, for example, with an offshore oil and gas facility, can include a fire with accompanying dense toxic and/or asphyxiating combustion products, explosion followed by fire and smoke, major gas release, or combinations thereof It is also common for personnel to become caught and/or injured in the open-mesh material. Incapacitation of an evacuee within an escape chute by these or other hazards can prevent further evacuation by blocking the chute. Further, if an emergency causes a vessel or facility to capsize or otherwise reach a non-vertical orientation, the possibility exists for evacuees to become trapped in the chute.
Once an individual reaches an open boarding raft, other potential dangers exist, due to the fact that an open boarding raft provides no protection from waves or weather, which creates the potential for individuals to be washed overboard, slip and fall into the sea, or fall between the boarding raft and life raft during the cross-boarding process. Additionally, each of the separate life rafts must be pulled into an open boarding raft and tied off, which is a hazardous undertaking, especially during moderate to severe weather conditions. Also, by evacuating personnel into multiple life rafts the personnel are dispersed and therefore more difficult to recover following and emergent situation.
A need exists for conduits and methods that protect personnel from emergent conditions, such as flames, heat, and smoke, during an evacuation process, and also reduce the potential for entanglement and/or injury while traversing a conduit.
A need also exists for conduits and methods that reduce or eliminate the possibility of an individual becoming trapped while traversing a conduit.
A further need exists for conduits that are both deployable and boardable, from the deck of a facility, and that transit directly to an escape vessel, without requiring cross-boarding or similar hazardous undertakings.
Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure meet these needs.
Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure relate to conduits (e.g., vertical telescoping escape chutes) usable with offshore marine evacuation systems. An embodiment includes a chute body formed from a close-knit material, such as Kevlar Raschel Warp Knit (e.g., composed 100% from Kevlar29, available from DuPont, which is a 1000 denier material). The body of the conduit can be formed into a tubular (e.g., cylindrical) shape, such as through use of Kevlar thread, marine-grade polyvinylchloride, or similar materials. In an embodiment, the conduit can be modular and/or extendable, through attachment of multiple sections (e.g., 48-inch tubular sections, attachable end-to-end). Between adjacent sections, the conduit can include a connecting member, such as a stainless steel hoop (e.g., a 42-inch diameter hoop). The chute body can be supported using ropes, cables, or similar elongate members, which in an embodiment, can include 4600 lb-rated Kevlar ropes, with turned and spliced looped ends connected to each hoop or similar connector between sections of conduit, through use of appropriate connectors and/or fasteners (e.g., 5000 lb-rated 316-grade stainless steel shackles).
Integration of ropes and/or cables directly into the chute body provides the conduit with a high degree of vertical load bearing capacity, which enables a stable chute having longer lengths than what is conventionally possible, and enabling a larger number of personnel to traverse the conduit at one time. Use of Kevlar or similar close-knit and/or heat resistant materials can provide a barrier to protect personnel from heat flux and other extreme temperatures. In an embodiment, at least a portion of the conduit (e.g., the upper portion thereof that would be exposed to emergent conditions from a facility) can include an outer and/or inner sheath that protects personnel from fire, gas, smoke, and/or other similar hazards. In an embodiment, a portion of the conduit (e.g., the sheath and/or the upper portion thereof) can include a light source, such as a ribbon light rated for use in a flammable environment (Zone I, Div I, Class I), to illuminate the conduit. Such a light source can be powered using a contained battery and/or a power source available from the facility.
In an embodiment, the interior of the conduit can be provided with slide sections, which can be oriented such that adjacent sections of the conduit include slides having opposing angles relative to each adjacent section, such that users traversing the conduit move in a “zig-zag” motion, enabling users to transit through the conduit in a controlled manner (e.g., through one section/cell at a time). In a further embodiment, at least one, and potentially, all sections of the conduit can be provided with a discrete escape panel, such that if the conduit becomes blocked, a user becomes stuck, and/or the facility capsizes or otherwise orients in a non-vertical direction, personnel will be able to exit the chute independent of their location within.
As such, embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure can reduce the exposure of personnel to heat, smoke, gas, and flames, while reducing the potential for becoming caught and/or trapped, both due to the use of a close-knit material and the placement of escape panels.
The conduit can include a telescoping chute, able to be stored within a container and/or frame positioned at a facility, and deployed from the level of the facility deck to the level of a body of water below. In an embodiment, an end of the chute can be engaged with a platform removably attached to an escape vessel (e.g., an inflatable life raft), such that personnel that transit through the conduit can move directly from the facility deck to the escape vessel, without requiring use of an open-boarding raft or similar hazardous undertakings. After boarding, the platform can be detached from the life raft, such as through disengagement of quick disconnect pins and/or clamps, enabling the raft to float free of the escape chute and away from a hazard. The escape chute and/or platform can then be recovered for reuse, such as through use of a winch or similar mechanism.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an implementation of apparatus consistent with the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain advantages and principles consistent with the invention.
Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure relate to conduits (e.g., escape chutes) and methods usable with evacuation systems. A specific embodiment can include a telescoping chute, formed from close-knit Kevlar or a similar durable, close-knit material, that can be stored, e.g., in a container, skid, and/or frame in a folded/retracted position, that can be extended from the deck of a facility (e.g., an oil and gas platform, a vessel, etc.) to a body of water below. For example, a pneumatic winch and associated cables, pulleys, accumulators, drum, and structural supports can be used to raise/lower the conduit, though other mechanisms can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The end of the conduit remote from the facility can be engaged to a platform, the platform having an escape vessel (e.g., an inflatable life raft) engaged thereto, such that after deployment of the conduit, personnel can transit through the conduit from the facility directly to the escape vessel. The escape vessel can be detached from the platform to enable movement of the vessel away from the facility and/or any associated hazards. A stabilization system (e.g., cable tensioning cans) can also be provided in association with the conduit and deployed concurrently with the remainder of the system.
Embodiments of the conduit can include modular sections, attachable (e.g., end-to-end), with connectors (e.g., stainless steel hoops) therebetween, while stabilization cables (e.g., high tensile strength Kevlar cables) can connect each section of the conduit to provide strength thereto. The cables can further be connected to the stabilization system, such that the weight of the stabilizing members (e.g., tensioning cans) of the stabilization system maintain the cables and conduit in a generally vertical orientation. Internal slide panels can be arranged in an opposing, e.g., “zig-zag” pattern along which personnel can transit, while one or multiple sections of the conduit can include escape panels for enabling personnel to exit the conduit when downward transit through the interior of the conduit and/or along the slide is not possible or becomes undesirable.
With reference to
Between each adjacent section (4), a connector (5) is shown, the depicted connectors including a ring or hoop-shaped structure having a diameter generally equal to that of the conduit (1). In an embodiment, the connectors (5) can include stainless steel hoops, e.g., 316-grade stainless steel, having a width of about 0.75 inches, and a diameter of about 42 inches. Stabilization cables (6) are shown positioned along the sides of the conduit (1), supporting each section (4) thereof and engaging each connector (5) at a shackle (7) or similar type of eye or connector. In an embodiment, the cables (6) can include 4600 lb rated Kevlar ropes, with turned and spliced looped ends connected to each connector (5); however, any generally elongate member can be used to provide stability to the conduit (1) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. While
Within each section (4), e.g., between each connector (5), a slide panel (3) is shown connected (e.g., stitched) in the interior of the conduit (1). Each slide panel (3) is shown arranged in an opposing position relative to each adjacent slide panel (3), such that the slide panels (3) define a “zig-zag” shape along which personnel can traverse. Each section (4) is also shown including an escape panel (10) formed in a side thereof, such that individuals can exit the conduit (1) (e.g., in the direction indicated by arrows (11)) should the conduit (1) become blocked or should further downward transit become impossible or otherwise undesirable.
With reference to
Referring now to
The rear portion of the container and/or skid frame (22) is shown having a pneumatic winch (24) contained therein, with associated accumulator bottles (26) and pulleys (28), usable to deploy and retract the stabilization cables and/or wires (6), such that the winch (24) is usable to deploy the conduit (1) from the level of the deck (20) to the level of the body of water (30) below. An embodiment can include one or more light sources within the container and/or skid frame (22) (e.g., explosion-proof fluorescent light units), with an associated electrical junction box and/or similar power source (e.g., external connections form the facility or self-contained sources of power.) While the depicted embodiment includes a pneumatic winch (24), it should be understood that any mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, or other comparable mechanism can be used to deploy and/or retract the conduit (1) and/or other portions of the system.
In use, the winch (24) can be used, e.g., in conjunction with the accumulators (26), to lower the platform (34) and raft (32) to the body of water (30) while extending the conduit (1) to the position shown in
The stabilization cables (6) thereby provide stability to the conduit (1), both due to their association and/or engagement with portions of the conduit (1), and through their engagement with the stabilization members (36), while allowing vertical movement of the platform (34) and/or raft (32) due to the ability of the cables (6) to move freely within orifices in the platform (34). In an embodiment, relative horizontal and/or rotational movement between the raft (32) and platform (34) can be permitted, such as through use of a platform having a first portion (e.g., an interior portion, such as a ring or hoop) engaged with the conduit (1), and a second portion (e.g., an exterior ring, hoop, or similar portion) engaged to the raft (32) and/or any intermediate connectors (e.g., webbing straps). Bearings and/or rollers between the first and second portions of the platform (34) can permit relative rotation therebetween, such that life raft (32) is able to move relative to the platform (34) in a horizontal plane, such as when affected by wind, waves, current, and/or other forces.
When evacuation of a facility is desired, the system can be deployed by lowering the chute (1), raft (32), platform (34), and stabilization members (36) to the water (30) using the winch (24), after opening the trap door (40) (e.g., by removal and/or manipulation of a retaining pin assembly or similar mechanism.) Once the raft (32) reaches the water (30), continued deployment of the stabilization members (36) beneath the water (30) can cause inflation of the raft (32) about the platform (34), such as through actuation of a shortened painter line (38) of the raft (32) attached to one of the stabilization members (36). In an embodiment, during typical use, the stabilizing members (36) (e.g., tensioning cans) can be positioned 10-15 feet below the surface of the water (30). The landing platform (34) can retain the conduit (1) in place through contact between the cables (6) and the sides of orifices within the platform (34), and optionally, through use of retaining clamps, pins, and/or other types of fasteners, while the stabilization members (36) tension the conduit (1) to maintain the conduit (1) and raft (32) in a stable position. The raft and/or platform can move freely up and down the cables (6) under the influence of wave and swell action due to the passage of the cables (6) through the orifices in the platform (34).
After the system has been deployed, personnel can enter the conduit (1) and transit directly to the raft (32). The close-knit material of the conduit (1) and/or the outer sheath (8, shown in
Once personnel have entered the raft (32) the raft (32) can be disconnected from the platform (34), e.g., through removal/disengagement of pins or similar fasteners connecting the platform (34) to the raft (32) and/or to intermediate connectors, such as webbing straps. An embodiment can include a locking pin or similar member that retains the pins or fasteners in position until the locking pin is removed and/or disengaged. After disengagement from the platform (34), the raft (32) can move away from the facility and any associated hazards.
In an embodiment, the landing platform (34), conduit (1), grating (42), and/or stabilization members (36) can remain in place for future retrieval and/or reuse, such as through use of the winch (24). In an embodiment, if no pneumatic air supply is available from the facility, e.g., due to shutdown in an emergency, the accumulators can be provided with sufficient capacity to recover the system without external air.
Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure can thereby provide conduits and methods that protect personnel from emergent conditions, such as flames, heat, and smoke, during an evacuation process, reduce the potential for entanglement and/or injury while traversing a conduit, and that can be deployable and boardable, from the deck of a facility, and transit directly to an escape vessel.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described in detail and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which is determined by the claims that follow.
This application is a continuation-in-part application claiming the benefit of the co-pending United States patent application having the application Ser. No. 13/694,620, filed Dec. 17, 2012, entitled “Marine Evacuation Systems and Methods,” and the benefit of the co-pending United States patent application having the application Ser. No. 13/694,618, filed Dec. 17, 2012, entitled “Escape Vessel with Detachable Landing,” each of which are incorporated by reference herein, in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13694620 | Dec 2012 | US |
Child | 13694758 | US | |
Parent | 13694618 | Dec 2012 | US |
Child | 13694620 | US |