The present invention relates to a system suitable for transporting personnel between a sea-faring vessel and a stationary or quasi-stationary platform, such as an oil rig, in high sea states.
Safely and efficiently transporting personnel to oil platforms in the open ocean is a formidable challenge. In particular, wave heights of two to three meters and thirty-knot winds are not uncommon. In these conditions, transfer vessels experience pronounced heaving, pitching, and rolling motions, especially when they are at zero forward speed.
Traditionally, crews have been transferred to an oil rig via a crane-and-basket method or using a basket that is deployed from a helicopter. In the former method, personnel being transferred from a vessel step into or hang on to a basket that is suspended from a rig-mounted crane. The crane then hoists the basket and swings it over to the rig. In the latter technique, personnel are lowered from a helicopter on to the rig via a basket.
Used for the decades, both of these personnel-transfer methods involve certain risks. The usual accidents include lateral impacts, falling, hard landings, and water immersion.
Furthermore, the crane-and-basket method relies on the availability of the platform crane operator. A delay caused by the non-availability of a crane operator when needed results in down-time costs as well as an increase in the incidence of seasickness due to personnel spending an extended period time on a stationary but heaving/pitching/rolling transport vessel.
More recently, a gangway technique has been used wherein the free end of a ramp that is disposed on the oil rig is rotated toward and landed on a crew-transfer vessel. This technique is only suitable for use in relatively low sea states (e.g., sea state 2, etc.) since relatively higher sea states can cause substantial movement of the ramp. Such movement can present a safety risk to personnel that are using the ramp to transfer to an oil rig.
The present invention provides a crew transfer system that avoids some of the drawbacks and costs of the prior art. Among other advantages, the crew transfer system is useable to safely transfer personnel from a transfer vessel to stationary or quasi-stationary platform, such as an oil rig, in high sea states.
A crew transfer system in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a ramp, a first coupling, and a second coupling. The ramp is configured so that persons wishing to transfer between the vessel to the rig can simply walk across the ramp, even in high sea states.
In use, a first end of the ramp is coupled, for translation and rotation, to the transport vessel via the first coupling. The first coupling comprises a “first mechanism” that imparts three rotational degrees-of-freedom to the first end of the ramp. The three rotational degrees-of-freedom permit the ramp to (1) pitch about a pitch axis of the ramp; (2) roll about a roll axis of the ramp; and (3) yaw about a yaw axis of the ramp. In the illustrative embodiment, the first mechanism includes a bearing and several pins that provide these three rotational degrees-of-freedom.
In the illustrative embodiment, the system further comprises a guide that is disposed on the transport vessel. In the illustrative embodiment, the guide is implemented as two rails.
The first coupling further comprises a movable platform, wherein the first mechanism is disposed on the movable platform, and wherein the movable platform movably couples to the rails to provide the one translational degree of freedom to the first end of the ramp. In other words, the first end of the ramp is free to move towards the bow or stern of the transfer vessel.
The translational degree-of-freedom imparted by the moveable platform (and guide) prevents the first end of the ramp from moving laterally across the transfer vessel (i.e., prevents the end of the ramp from moving in the manner of a windshield wiper). The only translational motion of the first end of the ramp that is permitted by the system is along an axis that runs from bow to stern of the transfer vessel. In other words, the ramp is only permitted to move back and forth (i.e., a reciprocating movement) due to guide.
The second end of the ramp is rotationally coupled to the stationary platform (e.g., oil rig, etc.) via the second coupling. The second coupling comprises a second mechanism that imparts only two rotational degrees-of-freedom to the second end of the ramp. The two rotational degrees-of-freedom are (1) pitch about a pitch axis of the ramp and (2) yaw about a yaw axis of the ramp. In the illustrative embodiment, no rotation about the roll axis is permitted. Furthermore, no translational degrees-of-freedom are permitted.
In some embodiments, the ramp is stored on the transfer vessel and deployed when the vessel arrives at the rig. A portion of the second coupling, in particular, the second mechanism, is attached to a fixture (e.g., deployable staircase, etc.) on the oil rig. A winch lowers cables from the fixture, wherein the cables temporarily engage a coupling member that is disposed at the second end of the now-deployed ramp. The second end of ramp is then raised (via the engaged coupling member/cables) until the coupling member engages the second mechanism and is temporarily locked thereto. The cables are then winched out of engagement with the coupling member. Once engaged to the mechanism as described above, the ramp forms a temporary “bridge” between the transfer vessel and the oil rig.
In some embodiments, the ramp is foldable and/or collapsible.
In the illustrative embodiment, the crew transfer system is used to transfer personnel from a transfer vessel to an oil rig in the open ocean. It will be understood that the invention can be used to transfer personnel from a vessel to any stationary or quasi-stationary platform on the ocean. In conjunction with the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will be able to adapt the illustrative embodiment of the crew transfer system, as described below and depicted in the accompanying drawings, for use in coupling most transfer vessels to most stationary or quasi-stationary platforms to effect transfer of personnel.
Turning now to the Figures,
First coupling 114 couples a “first” or “vessel” end of ramp 112 to transfer vessel 100 and second coupling 116 couples a “second” or “rig” end of ramp 112 to oil rig 190. In the embodiment that is depicted in
First mechanism 216 comprises hinge pin 218, roll pin 220, and bearing 222. Roll pin 220 is disposed on bearing 222, and hinge pin 218 is disposed on member (e.g., bar, etc.) 224 that rotates about the roll pin. Referring now to
In some embodiments, first mechanism 216 is arranged so that hinge pin 218 provides for up to +30 degrees of pitch (about axis 219), roll pin 220 provides for roll of up to −15 to +15 degrees (about axis 221), and bearing 222 provides for yaw of up to −30 to +30 degrees (about axis 223).
First mechanism 216 is disposed on movable platform 226. Platform/steps 228 are disposed on movable platform 226 as well. In the illustrative embodiment, movable platform 226 engages guide 102, which is disposed on transfer vessel 100 (see,
Guide rails 202 are oriented along a bow-to-stern orientation (as shown for guide 102 in
Movable platform 226 and guide rails 202 enable the vessel-end of ramp 112 to translate in a single direction; namely, along rails 202. In this manner, first coupling 114 imparts three rotational degrees of freedom and one translational degree of freedom to the vessel end of ramp 112. Note that in the illustrative embodiment, platform/steps 228 translate with movable platform 226.
As described in further detail below in conjunction with
Cables 643 are deployed by winch 642 to lower cable ends 644 toward coupling member 532. Eventually, cable ends 644 pass through eyelets 534 of coupling member 532, as depicted in
As depicted in
Referring now to
With reference to
Second mechanism 540 does not permit any translational movement of the rig end of ramp 112. Only rotational movement is permitted. But rather than permitting rotation in three directions like first mechanism 216 at the vessel-end of the ramp, second mechanism 540 limits rotational movements to two rotational directions. In particular, the second mechanism is configured to permit rotation about pitch axis 819 and about yaw axis 823; rotation about the roll axis is not permitted.
It is to be understood that the disclosure teaches just one example of the illustrative embodiment and that many variations of the invention can easily be devised by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the following claims.
This case claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application U.S. 61/028,161, which was filed on Feb. 12, 2008 and is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20090199354 A1 | Aug 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61028161 | Feb 2008 | US |