• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    subsea pressure compensation arrangement. The present invention relates to a subsea pressure compensating arrangement, comprising a container (102) filled with fluid, and a pressure compensator (104) for compensating for variations in the insulating fluid, the arrangement comprising a fluid connecting tube ( 110) for fluid communication between the container (102) and the pressure compensator (104), wherein the fluid connecting tube (110) is connected to a bottom wall (104c) of the pressure compensator (104). a tube opening (110a) disposed at one end of the fluid connecting tube (110) extends above a level of the lower wall (104c) of the pressure compensator (104).
    公开号:BR112015011813B1
    申请号:R112015011813-5
    申请日:2013-11-20
    公开日:2021-07-27
    发明作者:Markku LAUNONEN；Erkki HIIRONNIEMI；Esa Virt Anen
    申请人:Abb Schweiz Ag；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    FIELD
    [0001] The present invention relates to a pressure compensation arrangement for use in a subsea environment, especially in a device or assembly filled with fluid other than water. BACKGROUND
    [0002] Subsea electrical installations, such as transformers or frequency converters, are assemblies used under water. Facilities, such as transformers, comprise a vessel filled with insulating fluid and/or refrigeration to meet high pressure due to deep water depth. During installation operation, the temperature and volume of the insulating and/or cooling fluid varies, where fluid pressure compensation is required. This involves the use of a pressure compensator, which is in fluid connection with the installation vessel. The pressure compensator receives excess fluid when its temperature and volume increase, and returns the fluid to the container when it cools.
    [0003] Seawater leakage into the pressure compensator and/or the installation is a serious risk as it can impede the operation of the installation or damage the installation. Improved provisions are also needed to prevent such leakage and minimize the disadvantages if such leakage occurs. SUMMARY
    [0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure compensation arrangement in order to alleviate the above disadvantages.
    [0005] The present invention provides the important advantage that the risk of damage to the installation is decreased in a seawater leakage situation. DRAWINGS
    [0006] In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail by means of some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 shows an embodiment of a pressure compensation arrangement; Figure 2 shows another embodiment of a pressure compensation arrangement; figure 3 corresponds with figure 1 but has corrected reference numbers. Figure 3 was filled in as Figure 1 in the priority application; and figure 4 corresponds with figure 2 but has corrected reference numbers. Figure 4 was filled in as figure 2 in the priority application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
    [0007] The modalities refer to subsea installations. Such installations include electrical installations, such transformers and frequency converters, and hydraulic actuators, for example.
    [0008] Due to the high pressure, the subsea installation is filled with insulating fluid and/or refrigerant such as oil. As the temperature of the fluid varies, its volume varies correspondingly where pressure compensation is needed. A pressure compensator is provided, which receives excess fluid that does not fit into the container when the volume of fluid content increases due to the increased temperature. When cooling the liquid, the pressure compensator returns the fluid to the container.
    [0009] In one embodiment, pressure compensation is performed by bellows compensators, where the volume and other dimensions of the compensator change by expansion and contraction of the compensator. The bellows compensator comprises a collapsible and/or flexible sidewall, where the volume and external dimensions of the compensator can change. The sidewall can be made of metal, rubber or some other corresponding material. In the case of metal bellows, volume expansion and compression will typically take place in the axial direction only. In the case of a rubber bellows compensator or similar, some of the volume expansion may additionally take place in the radial direction as well.
    [00010] The bellows compensator can have a single wall structure or multiple walls. For example, there can be two or more overlapping bellows. In a multilayer structure, different layers can be made of the same materials or different materials. For example, in a two-wall bellows, there might be two overlapping metal walls, or there might be a rubber wall and a metal wall.
    [00011] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a pressure compensation arrangement 100. The container housing the subsea installation is indicated by reference 102, and the bellows compensators by references 104, 106 and 108. In the embodiment shown, there are three compensators bellows trim, but the number of bellows trim is naturally not limited to three, but can be one or any number greater than this.
    [00012] The compensators are in fluid communication with the container 102. The container can be a transformer tank, for example, filled with transformer oil. Fluid communication between the bellows compensator 104 and the container 102 is provided by a connecting tube 110. The connecting tube can be secured to the container and the bellows compensator with rigid gaskets. Thereby, the part of the connecting tube 110 between the joints of the bellows compensator and the container can correspondingly be rigid without needing to bend or flex after fabrication.
    [00013] As figure 1 shows, the connecting tube 110 can enter the bellows compensator 104 through the bottom wall of the compensator. In one embodiment, the tube enters the balancer in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the mounting frame 112. In such a way, it is possible to extend the height of the tube within the balancer when the tube extends parallel to the direction of extension/contraction of the compensator. Furthermore, the connecting tube can enter the container 102 also perpendicularly to the wall of the container. Directions other than the perpendicular direction are possible with respect to the tubes entering the pressure compensator and/or vessel.
    [00014] As shown in figure 1, the lower part of the bellows can be fixedly disposed with respect to the container. This can be done by attaching the bottom wall 104C of the bellows trim 104 to a horizontal mounting level 112, which is attached to the container.
    [00015] The compensator 104 is thus allowed to expand and contract so that its top wall 104A can move in the vertical direction, and its foldable side walls 104B can straighten and fold depending on the volume of fluid inside the compensator.
    [00016] In Figure 1, the bellows compensators are mounted on the side wall 102A of the container 102, but in another embodiment, the bellows compensator 104 may be arranged on the roof 102B of the container 102. In such an embodiment, the bottom wall of the compensator The bellows compensator is fixedly disposed at least substantially against the upper wall of the container where the bellows compensator is allowed to flex from its upper side. In this type of embodiment, the connecting tube can be a straight tube, which extends from the upper part of the bellows compensator to the lower part of the container 102.
    [00017] The mounting arrangements of the pressure compensator, in which the bottom of the pressure compensator is fixed, thus allow the compensator to be disposed on the side and/or top of the installation thereby providing different mounting alternatives for the compensator with respect to the container.
    [00018] In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the compensator has a rigidly disposed lower part. In another embodiment, the bellows compensator has a top wall that is rigidly disposed with respect to the container. The expansion and contraction movement of the bellows to compensate for the variation in the volume of the insulating fluid is provided by the bottom wall. In such an embodiment, the connecting hose between the compensator and the container must be flexible, and may be a hose-type tube. The hose is arranged stationary with respect to the bottom wall of the bellows, thus allowing the wall to move. The connecting tube is at least partially flexible, i.e. there is at least one section of the fluid connecting tube between the bellows compensator and the container which is flexible.
    [00019] In another embodiment, the flexible tube can be used when the compensator arrangement is arranged so that it moves as a whole with respect to the container.
    [00020] The end 110A of the connecting tube 110, which connects the container to the bellows compensator 104, is arranged so that the end 110A extends above the lower level 104C of the bellows. As Figure 1 shows, there is an opening in the bottom wall of the bellows through which the tube enters the bellows. The connecting tube is fixedly mounted on the bottom wall of the compensator, that is, they do not move with respect to each other.
    [00021] The tube does not end at the bottom of the bellows, but there is a section of tube that extends a predetermined distance from the bottom of the bellows. In this way, the oil that is fed from the pressure compensator to the container is removed from the top of the pressure compensator being the driest part of the compensator when most of the moisture due to a possible leakage remains closed to the bottom of the compensator.
    [00022] In one embodiment, the position of the end opening 110A of the tube is determined by means of the bellows which is in its maximally contracted state. That is, in the contracted state of the bellows, the end 110A of the tube is in close proximity to the top wall 104A of the bellows. However, there is a small space between the end of the tube and the top wall of the bellows so that fluid communication through the end of the tube is maintained. Thus, the end of the tube also does not impede the movement of the bellows in any position. The movement of the top wall 104A can be limited by a stop element, which prevents the lowering of the top wall below a predetermined level. In one embodiment, the movement of the top wall can be guided by guiding the outer and inner bellows rods. These rods can be provided with protrusions, for example, that stop the lowering of the top wall to a level that would impede fluid flow through the open end of the connecting tube. In addition to stop elements, which prevent the top wall from blocking the end of the tube, stop elements can be provided, which prevent the bellows from expanding too much.
    [00023] The tube extends above the level of the bottom wall of the compensator in both of the modalities discussed above, that is, when the bottom wall is rigid with respect to the container and the compensating movement occurs through the top wall of the compensator, and in a inverse structure where the top wall is rigid and the compensating movement is provided by the bottom wall of the balancer.
    [00024] In this way, if a leak occurs in the bellows compensator 104, the water, being heavier than oil, remains as much as possible below the level of the opening 110A of the tube 110. The bellows compensator 104 can be provided with a sensor , below the level of pipe end 110A, detecting the presence of water in the fluid, and warning equipment to provide a warning to a system supervisor of such an occurrence.
    [00025] The other end 110B of the connecting tube 110 can be positioned at the bottom of the container 102, preferably as low as possible in the container to transmit oil from the pressure compensator to the lower and cooler area of the container. The end of the tube can be in the lowest fifth, or lowest tenth, of the container. In one embodiment, the end of the tube is only about 20 mm from the bottom of the container. In this way, if a leak occurs in the bellows compensator 104 and the water flows into the container 102 through the connecting tube 110, the water is taken to the lower part of the container 102. Heavy water is fed into the lower area of the container 102 it is thus prevented from jeopardizing, at least for some time, the operation of the critical components of the installation, such as the parts having electrical potential, which typically are substantially in the middle of the container 102. Similarly, as in the case of the bellows compensator , the container 102 can be provided with water detection sensor at the bottom of the container so as to detect the presence of water in the container as soon as possible.
    [00026] As shown in the embodiment of figure 1, the fluid connection tube may comprise only sections that extend downwards or horizontally as it proceeds from the first end 110A of the fluid connection tube 110 to the second end 110B of the connection tube of fluid 110. In an alternative embodiment, an oil lock is provided, wherein a section of tube between the pressure compensator and the container is disposed higher than the rest of the tube. The purpose with the oil lock is to prevent water from flowing from the trim to the container in case of a leaky trim situation.
    [00027] Figure 2 shows another modality. In this embodiment, tubing 110 includes a straight portion 110C extending from the top of the container to the bottom of the container. This straight part has an opening between the ends, which connects with a tube that leads to the bellows compensator 104. This facilitates the fabrication of the tubing arranged inside the container, when the curvature shape shown in Figure 1 is not required.
    [00028] The open end of tubing 110C also provides the important advantage that air removal of the insulating fluid that is within the tube 110 is facilitated during container fabrication. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the main air exhaust outlet that resides in the tube is at the ends of the tubes, which terminate in the bellows. Figure 2 provides an additional route for air to escape the pipeline.
    [00029] The piping shown in figure 2 is also applicable in the modality, where bellows compensators are arranged in the 102B roof of the transformer. In such a case branch tubes are not needed, but the tube can lead directly from the top to the bottom of the transformer.
    [00030] Although figures 1 and 2 show that each of the three bellows compensators has its own piping inside the container, the tubes from the different compensators can combine with a single tube inside the container.
    [00031] Although the above modalities show the pressure compensation arrangement implemented with bellows compensators, also other types of pressure compensators are applicable.
    [00032] In one embodiment, the pressure compensator is a vertically disposed cylinder housing a piston, which can move vertically due to volume variations of the insulating/cooling fluid. Below the piston there is a fluid space for the insulating fluid and above the piston is a seawater space. The piston is sealed such that mixing of insulating fluid and sea water is avoided. The principle in this mode is similar to the modalities shown in figures 1 and 2. That is, the connecting tube connecting the container and the cylinder extends above the bottom of the cylinder. Preferably, the tube extends so high that it is very close to the horizontal piston level when the piston is in its lowest possible position.
    [00033] In yet another embodiment, the pressure compensator is a bottle compensator having a flexible bag inside. The fluid connector, for one other than water, is arranged at the bottom of the bottle. In this embodiment, the flexible bag contains the insulating fluid and the surrounding bottle contains seawater. The container connecting tube enters the bottle from the bottom of the bottle, and extends a predetermined distance above the bottom of the bottle. A protective element can be provided at the end of the tube, which prevents the tube from breaking the flexible bag when it is in its disassembled state.
    [00034] It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the concept of the invention can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [0001]
    1. A subsea pressure compensating arrangement (100), comprising a container (102) filled with fluid, and a pressure compensator (104) for compensating for fluid volume variations, the arrangement comprising a fluid connecting tube (110) for fluid communication between the container (102) and the pressure compensator (104), the fluid connecting tube (110) being connected to a lower wall (104C) of the pressure compensator (104), with an opening tube (110A) disposed at one end of the fluid connecting tube (110) extends above a level of the bottom wall (104C) of the pressure compensator (104), and the pressure compensator (104) is a pressure compensator. bellows having one or more collapsible and/or flexible side walls to allow for volume variations of the bellows compensator, characterized in that the tube opening (110A) of the fluid connection tube (110) is disposed in proximity to the, but separate from the top wall of the sheet compensator. and (104) when the bellows compensator (104) is in its contracted state.
    [0002]
    2. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement, according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper wall (104A) of the pressure compensator (104) is arranged to vertically move the volume variations of the insulating fluid.
    [0003]
    3. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fluid connection tube (110) is arranged stationary with respect to the bottom wall (104C) of the pressure compensator (104)
    [0004]
    4. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower wall (104C) of the pressure compensator (104) is arranged stationary to a side wall (102A) or a top wall (102B) of the container (102).
    [0005]
    5. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressure compensator (104) is a cylinder compensator having a movable piston arranged to compensate for changes in volume of the insulating fluid and which separates the insulating fluid from the outer sea water, wherein the lower surface of the piston is the upper wall of the pressure compensator.
    [0006]
    6. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressure compensator (104) comprises a top wall, which is mounted stationary with respect to the container (102), and a wall which is arranged to move vertically to compensate for fluid volume variations, wherein the fluid connecting tube (110) is disposed stationary on the lower wall and moves along with the lower wall of the pressure compensator, wherein there is at least a section of flexible fluid connecting tube (110) between the pressure compensator (104) and the container (102).
    [0007]
    7. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid connecting tube (110) enters the pressure compensator (104) substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall (104C) of the pressure compensator (104).
    [0008]
    8. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid connecting tube (110) extends inside the compensator (104) parallel to the extension/contraction direction of the compensator ( 104).
    [0009]
    9. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid connecting tube (110) has an opening (110B) at one end of the tube substantially at the bottom of the container ( 102).
    [0010]
    10. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid connection tube (110) comprises only sections that extend downwards or horizontally as it proceeds from the first end (110A) from the fluid connection tube (110) to the second end (110B) of the connection fluid (110).
    [0011]
    11. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid connecting tube (110) within the container (102) comprises a straight tube section (110C) extending from the container bottom (102) to container top (102) and open from the ends of the straight tube section (110C).
    [0012]
    12. Subsea pressure compensation arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the straight pipe section (110C) comprises an opening for a pipe connection to the bellows compensator (104), the opening of which is disposed between the open top and bottom ends of the straight pipe section (110C).
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    US10041507B2|2018-08-07|
    WO2014082905A1|2014-06-05|
    EP2738780B1|2016-03-16|
    EP2738780A1|2014-06-04|
    AU2013351364A1|2015-05-28|
    CN104798148A|2015-07-22|
    BR112015011813A2|2017-07-11|
    AU2013351364B2|2017-09-28|
    CN104798148B|2017-05-03|
    US20150260203A1|2015-09-17|
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    法律状态:
    2017-12-26| B25A| Requested transfer of rights approved|Owner name: ABB SCHWEIZ AG (CH) |
    2018-01-30| B25L| Entry of change of name and/or headquarter and transfer of application, patent and certificate of addition of invention: publication cancelled|Owner name: ABB TECHNOLOGY AG (CH) |
    2018-02-06| B25C| Requirement related to requested transfer of rights|Owner name: ABB TECHNOLOGY AG (CH) |
    2018-06-05| B25B| Requested transfer of rights rejected|Owner name: ABB SCHWEIZ AG (CH) |
    2018-06-05| B25L| Entry of change of name and/or headquarter and transfer of application, patent and certificate of addition of invention: publication cancelled|Owner name: ABB SCHWEIZ AG (CH) |
    2018-06-12| B25A| Requested transfer of rights approved|Owner name: ABB SCHWEIZ AG (CH) |
    2018-07-03| B25L| Entry of change of name and/or headquarter and transfer of application, patent and certificate of addition of invention: publication cancelled|Owner name: ABB SCHWEIZ AG (CH) |
    2018-11-21| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|
    2020-01-14| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|
    2021-03-09| B06A| Notification to applicant to reply to the report for non-patentability or inadequacy of the application [chapter 6.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-06-08| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-07-27| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 20/11/2013, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    EP12194593.5|2012-11-28|
    EP12194593.5A|EP2738780B1|2012-11-28|2012-11-28|Subsea pressure compensation arrangement|
    PCT/EP2013/074271|WO2014082905A1|2012-11-28|2013-11-20|Subsea pressure compensation arrangement|
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