Sun Oil Company

Suncor, Inc.

Sun Oil Company (delaware)

Suntech, Inc.

George W Morgan

Joseph E Zupanick

Preston E Chaney

Gunter J Lichtenberger

Hobart D Ferguson

Holland James Berry

Vernon F Wetzel

In order to assist ice chunks along preferred discharge paths in a large scale ice disaggregation system employing counter-rotating twin cutters, water is pumped tangentially across the trailing edges of the counter-rotating cutters against the direction of rotation to overcome the centrifugal action which tends to cause ice jamming. Secondary hydro-jets may be employed to further urge the ice chunks away from the vessel into the open region previously cut.

Means employing hydro-jets for facilitating the clearing of

In an ice disaggregation system employing teeth affixed to a bracket which is spirally disposed around the outer periphery of a cylindrical rotating drum and held in spaced relationship therefrom, the cutting capacity is improved by tilting the plane of each tooth with respect to the drum's axis of rotation such that each incremental section of ice which a tooth engages is subjected to a bending force about a pivot near an area from which ice has been removed and is therefore relatively weak. As a result, the ice readily fractures in relatively large chunks.

Means for increasing the efficiency of an ice disaggregation system

Improved apparatus is disclosed for supporting the cutting teeth on the periphery of a rotating cylindrical drum ice cutter affixed to a floating arctic structure. The cutting teeth are individually removably affixed to brackets which extend spirally (either continuously or in segments) around the drum periphery and are supported in spaced relationship radially outwardly therefrom by very sturdy struts. Several benefits are obtained with this configuration: (1) hydrodynamic drag is minimized; (2) the teeth-support structure can be made more rugged than individual ones for each tooth; (3) the teeth can be configured for a minimum of replaceable material at the cutting tips; (4) more free volume is available around the drum periphery for disposal flow of disaggregated material and (5) tooth spacing can be readily adjusted for optimum performance according to requirements.

Ice disaggregation system

In an ice disaggregating system employing one or more rotating drums with peripherally positioned ice engaging teeth, the improvement in which the teeth are multiple-tined. In one configuration, each tooth has two equal length, pointed tines. In a preferred configuration, a long pointed central tine is flanked by a pair of shorter pointed tines.

Multiple-tine ice disaggregation system

In order to improve the efficiency and reliability of the cutter units employed in large scale ice disaggregation systems, a cutter configuration is employed characterized by an outwardly extending arm which sweeps rearwardly from the direction of travel to provide clearance for ice chunks and then sharpwardly forwardly to terminate in an ice-engaging portion. The ice-engaging portion includes a relatively long and narrow central 'pick' portion for breaking very cold ice, chisel-like cutting edges directed to each side of the base of the 'pick' portion to fracture cold ice as well as warm ice, and an inverted skate portion which cleaves the ice and promotes passage of the ice chunks around the tooth structure to facilitate clearing.

Cutter configuration for efficient ice disaggregation and clearing

A mobile monopod operations platform for use in ice covered seas and adapted for carrying out two modes of ice disaggregation, either or both such modes being selectively useable during either transit or relatively stationary operations. An ice breaker bow is employed in conjunction with simulated pitching and heaving brought about by the programmed use of a plurality of fully vectorable thrusters on a submersible hull. At the stern of the monopod structure, counter-rotating cutting drums are utilized for ice disaggregation in a mode particularly useful when the ice is thick. Topside of the bow and cutter area, an enclosed, generally circular, superstructure is provided for carrying out the requisite operations while mitigating the adverse effects of high winds. The aforementioned fully vectorable thrusters are available to facilitate both movement of the platform to a select operational position and to maintain stability during the required operations as well as to simulate the pitching and heaving motions required for bow breaking of the ice sheet.

Operations vessel for ice covered seas

An ice cutter movably mounted on a marine structure for cutting encroaching ice floes or ice sheets. A cutter blade is mounted on the structure so that it may be conveniently moved into a position on the structure toward which the ice is moving. Acoustical energy is imparted to the cutter blade which in turn is positioned adjacent the encroaching ice and moved relative to the ice in a manner to cut out a path of unconsolidated ice so that the floe may pass the marine structure without applying destructive forces to the structure.

Apparatus for ice disaggregation

An ice disaggregation system comprising a multiplicity of aligned and successively longer sledging teeth outwardly extending from a rotatable drum. The drum rotation allows the successively longer teeth to sequentially cut and chip deepening grooves in various forms of particulate matter such as ice or coal engaged by the system. A second form of slugging tooth, outwardly extending from the drum, is provided in generally central alignment between paired rows of sledging teeth. The slugging tooth is positioned to subsequently engage the isolated, ridged sections of ice between successive grooves therein, and for striking said ridges with sufficient force to impart shear fracture thereto. The drum is provided with a plurality of sledging and slugging teeth in staggered groups comprising a spiral configuration along the drum. In this manner the system is particularly adapted for sequentially disaggregating engaged ice floes in a vertically descending direction for permitting the broken sections thereof to be carried freely upward by the buoyant force of the water therebeneath.

Method of and apparatus for disaggregating particulate matter

A cutting-chipping system comprising an interconnected triaxial array of rotating drums each mounted for independent rotation. Each drum includes a plurality of spaced, outwardly extending teeth to sequentially cut, chip and break particulate mass such as coal or ice engaged by the system. The drums are oriented with no axis of drum rotation parallel to another and in a configuration wherein the direction of cutter travel from one drum is oblique to that of a second drum. In this manner, particulate matter engaged by the system is initially cut and chipped by a first drum to form a series of protuberances and/or weakened sections which, when struck at an oblique angle by a second drum, will chip and break away. The teeth may be comprised of picks, chisels or combinations thereof constructed and adapted for bidirectional rotation. The system may be adapted for applications upon land vehicles, water crafts, floating platforms, and the like. Variation in rotation velocity of the separate drums and/or opposing rotational directions thereof may then facilitate positional control of the system as well as depth and speed of cutting as necessitated by the particular application.

An anchor frozen into an ice sheet is used primarily for propelling arctic vehicles by providing a stationary structure toward which the vehicle can be winched. The anchor includes a band of high tensile strength material formed in a closed, curved configuration for freezing into an ice sheet and attaching the vehicles thereto.

Ice anchor

A method of and apparatus for the construction of a modular barge is provided wherein individual floatation modules are assembled and secured one to another by the positioning and linking of separable alignment pins therebetween and the threading of tensioning cables therethrough. Each alignment pin has a generally elliptoid shape and an axial cable receiving bore therethrough. Each flotation module is formed with a plurality of sockets complementally shaped for the alignment pins and linked in pairs by transversely extending passages therethrough and spaced along adjacent side walls of the modules to be in registry with one another. With the modules in a spaced array, assembly cables are threaded through certain ones of the module passages. First ends of the cables are anchored to perimeter modules and the opposite ends are tensioned to draw the modules and alignment pins together, wherein the configuration of the alignment pins then facilitates alignment and coupling. A lock provided in each socket and alignment pin secure that coupled relationship. Tensioning cables threaded serially through certain other ones of the module passages and alignment pins provide structural rigidity for the barge through the post tensioning thereof.

Method and apparatus for assembly of a modular barge

Buoyant bodies such as those used for drilling oil and gas wells in water-covered areas are moored to the floor of the body of water with lines in the catenary configuration. Rotational motions induced by such configurations are reduced by providing for vertical adjustment in the point of attachment of the lines on the buoyant body.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

George W Morgan