MODULAR BUOYANT NOISE-INSULATING DEVICE FOR OFFSHORE PILE DRIVING

Abstract

A modular noise-insulating device for offshore pile driving, comprising interconnected noise-insulating modules movably nested in a telescopic arrangement in a storage position and constructed to move telescopically relative to each other, wherein the noise-insulating modules are substantially homogeneous or comprise a noise-insulating portion providing a buoyant force and a ballast portion providing a gravitational force, wherein in a surrounding liquid in the operating position, each noise-insulating module arranged above the bottom module provides a ratio of a total buoyant force versus a total gravitational force provided by said noise-insulating module, said ratio being in a first range of ratio between 1 and 5, the bottom module provides a second ratio of a total buoyant force of said bottom module versus a total gravitational force of said bottom module, said second ratio being below a maximum ratio of said noise-insulating modules.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A modular noise-insulating device for offshore pile driving, comprising a holding device and tubular noise-insulating modules movably nested in a telescopic arrangement in a storage position and constructed to move telescopically relative to each other from the holding device: wherein at least one of the noise-insulating modules is connected to the holding device and the noise-insulating modules arranged next to each other are interconnected; wherein the noise-insulating modules comprise a bottom module to be lowered down to a ground surface of a water body for positioning on or hovering above said ground surface in an operating position and form a substantially tapered structure extending along a vertical axis in the operating position for surrounding a pile; wherein the bottom module is connected to the holding device, wherein the noise-insulating modules are constructed to extend telescopically to the operating position upon lowering the bottom module and to telescope to the storage position upon retrieving the bottom module; and/or wherein the holding device comprises winches with lifting means connected to the bottom module and configured to lower and to retrieve the bottom module, further comprising: at least two of the noise-insulating modules: are formed by a substantially homogeneous body; or comprise a noise-insulating portion and a ballast portion for buoyancy control; and wherein the ballast portion comprises a ballast weight and provides a gravitational force; wherein the noise-insulating portion is constructed to provide a buoyant force, which is bigger than a gravitational force generated by its material weight; wherein the ballast portion is constructed to provide a buoyant force, which is smaller than a gravitational force generated by its material weight; wherein in a surrounding liquid in the operating position: each single noise-insulating module arranged above the bottom module provides a ratio of a total buoyant force versus a total gravitational force provided by said single noise-insulating module, said ratio being in a first range of ratio between 1 and 5; the bottom module provides a second ratio of a total buoyant force of said bottom module versus a total gravitational force of said bottom module, said second ratio being below a maximum ratio of said single noise-insulating modules; such that said bottom module is adapted to pull down the bottom module for unfolding the noise-insulating modules from the storage position to the operating position and to retain the bottom module in the operating position against a total buoyant force of said noise-insulating modules acting on the bottom module.

17. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein at least two of the noise-insulating modules comprise the noise-insulating portion and the ballast portion; wherein the ballast portion extends from a lower end to the noise-insulating portion, wherein the noise-insulating portion extends from the ballast portion to an upper end, which is arranged above the lower end in the operating position.

18. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the gravitational force provided by and acting on the bottom module is higher than the sum of the buoyant forces in the surrounding liquid, preferably seawater, of all noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module minus the sum of the gravitational forces of all noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module.

19. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the noise-insulating portions of each noise-insulating module comprise a support structure and a noise-insulating module attached to the support structure.

20. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the noise-insulating portions of each noise-insulating module, comprise a chamber filled with a noise-insulating medium; and wherein the noise-insulating medium is a gaseous substance and/or a noise-insulating material.

21. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 20, wherein the noise-insulating medium is a foam.

22. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 20, wherein the noise-insulating medium is a glass wool.

23. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the noise-insulating modules arranged next to each other are constructed to have an overlap in the direction of the vertical axis in the operating position; wherein a first noise-insulating module of the noise-insulating modules is arranged next to a second noise-insulating module and overlaps this second noise-insulating module; wherein said first noise insulation module has an inner diameter which is larger than an outer diameter of said second noise-insulating module to form a circumferential gap between said first and said second noise-insulating module in a region of the overlap, said gap having a gap width in a radial direction with respect to the vertical axis; wherein an extension of the vertical overlap in the direction of the vertical axis is larger than said gap width, preferably the extension of the vertical overlap is at least twice as large or at least three times as large than the gap width.

24. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the bottom module comprises a plate at a lower end for positioning on or hovering above the ground surface of the water body, wherein the plate comprises a central opening for passing through of a pile element to be rammed into the ground surface; wherein a lower edge of at least one, preferably all noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module in the operating position is configured to be supported by the plate in the storage position and/or while telescoping the noise-insulating modules to the storage position.

25. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the noise-insulating modules arranged next to each other are interconnected by connection means, in particular by flexible connections.

26. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the bottom module is connected to the holding device, wherein the noise-insulating modules are constructed to extend telescopically to the operating position upon lowering the bottom module and to telescope to the storage position upon retrieving the bottom module, and/or wherein the holding device comprises synchronized winches, with flexible lifting means connected to the bottom module and configured to lower and to retrieve the bottom module; wherein the lifting means are arranged at an outer circumference of the bottom module.

27. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 26, wherein the holding device is constructed and/or arranged to compensate the excess gravitational force of the noise-insulating modules for retaining the holding device at or above a water level and/or wherein the holding device comprises a gripper frame and/or a vessel and/or a pile gripper and/or a platform for a pile driver, wherein the gripper frame and/or the vessel and/or the platform for a pile driver is equipped with the winches.

28. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein each noise-insulating module comprises at least two segments forming partial shells constructed to form a part of a circumference of said noise-insulating module for creating its tubular form; wherein the at least two segments are constructed to be pivoted relative to each other for opening and closing said noise-insulating module; and wherein the segments are interconnected by a hinge.

29. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, wherein the noise-insulating modules comprise protection spacers and/or guides attached to an inner circumference of some; wherein each of the noise-insulating modules for maintaining a distance between the noise-insulating modules and a pile inserted through said noise-insulating modules while piling.

30. A method for installing a modular noise-insulating device in a water body, comprising the steps: providing a noise-insulating device, according to claim 16; positioning the noise-insulating device close to a pile driving device for surrounding a pile; moving noise-insulating modules of the noise-insulating device telescopically relative to each other from a holding device in order to increase a length of a tapered structure formed by the noise-insulating modules by: lowering down the bottom module to a ground surface of the water body by a total gravitational force provided by the bottom module for positioning on or hovering above said ground surface in an operating position; and unfolding the noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module from a storage position to an operating position by lowering down the bottom module; retaining the noise-insulating modules in the operating position by the opposing total gravitational force provided by and acting on the bottom module and total buoyant forces provided by and acting on the noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module.

31. A method for installing a modular noise-insulating device in a water body, comprising the steps: providing a noise-insulating device, according to claim 28; positioning the noise-insulating device close to a pile driving device for surrounding a pile; moving noise-insulating modules of the noise-insulating device telescopically relative to each other from a holding device in order to increase a length of a tapered structure formed by the noise-insulating modules by: lowering down the bottom module to a ground surface of the water body by a total gravitational force provided by the bottom module for positioning on or hovering above said ground surface in an operating position; and unfolding the noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module from a storage position to an operating position by lowering down the bottom module; retaining the noise-insulating modules in the operating position by the opposing total gravitational force provided by and acting on the bottom module and total buoyant forces provided by and acting on the noise-insulating modules arranged above the bottom module.

32. The method according to claim 31, comprising the steps: positioning the noise-insulating modules, with at least two segments forming partial shells constructed to form a part of a circumference of said noise-insulating modules near to a pile in an open position; pivoting the at least two segments relative to each other; and closing the at least two segments to create a tubular form of said noise-insulating modules for surrounding the pile.

33. A method of using of a modular noise-insulating device according to claim 16, as an underwater noise insulator to insulate noise generated during offshore pile driving, in particular to surround a pile while driving the pile into a ground surface of a water body and to insulate noise generated during offshore pile driving.

34. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 25, wherein said flexible connections are straps.

35. The modular noise-insulating device according to claim 25, wherein said flexible connections are chains.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0089] Preferred embodiments shall now be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0090] FIG. 1 shows an example sectional view of a noise-insulating device in the operating position;

[0091] FIG. 2 shows an example sectional view of a noise-insulating device in the operating position;

[0092] FIG. 3 shows an example sectional view of a noise-insulating device in the operating position.

[0093] In the figures, elements with the same or comparable functions are indicated with the same reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0094] FIGS. 1-3 depict an example of a modular noise-insulating device 1 in the operating position. The modular noise-insulating device 1 comprises exemplarily three tubular noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 with one bottom module 2 and two upper noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2. The noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 arranged next to each other in this operating position are interconnected by flexible connection means 5 arranged at an outer circumference of said noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4. Further, the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 are interconnected by its geometry to limit the relative movement to each other.

[0095] The noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 form a substantially tapered structure extending along a vertical axis in the operating position and surrounding a pile 10. The diameter of said tapered structure decreases in an upwards direction starting from the bottom module 2 which is positioned on a ground surface 6 of a water body 7. In the exemplary shown, the uppermost noise-insulating module 4 is partially positioned above the water surface by a buoyant force acting on said uppermost noise-insulating module 4. Alternatively, it is also possible that the uppermost module can end at the level of the water surface. Thus, the spreading of noise can be safely prevented.

[0096] In the exemplary shown, the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 comprise a noise-insulating portion 8 and a ballast portion 9. Alternatively, it is possible to provide a noise-insulating device with substantially homogeneous noise-insulating modules.

[0097] The ballast portion 9 comprises a ballast weight extending from a lower end to the noise-insulating portion 8, and the noise-insulating 8 portion extends from the ballast portion 9 to an upper end, which is arranged above the lower end in the operating position. The ballast portion 9 provides a gravitational force. Therefore, the ballast portion 9 can stabilize the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 in the operating position and has a positive effect to the buoyancy control.

[0098] The noise-insulating portion 8 comprises an inner wall 81, an outer wall 82, and an intermediate space 83 between the inner wall 81 and the outer wall 82. Said intermediate space 83 forms a chamber filled with a noise-insulating medium. The chamber can be filled with air. This has the advantages that air is an excellent noise insulator and reduces the weight of the noise-insulating portion 8. Further, the noise-insulating portion 8 has a reduced density. Thus, the noise-insulating portion 8 provides a buoyant force, which is bigger than a gravitational force generated by its material weight, in particular of the inner wall 81 and the outer wall 82. In this way, the noise-insulating portion 8 is positive buoyant.

[0099] Due to the buoyant force provided by the noise-insulating portion 8 and the gravitational force provided by the ballast portion 9, the noise insulating module arranged above the bottom modules 3, 4 is neutral or slightly positive buoyant.

[0100] A plate 11a, 11b arranged at a lower end of the bottom module 2 forms the ballast portion of the bottom module 2. The plate 11a, 11b has a ballast weight, which is preferably higher than a ballast weight of the ballast portions 9 of the noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2. Therefore, the bottom module 2, in particular its ballast weight, provides a total gravitational force in the surrounding liquid to pull down the bottom module 2 from the water level and to retain the bottom module in the operating position under the effect of gravitational force. Therefore, the gravitational force provided by and acting on the bottom module 2 has a higher magnitude than the buoyant force acting on the bottom module 2, which is the sum of buoyant forces provided by the interconnected noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2, so that the bottom module 2 is retained in the operating position by said gravitational force.

[0101] The bottom module 2 is connected to winches 12 via flexible lifting means 13. The lifting means 13 are arranged at an outer circumference of the bottom module 2 to reduce the risk of damaging the lifting means 13.

[0102] The winches 12, in particular, brakes of the winches, can prevent telescopic movement of the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 relative to each other in the storage position and allow telescopic movement of the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 relative to each other for unfolding the noise-insulating modules from the storage position to the operating position, in particular, by releasing brakes on the winches 12.

[0103] By releasing brakes on the winches 12, the total gravitational force acting on the bottom module 2 pulls down the bottom module 2 from the storage position to the operating position. By lowering down the bottom module 2, the noise insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2 also pull down. The noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 can also be retrieved from the operating position to the storage position in which the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 are movably nested in a telescopic arrangement using the winches.

[0104] The neutral or slightly positive buoyancy of the noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2 in the operating position retain said noise-insulating modules 3, 4 in the operating position.

[0105] FIG. 1 shows a plate 11a with a central opening for passing through of the pile 11 to be rammed into the ground surface 6. A lower edge of the noise-insulating module 3 arranged above the bottom module 2 in the operating position is configured to be supported by the plate 11a in the storage position and/or while telescoping the noise-insulating modules to the storage position.

[0106] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a plate 11b with a central opening for passing through of the pile 10 to be rammed into the ground surface 6. Lower edges of the noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module 2 in the operating position are configured to be supported by the plate 11b in the storage position and/or while telescoping the noise-insulating modules to the storage position.

[0107] Therefore, the bottom module 2 with the plate 11a, 11b at the lower end can serve as a depot for upper noise-insulating modules 3, 4. In addition, the plate 11a, 11b is positioned on the ground surface 6 of the water body 7 to reduce the self-weight penetration into the ground of the water body due to the increased bearing area and to reduce or to prevent the noise from penetrating the ground.

[0108] The noise-insulating modules 3, 4 arranged above the bottom module are shaped with a taper at the lower end for smooth folding and unfolding.

[0109] The noise-insulating modules arranged next to each other 2 and 3 as well as 3 and 4 has an overlap 20 and a circumferential gap 21 between these noise-insulating modules 2 and 3 as well as 3 and 4 in a region of the overlap 20. The vertical overlap 20 in the direction of a vertical axis is larger than a gap width of the gap 21. Thus, the noise escaping through the gaps will be deflected upwards with a sufficiently steep angle.

[0110] In FIG. 1, the winches 12 are attached to a platform 14 of a pile driver 15. In this way, existing systems can be easily re-equipped.

[0111] In FIG. 2, the winches 12 are attached to a frame 16, which is attached to the platform 14 of the pile driver 15. In this way, existing systems can be easily re-equipped. Further, the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 comprise rollers or gliders as protection spacers 18 attached to an inner circumference. Thus, the risk of damaging the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 in case the pile hits the modules can be mitigated.

[0112] In FIG. 3, the winches 12 are attached to a frame 16, which is attached to a vessel 17. In this way, the vessel 17 can be easily re-equipped. Further, the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 comprise rollers or gliders as protection spacers 18 attached to an inner circumference. Thus, the risk of damaging the noise-insulating modules 2, 3, 4 in case the pile hits the modules can be mitigated.