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Method and apparatus for building a thickened ice mass, such as a grounded ice island, at a cold offshore location, in which water is pumped through a fluid flow conduit and discharged from a rotating swing arm section of the conduit onto selected areas of a natural ice sheet to form circular and/or

Method and apparatus for building a thickened ice mass, such as a grounded ice island, at a cold offshore location, in which water is pumped through a fluid flow conduit and discharged from a rotating swing arm section of the conduit onto selected areas of a natural ice sheet to form circular and/or annular thickened ice bodies. The fluid flow conduit includes a first water supply line disposed in the water body between the ice sheet and the marine bottom, and, if required, a second water supply line which is installed along the top surface of the ice island after the grounding of the ice body forces abandonment of the first water supply line.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for distributing water onto a sheet of ice floating on a water body overlying a marine bottom in a cold offshore region so as to form a thickened ice mass, said apparatus comprising: a water pump positioned at a first location on said ice sheet; a fluid flow conduit comprised of (1) a f

An apparatus for distributing water onto a sheet of ice floating on a water body overlying a marine bottom in a cold offshore region so as to form a thickened ice mass, said apparatus comprising: a water pump positioned at a first location on said ice sheet; a fluid flow conduit comprised of (1) a first water supply line having an inlet end fluid-tightly connected to the outlet of said water pump and having at least a substantial portion of its length disposed in said water body between said ice sheet and said marine bottom, (2) a vertical standpipe fluid-tightly connected to the outlet end of said first water supply line, said standpipe extending through said ice sheet at a second location spaced from said first location, and (3) a horizontal swing arm rotatably and fluid-tightly connected to said standpipe and disposed in an elevated position above said ice sheet; means for fixedly supporting said standpipe at said second location; means for supporting said swing arm in said elevated position so as to be rotatable about said standpipe; drive means for rotating said swing arm about said standpipe; and discharge means mounted on said swing arm for discharging water from said swing arm onto said ice sheet.