METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING UNDERWATER STRUCTURAL WALLS

摘要

A domed shaped base (2) consisting of beams and struts has a number of anchoring points (5) by means of which it can be lowered by a crane (10) from a vessel (8) onto the seabed. A refrigeration plant (12) onboard the vessel has its evaporation coil (18) mounted on the structure to follow a sinuous path to be generally uniformly distributed over the base (2). A feed pipe (14) feeds liquid refrigerant under pressure from the plant (12) to a distribution unit (16) mounted on the base. The distribution unit (2) distributes the refrigerant to the coil (18) which then cools the surrounding water to form the required structural wall in ice.