Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool – With product handling or receiving means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2003-11-18
Bishop, Steven C. (Department: 3722)
Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool
With product handling or receiving means
C408S011000, C408S013000, C408S101000, C408S137000, C137S318000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648562
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCE TO PENDING APPLICATIONS
This application is not related to any pending United States or international patent application.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
This application is not referenced in any Microfiche Appendix.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention to which this disclosure pertains is an apparatus for tapping a hole in a pipeline and it is particularly adapted for use as a subsea tapping machine. The invention is specifically applicable for use in diverless subsea tapping operations.
Tapping machines have been used for drilling holes in the sidewall of pipelines in which the pipeline is under liquid or gas pressure since at least 1971 when U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,252 entitled, “Tapping Apparatus” was granted. This patent discloses a tapping apparatus that includes a supporting assembly affixed to the exterior of a pipeline, a feed screw mounted on the supporting assembly for rotation around its longitudinal axis, a boring bar connected to the feed screw for axial movement relative to the boring bar upon relative rotation of the feed screw and bar, a cutter connected to the boring bar for rotation by the boring bar and for rotatably engaging the external surface of a pipeline by which a hole is cut into the pipeline. The relative rotational speed of the boring bar and feed screw are employed to control the axial advancement or retraction of the boring bar and, correspondingly, the hole cutter. This patent further describes a system for controlling the relative speed of rotation of the boring bar and adjust the rate the feed screw moves the boring bar and the cutter in proportion to the load applied to the cutter.
The tapping apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,252 is designed for use on the earth's surface—that is, was not specifically designed for use underwater. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,484 entitled, “Underwater Tapping Machine” that issued on Apr. 1, 1986 provides a machine that is specifically useful in tapping a hole in a pipeline in which the pipeline is submerged in water. This patent describes changes in the tapping machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,252 that are required to accommodate the pressure applied by a water environment such as when tapping a hole in a pipeline in a lake, in the bottom of a river or in an ocean. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,484 describes how pressures are balanced between the exterior and the interior of a tapping machine in an underwater environment.
A substantial force can be imposed on a tapping apparatus when the circular drill penetrates the wall of the pipeline under pressure—that is, when the pressure within the pipeline is applied to the interior of the tapping machine. Tapping a pipeline under pressure is frequently referred to as “hot tapping”. To alleviate these high forces U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,331 that issued on Aug. 8, 1995 entitled, “High Pressure Tapping Apparatus” provides a means to control the hydraulic fluid pressure inside the tapping machine body based upon the pipeline pressure so that the pressure inside the pipeline body can be increased or decreased as required to at least substantially counterbalance the pressure encountered when the wall of a high pressure pipeline is penetrated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,878 entitled, “Pressure Balanced Subsea Tapping Machine” that issued on Jan. 11, 2000 provides further refinements in the technology of counterbalancing internal and external pressures encountered by a tapping machine when tapping a high pressure subsea pipeline. That is, this patent teaches techniques to counterbalance not only the great ambient pressures encountered in tapping a subsea pipeline but also provides for counterbalancing the high pressures encountered internally when the pipeline wall is penetrated.
These four mentioned previously issued U.S. Patents—that is, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,614,252, 4,579,484, 5,439,311 and 6,012,858 are all specifically related to pipeline tapping machines and the later issued ones to pipeline tapping machines used underwater. These four patents form a good background for the improvements contained in the present disclosure. These four patents including the drawings and descriptions therein are incorporated herein by reference as if repeated verbatim and as if the drawings were part of the drawings of the present disclosure in this application.
For additional information relating to subsea tapping operations and to the general area of maintaining, repairing and tapping onto submerged pipelines, reference may be had to the following previously issued United States patents:
PATENT NO.
INVENTOR
TITLE
RE 27,745
Brooks et al.
Subsea Production System
3,508,410
Lynch
Submerged Pipeline Repair System
3,578,233
Meister et al.
Apparatus for Remotely Joining
Underwater Pipelines
3,599,663
Ver Nooy
Hot Tapping Apparatus
3,614,252
Rose et al.
Tapping Apparatus
3,851,492
Cannon et al.
Apparatus and Method for
Offshore Operations
4,076,130
Sumner
Apparatus for Mounting a
Coupling Member Over a Pipe End in a
Subsea Location
4,091,514
Motes-Conners
Subsea Machine Tool
4,116,015
Duncan
Method and Apparatus for
Remotely Attaching a Riser Pipe to an
Offshore Structure
4,155,669
Rochelle
Deep Water Repair Methods
and Apparatus
4,223,925
Reneau et al.
Hot Tap Machine
4,436,449
Smoot et al.
Drill Ship Pipe Capture
4,441,328
Brister
Method and Apparatus for
Forming a Temporary Plug in a
Submarine Conduit
4,443,129
de Sivry et al.
Method and Apparatus for
Tapping a Submerged Pipe
4,450,857
Baugh et al.
Device for Tapping and
Plugging a Fluid Conductor
4,535,822
Rogers, Jr.
Fitting Installation Device
4,579,480
Szabo et al.
Remotely Controllable Handling
Device for Submerged Structures,
particularly for Connecting Underwater
Pipes
4,579,484
Sullivan
Underwater Tapping Machine
4,720,213
Gernhardt et al.
Apparatus for Inspecting,
Cleaning and/or Performing Other
Tasks in Connection with a Welded
Joint
4,784,525
Francois
Apparatus for Use in Installing
a Piece of Equipment Horizontally on a
Submerged Unit and for Removing It
Therefrom
4,832,530
Andersen et al.
Apparatus and Method for
Joining Pipe Sections Underwater
4,878,694
Castel
Method and Device for the
Remote Positioning of an Elbow
Coupling
4,880,335
Lee
Method and Apparatus for
Removing Concrete Coating from Pipe
5,074,713
Reis
Connector Module to Deal
with, Extend and Repair Undersea
Lines, Operated by Remotely Operated
Vehicle
5,439,331
Andrew et al.
High Pressure Tapping Apparatus
5,593,249
Cox et al.
Diverless Flowline Connection System
5,642,965
Dos Reis et al.
Interface System for Operation
of Remote Control Vehicle
6,012,878
Hicks
Pressure Balanced Subsea
Tapping Machine
Because of the almost insatiable demand for petroleum in the world today, more and more production occurs off-shore—that is, in the ocean. As exploration and production moves to deeper water, transporting newly found gas and oil economically becomes a key factor in determining the profitability of deep water exploration. Underwater pipelines have been installed in older fields. When new production is found in adjacent oil fields, substantial savings can be obtained by routing production to existing lines but only if the existing lines can be tapped and especially, only if the existing lines can be tapped while under pressure—that is, without interfering with current production.
When underground pipelines exist at relatively shallow depths, underwater tapping operations can be very successfully carried out by the use of divers. However, as working depths increase, the use of divers becomes more and more impractical. Therefore, a need has developed for subsea tapping machines that can be operated without the benefit of a diver. The invention of the present disclosure is particularly related to a subsea tapping machine that is specifically adaptable for diverless operation. This is not to mean that the principles of the present invention are limited to diverless subsea tapping machines as such principles may be employed even if a diver is present or some of the principles of the invention disclosed herein may be applicable for designing and developing i
Albertson, Jr. David W.
Calkins Charles D.
Dunn Jerry L.
Goswick Richard L.
James Matthew W.
Bishop Steven C.
Gable & Gotwals
Johnson Paul H.
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