Hydraulic and earth engineering – Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying – retrieving,... – Submerging – raising – or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
Patent
1996-11-04
1998-09-15
Graysay, Tamara L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying, retrieving,...
Submerging, raising, or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
405169, 405171, 166343, 166342, 166341, 166338, F16L 112, E21B 712
Patent
active
058070273
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates in general to equipment and systems for establishing connection between subsea flowlines and pipelines. The invention is especially developed in connection with applications whereby one first pipeline is permanently or temporarily mounted on a sea bottom based manifold or template, and one second pipeline initially free and disconnected, for instance with the so-called "second end" resting on a sea bottom.
A principal object for the invention is to provide systems and constructions for "pull-in" of the free end of the second pipeline to the pipeline end mounted on a bottom based template in order to accomplish a time and cost saving technique and simultaneously providing a 100% pressure proof intercoupling of the pipelines. Such pipelines or flowlines are primarily used for transportation of petroleum products, such as oil and gas, frequently subjected to high pressures.
Many solutions for accomplishing such operations are known. Further to the various elements and equipment which form part of the connections, such as flange couplings, sockets, bolts, packings etc. which usually are or will be mounted on the termination of one or both pipelines, one utilizes frequently one or more special tools in order to accomplish the coupling. These operations are carried out by means of divers or by means of more or less remotely controlled robots with manipulating arms which are mounted on so-called ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles). Due to the time factor, the costs and especially the expenses involved by use of divers, one attempts to develop equipment whereby the operations can be accomplished more quickly and with an extended use of tools which can be remotely operated either directly or via use of ROVs.
The present invention can be used in connection with various applications for connection of subsea pipelines, but is particularly useful in connection with tasks whereby one free pipeline section shall be coupled to a bottom based pipeline which for instance forms part of a manifold, and/or is mounted on a bottom based template in connection with a subsea production system.
In accordance with known technique, the freely suspended pipeline is being pulled via a mounted so-called terminator in to the pipeline mounted on the template, during which operation the terminator on the free pipeline is pulled or moved into a jig with equipment for positioning special tools in order to accomplish the connection between the opposed terminators on the pipelines.
Norwegian patent 149.254, UK patent application no. 2.038.971 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,998 are illustrative of the known are in this field.
A drawback of most known systems is that the template with the manifold supporting or forming part of the installed pipeline, is provided with frame parts or a jig which more or less circumscribes or straddles the end part of the pipeline end on the template, and thereby complicates the positioning of the coupling tools including the flange coupling, both in the case where the tools are operated by means of divers or by means of ROVs.
A further drawback or shortcoming of known systems is that the pulling equipment itself, utilized for transportation and pulling of the pipeline into the coupling jig on the template, to a smaller or larger degree must be connected and pulled into the jig and thereby complicates both the pulling operation and the use of temporarily mounted coupling tools, and finally, the removal of such tools.
The general object for the present invention is on this background to provide equipment and systems which can imply an increased efficiency of the entire pulling and coupling operation.
The present invention is thus related to a system for pull-in and intercoupling of two pipelines in subsea position, wherein one first pipeline for instance is mounted on a bottom based manifold frame or the like, while one second pipeline initially is freely suspended or has one end for instance positioned on the sea bottom, the outer or front ends of said first and said second pipelines provided wit
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ABB Offshore Technology AS
Graysay Tamara L.
Hartmann Gary S.
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