Hydraulic and earth engineering – Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying – retrieving,... – Submerging – raising – or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-19
2001-08-21
Neuder, William (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying, retrieving,...
Submerging, raising, or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
C405S168200, C405S169000, C405S190000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276874
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to means and methods for installation of elongated articles from a surface vessel to a sea bed. It relates in particular to permanent installations and to the problem of preventing damage to an elongated article which is installed between a surface vessel and the sea bed. The elongated article may be a cable, an umbilical, a flexible pipe riser or the like.
A special technical problem is to provide a suitable transfer from a bottom laid static article (umbilical) to a dynamic article (umbilical) leading as a steep wave to a surface installation. One solution is described in our copending NO 961249 A (O Birkelund 3-1) by which the dynamic umbilical is secured to a bottom structure by means of a tether wire. This solution is—however—not suitable in all situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,203 relates to an arrangement for submarine conveyance of fluids through a flexible pipe line. The pipe line is assumed to have a positive buoyancy and it may be maintained at a desired depth by anchoring the pipe line with several pairs of cables to sea bed structures. This publication does, however, not give any hints to how a steep wave installation could be handled. With a steep wave installation, the elongated article will normally follow an S-curve configuration (lazy wave) between a substantially vertical outlet from a vessel and a substantially vertical installation on the sea bed. At a certain position between the vessel and the sea bed, the elongated article is suspended from buoyancy devices to create the flexible S-form.
At a lower position the elongated article is anchored to the sea bed. There is little risk of damaging the elongated article at the buoyancy device suspending positions. At the anchoring positions there are, however, transverse and in-line forces and potential uncontrolled shapes and configurations acting on the elongated article and these are difficult to cope with.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide means for anchoring an elongated article in a position mentioned—over a long time—without damaging the article. The object is also to stabilize the configuration during the life of the installation in order to prevent interference with other elongated articles transversely and omnidirectionally. The main features of the invention are defined in the claims.
With the present invention, a reliable method and mechanism for locking and guiding an elongated article to a sea bed have been obtained. Also, a reduction of the forces and control of the configuration of the elongated article at the touch down point area has been acheived. The lock and guide mechanism is designed to be ROV friendly because of deep water requirements, and the arrangements provide minimum wear under all load (near, far, transverse) conditions.
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Ekeberg Knut Ivar
Karlsen Jan Erik
Nørholmen John Øivind
Alcatel
Lee Jong-Suk
Neuder William
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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