Hydraulic and earth engineering – Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying – retrieving,... – Submerging – raising – or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
Patent
1992-01-23
1994-09-13
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying, retrieving,...
Submerging, raising, or manipulating line of pipe or cable...
405158, 4051684, F16L 104
Patent
active
053463331
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a process for laying flexible conduits, in particular flexible tubular conduits and cables using in particular a laying ship and at least one supply ship.
This invention applies both to flexible tubular conduits and to cables, in particular to the electric cables, called flexible conduits below.
To assure the transport of fluids, such as, for example, hydrocarbons in offshore installations, it is known to place flexible tubular conduits on the ocean floor. The laying of flexible tubular conduits is assured by a laying ship. During the laying, the flexible tubular conduit is stored in a cage assuring its unrolling during the laying. The capacity of such a cage is limited. Once the length of flexible tubular conduits contained in the cage is unrolled, the laying operations are stopped momentarily. It is necessary to note that the interruptions are particularly detrimental in the case of laying flexible tubular conduits. Actually, one of the many advantages of these flexible tubular conduits resides in the speed of their laying. This speed makes possible, in particular, a short stopping of the laying ship whose daily cost is very high.
On the other hand, it is known to use supply ships to assure the supply, apart from the laying operations of the laying ship. For this purpose, supply (supply or supply vessel in English terminology) ships are used whose daily operating cost is very clearly lower than that of the laying ship.
The process for laying flexible tubular conduits according to this invention is made faster by using ships for supplying the laying ship with hose at the very site of the laying. Thus, there is full benefit from the fact that the laying operation itself of a flexible tubular conduit is very fast. Moreover, it is possible to use several supply ships taking over from each other to supply the laying ship continuously with flexible tubular conduits.
The laying ship and/or the supply ship are equipped with means for storing flexible conduits. For example, at least one cage with a vertical axis and/or at least one coil, advantageously motorized and advantageously with a horizontal axis, are used.
In a first variant embodiment of the process according to this invention, the stages of laying and the stages of transferring flexible conduits are alternated. The loading is performed, for example, on a cage for storing flexible conduits on a laying ship. Once the cage is loaded, the laying of the flexible conduit section which is in the cage is performed. When the cage is empty, a new cycle is begun, by restocking the cage with flexible conduits. It is possible to use a plurality of supply ships shuttling between the port and the laying ship to assure the continuity of the laying operations.
In a second variant of the process according to this invention, the laying ship directly performs the laying of a flexible conduit which is provided to it by a supply ship. Advantageously, a new full supply ship takes the place of the preceding supply ship when the latter is empty. During this time, the empty supply ship is freed or will be restocked in the port or by another ship.
In a third variant embodiment of the process according to this invention, the supply ship or ships simultaneously provide a plurality, for example two, of flexible conduits to the laying ship. A first flexible conduit is directly laid by a laying ship from the supply ship. The second flexible conduit is stored in a storage means of the laying ship, for example, a storage cage with a vertical axis of rotation. When the supply ship does not have any more flexible conduits, the laying ship continues the laying from the storage means. During this time, the supply ship can be resupplied with flexible conduits, for example, in a port, or can be replaced by another supply ship.
In a fourth variant of the process according to this invention, a laying ship comprising at least two means of storing flexible conduits, for example, two cages, is used. Each cage alternately plays the role of receiving flexible conduits from a
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International Search Report, PCT/FR91/00263, Jul. 1991, European Patent Office.
Coutarel Alain
Maloberti Rene
Coflexip
Taylor Dennis L.
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