摘要:
A subsea drying system (10) for drying a chamber (12) underwater has an upstream piping (24, 26, 28) for conveying a pressurized drying fluid from a source (18) to the chamber (12); and downstream piping (36, 38, 40) for expelling liquid displaced from the chamber (12) by the drying fluid in an open-loop dewatering mode. In a closed-loop dehumidifying mode, a recirculation path (54) between the downstream piping (36, 38, 40) and the upstream piping (24, 26, 28) conveys drying fluid exiting the chamber (12) back into the chamber (12) after passing through a dehumidifier (58). A valve system selectively closes and opens the re-circulation path to expel displaced liquid when that path is closed and to recirculate drying fluid from the chamber (12) through the dehumidifier (58) to the upstream piping (24, 26, 28) when that path is open.
摘要:
A towable pipeline bundle for installation underwater at a subsea oil or gas production site has two or more bundled elongate elements, at least one of which is a flowline for carrying production fluid along the bundle. A rigid buoyancy pipe of polymer-composite material extends along and supports the bundled elongate elements. The buoyancy pipe has an internal buoyancy chamber and at least one port for introducing fluid into the buoyancy chamber. The buoyancy pipe is arranged to have positive buoyancy in seawater when its buoyancy chamber contains a fluid less dense than seawater. In this way, the buoyancy pipe confers substantially neutral buoyancy on a towable unit comprising the bundle. The unit can then be towed in mid-water to the production site and lowered there onto the seabed.
摘要:
A method of handling a discrete elongate subsea element of determinate length, such as a spool of rigid pipe is disclosed. The method includes shortening a tensile chord system acting on longitudinally-spaced locations on the element to apply longitudinally-compressive forces to the element. The compressive forces bend the element along its length against elastic recovery force to shorten the span of the element. One end of the element is anchored at a first anchorage before or after the element is bent. The other end of the element is anchored at a second anchorage, after the element is bent and while the element remains bent. The method is apt to be used during installation of the element, where the anchorages are both underwater, and during transportation of the element, where the anchorages are hang-off platforms of a surface vessel.
摘要:
A method of coating a field joint of a pipeline places at least one body having a thermoplastics material around the field joint. The body is heated in a mould cavity around the field joint to effect thermal expansion of the thermoplastics material. Thermal expansion of the body in the mould cavity is constrained to apply elevated pressure between the body and pipe sections joined at the field joint. The elevated pressure improves bonding and fusing between the body, which forms a field joint coating, and the parent coatings and the exposed pipe sections of the pipe joints. The body need not be fully molten, which reduces the mould residence time including in-mould heating and cooling phases.
摘要:
A field joint of a pipeline is coated in a thermoplastics injection moulding process by positioning a mould tool around the field joint to define a mould cavity. Thermoplastics material is injected into the mould cavity to form a field joint coating that will set in the mould cavity. As the thermoplastics material shrinks in the mould cavity while the field joint coating sets, compacting pressure is applied radially inwardly within the mould cavity against a radially outer side of the field joint coating.A compacting fluid introduced into the mould cavity between the mould tool and the field joint coating may be used to apply pressure against the field joint coating. This accelerates and controls cooling of the field joint coating while maximising quality.