US 10,370,186 B2 · Subsea fluid storage system

Abstract

A subsea fluid storage system comprising a soft bladder disposed within a pressure balanced reservoir, a rotatable piston, and a piston rotator which rotates and twists the rotatable piston as it travels along a predetermined axis within the pressure balanced reservoir, predictably and repeatabley collapses the soft bladder when the rotating piston cooperatively travels about the piston rotator, twisting the soft bladder as the rotating piston moves along the predetermined axis, collapsing the bladder inward and thereby emptying the bladder of fluid within the bladder. The piston's rotation pulls the soft bladder away from the pressure balanced reservoir's interior, thereby preventing the bladder's binding or pinching the pressure balanced reservoir's interior. In configurations, fluid is allowed to enter the pressure balanced reservoir via a valve until a balance is achieved between an interior and an exterior of the pressure balanced reservoir.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A subsea fluid storage system suitable for use subsea, comprising:

a. a pressure balanced reservoir;
b. a soft bladder disposed within the pressure balanced reservoir;
c. a rotatable piston disposed at least partially within the pressure balanced reservoir, the rotatable piston in communication with a top of the soft bladder, the rotatable piston configured to axially rotate and twist the soft bladder as the rotatable piston travels along a predetermined axis within the pressure balanced reservoir;
and
d. a piston rotator disposed within the pressure balanced reservoir, the piston rotator operatively in communication with the rotatable piston and operative to axially rotate the rotatable piston along the predetermined axis.

2 more elements

A method of allowing a predictable and repeatable collapse of a soft bladder of a subsea fluid storage system suitable for use subsea and disposed subsea which comprises the soft bladder disposed within a pressure balanced reservoir, a top of the soft bladder in communication with a rotatable piston disposed at least partially within the pressure balanced reservoir, and a piston rotator operative to rotate and twist the rotatable piston and the soft bladder as the rotatable piston travels along a predetermined axis within the pressure balanced reservoir, the method comprising:

a. allowing the piston rotator to cooperatively constrain travel of the rotating piston and thereby twist the soft bladder as the rotating piston moves along the predetermined axis in such a manner as to collapse the soft bladder inward, thereby emptying the soft bladder of fluid within the soft bladder, the rotation of the rotatable piston pulling the soft bladder away from an interior of the pressure balanced reservoir and thereby preventing binding or pinching of the soft bladder with respect to the interior of the pressure balanced reservoir;
and
b. allowing fluid to enter the pressure balanced reservoir until a balance is achieved between the interior and an exterior of the pressure balanced reservoir.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Subsea fluid storage system

Life of this patent

Subsea fluid storage system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19