Back to results
US 10,480,685 B2Granted
Lowering buoyant structures in water
AssigneeAcergy France SAS
InventorStephane Bombino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeAcergy France SAS
InventorStephane Bombino
Estimating the term…
A method lowers a hollow structure through water and installs that structure at a subsea location. The structure has an internal space containing a ballast material such as sea salt that is substantially denser than water. Upon being lowered with the aid of the ballast material to a subsea destination, the structure is anchored at that destination. Then, water is introduced into the internal space to dissolve, suspend or dilute the ballast material. Thus dissolved, suspended or diluted, the ballast material is evacuated or dispersed from the internal space in a liquid or fluidized form. For example, a solution or suspension of the ballast material can be entrained in a flushing flow of water through and from the internal space. The internal space is then available to perform another, primary function in subsea operation of the structure, for example as a flowline to convey oil or gas.
A method of lowering and installing a hollow structure in water, comprising:
A hollow structure arranged to be installed at a subsea location to perform a primary function, wherein the structure carries a denser-than-water ballast material that is dissolved, suspended or diluted in water at the subsea location while the ballast material is carried by the structure, and further wherein the ballast material is a substantially dry particulate solid material, and the structure comprises at least one barrier that closes an internal space containing the ballast material so as to shield the ballast material from the water while the structure is lowered through the water and to block access of the water to the ballast material before the structure reaches the subsea location, which barrier is arranged to be opened, dissolved, penetrated or removed to expose the ballast material to a flushing flow of the water when the structure is at the subsea location, so as to remove the dissolved, suspended or diluted ballast material from the structure as a solution or suspension entrained in the flushing flow of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.