Pipelaying
OwnerLuiz Carlos De Lemos Junior, Joao Carlos Carvalho Gouveia +1inventors
InventorsLuiz Carlos De Lemos Junior, Joao Carlos Carvalho Gouveia, Frederico Nicoletti de Fraga
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An in-line accessory structure for a subsea pipeline has an elongate pipe section arranged to be integrated into the pipeline, hence defining a flow axis through the structure. A branch has a lower end in fluid communication with the pipe section and an upper end in fluid communication with a connector hub. The structure further has a subsea foundation such as a mudmat, arranged to support the structure installed orientation. When the structure is in that orientation, the branch inclines inwardly from its lower end toward its upper end in a transverse direction, toward an upright longitudinal plane containing the flow axis.
Claims37
An in-line accessory structure for a subsea pipeline, the structure comprising:
- a subsea foundation arranged to support the structure in an installed orientation;
- a frame attached to the foundation;
- an elongate pipe section supported by the frame, the pip section being arranged to be integrated into the subsea pipeline and hence defining a flow axis through the structure;
- and
- at least one branch having a lower end in fluid communication with and facing forward the pipe section and an upper end in fluid communication with and facing forward a connector hub;
- wherein, in the installed orientation, the branch inclines inwardly and upwardly in a transverse direction between its lower end and its upper end, toward an upright longitudinal plane containing the flow axis and extending substantially orthogonally with respect to a supporting seabed.
The structure of 22, wherein the lane of the mudmat in the deployed states, is substantially orthogonal to the upright longitudinal plane.
An in-line accessory structure for a subsea pipeline, the structure comprising:
- at least two mudmats that are attached to and movable relative to a frame from a compact stowed state into an extended deployed state;
- an elongate pipe section supported by the frame, the pipe section being arranged to be integrated into the subsea pipeline;
- and
- at least two branches in fluid communication with the pipe section;
- wherein at least one of the mudmats and at least one of the branches are disposed in longitudinal succession along the pipe section on each side of the pipe section, the at least one mudmat on opposite sides of the pipe section being offset longitudinally from each other to define longitudinally-extending recesses with opposite longitudinal offset that accommodate the at least one branch on opposite sides of the pipe section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.