# US 2014/0154408 A1 · Economical heavy concrete weight coating for submarine pipelines > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0154408 A1 - Document ID: US20140154408A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/175,850 - Filed: 2014-02-07 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-24 - Assignees: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Applicants: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Inventors: Mohammed Al-Mehthel; Mohammed Maslehuddin; Bakr Hammad; Alaeddin A. Al-Sharif; Mohammed Ibrahim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154408A1 ## CPC - F16L 1/20: Accessories therefor, e.g. floats or weights - B05D 1/002: {the substrate being rotated} - B05D 1/02: performed by spraying - B29C 39/10: incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. casting around inserts or for coating articles {(coating a surface by casting in general B05D1/30, B29C39/126 takes precedence)} - C04B 28/02: containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates - F16L 1/24: Floats; Weights - C04B 2111/0031: {Heavy materials, e.g. concrete used as ballast material} - C04B 2111/00706: {around pipelines or the like} - C04B 2111/74: Underwater applications - Y02W 30/91: Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete - Y10T 29/49885: with coating before or during assembling - F16L: PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL - B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract Economical heavy concrete weight coating is used as a weight coating for submarine pipes. The developed economical heavy concrete weight includes steel slag and iron ore as aggregate. Steel slag can contain iron and thus have a higher density than some other types of slag. By supplementing the steel slag with iron ore as aggregate, the economical heavy concrete weight coating can have a higher density than a coating having just slag. Economical heavy concrete weight coating can have a density greater than 190 pcf. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for increasing the negative buoyancy of a segment of pipe, the method comprises: creating an economical heavy concrete weight coating comprising: Portland cement; iron ore, where the iron ore is less than one half of the weight of the economical heavy concrete weight coating; steel slag, where the steel slag is produced by purifying steel billets in one of an electric arc furnace or a basic oxygen furnace; and sand; where the economical heavy concrete weight coating has a unit weight of at least about 190 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) and a thickness in a range of about 1 to about 5 inches; and attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to an outer surface of the segment of pipe, where the segment of pipe with the economical heavy concrete weight coating has a greater negative buoyancy than without the economical heavy concrete weight coating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where the steel slag comprises about 40 weight percent (wt. %) to about 45 wt. % of the economical heavy concrete weight coating. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe comprises compressing the economical heavy concrete weight coating onto the outer surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe also comprises forming a ribbon of economical heavy concrete weight coating and rotating the segment of pipe about its axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe comprises spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating onto the outer surface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe further comprises rotating the segment of pipe and spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating using a nozzle that moves axially along the segment of pipe. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe further comprises spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating using a nozzle that moves both axially and circumferentially about the segment of pipe while the segment of pipe remains stationary. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of the segment of pipe comprises pouring the economical heavy concrete weight coating into a mold, where the outer surface of the segment of pipe is located within the mold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where the economical heavy concrete weight coating has a unit weight of at least about 210 pcf. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 where the economical heavy concrete weight coating comprises about 40 wt. % to about 45 wt. % iron ore; about 16 wt. % to about 17 wt. % Portland cement; about 2 wt. % to about 3 wt. % sand; and about 30 wt. % to about 35 wt. % steel slag. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10 where the steel slag comprises about 30 wt. % to about 35 wt. % iron oxide; about 5 wt. % to about 10 wt. % aluminum oxide; about 20 wt. % to about 25 wt. % calcium oxide; and about 7 wt. % to about 10 wt. % magnesium oxide. ### Claim 12 A method for providing negative buoyancy to a length of subsea pipeline, the method comprising: creating an economical heavy concrete weight coating comprising: Portland cement; iron ore, where the iron ore is less than one half of the weight of the economical heavy concrete weight coating; steel slag, where the steel slag is produced by purifying steel billets in one of an electric arc furnace or a basic oxygen furnace; and sand; where the economical heavy concrete weight coating has a unit weight of at least about 190 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness in a range of about 1 to about 5 inches; attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to an outer surface of each of a plurality of segments of pipe; connecting each of the plurality of segments of pipe to an adjacent one of the plurality of segments of pipe to create the length of subsea pipeline; and submerging the length of subsea pipeline in a body of water, where the length of subsea pipeline has a negative buoyancy and is operable to maintain the length of subsea pipeline in a position below a surface of the body of water. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline comprises compressing the economical heavy concrete weight coating onto the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline comprises forming a ribbon of economical heavy concrete weight coating and rotating the length of subsea pipeline about its axis. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline comprises spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating onto the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline further comprises rotating the length of subsea pipeline and spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating using a nozzle that moves axially along the length of subsea pipeline. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline further comprises spraying the economical heavy concrete weight coating using a nozzle that moves both axially and circumferentially about the length of subsea pipeline while the length of subsea pipeline remains stationary. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 where attaching the economical heavy concrete weight coating to the outer surface of each of the plurality of segments of pipe forming the length of subsea pipeline comprises pouring the economical heavy concrete weight coating into a mold, where the outer surface of the length of subsea pipeline is located within the mold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 where the economical heavy concrete weight coating comprises about 40 wt. % to about 45 wt. % iron ore; about 16 wt. % to about 17 wt. % Portland cement; about 2 wt. % to about 3 wt. % sand; and about 30 wt. % to about 35 wt. % steel slag. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19 where the steel slag comprises about 30 wt. % to about 35 wt. % iron oxide; about 5 wt. % to about 10 wt. % aluminum oxide; about 20 wt. % to about 25 wt. % calcium oxide; and about 7 wt. % to about 10 wt. % magnesium oxide.