# US 2016/0145948 A1 · Marine drilling riser protection system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0145948 A1 - Document ID: US20160145948A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/550,274 - Filed: 2014-11-21 - Published: 2016-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-21 - Assignees: Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd. - Applicants: Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd. - Inventors: Peter Brendon Thomas PEZET; Aaron Paul BEGLEY - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160145948A1 ## CPC - E21B 17/01: Risers - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A marine drilling riser protection system including a plurality of protection modules adapted for fitment at spaced intervals along the length of a riser, and a plurality of cover parts, wherein each cover part is adapted to be fitted at one end of the cover part to a first protection module, and at an opposite end of the cover part to a second protection module. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A marine drilling riser protection system including: a plurality of protection modules adapted for fitment at spaced intervals along the length of a riser; and a plurality of cover parts, wherein each cover part is adapted to be fitted at one end of the cover part to a first protection module, and at an opposite end of the cover part to a second protection module, wherein each cover part is generally semi-circular and has formed along each peripheral edge at least one securement device configured for releasable engagement with the protection modules, and wherein the protection modules and cover parts are each formed near ends thereof with a recess extending around an outer surface, the recess in the cover parts being configured for receipt of securement strap and the recess in the protection module being configured for receipt of an underside of the recess formed in the cover part so that the recesses cooperate to fix the cover parts to the protection module. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the protection modules is buoyant and the system is adapted to be tailored to a desired buoyancy by attaching protection modules along the riser in greater density of relative location (concentration) to increase buoyancy, and by attaching protection modules along the riser in lower density of relative location (concentration) to decrease buoyancy. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the protection modules is adapted to be axially fixable to the riser at any location along the length of the riser. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the protection modules is adapted to be clamped to the riser so as to axially fix the protection module relative to the riser. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein any distances between two neighbouring protection modules above a threshold distance are spanned with one of said cover parts fitted between said two neighbouring modules and any distances between two neighbouring modules below said threshold distance are left uncovered by a cover part. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the threshold distance is selected such that a substantially flush finish is achieved along a length of the riser by having throughout the length of the riser protection modules either (i) mutually adjacent or (ii) mutually spaced with spaces between the protection modules covered with a cover part. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in-claim 1, wherein the protection modules are sized to allow drilling operators to manually remove or add protection modules as required during a drilling campaign without requiring a shore-based dressing operation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a ratio of axial length of the protection module to the outer diameter of the protection module is between 0.5 and 1.5. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the protection modules is formed as a solid body, without an internal free-flooding cavity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the cover parts when mounted remains spaced from the riser by the protection modules to which the respective cover part is mounted. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the cover parts has at least one engagement member configured for releasable engagement with the protection modules. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each cover part is configured to receive a securement device, said device being configured to secure the cover part(s) to the protection module and the protection module to the riser. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the or each engagement member is an angled peripheral edge extending from the cover part(s) and configured to engage a corresponding portion of the protection module(s) to fix the cover part to the protection module in use. ### Claim at position 14 14-15. (canceled) ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection modules are formed with a tensioner recess in which a tensioner for tensioning the securement strap can be received, the cover parts being formed with an aperture through which the tensioner can be accessed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A marine drilling riser protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securement device formed along a longitudinally extending edge is formed with an upturned lip for locking the cover part to the protection module when a pair of corresponding cover parts are secured to a protection module with the securement strap.