Apparatus for bending a flowline under subsea conditions

A pipe bending means adapted to be carried by a subsea flowline being laid having a flowline axis and operable to impart a bend to the flowline, comprising:

• means including a plurality of cylindrical segments in spaced apart tandem relation adapted to be loosely ensleeved over said flowline said means including end cylindrical segments;
• first means pivotally interconnecting adjacent ends of said cylindrical segments along an external line spaced from and laterally paralleling said flowline axis;
• second means pivotally interconnecting said end cylindrical segments along an external line diametrically opposite in respect to said flowline axis to said first external line;
• said second pivotal interconnecting means including a cylinder and piston means;
• and actuating means for the cylinder and piston means to move adjacent segments about their pivotal connections into angularly disposed relation to form a segmented predetermined arc by contact of end portions of adjacent segments at the inner radius of the arc to limit bending said flowline about said flowline axis,
• said actuating means including a pressure fluid actuating conduit connected to said cylinder and adapted to be connected to a remote control station for actuation when said bending means reaches a predetermined depth in the water in which said subsea flowline is being laid.

A pipe bending means for a flowline having a longitudinal axis including:

• a plurality of tubular segments having ends axially spaced apart a selected distance and adapted to be ensleeved over said flowline in coaxial relation therewith;
• means on said segments providing pivotal connections disposed between adjacent spaced ends of said tubular segments, said pivotal connections lying along a line laterally spaced from said axis and exteriorly of the curvature of a bend to be formed;
• and means for imparting bending forces to the flowline and comprising
• fluid actuated pressure means,
• and means providing axially spaced pivotal connections between said fluid actuated pressure means and certain of said spaced segments,
• one of said latter certain segments being held against movement axially of said flowline;
• said latter spaced pivotal connections lying along a line laterally spaced from said flowline axis and interiorly of the curvature of the bend to be formed.