Method and apparatus for connecting submarine pipelines
AssigneeVetco Offshore Industries, Inc.
InventorBenton F. Baugh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A new and improved method and apparatus for transporting, laying and connecting flowlines to subsea structures, such as wellheads on the ocean bottom wherein a submersible marine propulsion apparatus is used to tow a buoyed flowline to its desired location and underwater flowline connectors are used to connect the flowline to a wellhead or the structure. During the transporting and laying of the line, the flowline is supported by a series of spaced adjustable buoys which support the flowline at a desired depth beneath the surface and which can be remotely actuated to lower the flowline to the ocean floor.
Claims1
A method of laying a pipeline on an offshore water bottom, comprising the steps of:
- a. connecting lengths of line pipe end-to-end onshore to form a partial segment of the pipeline;
- b. securing one end of such partial segment to a submersible power vessel;
- c. connecting remotely actuatable submersible buoys to said segment for supporting it either at the water surface or at some desired depth beneath the surface;
- d. connection additional lengths of pipe to the partial segment at the shore end to form a continuous pipeline until the desired length is reached;
- e. connection additional remotely actuatable buoys to said pipeline segment to support the additional lengths of line pipe as needed;
- f. submerging the pipeline beneath the water surface;
- g. towing the submerged pipeline into position offshore with the submersible vessel;
- h. submerging said pipeline and said submersible vessel to a position near the bottom of the water body;
- i. guiding the offshore end of the pipeline segment with the submersible vessel to connect such offshore end with a pre-existing pipeline connection apparatus near the water bottom;
- j. submerging the pipeline to the bottom;
- and
- k. releasing the pipeline from the remotely actuatable buoys.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.