Method and apparatus of launching floats to lighten underwater conduits
AssigneesCompagnie Francaise des Petroles, Etudes Petrolieres Marines, Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne-A.C.B., Societe Anonyme, Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises, Societe Anonyme, Compagnie Generale pour les Developpements Operationnels des Richesses Sous-Marines (Doris), Societe Anonyme, Entreprise de Recherches et d'Activites Petrolieres (E.R.A.P.) Etablissement public
InventorMichel J. Jegousse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To enable the release and consequent recovery of a support float which supports a load, e.g. a pipe, as it is lowered to the sea bed, a marker buoy is lowered with the float to be released when the load reaches the sea bed, the marker buoy having an inflated flexible envelope which is trapped in a housing fast with the float and having an opening through which the float can escape only when it has been compressed to a predetermined extent under the effects of a predetermined hydrostatic pressure. The marker buoy is connected to the float by a cable and the float is released from the load either by operations on that cable, or on a release cable connected to the float, on appearance of the marker buoy at the water surface.
Claims16
An apparatus for releasing a float supporting a submerged load comprising:
- a cable, an elastically deformable buoy, said buoy having an attachment point for coupling said cable to said buoy, a housing containing said buoy, an inflation valve capable of being introduced into said housing through an opening in said housing, said buoy inflated to deform under the effect of a predetermined hydrostatic pressure and freely pass through said opening and rise to the surface with said cable attached to it, and means to release said cable from the load.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 14, including strap means on said load, said strap means coupled to said connecting means, and said release means comprises at least one knife attached to said cable and positioned to sever said strap means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.