Subsea grout distributor

In a jacket structure of the type seated on a seabed and supporting a work platform above the water surface, said jacket comprising a plurality of pile sleeves for receiving anchoring piles therethrough for anchoring the jacket to the seabed, said pile sleeves each including an entance port communicating with an annulus formed between the pile sleeve and its associated pile for conducting grout to said annulus from a primary grout supply conduit means extending to the water surface, and an exit port communicating with said annulus for discharging grout therefrom to be conducted to the water surface through a primary grout discharge conduit means, the improvement comprising subsea grout distributor means for communicating said primary grout supply and discharge conduit means sequentially with said plurality of pile sleeves, said grout distributor means comprising:

• frame means mounted at a submerged location on said jacket structure,
• a plurality of secondary grout supply conduit means having inlet ends secured to said frame means and outlet ends communicating with said entrance ports of respective ones of said pile sleeves,
• a plurality of secondary grout discharge conduit means having outlet ends secured to said frame means and inlet ends communicating with said exit ports of respective ones of said pile sleeves,
• a carriage movably mounted on said frame means,
• first receiver means movably mounted on said carriage and connectible with an outlet end of said primary grout supply conduit means,
• second receiver means movably mounted on said carriage and connectible with an inlet end of said primary grout discharge conduit means,
• means for moving said carriage relative to said frame means to sequentially position said first and second receiver means adjacent said inlet and outlet ends of said secondary grout supply and discharge conduit means, respectively,
• means for moving said first receiver means
• toward said inlet end of an associated one of said secondary grout supply conduit means, to enable grout to be transferred to the latter from said primary grout supply conduit means, and
• away from said last-named inlet end to enable said carriage to be displaced relative thereto, and
• means for moving said second receiver means
• toward said outlet end of an associated one of said secondary grout supply conduit means, to enable grout to be transferred to said primary grout discharge conduit means from said secondary grout discharge conduit means, and
• away from said last-named outlet end, to enable said carriage to be displaced relative thereto.

In a jacket structure of the type seated on a seabed and supporting a work platform above the water surface, said jacket comprising a plurality of pile sleeves for receiving anchoring piles therethrough for anchoring the jacket to the seabed, said pile sleeves each including an entrance port communicating with a lower end of an annulus formed between the pile sleeve and its associated pile for conducting grout to said annulus from a primary grout supply conduit means extending to the water surface, and an exit port communicating with an upward end of said annulus for discharging grout therefrom to be conducted to the water surface through a primary grout discharge conduit means, the improvement comprising subsea grout distributor means for communicating said primary grout supply and discharge means sequentially with said plurality of pile sleeves, said grout distributor means comprising:

• frame means mounted at a submerged location on said jacket structure,
• a plurality of secondary grout supply conduit means having outwardly flared inlet ends secured to said frame means and outlet ends communicating with said entrance ports of respective ones of said pile sleeves,
• a plurality of secondary grout discharge conduit means having outwardly flared outlet ends secured to said frame means and inlet ends communicating with said exit ports of respective ones of said pile sleeves,
• guide means on said frame means,
• a carriage slidably mounted on said guide means,
• a pair of arms pivotably mounted at inner ends thereof to said carriage for independent pivotable movement about a common pivotal axis,
• a grout supply nozzle disposed at an outer end of a first of said arms, said grout supply nozzle including:
• an inlet end connected with an outlet end of said primary grout supply conduit means, and
• an outlet end tapered complimentarily to said outwardly flared ends of said secondary grout conduit means,
• motor means for moving said carriage relative to said frame means to sequentially position said grout supply and discharge nozzles adjacent said inlet and outlet ends of said secondary grout supply and discharge conduit means, respectively,
• motor means for rotating said first arm about said common pivot axis to bring said grout supply nozzle:
• into engagement with said inlet end of an associated one of said secondary grout supply conduit means, to enable grout to be transferred to the latter from said primary grout supply conduit means, and
• out of engagement with said last-named inlet end to enable said carriage to be displaced thereto, and
• motor means for pivoting said second arm about said common pivot axis to bring said grout discharge nozzle:
• into engagement with said outlet end of an associated one of said secondary grout supply conduit means, to enable grout to be transferred to said primary discharge conduit means from said secondary grout discharge conduit means, and
• out of engagement with said last-named outlet end to enable said carriage to be displaced relative thereto.

A method of supplying grout sequentially to a plurality of subsea grout-receiving locations from a primary grout supply conduit, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of secondary grout supply conduits, said secondary conduits including inlet ends and outlet ends connected to respective ones of said subsea grout receiving locations,
• (b) moving a carriage relative to said inlet ends to sequentially position receiver means on said carriage adjacent said inlet ends, said primary conduit being connected to said receiver means,
• (c) moving said receiver means relative to said carriage toward the inlet end of a respective one of said secondary conduits to align said primary conduit with said respective secondary conduit,
• (d) transferring grout from said primary conduit into said respective secondary conduit,
• (e) thereafter moving said receiver means relative to said carriage away from said respective secondary conduit,
• (f) subsequently moving said carriage to a position wherein said receiver means is disposed adjacent another of said secondary conduits, and
• (g) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) relative to said other conduit.