Flexible heat-insulated pipe-line for in particular cryogenic fluids
AssigneeTechnigaz
InventorGilles Argy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid-conveying, flexible, lagged pipe for building up in particular a liquefied natural gas carrying pipe-line connecting an off-shore platform for working submarine oil fields or like underwater pools to a tanker ship and comprising an inner tubular duct including an inner helical metal spring, an intermediate layer of yielding composite material and an outer helical metal spring like the inner spring but longitudinally offset by half a pitch of turns with respect to the latter so that the turns of said outer spring be nested between those, respectively, of said inner spring.
Claims34
A flexible fluid-conveying pipe, of the kind comprising:
- an inner tubular duct, a layer of heat-insulating material surrounding in closely engaging relationship said inner tubular duct, and an outer protective casing surrounding in closely engaging relationship said heat-insulating layer, said protective casing consisting of a tough flexible fluid-tight tubular conduit connected to said inner tubular duct by retaining distance-pieces made in particular of relatively rigid cellular material and longitudinally spaced from each other and distributed at discrete locations while bearing against said inner tubular duct;
- said inner tubular duct consisting of at least three layers radially overlying in closely engaging relationship and including one single inner layer consisting of a metal wire helically wound with mutually spaced turns;
- and intermediate layer of yielding composite material surrounding said inner layer;
- and a single outer layer consisting of a metal wire helically wound about said intermediate layer but having its turns longitudinally offset by one half winding pitch with respect to those, respectively, of said inner wire layer so as to be located between the turns, respectively, of the latter, said single outer layer being substantially identical in particular in at least its own diameter and winding diameter and its winding pitch with said inner wire layer;
- wherein the improvement consists in that a blanket of relatively soft material is interposed between each aforesaid distance-piece and said inner tubular duct while being slightly compressed therebetween.
A flexible fluid-conveying pipe, of the type comprising:
- an inner tubular duct, a layer of heat-insulating material surrounding in closely engaging relationship said inner tubular duct and an outer protective casing surrounding in closely engaging relationship said heat-insulating layer, said inner tubular duct consisting of at least three layers radially overlying in closely engaging relationship and including one single inner layer consisting of a metal wire helically wound with mutually spaced turns;
- an intermediate layer of yielding composite material surrounding said inner layer;
- and a single outer layer consisting of a metal wire helically wound about said intermediate layer but having its turns longitudinally offset by one half winding pitch with respect to those, respectively, of said inner wire layer so as to be located between the turns, respectively, of the latter, said single outer layer being substantially identical in particular in at least its own diameter and winding diameter and its winding pitch with said inner wire layer, wherein the improvement consists in that both opposite respectively inner and outer end sides of said intermediate layer which are engaging said metal wire are each one faced with a flexible liner promoting slipping between said metal wire while providing for the cohesion and protection of said sides, said liner being in particular made from a polyurethane elastomer with a thickness in particular of about 0.3 mm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.