Method and apparatus for securing a conduit to a structure
AssigneeDeep Tek IP Limited
InventorAlexander Charles Crawford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for securing a conduit to relatively inaccessible structures, for example, oil tanks on submerged ships. The method involves providing a conduit with a neck, temporarily securing the conduit to the surface, for example by means of magnets, etc, drilling a hole through the structure and passing the neck of the conduit through the hole in the structure, and passing an expander device through the neck of the conduit through the hole in the structure to widen a portion of the internal passage of the conduit in the region of the neck.
Claims26
Apparatus for transfer of fluids to or from a structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a conduit having an outer surface and an internal passage with a deformable neck having an inner surface;
- a perforating mechanism comprising a drill stem cutting bit mounted on the end of the drill stem to form a hole in the structure configured to receive the deformable neck of the conduit;
- an expander device adapted to be received within the internal passage of the conduit, the expander device being axially moveable within the internal passage of the conduit, and having:
- an aperture configured to allow passage of the drill stem through the aperture of the expander device,
- an external surface with at least one portion that has a larger dimension than the inner surface of the neck of the internal passage;
- and
- a driving mechanism adapted to drive the expander device axially through the internal passage of the conduit, to axially drive the said at least one portion of the external surface of the expander device against the inner surface of the neck when the neck is located in the hole, and to expand the neck of the conduit, thereby deforming the neck radially outwardly and swaging the neck in the hole.
Apparatus for transfer of fluids to or from a structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a conduit having an internal passage with a deformable neck;
- a perforating mechanism comprising a drill stem with a cutting bit at the end of the drill stem to form a hole in the structure to receive a portion of the conduit;
- an expander device adapted to be received within the internal passage of the conduit, the expander device being axially moveable within the internal passage of the conduit, and having at least one portion that has a larger dimension than the neck of the internal passage;
- and
- a driving mechanism adapted to drive the expander device through the internal passage of the conduit, to axially drive the said at least one portion of the external surface of the expander device against the inner surface of the neck when the neck is located in the hole, and to expand the neck of the conduit,
- in which the expander device is apertured to allow passage of the drill stem through the expander device, and wherein the expander device incorporates bearings in the aperture to isolate torque applied to the expander device by the drill stem.
A method for attaching a conduit to a structure, the method comprising the steps of
- providing a conduit with an internal passage having a deformable neck;
- forming a hole through a face of the structure to enable passage of the neck through the hole;
- passing the neck of the conduit through the hole in the structure;
- providing a expander device adapted to be a restricted fit in the neck;
- and
- driving the expander device axially through a portion of the conduit, whereby the expander device widens a portion of the internal passage of the conduit in the region of the neck, wherein the neck is deformed by the passage of the expander device from a first configuration in which it allows passage of the neck through the hole before the expander device is passed through the internal passage, to a second configuration, in which it restricts passage of the neck through the hole, after expansion of the neck by the movement of the expander device through the internal passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.