Marine-equipment installation method and apparatus
AssigneeAubin Limited
InventorPatrick Collins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of installing marine equipment, the method including providing a marine apparatus comprising the marine equipment and a buoyancy device including at least a first and a second tank. The first tank containing air and the second tank containing a buoyant liquid having a specific gravity of less than 0.8 g/cm3. The method including providing a template on the seabed and guiding the marine apparatus down onto the template. Also a buoyancy device comprising at least a first and a second tank, the first tank containing a first fluid and the second tank containing a second fluid.
Claims13
A method of installing marine equipment, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a marine apparatus, the marine apparatus comprising the marine equipment and a buoyancy device including a first and a second tank, the first tank being a rigid tank and containing air and the second tank containing a buoyant liquid with a buoyancy and having a specific gravity of less than 0.8 g/cm3, and the buoyant liquid being incompressible, the first rigid tank being inside the second tank, the buoyant liquid surrounding the first rigid tank, the air and buoyant liquid being isolated from one another and the second tank having at least one port providing fluid communication with the second tank;
- (b) providing a template on the seabed;
- (c) placing the marine apparatus in water, such that it floats;
- (d) providing one or more flexible elongate members on the marine apparatus and attaching the one or more flexible elongate members to the template;
- (e) removing a portion of the buoyant liquid from the second tank, such that the marine apparatus is less buoyant;
- and
- (f) guiding the marine apparatus down onto the template using the flexible elongate members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.