Lining of pipelines to offshore installations
AssigneePetroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas)
InventorsRobert Walters, Muhammad Ashri Mustapha
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system (2) for relining an undersea pipeline (5), said pipeline (5) having and inlet (13) and outlet (11) beneath sea level (8), comprising a coiling drum (3) positioned above sea level and having a length of liner (1) reeled thereon; said coiling drum (3) arranged to deliver said liner (1) to the inlet (13); an actuator engaged with a leading end of said liner and arranged to apply a tensile force (6) to said liner (1) so as to draw said liner through the pipeline; wherein the liner is of a composite construction having a fiber core.
Claims19
A system for relining an undersea pipeline, said pipeline having an inlet and outlet beneath sea level, comprising
- a coiling drum positioned above sea level and having a length of liner reeled thereon;
- said coiling drum arranged to deliver said liner to the inlet;
- an actuator engaged with a leading end of said liner and arranged to apply a tensile force to said liner so as to draw said liner through the pipeline;
- wherein the liner is of a composite construction having a fibre core and a layer of plastic comprising a thermoplastic polymer on a surface of the fibre core;
- and
- wherein said fibre core has a tensile strength in the axial direction which is greater than the tensile strength in the radial direction and is greater than the tensile strength of the layer of thermoplastic polymer, and wherein the fibre core has greater elasticity in the radial direction than in the axial direction.
A method for relining an undersea pipeline, the method comprising the steps of:
- positioning a coiling drum above sea level, having a length of liner reeled thereon;
- delivering said liner to a subsea inlet of the pipeline;
- engaging an actuator with a leading end of said liner;
- applying a tensile force to said liner so as to draw said liner through the pipeline;
- wherein the liner is of a composite construction having a fibre core and a layer of thermoplastic polymer on a surface of the fibre core, and wherein said fibre core has a tensile strength in the axial direction which is greater than the tensile strength in the radial direction and is greater than the tensile strength of the layer of plastic, and wherein the fiber core has greater elasticity in the radial direction than in the axial direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.