Pipe heating systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242949-B1
Application number	US-202117408725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 23, 2021
Priority date	Aug 23, 2021
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

Techniques for implementing and/or operating a system that includes a flexible pipe, which is formed into a pipe coil, and a pipe heating apparatus. The pipe heating apparatus includes a bore device to be moved to a target position within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe to facilitate isolating a segment of the flexible pipe from a remainder of the flexible pipe, one or more heating conduits connected to the bore device such that the one or more heating conduits are disposed in an upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device, and one or more heat sources to be connected to the bore device via the one or more heating conduits to enable the one or more heating conduits to heat the segment of the flexible pipe to facilitate unwinding the segment of the flexible pipe from the pipe coil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a flexible pipe that is formed into a pipe coil, wherein the flexible pipe comprises tubing that defines a pipe bore and a fluid conduit within an annulus of the tubing; and
a pipe heating apparatus, wherein the pipe heating apparatus comprises:
a bore device configured to be moved to a target position within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe to facilitate isolating a segment of the flexible pipe from a remainder of the flexible pipe;
one or more heating conduits configured to be connected to the bore device such that the one or more heating conduits are disposed in an upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device when the bore device is disposed within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe; and
one or more heat sources configured to be connected to the bore device via the one or more heating conduits to enable the one or more heat sources to heat the one or more heating conduits disposed within the upstream region of the pipe bore and, thus, the one or more heating conduits to heat the segment of the flexible pipe to facilitate unwinding the segment of the flexible pipe from the pipe coil.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising a cutting assembly, wherein the cutting assembly is configured to cut the segment of the flexible pipe off from the remainder of the flexible pipe to facilitate deploying the segment of the flexible pipe directly from the pipe coil into a pipeline.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the bore device in the pipe heating apparatus is a sealing bore device configured to seal the upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device from a downstream region of the pipe bore;
the one or more heating conduits in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating fluid conduit; and
the one or more heat sources in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating fluid source configured to supply heated fluid to the upstream region of the pipe bore.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the pipe heating apparatus comprises a bore seal configured to seal the pipe bore of the flexible pipe behind the bore device, wherein the bore seal comprises:
a conduit opening configured to enable the heating fluid conduit that is connected to the bore device to move through the bore seal; and
a conduit seal disposed within the conduit opening to facilitate blocking fluid from inadvertently leaking past the bore seal via the conduit opening.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
a fluid supply port of the heating fluid source is configured to be fluidly connected to the pipe bore of the flexible pipe; and
the pipe heating apparatus comprises a fluid valve configured to be fluidly connected between the pipe bore of the flexible pipe and a fluid return port of the heating fluid source, wherein the fluid valve is configured to be:
maintained in an opened state to enable heated fluid output by the heating fluid source to be circulated through the upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device to facilitate heating the segment of the flexible pipe; and
maintained in a closed state to enable heated fluid output by the heating fluid source to be held within the upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device to facilitate maintaining temperature of the segment of the flexible pipe.

6. The system of claim 3 , comprising a pipe deployment vehicle, wherein:
the pipe coil is loaded on a vehicle frame of the pipe deployment vehicle;
the pipe heating apparatus is secured to the vehicle frame of the pipe deployment vehicle; and
the pipe heating apparatus is configured to:
circulate heated fluid output by the heating fluid source through the upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device to facilitate heating the segment of the flexible pipe when the pipe deployment vehicle is stationary; and
hold heated fluid output by the heating fluid source within the upstream region of the pipe bore behind the bore device to facilitate maintaining temperature of the segment of the flexible pipe when the pipe deployment vehicle is moving.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
the one or more heating conduits in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating electrical conduit, wherein the heating electrical conduit and the heating fluid conduit are wrapped together to form a conduit bundle that is secured to the bore device; and
the one or more heat sources in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating electrical power source configured to supply electrical power to the heating electrical conduit to facilitate heating the segment of the flexible pipe.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe heating apparatus comprises:
a winch; and
a pulling cable that is wrapped on the winch, wherein:
the pulling cable is configured to be fed through the pipe bore of the flexible pipe and connected to the bore device opposite the one or more heating conduits; and
the winch is configured to retract the pulling cable to facilitate moving the bore device within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe heating apparatus comprises a winch, wherein:
the one or more heating conduits that are connected to the bore device are wound on the winch; and
the winch is configured to retract the one or more heating conduits to facilitate moving the bore device within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more heating conduits in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating electrical conduit; and
the one or more heat sources in the pipe heating apparatus comprise a heating electrical power source configured to supply electrical power to the heating electrical conduit to facilitate heating the segment of the flexible pipe.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the bore device in the pipe heating apparatus is a crawler bore device that comprises an electric motor and one or more device wheels connected to the electric motor.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the crawler bore device comprises:
a switch configured to be electrically connected to the heating electrical conduit;
a motor terminal electrically connected to the electric motor, wherein the switch is configured to be connected to the motor terminal to enable the pipe heating apparatus to use electrical power output by the heating electrical power source to move the crawler bore device within the pipe bore of the flexible pipe; and
a bypass terminal that bypasses the electric motor, wherein the switch is configured to be connected to the bypass terminal to enable the pipe heating apparatus to use electrical power output by the heating electrical power source merely to heat the segment of the flexible pipe.

13. A method of operating a pipe heating apparatus, comprising:
connecting one or more heating conduits between a heat source and a bore device in the pipe heating apparatus;
inserting the bore device into a pipe bore of a flexible pipe that is formed into a pipe coil; and
operating the heat source to facilitate:
moving the bore device to a target position in the pipe bore of the flexible pipe that facilitates isolating a segment of the flexible pipe that is to be deployed directly from the pipe coil into a pipeline system; and
heating the segment of the flexible pipe to facilitate unwinding the segment of the flexible pipe from the pipe coil and deploying the segment of the flexible pipe directly from the pipe coil into the pipeline system.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
connecting one or more heating conduits between the heat source and the bore device comprises connecting a heating fluid conduit between a heating flu

Assignees

• Trinity Bay Equipment Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Francis Kirk Spencer

Classifications

• F16L53/38

  using elongate electric heating elements, e.g. wires or ribbons · CPC title

• F16L53/32

  using hot fluids · CPC title

• F16L1/203

  the pipes being wound spirally prior to laying · CPC title

• F16L1/065 Primary

  fixed on or to vehicles · CPC title

• F16L1/032

  the pipes being continuous (F16L1/038 takes precedence) · CPC title