Methods and apparatus relating to pipe welding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448342-B2
Application number	US-201816765723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2018
Priority date	Nov 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A method of aligning first and second pipes end-to-end in a position ready for welding. Each pipe has an end bevelled with a shape scanned and stored in memory of a control unit. At least one of the pipes has machine readable codes distributed around their circumference of the pipe. The method includes effecting relative movement of the ends of the first and second pipes towards each other, reading at least one of the codes with a reader, and ascertaining the relative movement required to align the pipes in accordance with a target orientation. The relative movement is ascertained with information provided by the read code and the shapes of the bevelled ends stored in the control unit memory. In other aspects, a closed loop control method and machine-learning may be used to align the pipes. A pipe-laying vessel including pipe handling equipment and the control unit is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of aligning a first pipe and a second pipe end-to-end in a position ready for welding, wherein
the first pipe and the second pipe each have an end bevelled with a shape which has been scanned and stored in a memory of a control unit,
a plurality of machine readable codes are located at known circumferential positions distributed around a circumference of the first pipe, wherein each of the machine readable codes identifies a different circumferential position; and
the method comprises the following steps performed after the shape of each of the bevelled ends has been scanned and stored in the memory of the control unit:
effecting relative movement of the bevelled end of the first pipe and the bevelled end of the second pipe towards each other;
while the bevelled ends are spaced apart:
reading at least one of the machine readable codes with a reader,
measuring a position of at least two different points on the first pipe, and
determining a position and orientation of the bevelled end of the first pipe with the use of: (a) information provided by reading the at least one machine readable code with the reader, (b) the measured position of the at least two different points, and (c) the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe stored in the memory of the control unit; and

ascertaining, with use of the control unit, a relative movement between the first pipe and the second pipe required to align the first pipe and the second pipe in accordance with a target orientation that aligns the first pipe and the second pipe for welding;
wherein the first pipe has a longitudinal axis and the information provided by reading the at least one of the machine readable codes with the reader includes information about the orientation of the bevelled end of the first pipe about the longitudinal axis.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the position and orientation of the bevelled end the first pipe includes use by the control unit of the circumferential position around the first pipe of the at least one machine readable code read with the reader.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of machine readable codes comprise at least ten unique codes such that for any given sector of the circumference spanning 36 degrees around the circumference there is at least one code.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a step of the control unit using the at least one machine readable code read by the reader to ascertain information concerning the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe at a circumferential location of the code on the first pipe.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of, but fewer than all of, the machine readable codes on the first pipe are read and used to determine the position and orientation of the bevelled end the first pipe.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein there are multiple readers such that multiple codes are read, substantially contemporaneously, with the use of the multiple readers.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein there is a step of using a scanner to ascertain the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe or the bevelled end of the second pipe.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the scanner is used to scan the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe or the second pipe, and there is a step of storing data defining an electronic representation of the shape in the memory of the control unit; wherein at the same time as the scanner is used to scan the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe or the second pipe, a pipe-marking machine is used to apply the plurality of machine readable codes on the first pipe or the second pipe having said bevelled end.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the method includes ascertaining a circumferential position of a longitudinal seam on the pipe so scanned, whereby the circumferential position of the longitudinal seam is related to a circumferential position of at least one of the machine readable codes.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit ascertains the relative movement required to align the first and second pipes additionally with the use of a pipe-handling strategy held in the memory of the control unit.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein after performing the relative movement between the first and second pipes ascertained by the control unit the following steps are performed:
measuring the quality of the alignment of the bevelled ends,
sending data concerning the quality so measured to the control unit, and
the control unit ascertaining what changes, if any, could be made to the instructions issued by the control unit to improve the quality so measured, and as a result updating the pipe-handling strategy.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the pipe-handling strategy held in the memory of the control unit has been adapted to take account one or more of: a type of pipe so used or a pipe-handling apparatus so used.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is conducted by the control unit using a closed loop control method, which comprises the repeated steps of:
determining the relative positions of the bevelled end of the first pipe and the bevelled end of the second pipe as the ends are moved towards each other,
ascertaining, with use of the control unit, the relative movement between the first pipe and the second pipe required to bring the first pipe and the second pipe into closer alignment in view of the target orientation; and
the control unit then causing at least some of the relative movement between the first and second pipes so ascertained.

14. A method of laying an offshore pipeline from a pipe-laying vessel, in which sections of pipe are successively welded to an end of the pipeline, and the sections of pipe are each aligned with the end of the pipeline in a position ready for welding in accordance with a method as claimed in claim 1 .

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the end of the pipeline is held by the vessel and is allowed to move relative to the vessel in response to movement of the vessel caused by the sea.

16. A control unit configured for use in the method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit comprises a memory for storage of data concerning a shape of a bevelled end of a first pipe and a shape of a bevelled end of a second pipe, and for storage of data relating a circumferential position of each of a plurality of machine readable codes distributed around a circumference of the first pipe to the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe, wherein each of the machine readable codes identifies a different circumferential position; and
wherein the control unit is programmed with control software that enables the control unit to:
determine a position and orientation of the bevelled end of the first pipe, while the bevelled end of the first pipe is spaced apart from the bevelled end of the second pipe, with the use of: (a) information provided by reading at least one of the machine readable codes distributed around the circumference of the first pipe, (b) a measured position of at least two different points on the first pipe, and (c) the shape of the bevelled end of the first pipe stored in the memory of the control unit; and
ascertain a relative movement between the first pipe and the second pipe required to align the first pipe and the second pipe in conformity with a target orientation;
wherein the first pipe has a longitudinal axis and the information p

Assignees

• Saipem Spa

Inventors

• Ducceschi Matteo
• D'Incecco Nicola
• Galietti Carlo
• Nonne Paolo
• Penati Lorenzo
• Cevasco Luca
• Parazzoli Diego

Classifications

• F16L1/207 Primary

  Pipe handling apparatus · CPC title

• B23K9/173

  and of a consumable electrode · CPC title

• B23K9/1274

  Using non-contact, optical means, e.g. laser means · CPC title

• B63B35/03

  Pipe-laying vessels (laying pipes under water F16L1/12) · CPC title

• B23K2101/10

  Pipe-lines · CPC title