Underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines and laying method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12486640-B2
Application number	US-202017282768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2020
Priority date	Nov 6, 2019
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is an underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines. By using a steel cuboid as the main body, a first mud-plowing rake, a first mud-plowing hoe, a second mud-plowing rake, a second mud-plowing hoe, and a mud delivery plate are disposed on the lower surface of the cuboid main body. Further, by cooperation of a mud collection hood and an elongated pipeline-delivery cylinder, and according to structural characteristics of traditional farming tools, submarine trenching, pipeline laying, and pipeline burying can be successively performed and all implemented by the device of the present invention. Further disclosed is a pipeline laying method of the device of the present invention. The device of the present invention has a simple structure, and overcomes the structural complexity of the conventional underwater robot on the premise of achieving the function requirements, thus greatly reducing the manufacturing cost and being mass-producible.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines, comprising: a box-shaped main body ( 1 ), a first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ), a first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ), a second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ), a second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ), propellers ( 6 ), a mud collection hood ( 7 ), an elongated pipeline-delivery cylinder ( 8 ), a mud delivery plate ( 9 ), and a control system ( 10 ), wherein the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) has an opening facing downwards; the first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ), the first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ), the second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ), and the second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ) tilt in same direction on bottom of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) along its length direction, and are arranged at intervals and separately fixed on the bottom of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ) and the first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ) are equal in height, the second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ) and the second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ) are equal in height, and vertical height of the second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ) is greater than that of the first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ); the propellers ( 6 ) are mounted respectively at two sides opposite in the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) on its front end; the mud collection hood ( 7 ) has an opening facing downwards, is fixed to the rear end of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) and is communicated with the inside thereof; the elongated pipeline-delivery cylinder ( 8 ) diagonally penetrates the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) along the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the mud delivery plate ( 9 ) is fixed on the bottom of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), and spans between the first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ) and the second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ); and the control system ( 10 ) is mounted on the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), and the propellers ( 6 ) are in signal connection with the control system ( 10 ).

2 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 1 , wherein the control system ( 10 ) comprises a pre-filter ( 101 ), a digital signal processor ( 102 ), an output filter ( 103 ), and pressure sensors ( 104 ); the pre-filter ( 101 ), the digital signal processor ( 102 ), and the output filter ( 103 ) are integrated on the upper portion of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the pre-filter ( 101 ) and the output filter ( 103 ) are separately in signal connection with the digital signal processor ( 102 ), and the output filter ( 103 ) is in signal connection with motion controllers ( 61 ) of the propellers ( 6 ); and the pressure sensors ( 104 ) include two pressure sensors, one of which is mounted on the bottom of the first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ) or the first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ), and another one is mounted on the bottom of the second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ) or the second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ); and the pressure sensors ( 104 ) are in signal connection with the pre-filter ( 101 ).

3 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 1 , wherein the first mud-plowing rake ( 2 ) comprises a first connecting plate ( 21 ) and first tines ( 22 ); the first tines ( 22 ) include at least two first tines ( 22 ), and are fixed at intervals on a lateral face of the first connecting plate ( 21 ) along its length direction; the first connecting plate ( 21 ) is horizontally arranged, and two broad sides of the first connecting plate are respectively fixed to two inner sides opposite in the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), so that the first tines ( 22 ) are located outside the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the second mud-plowing rake ( 4 ) comprises a second connecting plate ( 41 ) and second tines ( 42 ); the second tines ( 42 ) include at least two, and are fixed at intervals on a lateral face of the second connecting plate ( 41 ) along its length direction; the second connecting plate ( 41 ) is horizontally arranged, and two broad sides of the second connecting plate are respectively fixed to two inner sides opposite in the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), so that the second tines ( 42 ) are located outside the box-shaped main body ( 1 ).

4 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 3 , wherein the first tines ( 22 ) and the second tines ( 42 ) have equal numbers; and a tilting angle A formed between each first tine ( 22 ) and the bottom side of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) ranges from 60° to 75°, and a tilting angle B formed between each second tine ( 42 ) and the bottom side of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) is identical with the tilting angle A of the first tine ( 22 ).

5 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 3 , wherein the first mud-plowing hoe ( 3 ) comprises a third connecting plate ( 31 ) and a first hoe-plate ( 32 ); one end of the first hoe-plate ( 32 ) is a sharp end and another end is a flat end, and the flat end thereof is fixed to the third connecting plate ( 31 ); a plate-surface between the two ends of the first hoe-plate ( 32 ) is a curved surface, one lateral face thereof being a concave face and the concave face being an obtuse-angle face, and the opposite other lateral face being convex; the third connecting plate ( 31 ) is horizontally arranged, and two broad sides of the third connecting plate are respectively fixed to two inner sides opposite in the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), so that the first hoe-plate ( 32 ) is located outside the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the second mud-plowing hoe ( 5 ) comprises a fourth connecting plate ( 51 ) and a second hoe-plate ( 52 ); one end of the second hoe-plate ( 52 ) is a sharp end and another end is a flat end, and the flat end thereof is fixed to the fourth connecting plate ( 51 ); a plate-surface between the two ends of the second hoe-plate ( 52 ) is a curved surface, one lateral face thereof being a concave face and the concave face being an obtuse-angle face, and the opposite other lateral face being convex; and the fourth connecting plate ( 51 ) is horizontally arranged, and two broad sides of the fourth connecting plate are respectively fixed to two inner sides opposite in the length direction of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), so that the second hoe-plate ( 52 ) is located outside the box-shaped main body ( 1 ).

6 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 5 , wherein a tilting angle C formed between the first hoe-plate ( 32 ) and a bottom side of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) ranges from 60° to 75°, and a tilting angle D formed between the second hoe-plate ( 52 ) and the bottom side of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ) is identical with the tilting angle C of the first hoe-plate ( 32 ).

7 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 1 , wherein the mud collection hood ( 7 ) comprises an arc-shaped fender ( 71 ) and sector-shaped plates ( 72 ); the sector-shaped plates includes two, and the two sector-shaped plates are disposed in parallel at an interval, and are separately fixed to the box-shaped main body ( 1 ); the two sector-shaped plates ( 72 ) are connected via the arc-shaped fender ( 71 ), so that a sector-shaped housing is formed by the arc-shaped fender ( 71 ) and the two sector-shaped plates ( 72 ); and the arc-shaped fender ( 71 ) is fixed to the box-shaped main body ( 1 ).

8 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipelines according to claim 1 , wherein at least two propellers ( 6 ) are disposed on front end of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ), and penetrate through and are fixed on the front end face of the box-shaped main body ( 1 ).

9 . The underwater laying device for offshore oil and gas pipe

Assignees

• Univ Jiangsu Science & Tech

Inventors

• Zhang Jing
• Shi Xinghua
• Dou Peilin
• Sun Jian
• Liu Kefeng
• Zhang Wanchao

Classifications

• F16L1/165

  by towing the pipe on or near the bottom · CPC title

• E02F5/106

  using ploughs, coulters, rippers · CPC title

• F16L1/20

  Accessories therefor, e.g. floats or weights · CPC title

• F16L1/16 Primary

  on the bottom · CPC title

• G05B2219/2231

  Leader-follower · CPC title