Repairing or Coating Subsea Pipelines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018274697-A1
Application number	US-201615764839-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Sep 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wrap tape cassette for a subsea pipeline repair or coating machine includes a drum for carrying a wrap tape wound on the drum. A housing defines an exit opening for the wrap tape to be dispensed from the drum onto a pipeline during a repair or coating operation. The drum may be mounted to the housing for rotational and longitudinal movement relative to the housing to dispense the wrap tape through the exit opening on being unwound from the drum. A leading end of the wrap tape may be attached to an anchor element that is arranged as a closure for the exit opening and, when moved from the exit opening, for attachment to a pipeline being repaired or coated.

First claim

1 . A wrap tape cassette for a subsea pipeline repair or coating machine, the cassette comprising:
a drum for carrying a wrap tape wound on the drum; and a housing defining an exit opening for the wrap tape to be dispensed from the drum onto a pipeline during a repair or coating operation; wherein the drum is mounted to the housing for rotational movement relative to the housing to dispense the wrap tape through the exit opening on being unwound from the drum; and wherein the drum is mounted to the housing for longitudinal movement relative to the housing.

2 . The cassette of claim 1 , wherein the drum is reciprocally movable longitudinally relative to the housing.

3 . The cassette of claim 2 , comprising at least one sensor for sensing a limiting longitudinal position of the drum relative to the housing and for generating a reversal signal to reverse the direction of longitudinal movement.

4 . The cassette of claim 3 , wherein the or each sensor is mounted to the housing and detects contact with, or proximity of, a part of the drum.

5 . The cassette of claim 2 , comprising at least one sensor for sensing a limiting position of the wrap tape and for generating a reversal signal to reverse the direction of longitudinal movement.

6 . The cassette of claim 1 , comprising rotary and/or longitudinal drives acting between the housing and the drum.

7 . The cassette of claim 6 , wherein the or each drive is contained within the housing.

8 . The cassette of claim 6 , wherein the or each drive extends through a wall of the housing.

9 . The cassette of claim 6 , wherein the drum is rotatably mounted on a carriage that is movable longitudinally within the housing.

10 . The cassette of claim 9 , wherein a driven pinion mounted on the carriage is engaged with a rack extending longitudinally along the housing.

11 . The cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a wrap tape, and wherein a leading end of the wrap tape is attached to an anchor element that is arranged for attachment to a pipeline being repaired or coated.

12 . The cassette of claim 11 , wherein the anchor element is arranged as a closure for the exit opening.

13 . A wrap tape cassette for a subsea pipeline repair or coating machine, the cassette comprising:
a drum carrying a wrap tape; and a housing defining an exit opening for the wrap tape to be dispensed from the drum onto a pipeline during a repair or coating operation; wherein a leading end of the wrap tape is attached to an anchor element that is arranged as a closure for the exit opening and, when moved from the exit opening, for attachment to a pipeline being repaired or coated.

14 . The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the anchor element is removably mounted to the housing.

15 . The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the anchor element is magnetically attachable to the pipeline.

16 . The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the anchor element has a concave-curved outer face.

17 . The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the housing surrounds the drum in a watertight enclosure and the anchor element is a watertight closure arranged to close the exit opening.

18 . The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the housing supports a wrap initiation mechanism positioned to act on the anchor element to move the anchor element away from the housing.

19 . The cassette of claim 18 , wherein the wrap initiation mechanism comprises one or more actuators, each having an extensible rod that bears on the anchor element to move the anchor element.

20 . The cassette of claim 19 and having a pivoting interface between the anchor element and the or each rod.

21 . A subsea pipeline repair or coating machine comprising a wrap tape cassette as defined in claim 1 .

22 . The machine of claim 21 , wherein the cassette is removable from the machine.

23 . The machine of claim 21 , wherein the cassette is integrated with the machine.

24 . The machine claim 21 , comprising a mount for attachment to the pipeline and a cassette drive for acting between the mount and the housing of the cassette, to move the cassette relative to the pipeline during a repair or coating operation while wrap tape is being dispensed from the drum of the cassette onto the pipeline.

25 . The machine of claim 24 , wherein the drive comprises a rotary drive arranged to turn the cassette around the pipeline.

26 . The machine of claim 24 , wherein the drive comprises a linear drive arranged to move the cassette along the pipeline.

27 . The machine of claim 26 , wherein the linear drive is oriented relative to the mount to extend parallel to the pipeline and is movable on a circular path around the mount.

28 . The machine of claim 24 , comprising a control system acting on the cassette drive, the control system being configured to synchronise and control movement of the cassette around and along the pipeline.

29 . The machine of claim 28 , wherein the control system is configured also to synchronise and control movement of the drum of the cassette relative to the housing.

30 . A method of repairing or coating a subsea pipeline, the method comprising unwinding a wrap tape from a drum to dispense the wrap tape onto the pipeline while effecting rotational movement of the drum relative to a housing of the drum, and while effecting longitudinal movement of the drum relative to the housing of the drum.

31 . The method of claim 30 , comprising moving the drum longitudinally and reciprocally along the housing.

32 . The method of claim 31 ,comprising sensing a limiting longitudinal position of the drum or of the exiting tape relative to the housing and, in response, reversing the longitudinal movement of the drum.

33 . The method of claim 30 , comprising moving the housing relative to the pipeline while dispensing wrap tape onto the pipeline.

34 . The method of claim 33 , comprising turning the housing around the pipeline while dispensing the wrap tape onto the pipeline.

35 . The method of claim 33 , comprising moving the housing along the pipeline while dispensing the wrap tape onto the pipeline.

36 . The method of claim 33 , comprising synchronising and controlling movement of the housing relative to the pipeline and movement of the drum relative to the housing while dispensing the wrap tape onto the pipeline.

37 . The method of claim 30 , comprising initiating application of the wrap tape by attaching an anchor element to the pipeline, a leading end of the wrap tape attached to the anchor element thereby being anchored to the pipeline.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the anchor element serves as a closure for an exit opening of the housing before being moved from the housing to the pipeline.

39 . A method of repairing or coating a subsea pipeline, the method comprising:
attaching an anchor element to the pipeline, a leading end of a wrap tape attached to the anchor element thereby being anchored to the pipeline; and unwinding the wrap tape from a drum to dispense the wrap tape onto the pipeline; wherein the anchor element serves as a closure for an exit opening of a housing of the drum before being moved from the housing to the pipeline.

Assignees

• Subsea 7 Ltd

Inventors

• Fowkes Mick

Classifications

• F16L58/16

  the coating being in the form of a bandage · CPC title

• F16L1/265 Primary

  Underwater vehicles moving on the bottom · CPC title

• F16L55/1686 Primary

  by winding a tape · CPC title

• F16L58/181 Primary

  for non-disconnectable pipe joints · CPC title

• B29C63/10

  around tubular articles · CPC title