Flexible pipe including thermal insulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9303798-B2
Application number	US-201013516659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2010
Priority date	Dec 18, 2009
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a thermal insulation layer in a flexible pipe includes one or more encapsulated regions of aerogel material disposed in a layer of flexible pipe body and a helically wound tape layer having a valley region and hook region that interlock adjacent windings. In addition, a method of manufacturing flexible pipe body includes providing one or more encapsulated regions of thermally insulating aerogel material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for providing a thermal insulation layer in a flexible pipe body, comprising:
one or more encapsulated regions of aerogel material disposed in a layer of flexible pipe body,
said one or more regions comprises an encapsulated channel region in a cross section of a tape forming a helically wound tape layer, wherein the tape comprises a wholly hollow body, wherein the body provides a shell within which the encapsulated channel region is defined, said channel region being at least partially filled with said aerogel material, adjacent windings and respective encapsulated channel regions extending as a layer along the flexible pipe body,
the cross section of said tape further comprises an upwardly turned nose forming a valley region and a downwardly turned nose forming a hook region, wherein the upwardly turned nose and the downwardly turned nose are each operable to interlock adjacent windings in said tape layer.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
said one or more regions comprises at least one encapsulated continuous layer of aerogel material extending axially along a portion of the flexible pipe body.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
said one or more regions comprises a plurality of encapsulated sheets of aerogel material disposed in a substantially end-to-end configuration each extending along a respective portion of the flexible pipe body.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
the cross section of said tape is corrugated comprising at least one peak and trough region.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a substantially H-shaped connecting tape locatable between adjacent windings of said tape, wherein the H-shaped cross section provides an upwardly facing substantially horizontal riding surface and an opposed substantially parallel spaced apart downwardly facing substantially horizontal further riding surface, wherein the upwardly turned nose of a first winding rides against the downwardly facing horizontal riding surface of the connecting tape and a downwardly turned nose of an adjacent winding rides against the upward facing riding surface thereby interlocking adjacent windings.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
the cross section of the tape is substantially rectangular.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
said thermal insulation layer comprising a carcass layer and/or being provided between a carcass layer and a barrier layer of the flexible pipe body.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
said thermal insulation layer comprising a layer radially outside an armour layer and/or proximate to an inner surface of an outer sheath layer of the flexible pipe body.

9. A flexible pipe comprising the thermal insulation layer in a flexible pipe body as provided by the apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , and one or more end fittings.

10. A jumper, riser or flowline comprising the flexible pipe as claimed in claim 9 .

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
said channel region being defined between juxtaposed curved walls, said channel region encapsulating and being at least partially filled with a layer of said aerogel material.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
the juxtaposed curved walls, in use, being substantially cylindrical and said-channel region being an annular region extending coaxially therebetween.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
each of said juxtaposed curved walls having a corrugated profile along a respective length thereof and said channel region being a wholly hollow region extending coaxially therebetween.

Assignees

• Sheldrake Terence
• Leyland Jonathan David
• Ge Oil & Gas Uk Ltd

Inventors

• Sheldrake Terence
• Leyland Jonathan David

Classifications

• Y10T428/13

  Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T29/5185

  Tube making · CPC title

• Y10T428/24711

  Plural corrugated components · CPC title

• Y10T428/24628

  Nonplanar uniform thickness material · CPC title

• F16L11/16 Primary

  wound from profiled strips or bands · CPC title