Curvature limiter for a flexible undersea line, and seabed-to-surface linking equipment including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377133-B2
Application number	US-201213983347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2012
Priority date	Feb 3, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a curvature limiter device constituted by fastening tubular sleeves ( 5 ) end-to-end, the tubular sleeves being fitted at their longitudinal ends with fastener-and-hinge devices ( 6 ) on their top faces and with bottom abutments ( 7 1 , 7 2 ) diametrically opposite on their bottom faces. The present invention also provides a bottom-to-surface connection installation between undersea equipment such as an undersea well head or the end of an undersea pipe resting on the sea bottom ( 16 ) and a floating support ( 12 ) on the surface, the installation comprising an undersea flexible line ( 2 ) having its curvature controlled by a said curvature limiter device ( 1 ) of the invention, said curvature limiter device being arranged at an intermediate depth between the sea bottom ( 16 ) and the surface ( 17 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A curvature limiter device forming a tubular member suitable for adopting a rectilinear position or variable curvature while preventing a radius of curvature that is less than a given minimum radius of curvature (R 0 ) and thus authorizing a flexible line threaded inside said tubular member to take up a controlled variable degree of curvature or no curvature, said tubular member comprising a plurality of tubular sleeves arranged end-to-end at their longitudinal ends, said sleeves being fastened to one another by fastener-and-hinge pivot devices arranged on a top face of each of said sleeves, at their longitudinal ends, said fastener-and-hinge pivot devices allowing the longitudinal axis XX′, X1X1′ of a first sleeve (N) to pivot relative to the longitudinal axis XX′, X2X2′ of a second sleeve (N+1) fastened to said first sleeve by means of said fastener-and-hinge device said pivoting taking place about a hinge axis YY′, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ perpendicular to said two longitudinal axes XX′, X1X1′, X2X2′ of said first and second sleeves, the two hinge axes YY′, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ of the two fastener-and-hinge devices arranged at the two opposite longitudinal ends of each sleeve the two longitudinal ends of said sleeves each having respective abutments of complementary shape arranged against bottom faces of said sleeves in positions that are substantially diametrically opposite from said fastener-and-hinge devices, the two end faces of the two abutments at the facing longitudinal ends of said first and second sleeves (N, N+1) being spaced apart from each other when said tubular member is in a rectilinear position, and presenting a common contact surface when said two abutments are in contact with each other as a result of maximum authorized pivoting (α) of the two bottom faces of said two sleeves towards each other by means of said fastener-and-hinge devices;
wherein said fastener-and-hinge device allows a curvature from a rectilinear position with limitation curvature of said curvature limiter device by pivoting of two sleeves to cause said bottom faces of the sleeves to approach each other, such pivoting being limited by contact between said abutments; and
allows inverse curvature of said curvature limiter device from the rectilinear position by pivoting of the two sleeves by moving said top faces of the sleeves towards each other while spacing apart from each other the two said abutments; and
wherein fastening the sleeves arranged end-to-end together by said fastener-and-hinge devices does not allow any longitudinal or lateral movement between the sleeves.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said contact surface between said abutments comprises at least one plane.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein said contact surface is made up of two planes forming a dihedral angle with a common ridge, said ridge arranged in alignment with a straight line D 0 intersecting said hinge axis YY′, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ of said corresponding fastener-and-hinge device.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein said ridge is arranged in alignment with a straight line Do intersecting said hinge axis YY′, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ of said corresponding fastener-and-hinge device.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein said end faces of the two abutments comprise three-dimensional surfaces of complementary shapes, respectively of concave shape and of convex shape, such that said contact surface presents a three-dimensional shape preventing any lateral movement between said first and second sleeves (N, N+1) relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to either of said longitudinal axes X1X1′, X2X2′ of said first and second sleeves, and having an effect of centering the longitudinal axes X1X1′, X2X2′ of said first and second sleeves substantially in a common longitudinal axial plane P 0 when said two abutments come into contact with each other.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein said complementing shapes comprise dihedral or curved shapes.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said two abutments at said facing longitudinal ends of said first and second fastened-together sleeves include latch elements suitable for holding said abutments latched one against the other as soon as they come into contact with each other via a said contact surface in the event of said maximum pivoting α.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said fastener-and-hinge device of the first and second sleeves comprises:
a first fastener-and-hinge element comprising at least one first part defining at least one first plane face arranged in a said radial plane P 0 on the top face of said first sleeve at its longitudinal end facing said second sleeve, said first part having a circular orifice in said first plane face, said orifice passing transversely at least through said first part in a direction of said hinge axis YY′, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ perpendicular to said axial longitudinal directions XX′, X1X1′, X2X2′ of the first and second sleeves; and
a second fastener-and-hinge element comprising at least one second part defining at least one second plane face arranged in a longitudinal axial plane P 0 of said second sleeve on the top face of said second sleeve at its longitudinal end facing said first sleeve, said second part having a circular orifice in said second plane face, said orifice passing transversely at least through said second part in the direction of said hinge axis YY, Y1Y1′, Y2Y2′ perpendicular to said axial longitudinal directions XX′, X1X1′, X2X2′ of the first and second sleeves; and
a pin passing transversely at least through said first and second parts via their said orifices.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein:
said first fastener-and-hinge element comprises at least one said first perforated part respectively defining two facing parallel plane faces, including a first face, said two plane faces defining an empty space and being arranged apart from each other at a distance d; and
said second fastener-and-hinge element comprises at least one second flat part having two parallel opposite plane faces including at least a second face;
said second flat part of a first sleeve (N) being fastened to and interposed between the two said facing plane faces of said first fastener-and-hinge element of a second sleeve (N+1) in such a manner that the orifices of the two opposite plane faces of said second flat part are arranged facing respective orifices in the two plane faces of said first fastener-and-hinge element.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein said fastener-and-hinge device comprises:
a first fastener-and-hinge element at the end of said first sleeve (N) having two said first perforated flat parts each having two parallel opposite plane faces, the two first flat parts being arranged side by side and parallel at said distance d apart from each other; and
a second fastener-and-hinge element at the longitudinal end of said second sleeve (N+1) having two said second perforated flat parts each having two parallel opposite plane faces, the two second flat parts being arranged side by side and parallel at said distance d apart from each other;
said first flat part of said first sleeve being interposed between said two second flat parts of the second sleeve, and said second flat part of the second sleeve being interposed between said two first flat parts of the first sleeve; and
said pin being arranged through the orifices of said two first flat parts of the first sleeve and of said two second flat parts of the second sleeve.

11. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a locking device enabling said flexible line to be locked inside said curvature limiter device, thereby preventing said flexible

Assignees

• Pionetti François-Régis
• Rocher Xavier
• Saipem Sa

Inventors

• Pionetti François-Régis
• Rocher Xavier

Classifications

• F16L57/02

  against cracking or buckling · CPC title

• H02G3/0475

  formed by a succession of articulated units · CPC title

• E21B17/015 Primary

  Non-vertical risers, e.g. articulated or catenary-type · CPC title

• E21B17/017

  Bend restrictors for limiting stress on risers · CPC title

• F16L3/1218 Primary

  the pipe being only supported and not fixed · CPC title