Subsea hydraulic control system
US6192680A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 15, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 15, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF15B21/006
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A subsea hydraulic control system 10 supplies hydraulic fluid to operate subsea equipment SE, which in exemplary application may be a blowout preventer having an opening port and a closing port. A hydraulic control system includes a fluid storage vessel 12 for storing a selected quantity of hydraulic fluid, and a separation member 16 separating subsea water from hydraulic fluid while pressurizing the hydraulic fluid in response to the hydrostatic head of the water. A fluid supply line 42 interconnects the fluid storage vessel and the subsea equipment, and a fluid exhaust line 44 interconnects the subsea equipment with a subsea hydraulic fluid reservoir vessel 14. A vent line 38 extends from the fluid reservoir vessel to the surface. A subsea pump periodically exhausts fluid from the fluid storage vessel to the water. The method of the invention provides reliable actuation of subsea equipment, and is particularly well suited for operating subsea equipment in deep water at depths in excess of 6,000 feet.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.