Apparatus and method for laying down, abandoning, and recovering a pipe on the sea floor
US7507055B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 2007 |
| Grant date | Mar 24, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 14, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16L1/235
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Disclosed are a method and apparatus for laying down, abandoning and/or recovering a pipe on the sea floor. During lay-down and abandonment, the pipe is lowered by a high capacity winch to an intermediate depth, at which the loading exerted by the pipe has dropped to within the rated capacity of a low capacity winch, to which the loading is then transferred. The high capacity winch line is then recovered to the attendant vessel and the pipe lowered to the sea floor using the low capacity winch. Pipe recovery is essentially a reversal of the above procedure.In this way, the length of the line of the high capacity winch is considerably reduced, which reduces the winch size and hence cost.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.