DEVICE FOR CAPTURING AND CONDUCTING AWAY LIQUIDS AND/OR GASES ESCAPING FROM A BED OF A BODY OF WATER

Abstract

Capturing and conducting away fluids or gases escaping from a bed of water. Modules of identical design forming a hose system. Each module has a hose wall made of a flexible woven fabric. A flange is arranged at the open ends of each module surrounding the opening. Each module has stabilizing rings around the periphery, arranged in the longitudinal direction of the module at a distance (a) from each other, which is smaller than the diameter (D) of the module. A pressure equalization opening is formed in each module forming a hose section, each module has connectors for fastening buoyant/ballast bodies and the individual modules are joined, forming a hose system such that connectors for fastening buoyant/ballast bodies are located where two modules meet. At least one pressure equalization opening is located at the lower, open end of the hose system facing the bed of the body of water.

Description

The invention relates to a device for collecting and transporting away fluids and/or gases or a fluid-gas mixture escaping from a body of water, in particular crude oil or natural gas escaping from a bed of a body of water. The field of application of the invention also relates to collecting and transporting away fluids or gases that escape uncontrolled from devices introduced into the bed of a body of water.

A device for collecting and transporting away a crude oil—natural gas mixture escaping under water is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,605 A; the device has a downwardly open collecting bell which is sealingly placed on the seabed over the respective leak and to which a bellow-shaped feed line extending to the water surface is connected. The collecting bell has floats, so that it can be pulled while floating in the water to the exit point of the crude oil—natural gas mixture and then lowered by filling the floats with ballast until the edge of the downwardly open collecting bell is tightly seated on the seabed. The floats are made of hoses which surround the edge of the collecting bell and can be filled with ballast fluid via hose lines.

The crude oil—natural gas mixture collected by the collecting bell is transported through the feed line to the water surface, from where it is optionally transported via a further line to a vessel that receives the mixture and separates the crude oil—natural gas mixture from the seawater carried along through the feed line.

DE 2941 228 C2 discloses another device, which has a downwardly open collecting bell that can be lowered to the exit location of a crude oil—natural gas mixture, wherein a separator for separating three phases is arranged on the collecting bell; the separator forms a single unit with the collecting bell and the collecting bell is connected to the lower of the separator and it is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure of the water column above. After separation, the separate phases of the collected crude oil—natural gas mixture are transported away separately from the collection bell or the separator, respectively. Another device is known from DE 29 41 228 C2, which also includes a downwardly open collecting bell that can be lowered to an exit location of a crude oil—natural gas mixture; however, a feed line is connected to the collecting bell, wherein the collected mixture is transported through the feed line to a 3-phase separator arranged distal from the collecting bell. The separator can be arranged at any depth between the collecting bell and the water surface.

Another device is known from DE 29 52 399 C2. This device has a funnel-shaped downwardly expanding hood formed as a hollow body which is open towards the bottom. The hollow body of the hood and inlet is provided with inlet and outlet openings for ballast. The hood can be transported to the exit location of the crude oil—natural gas mixture while floating in the water and is then lowered by filling the hollow body of the hood with ballast, until the lower edge of the hood rests tightly on the seabed. An inflatable bladder can be arranged on the upper, funnel-shaped narrower edge of the hood, which can be brought to bear against a pipe end protruding from the seabed, such as a submerged defective feed pipe. The specially designed ballast space of the hood, for example in the form of individual chambers which can be separately filled or emptied with ballast, enables good and safe positioning of the hood on the seabed. The ballast may optionally be pumped to the ballast spaces through separate ballast lines.

However, it has been observed that devices known from the prior art are not sufficiently flexible for practical applications and frequently have a very complex design.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device for collecting and transporting away fluids and/or gases or a fluid-gas mixture escaping from a bed of a body of water, which cab be flexibly used and has a simple design.

The object is attained by a device with the features of claim 1. The claims 2 to 8 describe advantageous embodiments of the inventive device.

An inventive device for collecting and transporting away fluids and/or gases escaping from a body of water is composed of a plurality of substantially identically constructed tubular modules that can be interconnected to form a hose system. Each module forms a hose section made of a flexible fabric. A respective flange surrounding the corresponding opening is arranged on each of the two open ends of the module forming a hose section. Each module forming a hose section has stabilizing rings extending along the periphery of the hose wall, which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the module with a mutual spacing that is smaller than the diameter of the module. Furthermore, a pressure equalization opening is formed in the hose wall of each hose section forming a module. Each module has means for attaching buoyant or ballast bodies. The individual modules that each form a hose section are interconnected to a hose system, so that means for attaching buoyant or ballast bodies are disposed at least in the joint region between two respective modules, as well as at the ends of the hose system, and so that at least one pressure equalization opening is disposed on the open lower end of the hose system facing the seabed.

The particular advantage of the inventive device lies in its simple modular structure and in the possibility to interconnect a plurality of modules that each form a hose section by way of front-side-mounted flanges into a hose system of arbitrary length, wherein each module has an inherent stiffness that adds up to an overall stiffness of the hose system. The hose system can thus be adapted to different water depths and flow conditions. Due to their construction of a flexible fabric and their structure with stabilizing rings extending around the periphery, the modules can be folded in the longitudinal direction and easily to transported, requiring little space. Their essentially similar structural design enables good logistics for a system inventory for applications that cannot be preplanned.

For lowering and stably positioning the hose system in a body of water, buoyant or ballast bodies can be attached on each module forming a hose section, generating such a buoyant or ballast force that the corresponding module has a neutral buoyancy at a predetermined water depth. The entire hose system can then be positioned with excellent stability and substantially vertically in a body of water. Preferably, the means for attaching the buoyant or ballast bodies are arranged on the flanges surrounding the end openings of a module.

Furthermore, retaining tabs may be arranged on the hose wall of a module to enable attachment of additional buoyant or ballast bodies. These retaining tabs may of course also operate to fasten the hose system in other ways.

The hose wall of a module forming a hose section is preferably made of a composite material, more preferably of a composite fabric, for example a textile-metal or a textile-plastic fabric.

Furthermore, according to the invention, a pressure equalization opening may be formed in the hose wall of each module. This pressure equalization opening can be designed as a check valve constructed so that water can flow into the interior of the hose system, whereas fluids and/or gases in the hose system cannot exit from the hose system through the pressure equalization openings. Due to the pressure equalization openings, the hose system is pressure-neutral, i.e., the internal and external pressure of a hose system that is arranged nearly vertically in a body of water is equal along its longitudinal axis.

An inventive device for collecting and transporting away fluids or gases escaping from a bed of a body of water is operated pressure-neutral. The fluids and/or gases in the hose system are transported only by the buoyant force, in addition to the impulse when the fluids and/or gases exit from the seabed.

A plurality of pressure equalization openings distributed around the periphery may be incorporated in the hose wall of the lower, last module of the hose system facing the seabed.

In a preferred embodiment, the hose wall of the lower, last module of the hose system facing the seabed and annularly surrounding the lower opening of the hose system facing the seabed may be made of an elastic material so as to evenly rest on the seabed along the periphery of the hose wall around the position where of the fluids and/or gases exit from the seabed.

In another preferred embodiment of the last module of the hose system facing the seabed, spacer elements oriented towards the seabed may be arranged around the opening facing the seabed. These spacer elements prevent the lower, open end of the hose system facing the seabed from settling on the seabed. They keep the open end of the hose system at a preselected distance above the seabed. An annular pressure equalization opening is thereby formed directly around the lower opening of the hose system facing the seabed, through which water can enter the hose system.

For collecting and transporting away fluids and/or gases exiting the seabed, initially a sufficient number of modules, with each module forming a hose section, are interconnected to form a hose system so that its length is adequate for the water depth at the respective location. On the individual modules of the hose system, buoyant and ballast bodies are attached on the provided means that have such a buoyant or ballast force that the hose system is almost vertically aligned in the water. The pressure equalization openings provide pressure equalization, so that the tubing has a pressure-neutral state along its length. Thereafter, the hose system is positioned so that its lower opening facing the seabed is located above the seabed around the exit location of the fluids and/or gases, which may also be a pipe end of a defective feed line protruding from the seabed. The hose system is lowered further by attaching additional buoyant or ballast bodies on the modules of the hose system, until the hose wall surrounding the lower opening of the hose system rests on seabed, or the spacer elements surrounding the lower opening are standing up on the seabed. The lower, last module of the hose system can additionally be anchored on the seabed by retaining elements.

The fluids and/or gases or the mixtures of fluids and gases escaping from the seabed rise in the hose system as a result of buoyant forces caused by density differences between the fluids and/or gases that exit from the seabed and the water. The water suctioned in through the pressure equalizing openings is thereby transported to the top. The fluids and/or gases, optionally also entrained water, are suctioned off at the top opening of the hose system located on the water surface, for further processing.

In addition to the aforedescribed process for the assembling and positioning the hose system for collecting and transporting away fluids and/or gases escaping the seabed, it would of course also be possible to initially position a single module or an assembled group of modules by attaching buoyant or ballast bodies and to thereafter position additional modules individually or in groups in the body of water by attaching buoyant or ballast bodies, and to add these additional modules to the preceding modules until a hose system extending to the water surface is constructed.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment. The appended drawings show in

FIG. 1 a module of a hose system forming a hose section,

FIG. 2 a hose system assembled from several modules,

FIG. 3 the joint between two modules,

FIG. 4 an embodiment of the module forming the end of the hose system facing the seabed, and

FIG. 5 another embodiment of the module forming the end of the hose system facing the seabed.

FIG. 1 shows a module 1 of a hose system forming a hose section, composed of a gas-tight and fluid-tight hose wall 2 made of a textile-metal fabric. A respective upper flange 3 and lower flange 4 surrounding the two openings of the module are arranged at the two open ends of the module 1 forming a hose section, wherein the hose wall 2 is attached to the flanges 3, 4 by way of clamping rings 5. Stabilizing rings 6 are arranged on the hose wall 2 extending along its periphery. The stabilizing rings 6 are arranged at a distance a from one another in the longitudinal direction of the module 1, wherein the distance a is smaller than the diameter D of the module 1. Similarly, the distance of the stabilization ring 6 closest to the upper and lower flange 3, 4 to the respective flange 3, 4 is smaller than the diameter D of the module 1. A pressure equalization opening 7 is formed in the hose wall 2 of the module 1. The pressure equalization opening 7 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower flange 4. Eyelets 8 which are distributed around the outer periphery of the flange plates are arranged on the flanges as means for attaching buoyant or ballast bodies 9.

FIG. 2 shows a hose system assembled from several modules 1 forming a hose section. The number of modules 1 is selected so that the length of the hose system corresponds to the water depth. The individual modules 1 are screwed together at the flanges 3, 4 and thus firmly interconnected. Spacer elements 11 are arranged around the opening of the hose system facing the seabed 10, wherein the spacer elements 11 point towards the seabed 10 and rest with their free ends on the seabed 10. They keep the lower, open end of the hose system facing the seabed 10 at a preselected distance above the seabed 10, thereby forming an annular pressure equalization opening about the lower opening of the tubing system facing the seabed 10, through which water can flow into the hose system. The arrows 12 are intended to illustrate the water flowing into the hose system. Likewise, water can enter the hose system for pressure equalization along the length of the hose system or the water depth, respectively, through the equalization openings 7 disposed in each module. The lower opening of the hose system is positioned above the seabed 10 so as to cover the location from which the fluids and/or gases may escape from the seabed 10. The lines 13 illustrate the fluids and/or gases escaping from the seabed 10 and flowing into the hose system.

The upper opening of the hose system is positioned just above the water surface 14.

Buoyant and ballast bodies 9 for alignment and positioning of the hose system are attached to the eyelets 8 of the individual modules 1 mounted on the flanges. The buoyant and ballast bodies 9 are dimensioned such that they each produce a buoyant or ballast force that keeps the individual modules 1 at such a water depth that the hose system is oriented almost vertically in the water, that the opening of the hose system facing the seabed 10 is held above the seabed 10, that the free ends of the spacer elements 11 are pressed against the seabed 10, and that the upper opening of the hose system is located just above the water surface 14.

Fluids and/or gases 13 flowing into the hose system suction water 12 into the interior of the hose system through the annular pressure equalization opening formed between the seabed 10 and the lower opening of the hose system as well as through the equalization openings 7 located in the hose wall 2 of each module, until the pressure is equalized between the interior of the hose system and the surrounding water. The inflowing fluids and/or gases 13 then flow due to the buoyant force, wherein it is assumed that the inflowing fluids and/or gases 13 have a lower density than water, through the hose system to the water surface 14 where they can be removed through the upper opening of the hose system.

FIG. 3 shows the connection between two modules 1 wherein the upper flange 3 of a module 1 is screwed together with the lower flange 4 of another module 1.

FIG. 4 shows the end of the hose system facing the seabed 10, i.e. the open lower flange 4 of the lower module 1 of the hose system facing the seabed 10. The flange 4 rests on the seabed 10 and is positioned such that the lower opening of hose system covers the location where the fluids and/or gases 3 escape from the seabed 10, so that the fluids and/or gases 13 escaping from the seabed 10 flow into the hose system. Several pressure equalization openings 7 are arranged in the hose wall 2 proximate to the lower flange 4 and are distributed around the periphery of the hose wall 2, through which water 12 can flow into the interior of the hose system.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the module 1 forming the end of the hose system facing the seabed 10 with spacer elements 11 arranged on the lower flange 4 of the module 1; these spacer elements 11 may be supports or, as shown in FIG. 5, anchoring cables which keep the lower open end of the hose system facing the seabed 10 at a preselected distance above the seabed 10, thereby forming an annular pressure equalization opening around the lower opening of the tubing system facing the seabed 10, through which water 12 can flow into the hose system, as already described with reference to FIG. 2.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

• 1 A module forming a hose section
• 2 Hose wall
• 3 Upper flange
• 4 Lower flange
• 5 Clamping ring
• 6 Stabilizing ring
• 7 Pressure equalization opening
• 8 Eyelet
• 9 Buoyant or ballast body
• 10 Bed of a body of water, seabed
• 11 Spacer elements
• 12 Arrows to illustrate the water flowing into the hose system through the pressure equalization openings
• 13 Arrows to illustrate the fluids and/or gases escaping from the seabed 10 and flowing into the hose system
• 14 Water surface
• a Spacing between the stabilizing rings
• D Diameter of the module 1

Claims

1. A device for collecting and conducting away fluids or gases (13) escaping from a seabed, comprising a plurality of identically constructed modules (1) forming a hose section that can be assembled into a hose system, wherein each module (1) comprises a hose wall (2) made of a flexible fabric,a flange (3, 4) surrounding the opening is arranged at each of the two open end faces of the module (1),the module (1) comprises stabilization rings (6) disposed around the periphery of the hose wall (2) and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the module (1) with a mutual spacing (a) that is smaller than the diameter (D) of the module (1),at least one pressure equalization opening (7) is formed in the module (1) forming a hose section,the module (1) comprises connectors (8) for attaching buoyant and ballast bodies (9), respectively, and

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the hose wall (2) is composed of a composite fabric.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein retaining tabs are disposed on the hose wall (2) of a module (1).

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the modules include end-side openings and wherein the connectors (8) for fastening buoyant and ballast bodies (9) are arranged on the flanges (3, 4) surrounding the end-side openings of a module (1) forming hose section.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pressure equalization openings (7) are is formed as check valves.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pressure equalization opening (7) comprises several pressure equalization openings (7) that are distributed along a periphery of the lower hose section formed on the lower open end of the hose system facing the seabed (10).

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the hose wall (2) of the lower, last module (1) of the hose system facing the seabed (10) is in the region of the lower opening of the hose system facing the seabed (10) formed of a resilient material which surrounds this opening with an annular shape.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a spacer elements (11) pointing towards the seabed (10) are arranged at the lower open end of the hose system facing the seabed (10), wherein the spacer elements (11) prevent the lower open end of the hose system facing the seabed (10) from resting on the seabed (10) and keep the lower open end of the hose system facing the seabed (10) at a pre-selectable distance from the seabed (10).