Patent Application
20250230730
The present disclosure relates to a frame for use in a subsea environment, for example when connecting a flying lead to a subsea installation.
In various subsea applications including the field of subsea oil and gas production, and the field of subsea sCO2 re-injection, there is a need to provide connections between different structures or installations. These connections include connections for at least power delivery, control signals and product delivery. In various examples, hydraulic fluids and/or other chemicals are required to be sent from a first subsea structure to either a second subsea structure or to a structure located above the surface. To achieve this, a number of service lines, for example hydraulic cables, may be formed into a bundle and connected between first and second structures.
Typically, service lines between adjacent Oil & Gas Production facilities on the seabed (for hydraulic fluid or for injected chemical supplies) are implemented using a connector at each end of a relatively flexible bundle of service lines. One example of such a connector is a Multi Quick Connection flying plate, in which the service lines may be joined to tubes within the flying plate. A carrier frame may be provided to withstand loads resulting from the bundle of service lines, e.g. a weight force due to the bundle.
The present disclosure provides a simplified frame, which is less expensive to manufacture and which is suitable for use subsea in any of the applications outlined above.
From a first aspect of the disclosure, a frame for use in a subsea environment is provided, the frame comprising:
a hollow body configured to receive a plurality of service lines, wherein the hollow body is made up of two or more parts made of a polymer.
In any example of the disclosure, the two or more parts of the frame may be made by additive manufacturing.
In any example of the disclosure, the frame may be a carrier frame.
In any example of the disclosure, the frame may comprise a first part and a second part. In some examples, the first part may be configured to be joined to the second part to form a hollow body which surrounds and protects a length of the service lines.
In some examples, the first part may comprise a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second part may each be substantially semi-circular in cross section and may be configured to form a substantially cylindrical hollow body when joined together.
In some examples, each of the first section and the second part may comprise a first flange and a second diametrically opposite flange extending radially outwardly therefrom, and the first and second flanges of the first section may be configured to abut against the first and second flanges of the second part when the frame is assembled.
In any example of the disclosure, the frame may be configured to receive a connector for connecting the plurality of service lines to a subsea installation.
In any example of the disclosure, the second section of the first part may form a cap for receiving an end of the connector.
In any example of the disclosure, one or more openings may be provided in the frame to allow water to flow into the frame when assembled.
From a further aspect, the disclosure may provide a service line connection system for use in a subsea environment and comprising:
In any example of the disclosure, the connector may be received in the frame.
In any example of the disclosure, the service line connection system may further comprise a tubing surrounding the plurality of service lines.
From a still further aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of producing a frame for use in a subsea environment, the frame comprising:
Although certain advantages are discussed below in relation to the features detailed above, other advantages of these features may become apparent to the skilled person following the present disclosure.
One or more non-limiting examples will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures in which:
A system 2 suitable for use in various subsea applications is shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Any suitable number of flying leads could be connected to a singles subsea structure. For example, the subsea structure may for example have four separate ports for connecting to each of four separate flying leads. It will be understood that each flying lead could include any suitable number of service lines.
In the example shown in
It will be understood that the service lines within a bundle connecting subsea structures according to the disclosure could be hydraulic cables for hydraulic fluid or could equally well be service lines or cables for carrying chemicals other than hydraulic fluid. Further, different service lines within the bundle could of course carry different chemicals and fluids as required for any particular application. For example, some service lines within a bundle could carry hydraulic fluids and other service lines within the same bundle could carry other fluids. In further examples, the service lines may also be or include optical and/or electrical cables.
A frame according to an example of the disclosure will now be described in further detail and is shown in the exploded perspective view of
As seen in
A connector 12 is connected to each of the service lines located inside the tubing 8. The connector 12 may comprise a flying plate as described above and each of the tubes of the flying plate may be connected with a respective service line. The flying plate 12 is configured for connecting with a fixed plate (not shown) assembled onto a subsea installation or other suitable part of a system.
A frame 18 is provided which will now be described in further detail. The frame 18 is formed from two or more parts so that it can be mounted around a length of the bundle of service lines to extend from the connector 12. In the example of
The first section 44 and the second part 42 could be configured to be joined together by any suitable mechanism. In various examples and as shown in
In the example of
In an alternative arrangement, in which no sealing member 30 of the type shown is provided, an annular seal (not shown) may be provided which extends between the outer surface of the tubing 8 and the inner surface of the frame 18.
In any example of the disclosure, the fixing (for example the nuts and bolts described above) may be made from a corrosion resistant material such as Super Duplex Stainless Steel.
As described above, in the example shown, the first part 40 of the frame 18 comprises a first section 44 and a second section 46. The second section 46 forms an axial extension of the first section 44 and is configured to surround part of the connector 12. In the example shown, the second section 46 may form a cap which extends over and around a first end of the connector 12 such that the connector 12 is held in place within the frame 18 when the frame is assembled to the tubing 8 and the connector 12.
As seen for example in
A third flange 53 may extend along an edge of the second section 46 to extend radially outwardly therefrom and, in some examples, may join the first flange 50 to the second flange 52. Further apertures (not shown) may be formed in the third flange 53 through which fasteners such as nuts and bolts (not shown) may pass to join the third flange 53 to the connector 12 in use.
In some further examples, a planar or flat portion 55 may be formed in an axial end of the cap formed by the second section 46.
In any example of the disclosure, the frame 18 is made from a polymeric material such as polypropylene for example. This may provide additional buoyancy to the flying lead and connector 12 when assembled thereon which may be useful in various subsea applications. The use of a polymeric material also significantly reduces the time and costs associated with manufacturing and installing a frame according to the disclosure in a subsea system. In comparison to the use of a polymer, if a metal were to be used to manufacture the frame, different components thereof would need to be welded together, resulting in the need to use expensive and time consuming non-destructive testing (NDT) to check the structural integrity of the welds. A further advantage of forming the frame from a polymer is that the frame may then not be vulnerable to corrosion, thus reducing the need for cathodic protection in a subsea environment and potentially prolonging the service life of the frame.
A further advantage of the frame according to at least some examples of the disclosure is that the frame may be sufficiently stiff to provide protection and prevent undesired deformation of the fittings linking the service lines of the flying lead to the tubes in a flying plate. Such deformations could result for example in undesired leakage of fluid from the service lines into the surrounding sea or environment. This could result in undesirable pollution from the fluids travelling through the flying lead.
In some examples of the disclosure, the frame may be made by additive manufacturing. This may allow the parts of the frame to be manufactured quickly to a very high accuracy and at low expense.
It will be understood that various components provided within the frame 18 in use may be metallic and so may be vulnerable to corrosion. To enhance cathodic protection of these components therefore, one or more openings or slots may be provided in the frame 18 to allow water to flow into the frame 18 when assembled. In various examples such as that shown in
It will be appreciated that the example systems shown and described herein have a number of advantages over the prior art systems. Specifically, by manufacturing the frame from a polymeric material, the manufacturing and maintenance costs thereof may be significantly reduced. Further, the frame may be more easily formed in any desired shape required for a particular system. Still further, there is no need to provide anodes for cathodic protection of the frame as would be needed if the frame were made from steel or another such metal.
While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of examples, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed examples. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of disclosure. Additionally, while various examples of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the described examples. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102022000006731 | Apr 2022 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2023/025157 | 4/4/2023 | WO |
