Extensive pipeline systems have been constructed for carrying gas or liquid under pressure over long distances. Pipeline construction is a costly and labor intensive process that generally includes stringing the pipe joints along the right of way where the pipeline is to be deployed, welding the pipe joints together, and coating the pipe joints, or at least the welds, to prevent corrosion.
Composite pipe provides numerous advantages over the steel pipe generally used to construct oil and gas pipelines. A length of composite pipe can be substantially lighter than the equivalent steel pipe resulting in reduced handling costs and increased safety. A composite may also be lower in cost and exhibit greater corrosion resistance and burst strength than an equivalent steel pipe. Therefore, improved techniques for constructing pipelines using composite pipe are desirable.
A composite pipeline and systems and methods for manufacturing composite pipeline at a pipeline installation site are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for constructing a pipeline includes arranging sections of tubing near a location where the pipeline is to be finally installed. An end of a first of the sections of tubing axially abuts an end of a second of the sections of tubing. The abutting ends of the first and second of the sections of tubing are joined. A continuous strip of material is wrapped in a helical pattern over the length of the joined first and second of the sections of tubing to form a pipeline segment.
In another embodiment, a system for constructing a pipeline includes sections of liner tubing, a positioning apparatus, a joining apparatus, and a wrapping apparatus. The positioning apparatus is configured to arrange the sections of liner tubing end-to-end near a location where the pipeline is to be finally installed. The joining apparatus is configured to axially bond the sections of liner tubing into a tubing segment. The wrapping apparatus configured to helically wrap a strip of material around the joined sections of tubing to form a pipeline segment. The wrapping apparatus is configured to build the wall of the pipeline segment to a desired thickness while moving longitudinally along the pipeline segment.
In yet another embodiment, a method for on-site manufacture of composite pipeline, includes aligning axially, near a location of pipeline final installation, multiple metallic tubes. The tubes are welded together to form a tubing segment. A coiling mechanism is propelled longitudinally along the tubing segment. A metallic strip is unwound from a spool and wound in a spiral over the length of the tubing segment as the coiling mechanism longitudinally travels along the tubing segment.
In a further embodiment, an on-site manufactured composite pipeline includes liner tubes and continuous strips of material. The liner tubes are welded together end-to-end to form a tubing segment. The strips of material are each helically wrapped around the plurality of liner tubes. The strips of material increase the burst strength of a circumferential wall of the tubing segment.
In a yet further embodiment, a pipeline is constructed by a method including providing a liner tubes near a final installation location of the pipeline. The liner tubes are arranged to be longitudinally coaxial. The liner tubes are bonded lengthwise. The bonded liner tubes are strengthened by wrapping a strip of material helically about the circumference of the bonded liner tubes over the length of the bonded liner tubes.
For a more detailed description of the embodiments, reference will now be made to the following accompanying drawings:
In the drawings and description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. The invention is subject to embodiments of different forms. Some specific embodiments are described in detail and are shown in the drawings, with the understanding that the disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the illustrated and described embodiments. The different teachings of the embodiments discussed below may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results. The terms “connect,” “engage,” “couple,” “attach,” or any other term describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit the interaction to direct interaction between the elements and may also include indirect interaction between the elements described. The various characteristics mentioned above, as well as other features and characteristics described in more detail below, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, and by referring to the accompanying drawings.
While composite pipe provides numerous advantages over conventional steel pipe, construction of pipelines using composite pipe have generally employed the same techniques applied to steel pipe. The present disclosure presents methods and systems for constructing a pipeline using composite pipe wherein the composite pipe is manufactured as a pipeline segment of indefinite length at or near the location where the pipeline is to be finally installed. The disclosed apparatus and techniques are applicable to various pipe diameters, and provide reduced construction cost while providing a pipeline that is lighter and stronger than that produced using conventional methods. At least some embodiments of the present disclosure employ a pipeline wrapping apparatus at the pipeline installation site to manufacture composite pipeline.
In
Various non-metallic materials may also be used for the strip material 133. For example, the strip material 133 may be a thermoplastic, such as polybutylene terephthalate or polypropylene, or a thermoset resin, such as polyester, polyurethane, vinylester, or epoxy. The non-metallic material may be reinforced with glass or other fibers. Thermoplastics and thermoset resins may be produced using pultrusion, which provides a continuous process of producing a substantially constant cross-section. As part of the pultrusion process, the non-metallic material may be reinforced with the fibers while being formed into the strip material 133. The resulting strip material 133 may be wound onto a spool for use with embodiments of the present disclosure.
With reference to
After affixing the end 320 of the strip 133, wrapping the strip 133 around the pipeline segment 4 is carried out by the winding head 301. As the winding head 301 winds the strip around the pipeline segment 4, additional strip 133 is wrapped around carrying roll 302. Each rotation of the winding head 301 adds another layer of strip 133 to the carrying roll 302, which accumulates strip 133 faster than what is wrapped onto pipeline 4 because of the greater diameter. The carrying capacity (indicated by circle 310) of the carrying roll 302 may be selected such that after half of the strip 133 from spool 130 is wrapped onto the pipeline 4, the remaining half of the strip 133 is carried by the carrying roll 302.
The winding head 301 moves axially relative to the pipeline segment 4 during rotating in order to helically wrap the strip 133 around the pipeline segment 4. The entire pipeline wrapping apparatus 101 may be movable relative to the pipeline segment 4 by attaching one or more track assemblies to the pipeline segment 4. In one embodiment shown in
The movement assembly 402, which is shown in greater detail in
The movement assembly 402 illustrated in detail in
The pipeline wrapping apparatus 101 may further include an oscillating adhesive assembly 401 that applies adhesive to the pipeline segment 4 before the strip 133 is wound onto the pipeline segment 4. The adhesive may be provided in tanks (not shown) to a metering pump (not shown) that applies a selected amount of adhesive to the pipeline segment 4. The rotational rate of the winding head 301 may govern the volume flow rate of adhesive from the metering pump in order to provide a more precise amount of adhesive to the pipeline segment 4. Examples of adhesives that may be used to adhere the strip 133 to the pipeline 4 include liquid epoxies, paste epoxies (single and multi-part), acrylics (e.g., methacrylate), polyurea, phenolic, and anaerobic and polyurethane adhesives.
An example of a pipeline segment 4 with walls reinforced in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein is shown in
After the layer(s) are added to the pipeline segment 4, the pipeline wrapping apparatus 101 may be lifted back onto the trailer to be deployed at another location. If the length of pipeline segment 4 to be reinforced exceeds the length of strip provided by the spool, the pipeline wrapping apparatus may be positioned at the ending point of the prior wrapping location to begin the wrapping process again. The trailer may be relocated as necessary to continue the wrapping process.
In another embodiment, a protective outer layer may be applied to the pipeline after wrapping the layer(s) as described above. The protective outer layer may be, for example, liquid epoxy or urethane. The protective outer layer may be applied using a separate pipeline coating unit, or by adding a pipeline coating module to the pipeline wrapping apparatus that resembles the oscillating adhesive assembly 401 described above. The pipeline coating module may be attached to the pipeline wrapping apparatus on the opposite side of the winding head 301 from the oscillating adhesive assembly 401 so that the pipeline coating module passes over the pipeline segment 4 after the winding head 301 applies the layer(s) 2, 3 for reinforcing the pipeline segment 4. The material for the protective outer layer may be provided using a tank on the pipeline wrapping apparatus or by a separate tank connected to the pipeline coating module by a hose. The separate tank may be placed on the trailer. The tank and the hose may be heated to prevent the material from solidifying prior to application or to assist with cross-linking.
The liner tubes 802 may have substantially thinner walls and therefore be substantially lighter than conventional steel pipe. For example, a 42 inch liner tube may be constructed with a 3 millimeter (“mm”) thick stainless or carbon steel wall rather the much thicker wall of conventional steel pipe. Sections of the liner tube 802 have a wall thickness that is a fraction of the wall thickness required by a pipeline configured for a given application. For example, the American Petroleum Institute 5L standard may require 42 inch outside diameter line pipe to have a nominal wall thickness of up to 1.25 inches, while the liner tube 802 may have a wall thickness of only a few millimeters. Thus, some embodiments of the liner tube 802 function as a fluid barrier rather than a pressure barrier. Various embodiments of the liner tube 802 have sufficient strength to withstand the force of the tracks 404 of the wrapping apparatus, and at least some embodiments have sufficient strength to bear the weight of the wrapping apparatus during the pipeline manufacturing operation.
In block 704, the liner tubes 802 are positioned end-to-end and the tubes 802 are axially bonded to one another. The rollers of the support platforms allow the tubes 802 to be longitudinally repositioned to facilitate bonding. In various embodiments, the tubes 802 may be bonded using a bonding or joining apparatus, such as a welder. In some embodiments, an orbital welder 902 can be used to bond the tubes in a single pass. In this fashion, a liner tube of indefinite length can be formed.
In block 708, the tubing segment 1002 is complete and ready to receive material to reinforce the wall of the pipeline segment. A pipeline wrapping apparatus 1004 (shown in
In block 710, the wrapping apparatus 1004 propels itself along the tubing segment 1002 from the first end to a second end, and helically wraps strip material 1008 around the circumference of the tubing segment 1002. Thus, the wrapping apparatus is a coiling mechanism that winds the strip material around the tubing segment 1002 in a three-dimensional spiral. The strip material 1008 may be fed from a spool located on the wrapping apparatus and/or located on a vehicle that moves along the tubing segment 1002 in conjunction with the wrapping apparatus 1004. The strip material may be stainless steel or another material as explained above. The wrapping apparatus 1004 may also apply an adhesive material prior to applying the strip material 1008. Some embodiments of the wrapping apparatus 1004 can wrap multiple layers of strip material in a single pass along the tubing segment 1002.
In some embodiments, the tubing segment 1002 may bear the weight of the wrapping apparatus 1004 as the wrapping apparatus 1004 traverses the tubing segment 1002. In other embodiments, a boom or other crane apparatus 1006 supports the wrapping apparatus 1004 as the wrapping apparatus 1004 moves along the tubing segment 1002, thereby relieving the tubing segment 1002 of such a support requirement. As shown in
The wrapping apparatus 1004 may be positioned to traverse the tubing segment 1002 as many times as is needed to build the wall of the composite pipeline segment to a desired thickness. In block 712, whether the wall has been built to the desired thickness by the wrapping 1008 is determined. If the wall is thinner than desired, the wrapping apparatus 1004 is positioned, in block 708, to make another pass along the pipeline segment and wind an overlapping strip of material about the pipeline segment. Strip materials of different composition may be wound onto the pipeline segment on different passes and/or the same pass. If the wall is found to be of at least the desired thickness, then, in some embodiments, the wrapping apparatus 1004 is positioned to traverse the pipeline segment and wrap an outermost strip that is FBE coated around the pipeline segment. In some embodiments, the number of passes required to build the pipeline segment wall to a desired thickness is predetermined.
In block 714, the walls of the pipeline segment 1102 have been built to the desired thickness, and a protective coating 1104 (e.g., a sealing layer) is applied to the pipeline segment 1102 as a rock and/or moisture barrier. The protective coating 1102 may be, for example, an epoxy or urethane coating. In some embodiments, a coating apparatus 1106 may be positioned on the pipeline segment 1102 to apply the protective coating 1104 to the entire pipeline segment 1102 in a single pass as the coating apparatus 1106 traverses the pipeline segment 1102 as shown in
In block 716, the pipeline segment 1102 has been fully coated and tapered corrosion resistant alloy or stainless steel ends 1202 are bonded to a portion of the pipeline segment 1102 that remains unwrapped. The bonding may be by welding. The tapered end 1202 is overwrapped with the same strip materials 1008 as the wall of the pipeline segment 1102.
In block 718, the on-site manufactured composite pipeline segment 1102 is positioned at the pipeline deployment location 806. For example, a side boom 1008 may lower the composite pipeline segment 1102 into the trench 806 as shown in
A composite pipeline segment 1102 may constructed in accordance with the method 700 to be of any length by adding liner tubes 802 and wrapping as described above. Consequently, connections are added only at tie in locations, for crossings, equipment connections, etc.
While specific embodiments have been shown and described, modifications can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or teaching of this invention. The embodiments as described are exemplary only and are not limiting. Many variations and modifications are possible and are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described, but is only limited by the claims that follow, the scope of which shall include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims.