A subsea bi-directional pigging Y-type tee

Abstract

The present invention discloses a subsea bidirectional pigging Y-shaped tee, comprising: a tee body, a connection cover, a rotating sleeve, a communication hole, a blocking portion, a transmission limiting assembly, and a switch indicating assembly. By the above method, the subsea bidirectional pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention only needs to use a rotating sleeve to adjust the communication state between the main channel and the branch channel, meets the requirements of bidirectional pigging of subsea oil and gas pipelines, realizes visual indication of the adjustment position, improves the accuracy, stability and efficiency of the operation, simplifies the structure of the adjustment and transmission parts, reduces the cost and maintenance difficulty, and prolongs the service life of the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of marine pipelines, and particularly to a subsea bidirectional pigging Y-shaped tee. Background Art

[0002] Before the commissioning of newly built subsea pipelines, pigging operations must be carried out to clean welding slag, impurities, etc. inside the pipeline, and at the same time determine the degree of pipeline deformation; in addition, during the operation of subsea pipelines, in order to improve the pipeline transportation efficiency, reduce the corrosion of the pipeline inner wall, and separate different oil products, pigging operations are often required.

[0003] The Y-shaped tee is applied to pigging between multiple platforms and on land. Different brush-type or scraper-type pigging tools, isolation and pipe-driving pigging tools, rubber pigging balls, etc. can be equipped for pigging, which are used for pipeline construction, operation, inspection, maintenance, and repair, and have broad application prospects in areas where subsea pipelines are densely distributed. However, conventional ordinary Y-shaped tees can only achieve one-way pigging from the branch pipe to the main pipe, and it is difficult to meet the bidirectional pigging requirements of subsea oil and gas transportation projects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, one technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] Provide a subsea bidirectional pigging Y-shaped tee, which includes: a tee body, a connection cover, a rotating sleeve, a communication hole, a blocking portion, a transmission limiting component, and a switch indicating component.

[0006] The connection cover is connected to the tee body in a communicating manner. The rotating sleeve is arranged inside the tee body, and a ball retainer is arranged between the tee body and the rotating sleeve. The front end of the rotating sleeve extends into the connection cover. The communication hole and the blocking portion are arranged on the rear part of the rotating sleeve, and a plurality of small holes are arranged on the blocking portion.

[0007] The transmission limiting component includes a limiting rod, a first bevel gear, a limiting groove, an operating rod, and a second bevel gear. The first bevel gear connected to the front end of the rotating sleeve is arranged inside the connection cover. The operating rod is rotatably arranged on the connection cover, and the second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear is connected to the operating rod. The first bevel gear drives the rotating sleeve to rotate under the action of the operating rod and the second bevel gear, so that the communication hole or the blocking portion is connected to the branch channel in the tee body to adjust the communication state between the main channel and the branch channel in the tee body. The limiting groove is arranged on the cylinder of the first bevel gear. The limiting rod is arranged on the connection cover, and its inner end is movably arranged in the limiting groove to cooperate with limiting the rotation angle of the rotating sleeve.

[0008] The switch indicating assembly includes a first guiding groove, a spring, a guiding rod, a bracket, a second guiding groove, an indicating disc, an indicating needle, and a guiding screw. The bracket is connected to the connecting cover. The second guiding groove is provided on the bracket, and the indicating disc is provided at the top thereof. The first guiding groove with a depth gradually decreasing in the circumferential direction is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder of the first bevel gear to form a cam surface on the first bevel gear. The guiding rod is connected to the connecting cover through a spring, and the inner end of the guiding rod contacts the cam surface in the first guiding groove, so that when the first bevel gear rotates, the guiding rod is driven to move up and down through the cam surface. The indicating needle is provided at the top of the guiding rod. The guiding screw which is movably connected to the second guiding groove is provided on the guiding rod to cooperate with driving the guiding rod and the indicating needle to rotate while lifting, thereby realizing the visualization of the connection state.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sealing ring is provided at the connection between the tee body and the connecting cover, and a sealing ring is provided between the front end of the rotating sleeve and the tee body.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two sets of ball retainers are directly provided between the tee body and the rotating sleeve, and a spacer ring for supporting is connected between the two sets of ball retainers.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a rotary torque jack is provided on the connecting cover, and the outer end of the operating rod extends into the rotary torque jack.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, sealing rings are provided at the connections between the operating rod and the rotary torque jack, between the rotary torque jack and the connecting cover, between the rotating sleeve and the first bevel gear, between the connecting cover and the first bevel gear, and between the guiding rod and the connecting cover.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blocking portion and the rotating sleeve are of an integral structure.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an oil injection hole is provided on the connecting cover. The oil injection hole communicates with the cavity for installing the first bevel gear inside the connecting cover, and a plug is detachably provided at the outer end of the oil injection hole.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a limiting hole is provided on the connecting cover, and the limiting hole is movably connected to a limiting rod.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a graduated disc and marking symbols representing the switch state are provided on the indicating disc.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a guiding hole is provided on the connecting cover, and the guiding rod is movably connected to the guiding hole.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Only by using a rotating sleeve to adjust the communication state between the main channel and the branch channel can the requirement of two-way pigging for subsea oil and gas pipelines be met. Visual adjustment position indication is realized, improving the accuracy, stability and efficiency of the operation, simplifying the structure of the adjustment and transmission parts, reducing the cost and maintenance difficulty, and extending the service life of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings, where:

[0020] Figure 1 is the overall structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is the overall sectional structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is the structural schematic diagram of the B-axis section in a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is the structural schematic diagram of the switch indication assembly in a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 is the structural schematic diagram of the transmission limit assembly in a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 is the structural schematic diagram of the first guiding groove in a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 is the structural schematic diagram of the open and closed states of the branch channel in a preferred embodiment of a subsea two-way pigging Y-shaped tee of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1-7 , the embodiments of the present invention include:

[0029] A subsea bidirectional pigging Y-type tee, the structure of which includes: a tee body 1, a connection cover 2, a rotating sleeve 3, a communication (elliptical) hole 301, a blocking portion 302, a transmission limiting component, and a switch indicating component.

[0030] A connection cover 2 is arranged on the tee body 1. The main channel 101 of the tee body is communicated with the branch channel 102, and the main channel 101 of the tee body is communicated with the main channel 103 of the connection cover. The connection cover 2 is connected to the tee body 1 through studs and nuts, and an O-ring D12 is added at the connection between the tee body 1 and the connection cover 2 to prevent the flowing medium in the tee body 1 from leaking out.

[0031] A rotating sleeve 3 is arranged inside the tee body 1, and a ball cage 29 is arranged between the inner wall of the tee body 1 and the side wall of the rotating sleeve 3. The balls on the ball cage 29 are in contact with the tee body 1 and / or the rotating sleeve 3 to reduce the rotation torque of the rotating sleeve 3 and improve the stability and accuracy of the rotation of the rotating sleeve. Two groups of ball cages 29 can be arranged, and a spacer ring is connected between the two groups of ball cages 29 to support the ball cages 29.

[0032] The front end of the rotating sleeve 3 extends to the connection cover 2 and is connected to the transmission limiting component. The communication hole 301 and the blocking portion 302 are oppositely arranged on the rear side wall of the rotating sleeve 3. A plurality of small holes 3021 are arranged in an array on the blocking portion to maintain the normal flow of the medium in the main channel 101 and the branch channel 102 of the tee body. The rotating sleeve 3 rotates inside the tee body 1 under the action of the transmission limiting component and drives the communication hole 301 or the blocking portion 302 to be connected to the branch channel 102, so as to open or close the pipe orifice of the branch channel 102 communicated with the main channel 101 of the tee body, thereby achieving the effect of allowing the pig / ball to flow into the main channel or blocking the pig / ball from entering the main channel. A switch indicating component connected to the transmission limiting component is arranged on the connection cover 2 to indicate the on / off state of the current rotating sleeve 3 or the branch channel 102.

[0033] Two O-rings A7 are arranged between the front side wall of the rotating sleeve 3 and the tee body to prevent the flowing medium in the tee body 1 from leaking out.

[0034] The transmission limit assembly includes a limit rod 6, a first bevel gear 10, a limit groove 1001, an operating rod 25, and a second bevel gear 252.

[0035] A first bevel gear 10 is rotatably arranged in a connection cover 2. The cylinder of the first bevel gear 10 is connected to a rotating sleeve 3, and a limit groove 1001 with an arc of 180° is circumferentially arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. The limit rod 6 is arranged on the connection cover 2, and its inner end is movably arranged in the limit groove 1001. The cooperation between the limit rod 6 and the limit groove 1001 enables the first bevel gear 10 to drive the rotating sleeve 3 to rotate only by 180°.

[0036] An operating rod 25 is rotatably arranged on the connection cover 2 in front of the first bevel gear 10. The upper part of the operating rod 25 has a standardized square head, which is convenient for the manipulator of the underwater robot to operate the operating rod 25. The lower part of the operating rod 25 is connected with a second bevel gear 252. The second bevel gear 252 meshes with the tooth surface of the first bevel gear 10 to convert the horizontal transmission into a vertical transmission. The manipulator of the underwater robot operates the operating rod 25 and the second bevel gear 252 to rotate, so as to drive the rotating sleeve 3 to rotate through the first bevel gear 10.

[0037] A rotation torque jack 26 is arranged on the connection cover 2. The rod body of the operating rod 25 extends into the rotation torque jack 26. The rotation torque jack 26 is standardized in design, which is convenient for the manipulator of the underwater robot to operate the operating rod 25. The rotation torque jack 26 is connected to the connection cover 2 by an internal hexagonal screw D, and two O-ring Gs are added at the joints of the operating rod 25 and the rotation torque jack 26, and the rotation torque jack 26 and the connection cover 2 respectively to prevent seawater from flowing into the connection cover 2.

[0038] Further preferably, an O-ring C11 is added at the joint of the connection cover 2 and the first bevel gear 10 to prevent the leakage of the circulation medium from the connection cover 2.

[0039] Further preferably, the blocking part and the rotating sleeve are of an integral structure.

[0040] Further preferably, two oil injection holes 201 are arranged on the connection cover 2. The oil injection holes 201 communicate with the cavity in the connection cover for installing the first bevel gear 10, which is convenient for injecting lubricating oil to lubricate the first bevel gear 10 and the bevel gear at the bottom of the operating rod 25. A plug 22 is detachably arranged at the outer end of the oil injection hole 201.

[0041] Further preferably, the top of the rotating sleeve 3 is connected to the first bevel gear 10 as a whole by an internal hexagonal screw A8, and an O-ring B9 is added at the joint of the rotating sleeve 3 and the first bevel gear 10 to prevent the leakage of the circulation medium from the rotating sleeve 3.

[0042] Further preferably, the connecting cover 2 is provided with a limiting hole 202, and a limiting rod 6 is installed in the limiting hole 202 for limiting the 180° rotation of the first bevel gear 10.

[0043] The switch indicating assembly includes a first guide groove 1002, a spring 13, a guide rod 16, a bracket 17, a second guide groove 171, an indicating disc 18, an indicating needle 21, and a guide screw 28.

[0044] The bracket 17 is installed on the side wall of the connecting cover 2 by an inner hexagon screw B. A 90° second guide groove 171 is provided on the side wall of the bracket 17, and an indicating disc 18 is provided on its top. The indicating disc 18 is locked with a lock nut. A 90° graduation disc is engraved on the indicating disc 18, with marks "C" and "O". C represents the closed state, and O represents the open state.

[0045] A first guide groove 1002 with an arc of 180° is circumferentially provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder of the first bevel gear 10, and the depth of the first guide groove 1002 gradually decreases to form a cam structure on the surface of the first bevel gear 10.

[0046] The guide rod 16 is elastically connected to the connecting cover 2 through the spring 13. The inner end of the guide rod extends into the first guide groove 1002 and contacts the bottom surface of the first guide groove 1002 (the cam surface of the first bevel gear 10), so that the guide rod 16 moves up and down under the action of the first bevel gear 10 and the first guide groove 1002. When the first bevel gear 10 rotates clockwise / counterclockwise, the guide rod 16 is acted on by the cam protruding surface of the first bevel gear 10 and the first guide groove 1002, and the guide rod 16 compresses the spring 13 and moves upward; when the first bevel gear 10 rotates counterclockwise / clockwise, the guide rod 16 moves downward under the reset force of the spring 13.

[0047] The top of the guide rod 16 passes through the bracket 17 and is installed with an indicating needle 21. The indicating needle 21 can be locked with an inner hexagon screw C. A guide screw 28 is provided on the side wall of the guide rod 16. The guide screw 28 is movably connected to the second guide groove 171 to cooperate with driving the guide rod and the indicating needle 21 to rotate circumferentially while lifting and lowering, so as to use the indicating needle 21 and the indicating disc 18 to display the rotation condition of the rotating sleeve 3 and the opening and closing condition of the branch channel in real time.

[0048] Further preferably, a guide hole 203 is provided on the connecting cover 2, and the guide rod 16 is installed in the guide hole 203 and extends outward.

[0049] Further preferably, an O-ring E14 is installed between the guide rod 16 and the connecting cover 2 to prevent seawater from flowing into the connecting cover 2.

[0050] The working principle of the subsea two-way through-ball Y-type three-way includes:

[0051] Install this three-way joint in the three-way pipeline, and then use the manipulator of the underwater robot to rotate the operating rod 25 counterclockwise. The operating rod 25 drives the first bevel gear 10 to rotate, and then the first bevel gear 10 drives the rotating sleeve 3 to rotate. During the rotation of the rotating sleeve 3, the torque is reduced through the ball cage 29; when the first bevel gear 10 rotates to the first limit (open) position of the limiting rod 6 and the limiting groove 1001, it stops, and the rotating sleeve 3 also stops synchronously. At this time, the communication hole 301 on the rotating sleeve 3 just docks with the branch channel 102. At the same time, during the rotation of the first bevel gear 10, the guide rod 16 moves upward under the action of the first bevel gear 10 and the first guide groove 1002 (the guide rod 16 moves towards the end with a smaller depth of the first guide groove 1002), and drives the guide screw 28 to rotate along the second guide groove 171, so that the indicating needle 21 on the guide rod 16 rotates to the "O" position on the indicating disk 18. At this time, the pig can smoothly move from the branch channel 102 to the communication hole 301, and then move to the main channel 101 of the three-way body and enter the main pipe.

[0052] When the manipulator of the underwater robot rotates the operating rod 25 clockwise, the operating rod 25 drives the first bevel gear 10 to rotate in the reverse direction and synchronously drives the rotating sleeve 3 to rotate in the reverse direction; when the first bevel gear 10 rotates to the second limit (closed) position of the limiting rod 6 and the limiting groove 1001, it stops, and then the rotating sleeve 3 also stops. At this time, the blocking part on the rotating sleeve 3 just docks with the branch channel 102 of the three-way body 1. And during the rotation of the first bevel gear 10, the guide rod 16 moves to the end with a larger depth of the first guide groove 1002. The reduction of the thrust makes the guide rod 16 move downward and reset under the action of the spring, and at the same time drives the guide screw 28 to move in the reverse direction in the second guide groove 171, so that the indicating needle 21 on the guide rod 16 rotates to the "C" position on the indicating disk 18. Since the diameter of the small hole 3021 on the blocking part is smaller than the diameter of the pigging device / ball, the blocking part only blocks the pigging device / ball from entering the branch channel 102. At this time, the pigging device / ball can smoothly move from the main channel 101 of the three-way body to the main channel 103 of the connecting cover, and then move to the main pipe.

[0053] The beneficial effects of a subsea two-way pigging Y-type three-way joint of the present invention are as follows: It meets the requirements of two-way pigging of subsea oil and gas transportation pipelines. According to the water depth of the operating environment, it can be operated manually by divers or by an underwater ROV. According to the visual position indication, precise operation can be carried out. The main components are made of forgings of materials adapted to the pipeline, with auxiliary cladding and sealing designs, which can meet the characteristics of pressure resistance, seawater resistance, corrosion resistance, and high weldability.

[0054] The above are only embodiments of the present invention, and thus do not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the content of the specification of the present invention, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall similarly be included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A submarine two-way ball Y-type tee, characterized in that: include: Three-way body, connecting cover, rotating sleeve, connecting hole, blocking part, transmission limit assembly, switch indicator assembly, The connecting cover is connected to the tee body, the rotating sleeve is arranged in the tee body, and a ball retainer is arranged between the tee body and the rotating sleeve. The front end of the rotating sleeve extends into the connecting cover, the connecting hole and the blocking part are arranged on the rear part of the rotating sleeve, and a plurality of small holes are arranged on the blocking part. The transmission limit assembly includes a limit rod, a first bevel gear, a limit groove, an operating rod, and a second bevel gear. The first bevel gear connected to the front end of the rotating sleeve is arranged in the connecting cover, and the operating rod is rotatably arranged on the connecting cover. The operating rod is connected to the second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear. The first bevel gear drives the rotating sleeve to rotate under the action of the operating rod and the second bevel gear, so that the connecting hole or the blocking portion is connected to the branch channel in the tee body to adjust the connection state between the main channel and the branch channel in the tee body. The limit groove is arranged on the cylinder of the first bevel gear, and the limit rod is arranged on the connecting cover, and its inner end is movably arranged in the limit groove to cooperate to limit the rotation angle of the rotating sleeve. The switch indicating assembly comprises a first guide groove, a spring, a guide rod, a bracket, a second guide groove, an indicating plate, an indicating needle and a guide screw. The bracket is connected to the connecting cover. The bracket is provided with the second guide groove and the indicating plate is provided on the top of the bracket. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body of the first bevel gear is provided with the first guide groove whose depth gradually decreases along the circumferential direction so as to form a cam surface on the first bevel gear. The guide rod is connected to the connecting cover through a spring, and the inner end of the guide rod contacts the cam surface in the first guide groove so that the first bevel gear drives the guide rod to move up and down through the cam surface when rotating. The indicating needle is provided on the top of the guide rod. The guide rod is provided with the guide screw movably connected with the second guide groove so as to cooperate and drive the guide rod and the indicating needle to rotate while being lifted and lowered, thereby realizing visualization of the connection state. The three-way body and the rotating sleeve are directly provided with two groups of ball retainers, and a supporting spacer ring is connected between the two groups of ball retainers. A rotating torque socket is provided on the connecting cover, and the outer end of the operating rod extends into the rotating torque socket.

2. A submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing ring is provided at the connection between the three-way body and the connection cover, and a sealing ring is provided between the front end of the rotating sleeve and the three-way body.

3. A submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: Sealing rings are provided at the connections between the operating rod and the rotating torque socket, the rotating torque socket and the connecting cover, the rotating sleeve and the first bevel gear, the connecting cover and the first bevel gear, and the guide rod and the connecting cover.

4. The submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blocking portion and the rotating sleeve are an integrated structure.

5. The submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting cover is provided with an oil filling hole, which is communicated with a cavity in the connecting cover where the first bevel gear is installed, and a screw plug is detachably provided at the outer end of the oil filling hole.

6. The submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connection cover is provided with a limiting hole, and the limiting hole is movably connected to the limiting rod.

7. The submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indicating disk is provided with a dividing disk and marking symbols representing the switch status.

8. The submarine two-way ball Y-type tee according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting cover is provided with a guide hole, and the guide rod is movably connected with the guide hole.

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