An underwater oil pipeline connector
By designing an underwater oil pipeline connector, a screw-driven moving plate is brought close to a fixed plate and guided by a guide rod, enabling rapid and accurate docking of the male and female connectors. This solves the problem of inconvenient connection of existing connectors in deep-sea environments and improves connection efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JINGMING OIL EQUIP DEV
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing underwater oil pipeline connectors are inconvenient to operate in deep-sea environments. Mechanical clamp connectors have unstable clamping force, and flange bolt connectors are cumbersome and time-consuming to operate, making it difficult to meet the requirements for efficient connection.
Design an underwater oil pipeline connector that uses a rotating screw to drive a moving plate closer to a fixed plate to achieve male and female connector mating. Combined with a guide rod to guide the linear movement of the moving plate, the connection process is simplified and the accuracy is improved.
The connection process has been simplified, the connection efficiency of underwater oil pipelines has been improved, and the accurate mating of male and female connectors has been ensured, solving the problems of inconvenient and time-consuming connection of existing connectors.
Smart Images
Figure CN224566922U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of connector technology, specifically relating to an underwater oil pipeline connector. Background Technology
[0002] There are many types of existing underwater oil pipeline connectors, the most common being mechanical clamp connectors and flange bolt connectors. Mechanical clamp connectors rely on the mechanical clamping force of the clamps to fix the two ends of the pipeline together. Their operation is relatively simple, but in the complex underwater environment, the clamps are easily affected by factors such as ocean currents and seabed sediment accumulation, leading to unstable clamping force and reduced connection reliability. Flange bolt connectors, on the other hand, are fastened by bolts installed on two flanges. This connection method has a stable structure and can withstand high pressure. However, during underwater operations, divers or underwater robots are needed to tighten numerous bolts one by one, a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Especially in the high-pressure, low-temperature, and low-visibility environment of the deep sea, the difficulty and risk of connection operations increase significantly. Therefore, an underwater oil pipeline connector was designed. Utility Model Content
[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides an underwater oil pipeline connector, which aims to solve, to some extent, the technical problem of inconvenient connection operation in the prior art.
[0004] The technical solution of this utility model is as follows: an underwater oil pipeline connector, including two side plates, a fixed plate is fixedly connected to one side of the two side plates, a movable plate is provided between the two side plates, a screw is threaded into the middle of the movable plate, a guide plate is movably inserted into the side of the two side plates away from the fixed plate, and the smooth end of the screw is rotatably connected to the guide plate.
[0005] A male connector is installed on the fixed plate, and a female connector is installed on the movable plate. The male and female connectors correspond to each other and are used to connect the underwater oil pipeline.
[0006] A guide rod is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the fixed plate, and a through guide groove is provided on the movable plate. The guide rod is slidably inserted into the guide groove to guide the linear movement of the movable plate.
[0007] Preferably, a suspension handle is fixedly connected to the top of the movable plate.
[0008] Preferably, each of the two side plates has a guide groove on its opposite surface, and the two sides of the guide plate are movably inserted into the guide groove.
[0009] Preferably, the guide plate has limiting parts on both sides, and the limiting parts are located in the guide groove.
[0010] Preferably, the outer side of the guide plate is connected to an ROV interface, and the smooth end of the screw passes through the guide plate and extends into the ROV interface.
[0011] Preferably, the guide plate has a through hole and a bayonet in the middle of its side surface, the smooth end of the screw is rotatably connected to the through hole, and the ROV interface has a locking head on one side, which is engaged in the bayonet.
[0012] Preferably, a positioning nut is provided at one end of the screw near the moving plate. The positioning nut is used to limit the movement position of the moving plate on the screw and prevent the moving plate from moving excessively.
[0013] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:
[0014] 1. In this application, rotating the screw can drive the moving plate to approach the fixed plate to achieve the docking of the male and female heads, which simplifies the connection process, improves the connection efficiency of underwater oil pipelines, and effectively solves the technical problems of inconvenient connection and long operation time of existing connectors.
[0015] 2. In this application, by setting the guide rod, the guide rod is slidably inserted into the guide groove of the moving plate, which can provide guidance for the linear movement of the moving plate, ensuring that the male and female heads maintain an accurate positional relationship during the docking process and avoiding deviation. Attached Figure Description
[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the structure of this utility model;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the structure of this utility model;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a side view of the structure of this utility model;
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the screw structure in this utility model;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the guide plate structure of this utility model;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the ROV interface structure in this utility model.
[0023] In the attached image:
[0024] 1. Side plate; 11. Guide groove; 2. Fixed plate; 3. Moving plate; 4. Screw; 5. Suspension handle; 6. Guide plate; 61. Through hole; 62. Bayonet; 63. Limiting part; 7. ROV interface; 71. Clip; 8. Guide rod. Detailed Implementation
[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0026] There are many types of existing underwater oil pipeline connectors, the most common being mechanical clamp connectors and flange bolt connectors. Mechanical clamp connectors rely on the mechanical clamping force of the clamps to fix the two ends of the pipeline together. Their operation is relatively simple, but in the complex underwater environment, the clamps are easily affected by factors such as ocean currents and seabed sediment accumulation, leading to unstable clamping force and reduced connection reliability. Flange bolt connectors, on the other hand, are fastened by bolts installed on two flanges. This connection method has a stable structure and can withstand high pressure. However, during underwater operations, divers or underwater robots are needed to tighten numerous bolts one by one, a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Especially in the high-pressure, low-temperature, and low-visibility environment of the deep sea, the difficulty and risk of connection operations increase significantly. Therefore, an underwater oil pipeline connector was designed.
[0027] Currently, the existing connectors suffer from extremely inconvenient connection operations. Taking pipeline connection operations in deep-sea environments as an example, divers have limited underwater working time and are constrained by factors such as water pressure, low temperature, and current. Tightening each bolt requires a significant amount of time and effort, resulting in low efficiency throughout the connection process. While using underwater robots can extend the operation time, their precision and flexibility are limited, making it difficult to quickly and accurately complete the tightening of numerous bolts. This inconvenience not only significantly extends the laying and maintenance cycle of underwater oil pipelines, increasing operating costs, but also may delay project progress due to excessive connection time, impacting the overall efficiency of offshore oil extraction and failing to meet the modern offshore oil industry's demand for efficient and convenient connections.
[0028] This application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:
[0029] This utility model provides a connector for underwater oil pipelines. By rotating the screw 4, the moving plate 3 can be driven to move closer to the fixed plate 2 to achieve the docking of the male and female heads. This simplifies the connection process, improves the connection efficiency of underwater oil pipelines, and effectively solves the technical problems of inconvenient connection and long operation time of existing connectors.
[0030] Specifically:
[0031] Please see Figure 1-6 A subsea oil pipeline connector includes two side plates 1, a fixed plate 2 is fixedly connected to one side of the two side plates 1, a movable plate 3 is provided between the two side plates 1, a screw 4 is threaded into the middle of the movable plate 3, and a guide plate 6 is movably inserted into the side of the two side plates 1 away from the fixed plate 2, and the smooth end of the screw 4 is rotatably connected to the guide plate 6.
[0032] A male connector is installed on the fixed plate 2, and a female connector is installed on the movable plate 3. The male and female connectors correspond to each other and are used to connect the underwater oil pipelines.
[0033] A guide rod 8 is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the fixed plate 2, and a through guide groove is provided on the movable plate 3. The guide rod 8 is slidably inserted into the guide groove to guide the linear movement of the movable plate 3.
[0034] A suspension handle 5 is fixedly connected to the top of the movable plate 3, which facilitates the removal of the movable plate 3 and the hoisting of the connector.
[0035] The two side plates 1 are provided with guide grooves 11 on their opposite sides. The two sides of the guide plate 6 are movably inserted into the guide grooves 11. The two sides of the guide plate 6 are provided with limiting parts 63, which are located in the guide grooves 11, so as to facilitate the insertion of the guide plate 6 between the two side plates 1.
[0036] The guide plate 6 is connected to the ROV interface 7 on the outside. The smooth end of the screw 4 passes through the guide plate 6 and extends into the ROV interface 7. The operating end of the underwater robot is inserted into the ROV interface 7. By rotating the smooth end of the screw 4 with the help of a tool, the moving plate 3 can be driven to approach the fixed plate 2 to realize the docking of the male and female heads.
[0037] The guide plate 6 has a through hole 61 and a bayonet 62 in the middle of its side. The smooth end of the screw 4 is rotatably connected to the through hole 61. The ROV interface 7 has a clip 71 on one side, which is snapped into the bayonet 62 to facilitate the installation of the ROV interface 7 on the guide plate 6.
[0038] A positioning nut is provided at one end of the screw 4 near the movable plate 3. The positioning nut is used to limit the movement position of the movable plate 3 on the screw 4 and prevent the movable plate 3 from moving excessively.
[0039] When performing oil pipeline connection operations underwater, the operating end of the underwater robot is inserted into the ROV interface 7 connected to the outside of the guide plate 6. Since the smooth end of the screw 4 passes through the through hole 61 on the guide plate 6 and extends into the ROV interface 7, the operating end of the underwater robot rotates the smooth end of the screw 4 in the ROV interface 7, and the screw 4 begins to rotate.
[0040] Because the movable plate 3 is threaded into the screw 4 in the middle and the guide rod 8 is slidably inserted into the guide groove of the movable plate 3, the movable plate 3 moves along the straight line direction defined by the guide rod 8. As the screw 4 rotates, the movable plate 3 will move closer to the fixed plate 2 along the screw 4.
[0041] The fixed plate 2 is equipped with a male connector, and the movable plate 3 is equipped with a female connector. When the movable plate 3 is moved to the appropriate position, the positioning nut set at the end of the screw 4 near the movable plate 3 will limit the movement position of the movable plate 3 to prevent it from moving excessively. At this time, the male connector and the female connector are accurately connected, thereby realizing a reliable connection of the underwater oil pipeline.
[0042] It should be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
[0043] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A subsea oil pipeline connector, comprising two side plates (1), characterized in that, A fixed plate (2) is fixedly connected to one side of the two side plates (1), and a movable plate (3) is provided between the two side plates (1). A screw (4) is threaded into the middle of the movable plate (3), and a guide plate (6) is movably inserted into the side of the two side plates (1) away from the fixed plate (2). The smooth end of the screw (4) is rotatably connected to the guide plate (6). A male connector is installed on the fixed plate (2), and a female connector is installed on the movable plate (3). The male connector and the female connector correspond to each other and are used to connect the underwater oil pipeline. The inner wall of the fixed plate (2) is fixedly connected to a guide rod (8), and the movable plate (3) is provided with a through guide groove. The guide rod (8) is slidably inserted into the guide groove to guide the linear movement of the movable plate (3).
2. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A suspension handle (5) is fixedly connected to the top of the movable plate (3).
3. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The two side plates (1) are provided with guide grooves (11) on their opposite sides, and the two sides of the guide plate (6) are movably inserted into the guide grooves (11).
4. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The guide plate (6) is provided with limiting parts (63) on both sides, and the limiting parts (63) are located in the guide groove (11).
5. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The guide plate (6) is connected to an ROV interface (7) on its outer side, and the smooth end of the screw (4) passes through the guide plate (6) and extends into the ROV interface (7).
6. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The guide plate (6) has a through hole (61) and a bayonet (62) in the middle of its side. The smooth end of the screw (4) is rotatably connected to the through hole (61). The ROV interface (7) has a clamp (71) on one side, which is engaged in the bayonet (62).
7. The subsea oil pipeline connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The screw (4) is provided with a positioning nut at one end near the moving plate (3). The positioning nut is used to limit the moving position of the moving plate (3) on the screw (4) and prevent the moving plate (3) from moving excessively.