Flexible Pipe Tensile Armor Segmentation for Anchoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for anchoring tensile armors in flexible conduits for offshore oil and gas extraction require folding of wires, which leads to residual stresses and increased labor, reducing the durability and efficiency of the connector and flexible conduit system.

Innovation Solution

A process that involves cutting the external tensile armor wires to expose internal wires for forming, eliminating the need for folding and reducing residual stresses, allowing for easier and faster configuration of terminal regions into anchoring profiles without deforming the external tensile armor wires.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the external tensile armor wires are folded to expose internal wires for forming terminal regions, then access to internal wires is achieved, but residual stresses are generated and labor time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to internal wiresVSAvoiddurability of tensile armor

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The external tensile armor is segmented by cutting selected wires at specific locations, creating gaps that expose the internal tensile armor wires without requiring folding operations. This segmentation allows direct access to internal wires for terminal region formation while avoiding the residual stresses caused by folding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The external tensile armor wires are pre-cut to create exposure gaps before the terminal region forming operation begins. This preliminary action eliminates the need for folding during the forming process, thereby preventing residual stress generation while maintaining ease of access to internal wires.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the external tensile armor wires are folded to access internal wires, then terminal region forming can proceed, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal region formingVSAvoidconfiguration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the external tensile armor through selective wire cutting, the method creates direct access pathways to internal wires. This eliminates the time-consuming folding operations and complex manual manipulation required in conventional methods, significantly reducing the overall configuration time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The external wires are pre-cut to create exposure gaps before terminal region forming begins. This preliminary preparation simplifies subsequent operations by providing direct access to internal wires, eliminating the need for time-consuming folding and repositioning during the forming process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the external tensile armor wires are folded during anchoring, then internal wires can be accessed for forming, but residual stresses reduce the durability of the connector system

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire accessVSAvoiddurability of connector system

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The external tensile armor is segmented by cutting wires to create exposure gaps, allowing direct access to internal wires without folding. This segmentation approach maintains the structural integrity of the external armor while enabling easy access to internal wires for terminal region formation, thereby preserving the durability of the connector system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The external wires are pre-cut to create exposure gaps before any forming operations begin. This preliminary action eliminates the need for folding during terminal region formation, preventing residual stress generation and maintaining the long-term durability and reliability of the connector system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3070388B1Method for producing the configuration of a flexible pipe tensile armour and thus obtained configuration of flexible pipe tensile armour

Publication Date: 2020.07.01 SIMEROS PROJETOS ELETROMECANICOS

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AI summary

The invention proposes a process to obtain a tensile armor configuration of a flexible conduit (50) comprising a disparity step, in which the terminal region of each wire (551) of the external tensile armor (55) of the flexible conduit (50) and the terminal region of each wire (541) of the internal tensile armor (54) of the flexible conduit (50) are cut, assigning a difference between a post cut terminal region (551b) of each wire (551) of the external tensile armor (55) and a post cut terminal region of each wire (541) of the internal tensile armor (54) in a length sufficient to allow to perform a forming step, in which the post cut terminal region of at least one wire (541) of the internal tensile armor (54) is formed to obtain a formed terminal region (541c) in an anchoring profile. This invention also proposes a tensile armor configuration of a flexible conduit (50) obtained by the process described above. According to the proposed solution, from the cutting of the wires (551) of the external tensile armor (55) at the different length regarding the cutting of the wires (541) of the internal tensile armor (54), the wires (541) of the said internal tensile armor (54) are exposed and can be easily accessed for forming of their post cut terminal regions, without requiring to bend the wires (551) of the external tensile armor (55).